by Kaye George
Deadly Sweet Tooth
Books by Kaye George
The Vintage Sweets Mysteries
Revenge is Sweet
Deadly Sweet Tooth
Coming in 2021
Into the Sweet Hereafter
Table of Contents
Books by Kaye George
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Note from the author:
Recipes
If you enjoyed DEADLY SWEET TOOTH,
About the Author
Deadly Sweet Tooth
Kaye George
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
LYRICAL PRESS BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2020 by Kaye George
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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Lyrical Press and Lyrical Press logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
First Electronic Edition: June 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0541-0 (ebook)
ISBN-10: 1-5161-0541-9 (ebook)
First Print Edition: June 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0544-1
ISBN-10: 1-5161-0544-3
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
This story is dedicated to my parents, their parents, and parents everywhere.
Acknowledgments
I must thank my son, Bret, for coming home from Thailand with dengue fever. I’m even more thankful it was just the one bout and has never recurred. (You’ll see when you read the book.)
I should also thank the whole town of Fredericksburg, the wineries, the excellent restaurants, and the fine people, for being such an inspiration. I’ve always enjoyed my stays there and had a wonderful time. No one ever died while I was there.
Lastly, but not least, I gratefully thank my editors, Tara Gavin and Shannon Plackis, the copy editors, and the whole staff at Lyrical Press.
Chapter 1
Tally Holt had been hoping he wouldn’t show up today.
While Tally was talking, pacing the floor as she heard the news she didn’t want to hear, Yolanda burst into Tally’s office from the kitchen of Tally’s shop.
“Who was that on the phone?” asked Yolanda Bella, Tally’s best friend.
Tally’s friend owned Bella’s Baskets, the gift basket business that was located next door to Tally’s vintage sweet shop on Main Street in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Yolanda flounced into the office guest chair, her bright orange and yellow skirt billowing as she sat. Flamboyant was the only word for the way Yolanda dressed, in bright colors that always seemed to swish around her when she moved. They looked good with her dark coloring—wild dark brown curls and flashing eyes that were so dark, they were almost black. Tally was quite a contrast with her usual jeans and T-shirt, but, as they say, opposites attract. The two, now in their mid-thirties, were best friends going back to their school days.
“It was my brother, Cole,” Tally said, stuffing her phone into her pocket.
Yolanda frowned. There was no love lost between those two. “Is he coming early?”
Tally nodded, slumping into her desk chair. “I’m afraid so. I guess it’s good he wants to help, but we don’t need him. He was supposed to come late Friday, and now thinks he’ll get here earlier.” She took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious scents of her shop, chocolate and caramel dominating today. The lingering warm fragrance had a calming effect and her shoulders lost some of their tension.
“I thought he was tied up until Friday night. Isn’t he doing a big installation in Albuquerque?”
“He was. He finished early.” Tally neatened the thick stack of job applications that included those she had been dealing with for the last three hours. “I think what he really wants to do is to see Dorella.”
“That’s good. That’ll keep him out of our hair.”
“You mean, keep him out of your hair, don’t you?” Yolanda, Tally knew, would prefer for Cole to stay in Albuquerque forever. They didn’t have a good history. Tally loved her brother, she just wasn’t ready for him to come quite yet. There was so much to deal with.
“Hey,” Yolanda said, “was the woman I saw leaving just now applying to help cater? Have y’all had a good turnout with applications?”
That was a problem. “Yes and no. I mean, I’ve had lots of people apply for the job, but there aren’t very many I’d consider hiring to help with the reception.”
Tally shuffled the job applications, pulling out the ones she’d flagged with sticky notes. They were for promising interviewees, the ones who hadn’t interrupted the session for a cell phone call, hadn’t texted the whole time, hadn’t worn rumpled (or, in one case, dirty) clothing. The chosen few had sat up straight and paid attention to her and thoughtfully answered her questions. The number of those applicants was discouragingly small.
The reception was coming up soon, in three days. Tally wanted it to be perfect, since it was such a special occasion. Hiring people was not her favorite part of being a small-business owner. But it was necessary. The job she was interviewing people for today was a bit different. She had decided that the two or three she picked to do the reception would be considered later for a position at Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, her vintage candy shop. Depending on how they worked out at the reception.
“How many did you talk to today?” Yolanda asked.
“Six. That’s all I had time for.”
