Wreath Between the Lines by Daryl Wood Gerber

Author:Daryl Wood Gerber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers
Publisher: Beyond the Page
Published: 2018-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Because I’d barely slept a wink Friday, I crashed Saturday night. I woke Sunday morning expecting to feel refreshed. Instead, my neck ached and my temples were pounding. I downed two aspirin, fed Tigger, and drank a protein smoothie. By the time I dressed for work, the pain was minimal.

“Tigger,” I said as I tickled him under the neck, “it’s such a beautiful day, let’s bicycle to Latte Luck for a specialty coffee first.” Fresh air would do me a world of good.

My darling cat didn’t argue. He loved riding in the basket of my mother’s old Schwinn.

On our way into town, I clanged the hand bell whenever church bells chimed. At the café, I locked my bike to a lamppost and deposited Tigger in my tote bag. “Keep your head down,” I warned.

Before stepping into the shop, I took a moment to admire the seashell-adorned wreath hanging on the café’s door. It sparkled in the morning sun. At half past six, the place was pretty empty. A number of people stood in the takeout line and a few were sitting in the brown leather booths, but no one occupied any of the wooden tables. Later, after church let out, the café would be packed.

I joined the line and covertly eyed the contents of the glass display case. I wasn’t hungry and we were having our cookie contest later on in the day, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist purchasing one of the homemade goodies. The sweet aromas of cinnamon and apple and peppermint were stirring my appetite something fierce.

“Morning, Jenna,” a woman said from behind. I recognized my chef’s voice and turned.

Katie strolled in holding hands with Keller. Dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans—no chef’s coat, no toque—she appeared as relaxed as a tourist.

“Good morning, you two,” I said. “Who’s manning the Nook?”

“Reynaldo took the early shift.” Though Katie was a large-framed woman, she looked diminutive next to Keller, who was a lanky six and a half feet. “We wanted a little time together. Keller’s been working nonstop at the festival.”

“Congratulations are in order, Keller,” I said. “Every time I’ve visited the park your booth has been packed with customers.”

“With tourists as well as locals. Luckily the ice cream is all premade or my legs would be tired from pedaling.” He jogged in place and coughed out an adorable yuk-yuk laugh.

His comment about the locals made me think of Jake’s neighbor staring in my direction last night, and a shiver ran through me. “Hey, how well do you know your customers?”

“Pretty well. I like to chat them up.”

“Do you know Emmett Atwater?”

“Yeah, sure.” He swooped a thatch of unruly brown hair off his face. “He’s sort of a quirky guy. I guess he can’t help it, having lost his wife in that accident.”

“What accident?”

“A few years ago, she fell overboard while deep sea fishing. She wasn’t wearing a life preserver and couldn’t swim. The current dragged her away like that.” Keller snapped his fingers.

My

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.