Moira took the bag of food while her friend leaned the folded-up wire crate and the bright pink dog bed against the wall. Diamond and Maverick were greeting each other enthusiastically. Even though the big German shepherd was at least three times her size, the smaller dog wasn’t intimidated by him at all as she bounced around, trying to get him to play.
“Thanks again,” Martha added. “I owe you, big time.” She bent down to pet the wriggly little dog. “You be good, okay princess? Be a good girl for Moira.”
“Just enjoy your vacation,” the deli owner told her. “Don’t worry about Diamond, I’m sure she’ll settle right in here. It really won’t be any trouble. I’m sure she and Maverick will entertain each other most of the time. It will be nice for him to have a friend around.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Moira.” The two women clasped each other in a quick hug, then Moira watched as her friend hurried back to her car and waved one last time before pulling out. Moira called the two dogs inside, glad that Diamond was used to listening to commands while she was off leash. The two dogs raced through the house until she let them out into the fenced yard to play. She checked the time and was surprised to see that it wasn’t even eight-thirty yet. She had had such a busy morning that it felt like it should be much later. Watching the dogs chase each other through her yard, she gave a bemused smile and shook her head. So much had happened already, and she still had the soup competition between her employees to get through tonight.
CHAPTER THREE
Her shift at the deli that afternoon went by slowly but pleasantly. She enjoyed making the sandwiches for the day’s special; they were colorful and tasty—sliced honey-glazed ham on Hawaiian bread with a thick slice of roasted pineapple, a few leaves of the naturally flavorful mizuna that she had discovered last week at the farmer’s market, and a drizzle of brown sugar dressing. They made for unique sandwiches that brought back memories of a cruise to the Caribbean she had taken years ago, when she was in college.
Maybe I should take a vacation soon myself, she thought. Candice or David could watch Maverick, and surely between the four of them, my employees could manage the store for a few days while I’m gone. It was tempting. The image of herself sitting on a beach somewhere tropical and sipping a margarita while reading a paperback appeared in her mind. It was tempting, that was for sure. And if she hired a travel agent or even looked online herself, then she might be able to find some good deals.
But if I’m going to go somewhere tropical, I might as well wait until winter when I’m sick of the cold and the snow. There’s no sense in trading the heat and humidity of Michigan for an even hotter beach somewhere down south, not when I’m already praying for a cool breeze half the time. She decided to put plans for travel on hold for now. Maybe when things settled down and tourist season ended, she could start looking online for cruises that would leave sometime after the holidays. Right now she needed to focus on keeping the deli running smoothly and on enjoying the upcoming fair.
She had been fighting doubts about the upcoming soup competition all week. Was letting her employees have a chance at entering one of their own recipes in the competition a mistake? Wouldn’t they have a better chance of winning if she used one of her own recipes?
But winning isn’t the most important thing, she reminded herself. Sure, it would be good for the deli, but it’s more important to have fun and give the kids a chance to shine. She knew that Darrin was planning on a future in the food industry, and Allison and Meg might be. If one of them won the soup contest at the fair, it would make a nice addition to a résumé. And even if the deli lost, well, there was always next year.
The bell on the deli’s front door jingled, and Moira looked up to see a familiar face walk into the deli. It was Mayor Willis, a tall, cheerful man maybe a decade older than herself. His face was red from sunburn, and he was wearing a broad smile.
“Ms. Darling,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Quite well, thank you. How about yourself?” she said. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Nothing at the moment, other than a few minutes of your time. As I’m sure you remember, you catered my daughter’s graduation party a few years ago.” He paused, and Moira nodded. Elli Willis’s college graduation party had been her very first catering event. She had been grateful to the mayor for taking a chance on the newly opened deli, and the occasion had gone off without a hitch.
“Well,” he continued. “My baby girl just announced her engagement. I want to throw her an engagement party, and you’re the only one she’ll accept as caterer. The party is the Saturday after the fair. I’ve already got the gazebo and band shell in the park booked.”
“Oh, I’m touched.” She hesitated. It was true; it was touching to know that Elli wanted her and only her to cater, but the thought of adding so much extra work on top of manning the booth at the fair, keeping the deli itself running, and taking care of Maverick and Diamond at home seemed overwhelming.
“She has a few specific requests, but wants you to have freedom for your own creative flair.” He must have seen the look on her face, because his own expression fell.
“You’re already booked, aren’t you?” he asked.
“No, I’m not,” she assured him, forcing a smile onto her face. She would just have to make time, that was all. “Feel free to tell Elli that I’ll do it. Here, take one of the deli’s cards—she and I will have to talk about what exactly she wants.”
“Thank you, Ms. Darling,” Mayor Willis said as he took the card from her. “You have no idea what this means to her—and to me. I’ll let you two talk about price, but don’t be afraid to ask for a little extra. I know it’s a busy season, and this is very short notice.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Willis, it will be my pleasure to do business again with you.” She shot him a smile and pocketed his card, making a mental note to call his daughter as soon as possible. She couldn’t help but wonder exactly how many people would be at the young woman’s engagement party. I hope my employees have clear schedules, she thought. Because I might have to ask them to do some overtime.
