Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White

Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White

Author:Elle Brooke White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS


* * *

Charlotte spotted Annabel holding court at the best table in the room. Two servers hovered over her and a lady in a floral dress who, Charlotte suspected, was the owner. Annabel’s blonde hair was once again swept back into a neat French twist that she perhaps hoped would remind people of Grace Kelly.

While she had a moment, Charlotte discretely scanned the room to get a sense of the other luncheoners. This was the first chance that she’d had to take stock of the regular Little Acorn residents. What struck her was not so much the demographics of the group—they were almost equally Caucasian and Hispanic, and there were a few more women than men, their ages ranging from about twenty-five to fifty-five. No, what was so refreshing was how energetic and healthy they all looked. It was clear that these people enjoyed their lives. If there was a murderer among them, she’d have a hard time picking him or her out.

Annabel’s booming voice drowned out her thoughts.

Charlotte had nothing against Annabel, yet her exaggerated sense of entitlement made Charlotte feel like a sneaker in a washing machine. It was time for Charlotte to stop second-guessing herself and take control.

“Ah, there she is,” Annabel practically announced to the entire restaurant. “Don’t you look lovely? I think that I have a similar ensemble. It’s from a couple of seasons ago, no?”

Charlotte ignored her comment and accepted the seat from the woman in the dress.

“Charlotte, this is Karen Hubbard. She owns this lovely establishment.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Charlotte said, shaking her hand. “I can’t believe that this is my first time actually dining in Little Acorn. It seems that I’m always running in and out for supplies while I get settled.”

“Understandable, Miss Finn.” Karen gave her a warm smile.

“Please, call me Charlotte. I am very much looking forward to getting to know you better, and perhaps you could introduce me around sometime. If one doesn’t already exist, we could consider forming a ‘women in business’ group. I belonged to one with my last job, and I was so grateful for their support and friendship.”

“That is a fabulous idea. Most of the men around here are farmers, while we ladies provide all the other essential services. I’m excited!”

“We’ll need a minute to look at the menus, Karen,” Annabel interrupted, clearly feeling that her plan to gain more admiration by bringing Charlotte into the fold had backfired. “I know what I would like, but I suspect that Miss Finn will need a bit more time to peruse a much simpler style of cuisine than what she was used to in Chicago.”

“Nonsense. There is nothing better than dining farm to table, and I can already tell that you take great pride in your restaurant. I’ll leave it to your recommendation, and I know it will be delightful.” Charlotte nodded graciously to Karen and handed back the menu without opening it.

“It will be my pleasure,” Karen said, backing away from the table. To her credit, Charlotte thought, she resisted giving Annabel anything but a very gentle smile.



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