Tea Cups and Carnage Read online

  “I’m so sorry I’m late. We had such awful traffic on Highway One from Bakerstown today. Pat and I had our weekly mani-pedi appointment this morning. Frighteningly early, but you all know how hard finding personal time is when you run a successful shop.” Sherry pulled a chair up next to Mayor Baylor but twisted her head when she saw Kathi. “Who is she?”

  Now, this was getting entertaining. I leaned back in my chair and waved a hand toward Bill, encouraging him to answer Sherry’s question.

  He coughed into his hand, then made the introductions. “Sherry, this is our newest member, Kathi Corbin. She’s opening the shop next to The Glass Slipper.” Bill looked at Kathi. “Sherry and Pat run Vintage Duds. Go ahead Kathi, you were saying?”

  And with that, he turned the floor back to Kathi, who spoke for over twenty minutes on the subject of Tea Hee, her time in the pageant world, and how she’d made the decision to move because Texas was just so freaking hot.

  Sherry’s face turned pink five minutes into Kathi’s discourse, red at ten, and by the time Bill closed the meeting, I would say Sherry’s face was a lovely shade of royal purple. The girl didn’t like anyone stealing her limelight and especially not someone who, to be frank, was prettier.

  I thought I might just give Sherry a mirror and tell her it was magic. She was acting more like the evil queen than I’d ever seen her reveal in public. And I loved it.

  Sue me, I’m shallow. Especially when it comes to my boyfriend’s ex-wife. Yep. Greg King, South Cove police detective, and also my boyfriend, had once been married to the woman.

  Of course, I knew she didn’t see me as competition. How? She’d told me so on more than one occasion.

  A smile still curved my lips as I cleaned up after the business meeting. I shoved a chair back under a table and wiped the top of the table clean.

  “That was some show.” Sasha put two more chairs under the table.

  I put the last chair in place and looked around the room. The shop was back in order in a total of eight minutes. We were getting better at this cleanup process. “I wasn’t sure you were watching. I saw you over on the couch reading.”

  “Trying to read. The circus was just too entertaining.” Sasha stretched. “I’ll watch the shop until Toby gets here. Don’t you have a class with Amy this morning?”

  “Yeah.” I glanced at the clock. I still had ten minutes before I was supposed to meet Amy Newman at the city gym. I retrieved my gym bag from the back office and strolled down Main Street to the building that housed the rec center along with a small day care. Sasha had Olivia on the waiting list for the next open slot.

  South Cove sat smack dab in the center of the coast line. We got our traffic from tourists wandering down Highway One and looking for a quick bite to eat or a break away from the road. The town had one diner, one coffee shop – mine, one bookstore – mine, and a ton of artists’ shops including The Glass Slipper, across the street from my coffee shop. Tourists could choose from a variety of lodging options, from one of our upscale bed and breakfasts, to a lower-priced hotel on the main highway, to a luxury villa at The Castle. Oh, and we had South Cove Winery. Now, isn’t that the perfect tourist town?

  The morning air was cool and helped me get the meeting out of my head. The only good thing that had happened was how mad Sherry had been when she stomped out. Someday that woman would realize the world didn’t revolve around her. And with Kathi around, someday could be sooner than Sherry knew.

  I opened the door to the gym and went straight to the women’s locker room. Greg had convinced Mayor Baylor to sponsor a martial arts class at the gym mostly so his deputies could fit it into their schedule. Greg, Tim, and Toby were already playing a quick game of hoops to pass the time. The men were already dressed in shorts and t-shirts by the time I walked into the gym. Greg looked over at me and his eyes crinkled and he winked at me. Then he threw a three-pointer and gave me a full-on smile. The boy was a showoff, but he was my showoff.

  Amy waved me over to the mat where she was stretching out. She patted the place next to her. “I didn’t think you were going to make it. Long meeting?”

  I sank down to the floor and stretched over my legs. “Don’t ask. It was brutal, and, since Mary’s going to Idaho, I have to go to the next city council meeting to do the report. Can’t I just give it to you? You have to go anyway.”

  “No way. Mayor Baylor has made it perfectly clear I’m there in an administrative role only. He’d crap if he saw my first draft of notes. I’m always planning tomorrow’s to-do list or writing my shopping list.” She nudged me. “Look at that fine piece of man. Who is he?”

  Two men had just strolled into the gym. Matt, one of the newest South Cove residents who worked at the winery and was also Darla’s boyfriend, and another guy, tall, dark and handsome, with a touch of scruff on his face. Bad boy incarnate. I recognized the guy as one of the band members who were playing the winery this week. He’d come over to the table where Darla and Matt sat with Greg and I.

  “One of Matt’s friends, Blake something. He sings lead for Atomic Power, the band playing at the winery.” I stretched over my straight legs watching as the newcomer was introduced to the group. “Are we the only women in this class?”

  Amy grinned and stood as the instructor called the group over toward the middle of the gym floor. “Isn’t it amazing?”

  Chapter 2

  Ninety minutes later, Amy and I were in our favorite booth at Diamond Lille’s eating lunch. I watched as my friend inhaled her burger and I went back to my fish fry basket. The food made me forget about the stiffness and pain my body was going to feel just as soon as I stood up. “I think your exercise class is going to kill me.”

  “It’s a great workout. You have to be on a waiting list for months to get into Tony’s classes. I can’t believe Greg convinced him to come here.” Amy took a sip of her vanilla milkshake. “What’s up with that?”

  “I have no clue.” I looked thoughtfully at the French fry in my hand. “I think they were college friends or something.”

  After one class, I was already rethinking my decision to sign up for the class so I decided to change the subject. Amy and I had gone through a rough patch a few months ago and we were still being careful of each other’s feelings. Maybe a little too careful. I missed the ease our friendship had before the fight. Greg kept telling me to just be patient, that it would regain its temperament, but I wondered, not for the first time, if Amy and I could be who we had been. “Have you met Kathi Corbin yet?”

  Amy served as the city receptionist, Mayor Baylor’s secretary, the city council’s scribe, and the city planner. She had a degree in the planning stuff, but it took all the jobs cobbled together to make a full-time position. She liked the freedom working for South Cove gave her. Especially since she got to surf most evenings and weekends. “Kathi’s been in the offices a lot lately. She’s definitely a looker. I swear, Marvin can be downstairs in the staff kitchen but as soon as she walks in the door, he’s right there. It’s kind of creepy.”

  “I bet if Tina was there he wouldn’t be so quick to fawn over Kathi.” The mayor’s wife Tina had an iron fist when it came to her husband and their marriage. What Tina wanted, Tina got. And she didn’t take kindly to him even looking at other women.

  “Tina’s out of town with the girls. They went to LA for a spa week.” Amy grinned. “They’re probably eating seaweed and doing who knows what to their bodies.”

  “Our honorable mayor better watch his actions. Tina may be out of town, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have spies watching out for her interests.” Carrie, our waitress, stood next to our table. She’d worked at Diamond Lille’s since before I’d moved to South Cove. She refilled my iced tea glass and Amy’s water. “Tina won’t take kindly to him sniffing around the new shop owner.”

  “Seriously? You really think Tina has someone watching him?” I stared at Carrie as she paused perching the two pitchers on the edge of the table.


  “I know she does. You girls are both naïve. Tina Baylor didn’t get to be the mayor’s wife by letting things fall to chance.” A man yelled her name out from the kitchen. “Tiny’s in a mood today. I better run. You almost ready for your checks?”

  “Sure.” I waited until Carrie was out of earshot before turning toward Amy. I’d lived in South Cove for almost six years now but the ins and outs of life in a small town still surprised me. “Did you know about Tina’s spies?”

  “No, but I wouldn’t put it past her. The woman reviews our phone records monthly. She says she’s looking for any potential campaign contributor so she can reach out when he’s running for office. But Carrie’s explanation makes more sense.” Amy picked up her milkshake, looked at the creamy concoction, and set it aside. “I’d dump Justin before I’d put myself through all that to make sure he was faithful.”

  “You don’t need to worry. Justin adores you.”

  Amy picked up her milkshake and drained it. “He does, doesn’t he?”

  “Darn right. Hey, I wanted to thank you for pushing the council to support the library fundraiser. I know you were the driving force behind their covering the room cost.” Aunt Jackie and Sasha had gone to the last council meeting to ask for the funds.

  “I didn’t do much. The grant funding was a no-brainer. The high school library has been out of date since before I went to school there.” Amy polished off her French fries. “I’m surprised you’re not heading up this project. Literacy is kind of your hot button.”

  “I wanted to give Sasha the opportunity to put this one together, especially since it’s for the age group of her book clubs. She said she could use it for a project next fall in one of her classes. The woman’s a dynamo.” I glanced at my watch. “I better get home. Emma’s probably dancing in the kitchen waiting for me to let her out.”

  I waved goodbye to my friend and headed toward the end of town and my house. I’d inherited the place from Miss Emily. She’d been the catalyst to my giving up a corporate law associate position and moving to South Cove. The woman had been a friend, mentor, and even surrogate mother to me before she died. I found out that not only had she willed me the house, she’d also given me her substantial fortune. I call the money the Miss Emily Fund and so far, the money has sponsored a couple scholarships as well as funded an anonymous donation to the South Cove Elementary library when the school board cut their book-buying budget to almost nothing last year. Sure, it was in my best interest for them to be able to order books from my store, but mostly, it drove me crazy thinking they’d prioritized sports over books.

  Books should always win. I guess that’s why when I designed my perfect small business I made it part bookstore, part coffee shop. The idea was genius and I’ve never regretted it.

  Strolling towards home, I thought how lucky I was to be able to walk to work. No fighting traffic, no crazy drivers, and no paying for parking. When I worked in the city, my monthly parking bill was as large as some people’s daycare budget. Here, my new Jeep didn’t even leave the garage most days. I watched as a tour bus unloaded passengers in front of The Train Station. Good thing we’d eaten early, Diamond Lille’s would be packed in about ten minutes. As the last of the group crossed the street, a motorcycle weaved through the pack, gunning his engine and zooming too close to a woman wielding a walker. Glancing up the road as I ran over to her to make sure she was all right, I thought it might be the same bike I’d seen that morning. When I reached the woman, she waved me away.

  “I’m fine. The jerk just scared me, that’s all.” Then the gray-haired woman lifted up one hand and flipped off the disappearing back of the motorcycle dude. I smiled as she finished crossing the street and hoped I was as feisty when I got to that age.

  Returning to the sidewalk, Harrold stood in his open doorway watching me. “That was almost a train wreck there.” His eyes sparkled at his joke.

  “The speed signs are clearly posted. I don’t know why those types even get off the highway. They can’t see anything as fast as they go through town anyway.” I leaned down and petted Levi, Harrold’s new rescue dog. “How are you today, buddy?”

  “He’s getting fat. Your aunt keeps feeding him from the table when we eat at home.” Harrold absently reached down and petted the dog’s neck. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”

  I held up my hands. “Don’t look to me for advice, I’ve never been able to stop her from doing something she’d put her mind to.”

  “I hear you’re doing a fundraiser for the library. Jackie’s all excited.”

  Harrold and my Aunt Jackie had been dating for a few months. They had the same interests, enjoyed each other’s company, and seemed like the perfect match. Of course, before Harrold, Aunt Jackie had been spending time with Josh Thomas. What that couple lacked in common interests, Josh made up for in his earnest adoration for my aunt. In the end, the one-sided love hadn’t been enough for her, and now Harrold was part of our group.

  “The library needs so much updating, it’s not funny. We donate a lot of books, but those kids deserve a well-rounded experience. I think the fundraiser might become an annual event.” I realized I hadn’t checked in with Sasha about the last-minute planning before I left the shop. I made a mental note to talk to her tomorrow before the Summer Beach Blast took up our attention for the week. Which gave me exactly five minutes first thing in the morning.

  Waving goodbye to Harrold and Levi, I ambled my way back home. Since the spring rains had just ended, the lawns were green and the flowers blooming. Everyone was edgy about water still, since one good rainy season didn’t mean the drought was over, but it was a good start. And I enjoyed the green landscape much more than the brown it had been during most of the winter months.

  Emma sniffed my hand when I reached down to greet her after unlocking the front door. “Yep, I’ve been visiting Levi.”

  She woofed at me and ran to the kitchen door. Apparently I’d been forgiven for visiting her buddy without her, or she just really had to go outside and she would pout later. Emma was my golden retriever and a gift from Greg. She was also my running buddy. I took a mental inventory of my energy level after the workout with Amy and decided I had enough juice to take a quick run. I went upstairs and changed and when I got back downstairs, we headed to the beach.

  The parking lot was filled with cars and I remembered too late that Mary and Darla were setting up for the start of the Summer Beach Blast. Toby was supposed to drive the food truck down this afternoon right after his shift. Sasha and Nick were charged with stocking the insides.

  The truck had been parked in our back lot since I’d had it repainted at Bakerstown Auto Detail. Now, instead of the deep green sixties theme, the truck was a tan with black letters. A large cartoon coffee bean sat relaxing in a lawn chair and reading a book. The truck was cute and I thought branded our store well. This was our first outing since we’d bought the truck from Dustin Austin a few months ago. Lille was still giving me the evil eye when I ate at her restaurant. She’d been in the running to buy the truck originally, but had banned the first seller from her establishment once he revealed he’d sold it to Austin.

  Her loss, my win. Besides, Austin had promised not to sell the truck to Lille. Homer Bell, the truck’s first owner, had a long memory. And he had liked the food at Diamond Lille’s so his banishment still irked the man.

  Emma looked up at me as we crossed the parking lot. Typically, I let her off her leash here and we’d run together down to the shoreline. Today, there were too many people for me to take a chance on her mowing down someone in her excitement to greet them. “Sorry girl, you’re just going to have to stick with me today. I’ll fill up your swimming pool when we get home.”

  Greg had brought home the kiddie pool in late May and Emma loved splashing in the water. She even had pool toys. Yes, we were that kind of dog parents. Of course, Greg was only in our lives part time, but I was hoping he’d come on full time sooner than lat
er.

  As if I’d wished him by rubbing a magic lamp, Greg crossed the beach and met me halfway to the ocean. Squatting, he rubbed the dog’s ruff. “Hey Emma, I didn’t think you’d get a run today.” He looked up at me. “Are you feeling okay? That workout was brutal.”

  The workout was a specialized martial arts program. Most of the time today had been on exercises that focused on the core muscles. I had a feeling that my stomach was going to be screaming in the morning when I awoke, just from the sheer number of crunches we’d done. Attending twice a week, the class would either get me in amazing shape or kill me. I wasn’t sure which would happen first.

  Greg didn’t have to know that. I smiled. “I thought it was great.”

  He laughed. “You’re lying. But I love you anyway. How come you picked that specific class to attend anyway? Bruce is doing a self-defense for women class that goes in the evening. Matt said Darla’s excited about going.”

  “You think I need to be in an all-female class? What, I can’t keep up with the guys?” I tried to keep my tone even, but depending on Greg’s answer, I knew I might go all postal on the guy.

  “Oh, no. You’re not getting me to fall for that. I was just wondering why you joined the class. I’m not saying what class you should take. Momma didn’t raise no fool.” He stood, giving Emma a quick pat, and then kissed me. “I’ve got to get back to checking out the setup for the festival. Should I stop by later? Maybe we could head out to Sally’s Deck down the road for dinner and a couple beers?”

  “I’d love to not have to cook. And if we go to the winery tomorrow night, Blake’s band will be playing and we can dance.” Emma nudged me with her nose on my leg. “Looks like I’ve got to get going too. See you tonight.”

  I started jogging down the beach and whispered the words I still hadn’t been able to say directly to Greg but I was practicing. “Love you.”

  As I ran, I thought about my relationship with the handsome Greg King. We’d been a couple for over a year now and even though we’d moved past the making out stage, we both still hung on to our own homes and routines. My last boyfriend had moved in with me after we’d been dating a month. One morning, I realized he hadn’t gone home for over a week. That’s how I knew he’d moved in. We’d never talked about it.