Girls' Night Out Murder (Ryli Sinclair 2)

by Jenna St James

  “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting,” a tall brunette said as she strolled into the foyer. “There was a problem with some of the workers I needed to see to.”

  With her confident, somewhat condescending demeanor, I figured she was the manager. She was impeccably dressed in black designer pants and a white, sheer blouse.

  “My name is Rebecca,” she said, looking down her nose at our baked goods. “I’m assuming you’re here for the interview with the owners?” She all but dismissed us as unworthy.

  The sudden rush of new customers kept Jax and me from answering. Which was probably a good thing. While I sometimes have difficulty holding my tongue, Jax is worse. She takes after our Gramps—a retired Colonel in the Army who never really learned how to sugarcoat things.

  Rebecca turned to the new guests. “Hello. Welcome to Plentiful Grapes Winery. Right this way for a tour and tasting.”

  Leaving us alone again in the foyer, I tried to ease my sister’s nerves. Rebecca had definitely rubbed us both wrong. And it definitely wasn’t very professional to mention to guests that there was a problem with workers.

  “Only two other bakers, that’s good news. I have no doubt you’ll do fine.”

  Jax smiled tightly and tapped her foot. Obviously my small talk wasn’t helping.

  “Thank you, Ms. Davenport,” a loud voice boomed, echoing in the foyer. “When we make a decision, we will let you know.”

  Bonnie Davenport lumbered into the foyer carrying leftover baked goods. She owned Bonnie’s Bakery on Walnut Drive. Jax learned her first week back that Bonnie would not be an ally. If the rumors we heard she was spreading about Jax’s baking were true, Bonnie and I were going to have a come-to-Jesus-meeting soon. No one maligned my sister!

  “We’d like to start ordering immediately, so when we make our decision tonight, we will expect delivery tomorrow. Is that something you can do? ”

  Bonnie smiled. “That’s not a problem at all. My bakery has been here for twenty years. I have a reputation for punctuality.”

  More like a reputation for average baking.

  Bonnie smirked at Jax. “Oh, Jax, I forgot you moved back to town. You young people, always moving from one place to another, never settling down. Best of luck to you, dear.”

  The heavy door closed with a loud bang. I rolled my eyes and gave Jax a reassuring look. “You got this,” I whispered.

  “Ladies, my name is Antonio Bassetti. My wife, Nicki, and I are co-owners of the winery. Our other partner, Paul Degrassi, is out of the office right now. He is due back tonight. I’m afraid it will just be me you’ll be interviewing with.”

  I immediately liked Antonio Bassetti. He stood nearly six foot tall and outweighed us by about two hundred pounds. The gray at his temples and deep-set lines in his face had me guessing his age to be around sixty.

  “But rest assured, I know my wine and my chocolate.” He patted his stomach and laughed.

  My sister stuck out her hand out. “My name is Jax Sullivan. This is my sister, Jaycee. She came to help me carry in all the baked goods.”

  Antonio shook our hands. “Nice to meet you both. Jaycee, would you like to wait here or come with us for the interview?”

  “I’ll stay here. Maybe do a little wine tasting.” I didn’t want to put Jax on edge any more than she already was.

  Antonio laughed and clasped me on the shoulder. “Excellent choice! We shouldn’t be very long. Make yourself at home. I recommend the Merlot.”

  Antonio and Jax carried the cupcakes, brownies, and truffles through a door to my left. I decided to do some snooping and headed through the archway on my right.

  The tasting room was a large great room with three different areas set up for group tastings. The tastings were already in full swing, with nearly every space along the chest-high bars filled with customers.

  I walked over to the one space still available on the other side of the room. A perky blonde sashayed over to where I was standing.

  “Hi. My name’s Lauren. Were you wanting to do a full tasting?” she asked as she slid me a piece of paper with all the names of the wines on it.

  “Why not. I don’t have to go in until later,” I said.

  “Read through and pick five. We’ll start out with a dry wine and work our way down.”