It was with relief that she flipped the open sign over to closed a few hours later. Since David, Candice, and Eli were due to show up soon, she didn’t bother to lock the door, but instead went straight back to the kitchen where three of her employees were preparing their ingredients on the kitchen counters. She hadn’t asked any of them what exactly they were planning on making, so the soups would be as much a surprise to her as they were to the three judges. The fair’s theme this year was “Hearty Homestyle,” which allowed a lot of room for creativity. For the official competition at the fair, each contestant was allowed one side—bread, chips, or something similar—to go with their soup, so Moira had allowed the same for the store’s own competition.
“Does anyone need anything?” she asked them. “You each have all of the ingredients that you need?” Nods all around.
“Allison thinks hers will take the longest,” Darrin said. “So we should be ready in just about an hour.”
“All right. Remember, the important thing is to have fun. David, Candice, and Eli will have no idea who is making which dish, so the competition should be completely fair.” She paused, interrupted by the jingle of the bells on the deli’s front door as someone came in. “That’s probably David. If you need me, I’ll be with him and the others. Good luck. I can’t wait to taste the soups that you make.”
She smiled once more, glancing at each of them. She was glad that she had made the decision to let her employees have a chance at entering a soup in the fair. As she had just told them, having fun was what mattered. Winning came second.
Candice and Eli arrived shortly after David did, with Dante hot on their heels. Moira still found herself wishing that the shy young man had wanted to be part of their little employee-only soup contest. He had proven himself to be a genius in the kitchen—his quiches were a big hit and nearly always sold out during their breakfast hours. She couldn�
�t blame him for being busy, though. Goodness knows, I’m way too busy myself these days, she thought. Especially now that I have to cater Elli Willis’s engagement party. The card that the mayor had given her was still burning a hole in her pocket; she hadn’t had a chance to call the other woman yet, and until she did she wouldn’t have the faintest idea of whether she was going to be preparing food for ten people or for a hundred.
“Okay, Ms. Darling, we’re ready,” Allison said from the kitchen doorway, startling Moira out of her thoughts.
“All right, Allison. You and the others can come and sit down out here. Dante and I will bring the bowls out.”
Each of her three employees who had decided to take part in the competition had made enough soup for eight people. Each of them—her, David, Candice, Eli, Dante, Alison, Meg, and Darrin—would be getting three small bowls of soup, but only David, Candice, and Eli would be judging the soups. Moira would, of course, have the final say later, but for now she was happy just to sit back and enjoy someone else’s cooking.
They pushed two of the deli tables together and pulled up enough seats for all eight of them, then brought the soups out. Once everyone was seated, Moira raised her glass of fresh orange and mango juice—her latest innovation was an industrial juicer, and since it had been installed, she had enjoyed playing around with different combinations—and toasted to the three employees who had worked so hard on their soups.
“I can’t wait to start eating,” she told them. “Each of these soups looks delicious.”
It was true. Each of the soups fulfilled the simple requirements of being a hearty, homestyle dish using simple ingredients. The bowl on her left held a creamy chicken and noodle soup that smelled temptingly of rosemary. When she took a bite of it, it was every bit as good as it had smelled, and the chicken was so tender that it practically melted in her mouth.
The bowl in the middle held a rich beef soup, with dark broth flavored with a dry red wine and bite-sized, flavorful dumplings. She had been certain that the chicken soup would be her favorite—she had always been partial to chicken noodle soup—but after tasting the delicious, savory flavor of the beef and dumpling soup she wasn’t so sure.
The final soup was some sort of gumbo, chock full of vegetables. She tasted it warily, concerned that it might be too spicy compared to the others, but the heat was mild and was balanced perfectly by the sweet kernels of corn that burst between her teeth. Noticing the square of cornbread sitting on the plate next to the bowl, she tore a small piece off and dipped it in the gumbo before popping it into her mouth. Scrumptious. This was going to be a hard decision for her three judges to make; she thought that each of the recipes was amazing.
“It’s a tough choice,” David said at last after taking one more considering bite of the gumbo. “But I think I’m ready to cast my vote.”
“Me too,” Eli said. Candice nodded in agreement.
“You go first,” David said to her.
“Well, I loved everything,” she began. “Seriously, you guys are really good cooks. But I think my favorite was the gumbo. I like that it’s a bit different, but still uses normal, everyday ingredients. Plus, it’s one of the best vegetarian soups that I’ve ever had.”
Moira was startled; she hadn’t even realized that the gumbo had been lacking a meat. The thick slices of portobello mushrooms plus the other vegetables had been hearty enough that it hadn’t felt like something was missing.
“I’m torn,” Eli admitted. “I liked all of them too, but the creamy chicken noodle and the gumbo were my favorites. I really can’t decide between the two; they’re so different, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Don’t get me wrong—I liked the beef soup too. I think I just prefer the thicker soups.”
All eyes turned to David, who looked uncomfortable to be put in the spotlight. He stalled by taking another small bite of each of the two soups, then sighed, shaking his head.
