Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series (2 page)

“That sounds like a bit too much sugar for me,” Moira said with a laugh. “But I bet you two will have fun.”

She gave her daughter a quick hug goodbye and left, forcing herself to ignore the call of the delicious-looking squares of fudge that sat temptingly under a glass bell on the counter. The fair meant a whole week of deep-fried mushrooms, onion rings, chili fries, elephant ears, and cotton candy coming up, and her pants were already feeling a little bit too tight.

Moira woke up the next morning to the sound of ferocious barking. With a groan she sat up, glanced at her clock—it was not quite seven, still almost an hour before her alarm was supposed to go off—then hurried downstairs to see what all the ruckus was about. What she found was Maverick, the normally sweet black and tan German shepherd that she had adopted a few months ago, standing by the picture window in the living room with his hackles up and his ears pricked forward as his eyes scanned the tree line. Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Moira walked over to him and laid her hand on his back.

“What is it, Mav?” she asked as she looked out the window herself. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Certainly he hadn’t been barking at the songbirds that had just begun to flock around the bird feeder for an early start at breakfast; he had taken very well to their move from town out into the woods between Maple Creek and Lake Marion, and didn’t even seem to mind the deer that frequented the yard in the evenings.

She glanced down to see if she could follow his gaze, but he seemed to have lost interest in whatever had been outdoors. He twisted his head to look up at her, and she found herself gazing into a pair of hopeful brown eyes.

“It’s a bit early for breakfast, isn’t it?”

She chuckled when he spun on the spot and dashed for the kitchen. Maverick never seemed to think it was too early or late for any meal. She found him sitting patiently by his stainless steel bowl next to the fridge, his eyes darting between her and the cupboard where she kept his food.

By the time she had fed him, completed her own morning bathroom routine, and made her coffee, it was nearly seven-thirty—the time that she normally started her day. She was glad that Dante, Meg, Allison, and Darrin were happy to rotate opening the deli for breakfast among themselves for the most part; she had never been much of a morning person herself, and usually needed a cup or two of coffee in her before she really started to feel human.

She settled herself in the rocking chair on the back porch only to stand right back up again when she heard her cell phone begin ringing inside. Chances were it was important because she rarely got calls this early. Most likely something had gone wrong at the deli, but it could also be Candice or David, her private investigator boyfriend, needing something urgent. With a sigh she set her coffee down on the small wooden table next to the rocking chair and headed back inside, shooting Maverick a stern glance on her way in just in case he got it into his mind to try to taste her coffee. A large dog hyped up on caffeine was something that she definitely did
not
need right now.

The name that came up on her phone’s screen surprised her; what was
Martha
calling this early for? Her friend was supposed to be flying out of the Traverse City airport at noon. She hoped that nothing had come up. Martha worked hard, and her job was significantly more stressful than Moira’s; she deserved a vacation, that was for sure.

“I’m sorry for calling you so early. I hope I didn’t wake you up,” the other woman said as soon as Moira answered the call. “I just didn’t know who else to turn to, and I have to leave by eight if I want to make it to the airport on time.”

“Don’t worry about it, I was already up,” she reassured her friend. “What’s going on? You know I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“It’s Diamond,” Martha began. The deli owner’s heart skipped a beat. Diamond was her friend’s little black-and-white dog, a mixed breed that occasionally came over to play with Maverick in the backyard. The shepherd was smitten with her, and Moira knew the other woman would be crushed if something had happened to her beloved pet.

“Oh no, is she okay?” she asked.

“Nothing like that,” Martha said quickly. “It’s just that my pet sitter canceled on me last minute. She had a family emergency, so I’m trying my best not to be mad, but if I can’t find someone to watch Diamond, I can’t go on my trip…”

“Oh. Well, I guess I could take her.” Moira bit her lip as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Some days she felt as if she barely had time for Maverick. How would she make time for her friend’s dog too?

“Thank you so much,” the other woman said, obviously relieved. “I can drop her off in about fifteen minutes, if that works for you. I’ve already got all of her things packed. I’ll pay you the same amount I was going to pay the pet sitter.”

“Fifteen minutes is fine. And don’t worry about paying me. Keep the money and enjoy something extra on your vacation. You’ve earned it.”

She hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket in case her friend called again, then went back outside to enjoy her coffee before Martha and Diamond arrived.
This might be fun
, she told herself as she watched Maverick race around the fenced-in portion of her yard.
Mav will enjoy having her here. And how much extra work can a second dog be?

***

“Here’s her food. She gets one scoop in the morning and one in the evening. There’s also a bag of her favorite treats in there, and her food and water bowls. And then of course her dog bed and her crate for when you’re not home. She’s learned how to open the cupboards in my kitchen, so I can’t let her be free when I’m not there.”

Moira took the bag of food while her friend leaned the folded-up wire crate and the bright pink dog bed against the wall. Diamond and Maverick were greeting each other enthusiastically. Even though the big German shepherd was at least three times her size, the smaller dog wasn’t intimidated by him at all as she bounced around, trying to get him to play.

“Thanks again,” Martha added. “I owe you, big time.” She bent down to pet the wriggly little dog. “You be good, okay princess? Be a good girl for Moira.”

“Just enjoy your vacation,” the deli owner told her. “Don’t worry about Diamond, I’m sure she’ll settle right in here. It really won’t be any trouble. I’m sure she and Maverick will entertain each other most of the time. It will be nice for him to have a friend around.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Moira.” The two women clasped each other in a quick hug, then Moira watched as her friend hurried back to her car and waved one last time before pulling out. Moira called the two dogs inside, glad that Diamond was used to listening to commands while she was off leash. The two dogs raced through the house until she let them out into the fenced yard to play. She checked the time and was surprised to see that it wasn’t even eight-thirty yet. She had had such a busy morning that it felt like it should be much later. Watching the dogs chase each other through her yard, she gave a bemused smile and shook her head. So much had happened already, and she still had the soup competition between her employees to get through tonight.