  I picked my five and listened while Lauren went through her spiel. The five wines I tried were all very good, but my favorite was the semi-dry red. Deciding on two bottles, I sat quietly while Lauren went to wrap up my purchases.

  “I don’t care if he is my boss,” an angry male voice hissed from behind a curtain to the right of me. “His demands are ridiculous!”

  Intrigued, I tried to focus in on what the guy was saying. I admit, I’m a snoop by nature. Part of my job was just listening to people when they wanted to talk.

  “Keep your voice down,” a female voice shushed. I couldn’t be sure because she was whispering, but I thought it was the snooty manager, Rebecca.

  “This ends now! I will not continue working here under these demands. You better say something to him, because if you don’t take care of it, I will. And believe me, you won’t like it.”

  “Don’t threaten me, Roberto!”

  “I know about your little rendezvous with Degrassi. Unless you want everyone else knowing, I suggest you put a stop to this and remember this is my wine…my wine!”

  “You don’t want to push me, you have too much to lose.”

  “So do you,” the man shouted back.

  I looked around the room to see if anyone else was catching the altercation. Two of the workers pouring samples on the other side of the room paused to look surreptitiously at each other with open mouths.

  “Don’t forget where Landon found you,” the angry man hissed. “The owners find out, and you’ll be out on your butt faster than you can blink...regardless of who you’re doing.”

  I sucked in my breath, wondering if anyone else had heard that last bit. The drape was pulled aside and a short, middle-aged man wearing a chambray blue button-down shirt came striding toward me. He stopped short when he saw me. Pushing his black glasses up onto his nose he glared at me. His black hair was sticking up in all directions, like he’d just raked his fingers through it.

  I heard Jax’s laugh before I saw her enter the tasting room. I could tell by her flushed face and relaxed shoulders that she was feeling pretty good. For her sake I hope she’d gotten the contract. I figured since she was carrying an empty cupcake carrier that was a good sign!

  I slid my gaze back over at the angry man, but he’d already slipped out of the tasting room. Antonio and Jax walked over to where I was sitting.

  “Well, young lady, you like one?” he asked, indicating my empty wine glass.

  I smiled. “The semi-dry. Bought two bottles.”

  He clapped his hands together. “Eccellente!”

  “Thank you so much for meeting with me, Mr. Bassetti,” Jax said.

  “Call me Antonio. And the pleasure was all mine. I’ll talk it over with my partner when he comes in tonight, and we’ll let you know as soon as possible. Can you have something ready for tomorrow just in case.”

  Jax grinned. “You bet.”

  Lauren came back with my bottles and Jax and I headed back to Traveler’s Bay.

  * * *

  “I got it!” Jax yelled a few hours later as she barreled through the door of my bookstore and bar Gone with the Whiskey. She paused to catch her breath and run her fingers through her short, black hair. Looking around the dimly lit bar, she finally spotted Gramps and me behind the counter.

  “What’d you get, honey?” Gramps asked as he dried a glass and put it under the bar.

  “The contract with Plentiful Grapes Winery. They’re gonna start carrying my baked goods.”

  “Congratulations,” I said, rushing out from behind the bar to give her a hug. “But I thought they weren’t going to make a decision until tonight.”

  “Antonio called and said he spoke with Paul, the
other partner, and got the go-ahead from him. Antonio said my truffles were to die for!”

  “Of course they are,” Gramps said.

  Jax beamed at Gramps. “Every three days they want a dozen of my Death-by-Chocolate cupcakes, two dozen dark chocolate brownies, and three dozen truffles. They think the pairing of the wine and chocolate will be a hit.”

  I pointed to the near-empty display case at the end of the bar. “You know I agree,” I said.

  Jax had been providing me with sweet treats to pair with different drinks I serve for a while now, and my customers loved it. This month’s special was A Bourbon Delight: a glass of bourbon and a chocolate bourbon cupcake with Bailey’s frosting.

