Pampered to Death

by Diana Orgain

  “Wow. I know the kid is smart...”

  “He’s a talented orchestra musician who created for our daughter a playlist aimed at early mental development, and he’s working on one now for you to play for the baby too. He’s great with Laurie; Laurie loves him. He lives right next door.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “You love Kenny,” Jim said. “You’re just pouting because I didn’t include you in the decision. I didn’t ask because I knew you would say yes.”

  I crossed my arms. He had me there. “Okay, fine, you’re right. I would have said yes. I adore Kenny, and so does Laurie. Good call.”

  “Thanks,” Jim said as we approached the drive through menu. He leaned his head out the window and ordered for us both.

  We drove home, laughing and chatting it up about the new surprise baby we had on the way.

  Jim admitted he was hoping for a boy, saying, “I love all the ribbons and bows, but it’s time for a boy.”

  I agreed, but I knew we both would be happy either way.

  For the time being, I decided to relax for a few days. I had a feeling something else, probably a new case, was coming up soon I needed to be prepared for.

  The End

  Bonus Preview – A Witch Called Wanda

  Please enjoy the following excerpt from A Witch Called Wanda: Book One in the iWitch Mystery Series.

  A WITCH CALLED WANDA

  An iWitch Mystery

  by

  Diana Orgain

  Copyright © 2017 by Diana Orgain

  Chapter One

  Maeve

  After stumbling over the second box on her way out the door, Maeve O’Dare paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her move to Wisteria Pines had been rather impulsive, but when her fiancé, Frank, had stormed out of her life, and after all the trouble she’d been having in Hollywood, she’d needed a change.

  She’d packed up her minimal belongings and headed north, driving until she’d found this charming small town. She’d stopped at the local truck stop to eat and befriended a woman, Gracie, who’d had a lead on an apartment. One thing had led to another, and before Maeve knew it, she’d signed a rental agreement.

  Then Gracie’d mentioned a vacant commercial building she’d owned smack in the heart of the small town, and another dream reignited in Maeve’s soul. If she could get Gracie to agree to lease it to her, she would open the small café that she’d been envisioning since she’d been a little girl. The café would feature all her passions: vinyl, live music, art, and vintage record players.

  Maeve had been in Wisteria Pines less than a month, and things seemed to be working out so well that it made her feel a bit charmed.

  “Keys ...” she muttered to herself, looking around the apartment. “Boxes,” she said. “Boxes everywhere!” She scolded herself for not being more organized, but after a few minutes of scavenging, she managed to unearth the keys from beneath a stack of Hollywood gossip magazines. Keys in hand, she raced out the door and jumped into her beloved purple Volkswagen Beetle.

  When Maeve pulled into the parking lot, she spotted a familiar red Chevy truck parked in front of the abandoned building. She smiled when she saw Gracie sitting on the tailgate along with her nine-year-old niece, Penny. Maeve took a breath, trying to quell the excitement that quivered through her belly. She hopped out of her car and threw her purse over her shoulder, trying to emanate a confidence she didn’t feel.

  As Maeve approached the red truck, Gracie’s face lit up with a smile that Maeve was already growing accustomed to. Gracie was tall and slender. She helped her little niece down from the tailgate in one smooth, graceful movement.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Gracie sang. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve had to beat potential renters away with a stick all week.”

  A nervous energy danced in Maeve’s veins.

  I’ve got to land this deal, Maeve thought.

  “I’m glad you waited for me,” Maeve said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this place.”

  Gracie nodded. “I hope you won’t be disappointed. The building’s not up to Hollywood standards.”

  Maeve laughed. “Hollywood is not up to Hollywood standards.”

  “What does that mean?” Penny asked.

  Gracie ruffled Penny’s hair. “Never mind. It’s just a joke.” She turned to Maeve. “You ready to check out the inside?”

  “I can’t wait,” Maeve said, locking her car doors before following Gracie toward the run-down building. “So, what did this place used to be?”