Her shift at the deli that afternoon went by slowly but pleasantly. She enjoyed making the sandwiches for the day’s special; they were colorful and tasty—sliced honey-glazed ham on Hawaiian bread with a thick slice of roasted pineapple, a few leaves of the naturally flavorful mizuna that she had discovered last week at the farmer’s market, and a drizzle of brown sugar dressing. They made for unique sandwiches that brought back memories of a cruise to the Caribbean she had taken years ago, when she was in college.

Maybe I should take a vacation soon myself,
she thought.
Candice or David could watch Maverick, and surely between the four of them, my employees could manage the store for a few days while I’m gone.
It was tempting. The image of herself sitting on a beach somewhere tropical and sipping a margarita while reading a paperback appeared in her mind. It was tempting, that was for sure. And if she hired a travel agent or even looked online herself, then she might be able to find some good deals.

But if I’m going to go somewhere tropical, I might as well wait until winter when I’m sick of the cold and the snow. There’s no sense in trading the heat and humidity of Michigan for an even hotter beach somewhere down south, not when I’m already praying for a cool breeze half the time.
She decided to put plans for travel on hold for now. Maybe when things settled down and tourist season ended, she could start looking online for cruises that would leave sometime after the holidays. Right now she needed to focus on keeping the deli running smoothly and on enjoying the upcoming fair.

She had been fighting doubts about the upcoming soup competition all week. Was letting her employees have a chance at entering one of their own recipes in the competition a mistake? Wouldn’t they have a better chance of winning if she used one of her own recipes?

But winning isn’t the most important thing
, she reminded herself.
Sure, it would be good for the deli, but it’s more important to have fun and give the kids a chance to shine.
She knew that Darrin was planning on a future in the food industry, and Allison and Meg might be. If one of them won the soup contest at the fair, it would make a nice addition to a résumé. And even if the deli lost, well, there was always next year.

The bell on the deli’s front door jingled, and Moira looked up to see a familiar face walk into the deli. It was Mayor Willis, a tall, cheerful man maybe a decade older than herself. His face was red from sunburn, and he was wearing a broad smile.

“Ms. Darling,” he said. “How are you doing?”

“Quite well, thank you. How about yourself?” she said. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“Nothing at the moment, other than a few minutes of your time. As I’m sure you remember, you catered my daughter’s graduation party a few years ago.” He paused, and Moira nodded. Elli Willis’s college graduation party had been her very first catering event. She had been grateful to the mayor for taking a chance on the newly opened deli, and the occasion had gone off without a hitch.

“Well,” he continued. “My baby girl just announced her engagement. I want to throw her an engagement party, and you’re the only one she’ll accept as caterer. The party is the Saturday after the fair. I’ve already got the gazebo and band shell in the park booked.”

“Oh, I’m touched.” She hesitated. It was true; it was touching to know that Elli wanted her and only her to cater, but the thought of adding so much extra work on top of manning the booth at the fair, keeping the deli itself running, and taking care of Maverick and Diamond at home seemed overwhelming.

“She has a few specific requests, but wants you to have freedom for your own creative flair.” He must have seen the look on her face, because his own expression fell.

“You’re already booked, aren’t you?” he asked.

“No, I’m not,” she assured him, forcing a smile onto her face. She would just have to make time, that was all. “Feel free to tell Elli that I’ll do it. Here, take one of the deli’s cards—she and I will have to talk about what exactly she wants.”

“Thank you, Ms. Darling,” Mayor Willis said as he took the card from her. “You have no idea what this means to her—and to me. I’ll let you two talk about price, but don’t be afraid to ask for a little extra. I know it’s a busy season, and this is very short notice.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Willis, it will be my pleasure to do business again with you.” She shot him a smile and pocketed his card, making a mental note to call his daughter as soon as possible. She couldn’t help but wonder exactly how many people would be at the young woman’s engagement party.
I hope my employees have clear schedules
, she thought.
Because I might have to ask them to do some overtime.

It was with relief that she flipped the open sign over to closed a few hours later. Since David, Candice, and Eli were due to show up soon, she didn’t bother to lock the door, but instead went straight back to the kitchen where three of her employees were preparing their ingredients on the kitchen counters. She hadn’t asked any of them what exactly they were planning on making, so the soups would be as much a surprise to her as they were to the three judges. The fair’s theme this year was “Hearty Homestyle,” which allowed a lot of room for creativity. For the official competition at the fair, each contestant was allowed one side—bread, chips, or something similar—to go with their soup, so Moira had allowed the same for the store’s own competition.

“Does anyone need anything?” she asked them. “You each have all of the ingredients that you need?” Nods all around.

“Allison thinks hers will take the longest,” Darrin said. “So we should be ready in just about an hour.”

“All right. Remember, the important thing is to have fun. David, Candice, and Eli will have no idea who is making which dish, so the competition should be completely fair.” She paused, interrupted by the jingle of the bells on the deli’s front door as someone came in. “That’s probably David. If you need me, I’ll be with him and the others. Good luck. I can’t wait to taste the soups that you make.”

She smiled once more, glancing at each of them. She was glad that she had made the decision to let her employees have a chance at entering a soup in the fair. As she had just told them, having fun was what mattered. Winning came second.