Body Bags & Blarney (7 page)

Vivienne
gathered the simple items and placed them in front of the computer. She did as
the cantrip described, writing what was desired on the paper, folding it into a
five-pointed star, reciting the ancient power words, and finished by burying
the folded star into a small bowl of yeast which she activated with warm water.
As the concoction bubbled and foamed, she caught a glimpse of the magical
energy erupt out of the bowl like a volcano. It reminded her of those electric
plasma balls found in gift shops where you could place your hands on the glass
and concentrate the energy into thick bolts. Her words directed the magical
effect to the Nouveau You Salon appointment book, where two new openings were
going to appear.

The cantrip
danced through the exposed brick wall of the shop and would find its target
within mere moments. All she had to do was wait.

“It’s probably
a good thing they didn’t have an opening because I’d never be able to figure
out what to do with my hair.” Stephanie emerged from the stockroom with her
arms full of baking supplies. “I just get so mired down in all the details.”

Vivienne
walked over the computer and closed the magical file on the desktop. “Isn’t
that part of the fun?”

Stephanie set
the items in her arms down on the counter and frowned at the little bowl of
activated yeast. “What are you making?”

“Uh, I was
just testing this batch of yeast to see that it was still good.” Vivienne lied.

“What’s that
floating in there?” Stephanie peeked closer.

“Oh, just the
packet it came in. I was practicing my origami skills and it slipped out of my
hands and went in.” Vivienne gave her a little smile. “Does it look like a
star?”

“Yes.”
Stephanie nodded at the wet paper in the bowl. “Too bad you didn’t make a
swan.”

Vivienne
laughed. “I know, right?”

The telephone
interrupted them. “Sweet Dreams Bakery?” Vivienne acted surprised. “Oh hello,
Marie. How are you?”

Stephanie
barely looked up as she began to organize her mise en place for Irish soda
bread. She had canisters of her dry ingredients, measuring cups, and an
assortment of whisks and spatulas all set up within easy reach of her
workstation.

“Wonderful, I
can’t wait to tell her. Sure, we’ll be there at three thirty.” Vivienne hung up
the phone and whirled around to face Stephanie “Guess what?”

“No way.”
Stephanie grinned. “They can fit us in?”

Vivienne
nodded back eagerly. “They just had two cancellations.”

“Oh wow.”
Stephanie gushed. “That’s so awesome.”

“I told you
not to doubt your fairy godmother.” Vivienne gushed back.

“What a stroke
of good luck.”

“We just need
to be sure we get everything ready so we can close up early tomorrow
afternoon.” Vivienne spoke just as the front door opened and Kathy stepped in.

“Hello
ladies.” She called out happily. “What goodies are we baking today?”

“Irish soda
bread.” Vivienne greeted her from behind the counter. “Your king cakes are good
to go now if you’d like them.”

“That’d be
great, save me time rushing around tomorrow.” Kathy smiled. “I have an
appointment with Marie at two thirty so I was going to close up early anyway.”

“We’re coming
in at three.” Vivienne walked over to the rolling cart that held the boxed pickup
orders and pulled the three boxes into her arms. “After all, we have to look
our best too.”

“I can’t wait
to see.” Kathy took the boxes. “On my account?”

Vivienne
nodded. “You got it.”

“I’d love to
stay and chat, but I’ve got an errand list a mile long for the party tomorrow.”
Kathy spun around with the cake boxes in her arms and made her way to the door.
“I’m sure the cakes are just gorgeous.”

“Good luck
getting all your errands done.” Vivienne waved as Kathy hurried out the door to
her car.

Stephanie began
measuring the dry ingredients for the bread. “This party is going to be
awesome.