  “It used to be my grandfather’s shop. He sold a bunch of souvenirs and cheesy little collectables is all. Basically, it was one step away from becoming a junkyard,” Gracie said as she dug a pair of keys out of her back pocket.

  Gracie opened the door to a slew of cobwebs clinging from one end of the door frame to the other.

  “Yuck!” Penny said.

  Gracie swiped at the dust. “Yeah, I know this place needs a good cleaning.” She leveled a gaze at Penny. “Any volunteers?”

  “Not me,” Penny said, giggling and skipping inside the building.

  Gracie exchanged a look with Maeve. “Kids today!” She crossed to the windows and opened the blinds to let in the sunlight.

  Maeve looked around at what could very well be her future café. She whistled and put her hands on her hips. Already her creative mind went to work as she began to envision all the potential. She couldn’t help but speak out loud, letting her one friend in Wisteria Pines in on her creative genius. “Picture this,” she said, holding out both hands as she waved her arms in the direction of the far wall. “A barista station right over here.” She turned. “I’ll add a couch—a nice relaxing area here—“

  “Maybe some bookshelves for a book exchange location?” Gracie asked.

  “Oh yes, definitely,” Maeve said. “I’ll add some chairs here ... A window seat would look amazing in this bay window. For the walls—some dark purple and blues to give it a sort of intimate look ... We can build some booths.”

  “Booths?” asked Gracie.

  “Yeah, listening booths. You know, like back in the ‘60s when people used to go to a record store and listen to vinyl in a booth. I can set up private jukeboxes. Totally old school.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Gracie said.

  “What’s a jukebox?” Penny asked.

  “Like an iPod before there were iPods,” Gracie said, and Maeve laughed.

  “And, you know, if people don’t want to listen to music, they can listen to each other and have a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart over an espresso macchiato,” Maeve said.

  “I love it,” Gracie said. “It sounds magical.”

  Maeve crossed the room. “We can build a stage right here. I’ve got to have live performances, and the acoustics?” Maeve belted out a bar, testing out the sound. “Ah, listen to that. The acoustics are perfect. Ooh! And over here, all over this back wall, I’m going to cover it with—”

  “Cover it with vinyl,” Gracie said, excitedly clapping her hands.

  “You know it!” Maeve agreed, suddenly feeling grateful that this woman she’d met only a few weeks prior understood her vision.

  “I don’t know,” Penny said, wrinkling her nose. “It sounds boring. What about cake? And pops and cookies and brownies?”

  Maeve laughed. “Oh, we’ll have all that stuff. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.” The little girl’s eyes lit up and Maeve didn’t dare mention the cookies were gluten free, for fear of getting another “yuk” out of her.

  Instead, the girl said, “If you’re going to make this place into a coffee shop, you need to dust.”

  Maeve looked cautiously from Penny to Gracie. She knew that Gracie likely had other offers on the space, and from her limited search around town, it seemed like this was the only place anywhere near the town square available at the moment. She chewed on her lower lip and asked, “Will you rent me the space?”

  Gracie scratched nervously at her fore
head. “Gosh, you love it, huh? Even with all the elbow grease it’ll take to get it up and running?”

  “I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” Maeve said.

  “Let me show you the back rooms,” Gracie said as she walked toward the rear of the building. Penny trailed behind her, and Maeve followed. She couldn’t help feeling apprehensive that Gracie hadn’t answered her question.

  Is she evading me? Maeve thought.

  They viewed the two small back storage rooms, complete with shelving and wire racks that would be ideal for cooling baked goods. Maeve’s head spun with possibilities.

  “To tell you the truth, Maeve,” Gracie said, “I already have an offer.”

  Maeve’s stomach dropped, and she felt nauseous. If she didn’t get the space, what would she do in town?

  She’d been counting on this little venture to get her mind off Frank and Hollywood. Now, the thought of sitting in her small apartment with nothing to do except dissect her rotten luck over the past few months fueled her gumption. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity pass her by. She needed to hit reboot on her life, and she needed it now.

  “What’s the other offer? I’m sure I can match it,” she said.