“The one I saw didn’t look half bad.”
“I’
ll admit she was one of the better ones. I wish I had time to interview a whole lot more, but I have a shop to run.”
“It’ll be much better when you get some help in here. You’re doing everything yourself.”
Yolanda had an assistant, a young man named Raul, but Tally was running her place all by herself lately, having had a run of bad luck with assistants. It was mid-August and the high tourist season was in full swing. Tally needed more help to order supplies, make her candies and sweets, sell them, and do all the cleaning and neatening that needed to be constantly attended to.
“I have to get out of my office,” Tally said. “I’ve been cooped up here for three hours.” She had closed an hour early, at six, to do the interviews.
“Are y’all hungry? Let’s go out and get a late supper.” Yolanda jumped up. “How about that new place? Do you remember the name?”
“You mean Burger Kitchen?”
“Yes, that’s it. Raul has eaten there and I think Kevin has, too.”
“Perfect. Let’s do it.” Tally took one more look at the applications, stuck three of them into her purse, and followed Yolanda. After she locked the back door from the inside, they went out through the shop at the front, Tally pausing a moment to enjoy looking over the salesroom she had worked so hard on, had poured her heart and her money into.
Muted pinks and lilacs swirled across the walls, accented with chocolate brown shelving, and lit with cute lights whose shades looked like mason jars. The glass display cases gleamed. They’d better, Tally thought, since she had polished them after closing, as she did every night.
She and Yolanda walked across the rustic, wide-plank flooring to the front door and left, accompanied by the soft chimes activated by opening the door.
“Oh gosh, Nigel! I forgot about him,” Tally said when they were on the sidewalk outside. “He’ll be rummaging through the cupboards and opening cereal boxes if I don’t get home and feed him. I’ll meet you there.”
“Do you mind if Kevin joins us?” Yolanda asked.
Tally smiled. She didn’t mind at all. “Of course not.”
In fact, she was delighted that a relationship was developing between Yolanda and Kevin Miller. He was the proprietor of Bear Mountain Vineyards, the wine shop on the other side of Bella’s Baskets. Seeing as both Tally and Yolanda were business owners, the two women were able to collaborate sometimes, using Tally’s treats to help fill Yolanda’s gift baskets. Despite spending so much time together, it was only a week or so ago that Tally realized something was happening between Kevin and Yolanda. Kevin was older than Yolanda, maybe by ten years or so, but they hit it off well.
It was a quarter past nine, well after sunset. Even though the sun had set, the hot air rippled with excited shoppers and locals on their way to get something to eat or drink, or to see some of the entertainment offerings in the quaint, Texas tourist town. The area around Fredericksburg was studded with many wineries and the German town boasted quite a few tasting rooms.
“See you in about twenty minutes.” Tally turned to go the other direction to her rental house, which was only four blocks away.
“We’ll save you a seat.”
* * * *
When Tally opened the front door to her small, neat ranch house, she wasn’t met with the noisy greeting that had become usual over the last few weeks that Nigel had lived with her.
He’s mad, she thought. That won’t be good. She threw her purse onto the couch, peering around the living room for him.
“Here, Nigel,” she crooned. “Come get your dinner.” It wasn’t until she poured the kibble into his bowl that he appeared, drawn by the clatter. The huge, black and white Maine coon cat gave a disgusted glance in her direction, then went straight to his task, extracting morsels and setting them gently on the mat so he could eat them. Tally had finally gotten a couple of mats for his dining pleasure so she could toss them into the washing machine when they got full of kibble crumbs. Before the mats, she had to scrub the floor around his food and water bowls every other day.
He was not about to do anything so common as to eat from his own food bowl.
She smiled at the haughty cat. Her life had been simpler but, she had to admit, duller before Nigel came to live with her. She enjoyed talking to him, telling him her problems and her joys. He seemed to listen intently when she talked to him, giving her wise looks, always agreeing with her own viewpoints. He was a satisfying companion.
Tally waited for Nigel to get halfway through his dinner, then told him she’d be back soon. He gave her a skeptical look.
“No, really, I will.” At least she hoped she would.
He turned his tail end to her and left the room. She knew he’d finish his meal after she left. Nigel wasn’t one to leave kibble uneaten.
Tomorrow was another big day and, after her late meal with Yolanda and Kevin, she needed to get home to ponder the job applications and, maybe, get a good night’s sleep before another busy day at Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets tomorrow.