CHAPTER SIX

True to her
word, Kathy had put together a night of elegance at Trade Winds Clothier. She moved
several of the racks of clothing off the sales floor to create an open
reception area flanked by a buffet table of finger foods and Vivienne’s king
cakes. She had hung several strands of purple, green, and gold lights from the
ceiling and turned the overhead spots off to create a warm atmosphere. The
crowning glory, naturally, was the display case of the Faux Real costume
jewelry that had a single large spotlight overhead to create maximum dazzle. It
looked very much like the crown jewels on display at a museum, right down to a
set of velvet ropes encircling. The only difference was the sign that
encouraged party guests to try out the various necklaces, earrings, brooches,
and cocktail rings. Holding court, much like a queen, Kathy was poised and ready
to fawn over customer jewelry choices. As she sauntered effortlessly through
the groups of interested party attendees, she kept a firm grip on the clipboard
that was loaded with pre-order forms.
 
She had taken care to wear a smartly styled Bermuda blue scoopneck
dress, which was the perfect frame for the simple mother-of-pearl necklace she
was demonstrating for a summer beach party look. Her mission was relatively
simple, at least in theory. She fully expected to have at least seventy-five
percent of the invited guests to walk away with a confirmed pre-order in their
hands before the night was through.

Vivienne felt
very much like a princess for the evening. The salon had pulled her auburn hair
into a dramatic upsweep, allowing some tendrils to cascade down the right side
of her face. She had chosen a simple dress, in basic black, that hugged her
curves in all the right places. Although it wasn’t what one would call a fancy
occasion garment, it was her ‘go to’ whenever she needed something a little
special to stand out and feel good. It was one of the few motherly advices that
she readily followed from Nora. ‘Every woman should always have the little
black dress in her closet.’ Her mother’s voice rang in her head. As usual, it
was followed by a little barb. ‘But, dear, the absolute must have item in any
woman’s closet is a wedding dress. You’re not getting any younger.’

Next to her,
Stephanie looked stunning in a pink racerback dress that Kathy insisted she
borrow from the store after seeing her salon visit results. Marie had gone all
out to give her a natural glowing makeover, with soft neutral tones to showcase
her youthfully flawless skin. The smile on her face said it all, she was
positively radiant with joy. “Thanks again for today. I never really treated myself
to something like that before.”

“You look just
like a model.” Vivienne commented as she sipped some mock sangria. Due to the
underage guests, Kathy preferred not to have any alcohol on the premises. She
instead made her famous blend of orange, cranberry, and white grape juice
blended with a diet lemon lime soda. Garnished with large pieces of fresh
fruit, no one ever complained as the beverage was quite delicious and visually
appealing.

“Thank you,
you do too.” Stephanie replied as she plucked a turkey and cheddar deli spiral
off a large platter. “Of course, everyone knows we’re not models because we’re
hanging out where the food is and we’re actually eating it.”

Vivienne
giggled softly. “I can’t help it.” She snagged a cranberry baked Brie bite off a
nearby platter. “All that rushing around to close early today really built up
my appetite.” She popped it in her mouth and savored the combination of tart
and buttery goodness as she chewed.

“Mine too.”
Stephanie smiled as one of the regular customers from the bakery complimented
her appearance. “Maybe I could even attract someone like Johnny Guido if I made
a habit of it?”

Vivienne
looked across the crowded room where Johnny Guido and a burly man were standing
apart from everyone else. He was dressed in an expensive-looking tuxedo with
the front shirt unbuttoned down to reveal his hairless pectorals. Much like the
photograph, his dark hair was slicked back and he kept on a pair of
aviator-style sunglasses that shielded his eyes from everyone. He was flanked
by a rather large man with buzzed hair who kept a close watch on the room. He
wore a dark suit which accented his large upper body frame, dark tinted
sunglasses, and never cracked even a hint of a smile. “What’s with the
bodyguard?” Vivienne asked.

Stephanie
shrugged. “I’m guessing he needs him in case any of his current girlfriends
should appear at the same function.”

“Girlfriends
plural?” Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think
any girlfriend has exclusive rights to him.” Stephanie sipped some of her mock
sangria. “Least of all, Alexis.”