  I bought the bookstore and bar, Gone with the Whiskey, about two years ago. Before it was a bookstore and bar it had been a dingy hole-in-the-wall bar that rarely saw customers. The previous owner was eager to get rid of the place, and I needed a change from the hectic job I had in San Francisco. So I called up Gramps and we took a look at the property. Gramps had the money for the down payment, so he and I decided to go into business together. My mother was thrilled…she was tired of him being underfoot all day at the house.

  “Very proud of you, Jax,” Gramps said gruffly from behind the bar. “Good to know one of you got your grandma’s genes. Goodness knows Jaycee can’t cook or bake,” he chuckled.

  I stuck my tongue out at him. He just continued laughing.

  “Better watch it, Gramps,” Jax said, “or she may start charging you for drinks.”

  Gramps grinned. “I’d like to see her try.”

  Gramps had enlisted during Vietnam and ended up serving twenty-four years in the Army. Since he had a college degree when he enlisted, he rose through the ranks as an officer. My mom and grandma followed my Gramps around from Army base to Army base. When the Colonel finally retired in late 1990, just before the First Gulf War, my grandma was thrilled. Unfortunately, not long after they started their retirement together, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a long, tough battle, she died when I was only seven and Jax was five.

  I walked back behind the bar and gave him my best stare. He continued drying glasses and totally ignored me.

  “Do you think you could help me deliver the goodies tomorrow?” Jax asked. “I don’t have enough carriers yet to haul all this in one take. I don’t want to risk dropping something.”

  “Sure,” I said. “What time do you want to leave?”

  “How about a little before eight. That will give us plenty of time to get there, unload, and get you back before you open. Antonio said he’d meet us there around eight since Rebecca doesn’t usually get there until nine. He’ll be the one to let us in.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jax let out a squeal and clapped her hands together. “I’m so excited. I better head over to the house and start baking. Now that I have a contract with this winery, who knows, maybe other wineries will follow. And if I keep getting clients, I can finally look into buying a place and starting my own bakery!”

  Gramps and I watched Jax dash out the door. “I’m glad she’s getting some business,” I told Gramps.

  Gramps grunted. “Looks like I’ll be using the other half of my gun range sale to buy her a business like I did you.”

  I looked over and grinned at him. He may want to pretend he’s a toughie, but I knew better.

  After grandma died, Gramps didn’t know what to do with himself, so he did the only thing a retired Colonel could do…he opened his own gun range. For nearly twenty years he successfully ran the gun range, until one day he decided to sell. Luckily, when I needed the capital to buy the bookstore and bar Gramps had it. Looks like he’d be doing the same thing for Jax.

  “I’m gonna sit down and have me one of these bourbon cupcakes,” Gramps suddenly announced.

  “Don’t be eating all our profits,” I joked.

  Gramps waived his arm at me. “Bah. Don’t go telling your elder what to do. I may be old, but I could still kick your ass if I had to.”

  I loved Gramps’ spunk. He may be going on seventy-five, but he still had the body of a soldier. I knew for a fact he jogged every morning and lifted weights every other day. His close-crop salt and pepper hair, green eyes, and chiseled face still made the ladies swoon. I just wish he’d notice. Gramps hadn’t dated anyone since grandma died over twenty-three years ago.

  “Here’s your bourbon,” I said. “You’ll want to drink it all. Mom’s having her book club here today, and you know how those women love to ogle you.”

  Gramps groaned. “Better make it a double!”

  About the Author

  Jenna is a former court reporter turned educator. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education, and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She also spent twelve years in the ministry. She currently lives in Missouri, but has lived in six different states throughout her adult life. She spends her days teaching reading and writing to students...hoping to instill in them the same passion she has. When she’s not writing, she likes to repurpose glassware…making chandeliers, lamps, nightlights, and many other crafts from bottles. She also writes a blog http://jennabuhmanmoments.blogspot.com/.

  The first book in the Ryli Sinclair Mystery series is Picture Perfect Murder. You can purchase this book at http://amazon.com/author/jennastjames. Thank you for taking the time to read the Ryli Sinclair books. If you could please leave a review on Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated.