Clues & Cruel Catastrophes: Cleverly Shores Small Town Cozy Mystery by Renee Lyles

Author:Renee Lyles [Lyles, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter fifteen

Holly tries to figure out who the gentleman looking around her diner is. I know I have seen him somewhere before. She couldn’t place his face the entire time he looked around, and when his eyes settled on her face again, he smiled.

“Nate Fallon,” he introduced.

“Oh,” Holly gasps, then places a hand in his extended one. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Fallon. Would you like something? We have our famous enchiladas, or some tacos if you’d like.”

He nods and smiles again, his eyes skimming over her. “You’re young,” he says. “Do you stay here alone? I mean…. Since your father passed and you moved back to town.”

The hairs on the back of Holly’s neck stood erect at his question. Her brows furrow into a tight line. “I didn’t know you knew my father,” she answers. “Or me for that matter.”

There’s something chilling about his smile, but his eyes stay focused on hers before he laughs. “Of course I knew your father, Holly. This is Cleverly Shores…Everyone knows everyone around here.”

“Right,” Holly laughs too, and the murmurs of their sounds sync for a little bit. “So, what can I get you?”

“Ceviche,” he answers. “Hopefully, you can make that order for me.”

Holly’s about to refuse his order when he continues, “Double Flavors serves the best ceviche. I keep hearing about how good this place is, and since they’re out of business for now, I thought I’d drop by here and taste test it for myself.” Nate’s eyes squint at the corners as he continues, “Surely, you’re as good as your competition, right? It’s not just talk?”

“I can assure you it’s not just talk,” she responds, hiking her chin up. “It’ll take a few minutes Mr. Fallon, but I can get your order out very soon.”

“I have all the time in the world Miss Barber.”

They exchange smiles again, and Holly leaves him to sit in the dining area while she goes back into the kitchen. The first few seconds, she spends it staring at nothing, in particular, in her kitchen. She gets to work after a deep sigh.

About twenty minutes later, she arrives with the plate of ceviche freshly made and marinated in lemon juice. She has also added an extra dash of spiciness to it.

Holly waits till he takes his first bite of the dish, then he smiles and nods.

“I guess they were right…Double Flavors really does have some tough competition.”

Holly’s not sure his words are a compliment, but they make her smile anyway.

The rest of the evening after Nate Fallon leaves, Holly works on her recipes to make sure she can keep the community talk going about her food. For a moment that night, she wonders if Frijole’s would have any recognition if Double Flavors had not shut down.

It’s a horrible thought, but it’s there in the back of her mind as she knows deep down that Annalisa’s murderer took out her competition.

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