They both
looked across the room where Alexis was modeling some of the jewelry line. She
was dressed in a scarlet red cami dress that left very little to the
imagination when it came to her bust size. As she pranced around the room,
stopping to display some of the pieces of the collection, Johnny Guido motioned
to the bodyguard and whispered something into his ear. The man nodded and
exited the store.

“Well, what do
you think of the party?” Kathy seemed relieved to finally greet some personal
friends to her party.

“I’d say
you’re going to make a lot of money.” Vivienne raised her glass. “Here’s to
profits.”

Kathy beamed
with pride. “From your lips to God’s ears.”

“It’s all so
beautiful Miss Saunders.” Stephanie added. “I can’t believe how affordable
everything is going to be. Even with my budget, I can buy some nice pieces for
my wardrobe.”

“That’s the
idea.” Kathy replied. “That treating yourself to something nice shouldn’t
require a small loan.”

“So diamonds
aren’t a girl’s best friend anymore?” Vivienne teased.

“Oh, they
still are.” Kathy corrected her. “But until a man comes along to bring them to
the party, you can still enjoy the festivities.”

Harriet
Nettles waved to Vivienne and waltzed over with a piece of king cake in her
hand. “It must be my lucky day, I found a gold baby in my piece.”

“You’ve just
won a twenty-five percent off coupon from Sweet Dreams Bakery.” Kathy smiled
back. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”
Harriet beamed as he handed the little plastic trinket to Kathy. “Say, this
reminds me about that necklace Vivienne turned in the other night at the
library.”

“Did someone
claim it?” Vivienne asked.

“Yes, a man
came in and asked if anyone found a necklace.” Harriet replied. “He said it was
a family heirloom.”

“That cheap
looking thing?” Kathy rolled her eyes. “You should have told him about tonight,
I could have hooked him up with something much nicer to replace it with.”

“Who was the
man?” Vivienne wondered.

“The poor man
who helped me with the microphone and ended up getting hurt.” Harriet recalled.
“Isn’t that something?”

“I’d say he
used up all his bad and good luck at the same time.” Kathy gently elbowed
Vivienne.

“Well, I’m glad
we didn’t throw the necklace away like someone suggested.” Vivienne gently
poked Kathy back.

“Oh, poo.”
Kathy frowned. “That ratty thing couldn’t have been worth more than a few
dollars.”

“Family
heirlooms don’t always have a price tag on them.” Vivienne reminded her.

“Mine do.”
Kathy quipped.

There was
swirl of cold wind as the front door opened with the return of the bodyguard.
He carried in his arms a few bottles of something that looked like champagne.
There was a gasp from the crowd as the big man set the bottles down by the
punchbowl of mock sangria.

“Compliments
of Johnny Guido to all of Cayuga Cove’s loveliest ladies.” Johnny spoke up from
the crowd. “Please enjoy.” He lowered his sunglasses a tad and winked as
several of the women clapped in appreciation.

“I thought
this was a dry event?” Vivienne asked Kathy.

“It is.” Kathy
fumed. “Excuse me a moment.” She hurried over to where Johnny was posing for
pictures with some of the guests.

“That’s not
good.” Stephanie spoke quietly as the pop of a cork pierced the growing murmur
of the crowd.

“Not at all.”
Vivienne agreed.

“While I
appreciate the thoughtful gesture, I’m afraid that we can’t have any alcohol as
we have many underage guests here tonight.” Kathy explained in the most polite
voice she could muster.

“Oh, I’m sure
we can make an exception tonight.” Johnny smiled broadly at her. “It’ll be our
little secret.”

Kathy kept a
smile on her face. “As much as I would love to have my guests enjoy the
champagne, it’s not appropriate and there are underage patrons.”

“Oh, come on.”
Johnny pressed on as he poured a glass of the bubbly for Alexis and handed it
to her. “I’d hate to think that Cayuga Cove doesn’t like to party.”