  “Well, she’s looking at this place because she wants to turn it into a sub shop. Honestly, I’d much rather have your café in my town than another deli, but ...” Gracie made her way back to the front of the shop and Maeve followed her, feeling like she was in hot pursuit.

  “I can match the offer,” Maeve blurted. “My place will make a great community hang out. You’ll love it.”

  Gracie smiled and settled down at one of the dusty tables. Maeve sat across from her, desperate to find a way to get the lease. Penny continued wandering around, scraping up dust and dirt with her little tennis shoes.

  “I’m sure I would love it,” Gracie said. “Do you have a name picked out?”

  “Listen: It’s Old Fashioned,” Maeve said proudly.

  Gracie smiled. “I’m listening.”

  Maeve laughed. “No, that’s the name. Listen: It’s Old Fashioned.”

  Gracie chuckled, not in the least self-conscious about the misunderstanding. “That’s great. It’s so charming.”

  “When can we sign the contracts?” Maeve said.

  Gracie held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Maeve. I like your idea better, but the final decision’s not mine. I have to do what’s best for my family.” She gave a sideways glance in Penny’s direction.

  “Who’s my competition anyway?”

  “Nadine Whittaker.”

  Maeve stiffened, something about the name set off an alarm. She hadn’t been in town that long, so to recognize the name at all made her feel as if she must have met the woman, and yet she couldn’t place her.

  Is the woman high profile enough to snatch this space out from under me? Maeve wondered.

  “That name actually sounds familiar. I know I’ve only been here for a few weeks ... Do I know her?”

  “She’s the mayor’s secretary. You’ve probably heard her name around town,” Gracie said. “It’s a small town, so everybody is a gossip. I’m sure it’s a big change from LA.”

  Maeve laughed. “Trust me, everyone gossips in LA too.”

  “I can’t believe you left Los Angeles for a place like Wisteria Pines. From what you’ve said, your songwriting career was going pretty well.”

  It was true. Maeve had written a couple of songs that had hit the charts. They’d paid enough to put away a little nest egg for herself, but along with success came demand, and when she hadn’t been able to produce the next hit fast enough, people got nasty.

  And then there was Frank ...

  Gracie must have noticed something telling on her face, because she offered kindly, “Just needed a change of pace?”

  Maeve glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Penny wasn’t eavesdropping. The girl was drawing stick figures with her fingers in the dust on the windows. “Between you and me, there was a bit more to it than just wanting to get out of the big city. I was engaged, and he ... One night we were together, and then ... he left me.”

  Gracie covered Maeve’s hand with her own. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Sometimes men ... ”

  Maeve sighed. “You know it’s all probably for the better. He could be very mean. That night, he was drunk ... and we fought. I had to wrestle his keys from him and call him an Uber. But I didn’t think it would be the last time I saw him.”

  Gracie frowned, fine lines appearing on her otherwise smooth forehead. “You called him an Uber and never saw him again? He didn’t come back for his car?”

  Maeve shrugged and nodded.

  “How can that be? What, did he run off with the Uber driver?”

  Maeve laughed cynically. “Seems like that, right? I churn that option over in my head every night. It doesn’t help that I caught a glimpse of her that night too. She was a gorgeous redhead. Anyway, I don’t know what happened to him, but he stopped returning my calls and stopped paying his half of our rent for our music studio.” She shrugged. “He dipped out.”

  The familiar longing settled on her chest, and tears burned the back of Maeve’s eyes. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I can’t really talk about it much more. It still stings, you know?”

  Gracie patted Maeve’s hand. “Well, don’t you worry, Ms. Hollywood, I’m sure you’ll fit in fine. We’ve got a cluster of characters around here. I’m sure you’ll meet Miss Nadine sometime; she’s a total sweetheart, but knowing her, she’s going to give you a hard time about trying to take this building out from under her. Ooh, you know what? Since you’re recently single, I’ll have to introduce you to Joseph Mont. Mmm ...”

  Maeve laughed nervously. “Oh. No!”