Tally walked quickly to Burger Kitchen through the soft night air, the warmth caressing her tired body and feeling so much better than the hot daytime air of August in this part of Texas.
Yolanda and Kevin were seated near the back and waved her over. Kevin gave her a smile through his au courant dark, scruffy beard. He was of medium height, unimposing and, as far as Tally could tell, a genuinely nice guy. He was, as usual, dressed all in black, black jeans and a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up a few inches.
“I got you an iced tea,” Yolanda said, taking a sip of her own.
Tally was thirsty from her two short, hot walks and gulped half the glass down. It tasted wonderful. The restaurant served their special blend, slightly sweet with a hint of peach flavoring.
“Now, what do you have?” Yolanda asked when Tally set her sweating glass on the paper coaster. “I saw you stick some papers in your purse. Any good prospects?”
“A few,” Tally said. She fished them out of her purse and handed them to Yolanda. “Look them over and see what you think.”
“Have you heard from your parents today?” Kevin asked.
The waiter brought them a basket of steaming breads and Kevin helped himself to a crusty roll.
Tally’s roving musician/actor/dancer parents, Nancy and Bob Holt, were on their way home after many months on the road. They were coming in from Marrakesh in Morocco, where they had performed for a few days after their shows on the beach in Bali ended. The reception Tally was planning, with the help of Yolanda and Kevin, would be to celebrate their rare homecoming. She wanted it to be a special occasion for them. They had been gone for months, had never seen her shop, and she hoped they would be impressed. She had sold a successful bakery in Austin to buy her place here and she knew they didn’t think it had been a good idea, even though this was their hometown and Tally had spent a good part of her childhood in this Texas Hill Country town.
“They’re on a flight today, then stopping for a day in Spain and coming here from there,” Tally said.
Kevin shook his head. “They sure gallivant around, don’t they?”
“That’s all they do. They never stay anywhere very long.” Tally took a piece of steaming corn bread, her favorite, and started to butter it, letting it melt in before she took the first luscious bite.
“Y’all should put Cole to work since he’s coming early,” Yolanda said.
“He says he’ll help me. We’ll see if that happens.”
“They’re his parents, too. You can’t blame him for wanting to pitch in.”
“Wasn’t this reception his idea?” Kevin asked, taking another warm roll.
“I guess it was,” Tally said. “But I agreed to set it up. I thought he wouldn’t be able to do much while he was building a sculpture in Albuquerque.”
“I’m glad he’ll be here,” Kevin said. “We need all the
hands we can get.”
Tally drummed her fingers on the table, hoping that Kevin might be able to get more labor out of Tally’s little brother than she would be likely to. Even though she was his big sister, she hadn’t been able to boss him around for quite a few years now. Every single person in her family was the independent type.
She was half-dreading the reception. Her parents would fly in, get a few hours’ sleep, and go straight to the party the next day—their choice. Tally knew they would be jet-lagged and the affair might be a dull flop. Then again, maybe she was wrong. They were so used to traveling, maybe they had conquered jet lag and would be ready to party. It was now Wednesday night, Cole would be here early Thursday, and her parents would arrive Friday. She had left the hiring of the help until almost too late, she knew. Actually, she hadn’t even considered they would need help until Yolanda mentioned it. Yolanda was a great detail person, luckily.
“This has me rattled,” Tally said. “I think I’ve let it get a lot bigger than I should have.”
“You don’t look a bit rattled,” Kevin said with a smile. “You never do.”
Tally knew she often looked cool, calm, and collected when she was a jangle of nerves inside. Maybe that was from being onstage from a young age. She was glad to be out of that life, but had to admit, the days when her parents used to give her and Cole parts in their acts had resulted in some useful takeaways. Cole and Yolanda were the two people on the planet who could always tell when she was upset and she was thankful for that. She would make the best of Cole being underfoot—no, not underfoot—being here and helping. Yes, that was it. Helping.
Her other worry was what this would do to her business. Missing a day of sales, and on a Saturday, would leave a big hole in her finances. She needed all of her income while her shop was still gathering steam and becoming known in the town.
“Let’s talk about the reception,” Yolanda said. “What are y’all going to serve?”
“My own products, of course,” Tally answered. “I’ll do some Mary Janes and Whoopie Pies. What else?”