“Please, if
you are going to push this I am going to have to ask you to leave now.” Kathy
walked over and grabbed the bottle out of Johnny’s hand.

The bodyguard
lunged forward and snagged her in his grip. “Ma’am, you are too close to Mr.
Guido. You need to back away now.”

Vivienne gave
her glass to Stephanie. “Hold this for me.” She started to push her way through
the crowd which was tightening a circle to see what the ruckus was all about.

“This is my
store.” Kathy fumed. “Let me go.”

“Johnny, what
are you doing?” Alexis’ eyes went wide in shock.

“It’s okay,
babe.” Johnny reached out and gave her a swat on her rear. “I’ve got this.”

“You heard the
lady, let her go.” A deep voice called out above the gasps and murmurs of the
crowd.

Vivienne
noticed a tall man in a brown leather bomber jacket stepping into the center of
the circle where the bodyguard was holding Kathy in place. She continued to
push her way through the ladies. “Excuse me, let me through please.”

“I said let
her go.” The tall stranger repeated.

Vivienne
finally made it through the crowd and got a good look at the man issuing a
challenge to the bodyguard. He had a long mane of light brown hair that
cascaded down to his thick neck. He was a good head taller than the bodyguard
as he stood before him, easily the same six foot-five height that Joshua
possessed. His green eyes seemed to glow from within as he reached out toward
Kathy. “I’m not going to ask again.”

The bodyguard
released Kathy who took a stumble backwards in shock. Vivienne rushed forward
and helped steady her friend. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Kathy shook
her head. “No, I’m fine.” She looked around at the room which was suddenly
deadly quiet. “I just want them to leave.”

“You heard the
lovely lady. She would like you gentlemen to hit the road.” The tall stranger
spoke in a voice that had a rough around the edges quality, authoritative yet
somehow comforting at the same time.

The burly
bodyguard suddenly stepped in to face the stranger.

“If you don’t
do what he says, I am going to call the police and have you escorted by the
Deputy himself.” Vivienne threatened as she brandished her cell phone in hand.

“Don’t call
the police.” Alexis pleaded.

“Come on, this
place blows.” Johnny snapped his fingers at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard
stepped away and followed Johnny as the crowd cleared the way for him to leave
the store.

“Don’t forget
to take your champagne with you.” Kathy added.

Johnny pointed
to the bottles and the bodyguard rushed over to the refreshment table and
snagged them up in a smooth motion. “You’re making a huge mistake kicking us
out.” Johnny sniffed back.

“Oh, she’s not
kicking you out.” The stranger followed them a few steps behind. “She’s
throwing you out for being an obnoxious jerk.”

Johnny whirled
around and faced him. He had to crane his neck upwards to make any sort of eye
contact. “If you’ve got a problem with us, we can take care of it outside.”

“We won’t have
a problem as soon as you step out the front door.”

Johnny paused
for a moment, as if challenging the tall stranger. “I’m only leaving because I
have someplace better to be.”

“Fine.” The stranger
gestured to the front door. “Better hurry now.”

Johnny gave
him a smirk and flipped him off before turning on his heels and vacating the
store with his bodyguard in tow.

“Johnny, where
are you going?” Alexis gave chase. “Are we still going to party tonight? Wait
up.”

Vivienne,
Kathy, and Stephanie stepped over to the front display window to get a better
view of them on the street.

Johnny Guido
and his bodyguard stepped into an enormous black Cadillac Escalade that had
been waiting at the curb outside. Alexis caught up with them and managed to
catch Johnny before the passenger door could be closed. Although neither
Vivienne nor Stephanie could hear the conversation between them, they could
tell from her body language that she was not happy. She made grand gestures
with her arms, waving them around in protest. Suddenly, she turned away and the
door slammed as the car sped away, leaving her alone in the freezing cold air.