“It really is a hard choice,” he said. “I think any of these is good enough to be served in the deli. But something about the gumbo really gets me. I’m usually not a vegetarian guy—I like meat. But I hardly notice there’s no meat in the gumbo, and the heat is perfectly matched with the sweetness of the cornbread. So… I guess that’s my choice.”
“Well it looks like we have our winner,” Moira said. “Two and a half votes for the gumbo. The half vote is Eli’s, since he was torn between that and the chicken noodle soup. Now I think it’s time to find out who made what.”
“The beef soup was mine, and the creamy chicken one was Allison’s,” Meg said. Her eyes turned towards Darrin, who looked embarrassed but happy.
“The gumbo is mine,” he said. “I really won?”
“You sure did,” Moira said with a grin. “Congratulations, Darrin. We’re going to enter your gumbo in the fair.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Things seemed to pass quickly after that. Moira had a lot to do, not only to get ready for the fair, but also to prepare for the engagement party she’d agreed to cater. Elli Willis had told her that she was expecting around eighty people to show up. She wanted ingredients for people to make their own sandwiches and salads, which was easy enough for the deli owner to do—it just meant ordering extra cold cuts, bread, and produce from her usual suppliers. The soups would be the most difficult part. Elli had requested three different varieties, though the specifics were up to Moira as long as one of the soups was both vegetarian and gluten free. Her thoughts had immediately gone to Darrin’s gumbo, but she decided to wait until after the soup competition at the fair to ask him to make it. They all had enough on their minds until then. Each of them would be working overtime with the need to staff both the deli and their booth at the fair.
This is always the busiest event of the year, she told herself the morning of the soup competition. But in just a few days it will be over, and life will be back to normal. At least Maverick and Diamond can come with me while I’m at the fairgrounds. She had enjoyed spending more time with the dogs. She had bought an exercise pen for them so they could relax in the shade of the booth while she served people food and handed out her business cards. The dogs enjoyed being out of the house, and she didn’t have to worry about running home to feed them and let them out.
When she got to the fairgrounds, she was happy to see a few familiar faces already there and setting up. The grounds were closed to the public until eleven, but vendors and volunteers were able to get in a few hours early to prepare. There was a festive vibe in the air already—this was the last full day of the fair, and events were planned from when the gates opened at eleven right up until close.
With the electrically heated crocks of soup set up and a selection of cheeses, cold cuts, and sausages laid out on the ice in the coolers, Moira sat down in the folding chair and unscrewed the cap from an ice-cold water bottle. She had only a few minutes before the fair opened to the public, and she was determined to enjoy what would likely be her last break until late this evening.
A splashing sound made her turn around in her seat to find Diamond and Maverick standing over a water bowl that had somehow gotten tipped over. The little black-and-white dog’s front paws were wet, and she glanced up at Moira with a sheepish look on her face.
“Silly girl, what were you trying to do… swim in it?” Rising, Moira grabbed a second water bottle and let herself into the eight-by-eight-foot pen. It had worked well to keep the dogs in line, giving them the freedom to walk around a bit while still keeping them under control and away from any chance of bothering other people.
She dumped the cold water into the dish then took a few moments to pet each dog. They had both been on their best behavior all week, making her wish once again that she could take Maverick to the deli with her. However, the fact remained that there just wasn’t a good place to put him. It wouldn’t be sanitary to have a dog around while preparing the food for her customers, so he couldn’t stay in the kitchen. The only other options would be to gate him behind the register, where she knew he
would be underfoot constantly, or let him roam around the dining area.
“At least you get to come to the fair with me,” she said, giving him a last quick scratch behind the ears before stepping out of the pen and latching the gate behind her. “Now, you two be good. No more swimming in the water dish if you can help it, okay, Diamond?”
Smiling, she returned to her seat and took a swig of her own water just as she heard the church bells in town strike eleven. She took a deep breath and did her best to wipe everything from her mind except for thoughts of the fair. The soup competition would begin in a few hours, but before then she had food to sell and potential customers to win over.
“Hey, Moira. Taking a break?”
Moira jumped, shooting a guilty look over at the booth where Meg and Dante were busy making sales before turning to face David, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She had been taking a break in the shade next to the dogs, exhausted from the heat and feeling grimy from the constant dust. A rainstorm would be perfect right now, she thought. Or even a light breeze.
“Yeah. It’s been a busy week, and it’s starting to wear me down, to be honest,” she admitted, pressing her water bottle to her forehead. It was her third, or maybe her fourth, she couldn’t remember. Regardless, the cold condensation felt like heaven against her hot skin. “I thought you weren’t going to be able to make it until just before the competition started?”
“My one o’clock canceled,” he told her. “I thought I’d stop by and see if there was anything I could do to help you.”
“Luckily, I think Dante and Meg have got it handled,” she said. “Though I wouldn’t say no to a snow cone. The vendor is on the other side of the fairgrounds, and I haven’t had time to walk over there.”
“Let’s go together,” he suggested. She opened her mouth to tell him that she had to stay and keep an eye on things, but he held up a hand to stop her. “Let your employees take care of things. That’s what they’re there for, isn’t it? Come on, tell them you’ll be back in a few minutes and walk around the fair with me.”
Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series Page 2