  “Oh, yes! He’s a local cop. Trust me, you won’t mind if he stops you for speeding just so you can gawk at him for a few minutes. Eleanor, she owns the beauty shop down the street from here, once sped down the road on purpose so he’d pull her over, and they could talk. He caught onto what she was doing. She started a trend, though. The sheriff took him off that road because three other women did the same thing—no joke!”

  “Nobody’s that cute.”

  “He is!” Penny piped in as she circled her finger through the dust on the window, creating a fairy looking caricature.

  “I’m going to tell your mother you said that!” Gracie teased.

  Penny turned around long enough to stick her tongue out at her aunt and then returned to her masterpiece.

  Gracie leaned in toward Maeve and whispered, “He really is, though.”

  Maeve laughed. “Well, there’s no shortage of good-looking men in LA, believe me. But I’m just not interested, at the moment.”

  Gracie wiggled her eyebrows at Maeve. “You say that now, but when you see him—”

  Maeve gave her a friendly kick under the table. “I’m good. So, do I write you up an offer? Or how does this work? I can pay the first year’s rent in cash.”

  Gracie straightened in her chair. “Really? That’s one in your favor.”

  Maeve nodded solemnly. If there was anything she’d learned in Hollywood, it was how to make a deal.

  “I’ll be sure to mention that to my sister. But I can’t promise anything. She and Nadine go way back, and I’m not sure what they’ve already agreed to.”

  A wave of apprehension hit Maeve square in the chest. She was about to be small towned. In LA, money bought most things. The only thing that trumped cash was relationships. She had no doubt that, in Wisteria Pines, it would be the same. The town would rally around a local, rather than an outsider. She was going to have to fight for her dream.

  Oh, well, I’m not a novice at perseverance, Maeve thought.

  “When can I meet your sister?” Maeve asked.

  Gracie thought for a moment. “Tomorrow is the Lunch on the Lawn.“ She swiveled in her chair, and asked Penny. “You and your mom are going, right?” When Penny nodded happily, Gracie turned back to Maeve and asked, �
�You want to go together?”

  “Lunch on the Lawn?” Maeve asked, “What’s that?”

  “It’s a lot of fun. It’s at Wisteria Park, it’s a grassy knoll with picnic tables all set up. The local restaurants sell food, and the city hires a band to play. Food and dancing in the sun, basically. If the weather is clear, we might even get fireworks. It’s Wisteria Pine’s social extravaganza that officially kicks off summer. It’ll be a good place for you to meet some of the locals.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Maeve beamed. “I’d love to go. You can introduce me to everyone.”

  “I’ll introduce you to Officer Joseph Mont, in particular,” Gracie said with an over-exaggerated wink.

  “Would you please stop?” Maeve said, but she couldn’t help chuckle at Gracie’s goofy grin.

  Suddenly, Penny squealed and came running over to the table. “Ms. O’Dare,

  you didn’t tell us you had a dog!”

  Maeve raised a brow.

  A dog?

  It was a completely out-of-the-blue statement.

  “Um ... I don’t own a dog, Penny.”

  Penny laughed as though she thought Maeve was joking with her. “Um, yes you do. It’s in your car.”

  Maeve and Gracie exchanged glances.

  “I don’t own a dog,” Maeve assured them, pulling herself out of the rickety chair and crossing to the window where Penny had been doing her drawings. “Oh my goodness, there really is a dog in my car!”

  They raced out of the building and toward Maeve’s Volkswagen. A large, brown shaggy dog was seated in the passenger’s seat of her car, panting.

  “I’m confused,” Maeve said, as she stared at the filthy looking canine. “I locked my car.” She looked around the empty parking lot, expecting to see a giggly teenager poke his or her head around a corner somewhere to admire the unusual prank, but she saw no one.

  “Are you sure you locked it, Maeve?” Gracie asked.

  “I think so ...” Maeve second guessed herself. She opened up the passenger’s side door. “All right, come on out. Shoo.” The dog tilted its head slightly and perked up at her, but it didn’t move. “Go on, get!” Maeve said, but the dog’s ears merely twitched.