Sweet Tea and Secrets

by Joy Avon

  “The unknown factor that turned everything upside down.” Falk picked up the spoon resting in the bowl of fruit punch and filled a cup. “For you. Very creative to cut the fruit into star shapes.”

  “Thanks. Iphy’s idea entirely. She’s done so much to make this a memorable day. It’s sort of an official start to all of our activities at the estate. Of course there was a lecture or two in spring, the summer evening concert in June, and the library cataloging started last week, but this does feel like a grand opening.” Callie took a sip of the refreshing punch and then with her spoon fished for a bite of melon.

  Laughter floated their way, and they turned their heads to see Jimmy and Tate playing with Biscuit. Jimmy threw a plastic disc that Biscuit caught mid-air. He made the weirdest jumps and turned his head every which way to get it, and Tate was doubled over with laughter at his antics. Daisy ran with Biscuit to get at the disc as well, but of course the bigger dog was faster and could jump higher. Tate scooped her up in his arms and gave her a cuddle, and she leaned against him, her muzzle in his neck, probably believing that was a good place to be.

  Peggy stood under a tree, watching them play, with Quinn by her side. His tanned face was relaxed and quiet. On his bare left arm Callie detected a bit of blue paint left from his final chores around her cottage. He had worked hard, but still he had found some extra things to do, at no charge as he had assured her, and she guessed he was eager for a reason to stay in town.

  How Peggy felt about him was harder to tell. She certainly cared but also said it was too soon after Greg had died. Maybe she just needed some time and Quinn’s friendship and support to make up her mind.

  Callie said to Falk, “Quinn is almost done at my cottage. I guess he’ll need to find something else to do now.”

  “Haven’t you heard? The community center needs some maintenance, and Quinn has been recommended.”

  “By whom?”

  “The mayor didn’t want to tell me.” Falk held her gaze. “I suppose I’ve got you to blame for that?”

  “Certainly not. The mayor wouldn’t listen to me either. I just moved to town.”

  “So you’re actually staying? You aren’t leaving again when the summer’s over?”

  “I gave up my job and my apartment in Trenton. There’s really nowhere else I can go.”

  It sounded a bit lame, and Falk grimaced. “That’s the most enthusiastic description of a new life I’ve ever heard.”

  Callie said quickly, “I meant to say, I came out here to stay. Not to run off again. But I wonder …”

  She really didn’t want to put it into words, not on a grand day like this, when she just wanted to be relaxed and carefree and happy.

  “If you’re really cut out for small-town life.” Falk clenched his cup. “That’s exactly what I was afraid of when you said in December that you’d come live here. Then it was all cozy and seasonal, and I was worried you were acting for a sentimental reason. You need more than that to make a big change like this work out. I sort of sensed when you emailed me that as the time came closer to pack up and come out here, you weren’t sure anymore that it was the right decision.”

  Callie bit her lip. It was true that she’s had some doubts, and it had been hard to let go of her fun work, her colleagues, her apartment, her whole life as she had known it for so long. Had Falk really sensed that from her emails? Had he read them so closely?

  While she had been thinking he hadn’t cared at all what she wrote and indeed whether she came out to Heart’s Harbor or not!

  Falk said softly, “There’s no shame in admitting you made a mistake. You did such a good job as a tour guide, I’m sure your boss will want you back. Or you can find work with another tour company. If your heart is in it, you should do it.”

  He held her gaze with his deep brown eyes. They were concerned for her and even a little sad. “I can’t say I won’t be sorry to see you leave again, but I don’t want to see you here struggling either. You should feel happy about what you do.”

  “I want to stay here. Yes, it was hard to leave, and I did have doubts, but I love Book Tea and Iphy and the new friends I’ve made. It’s just so easy to get to know new people here, and my cottage is turning into a real home now. Every time I go there, I feel more like it’s mine.”

  She hesitated a moment before adding, “I’d love for you to stop by some time and see it.”

  Falk nodded. “I’ll do that. Soon.”

  Callie studied his expression. Her heart thundered in her chest at what she was about to say, but she had to do it now or she’d never have the nerve again. “Ace, I …”

  His dark eyes searched her expression, and her heart pounded even louder. She forced herself to keep looking at him as she continued, “I admit I was a bit put off when the time came to move here, and it seemed like you had no interest in it at all anymore. I felt like you were sorry I was coming.”

  “Me?” His eyes were genuinely surprised. “No, not at all. I was just … I … I didn’t want to get my expectations up and then hear you were leaving again anyway because this just wasn’t the place where you wanted to settle down.”

  Falk put his cup down with a clank. “I have to leave for a little bit. But I’ll be back. Okay?”

  Callie stared after him as he rushed off. How about that? The moment they were finally having a serious conversation, and he had to leave!

  She exhaled in a huff. Men. She’d never understand them.

  Still her head was light with the realization that he had more or less admitted he had some kind of expectations for her new life there and that he had been bothered by the idea that she might regret her decision and leave again.

  What did that mean? Why had he not said more?

  Why had he rushed off, ending their moment together so abruptly?

  Applause pulled her from her frantic thoughts. The Swing It! couples had come from the house onto the terrace. The quartet started to play, and the dancers whirled about doing the Charleston, then the foxtrot.

  The women’s dresses sparkled in the evening light, the feathers on their headbands ruffling on the breeze. Their energy spread to the crowd at once, and people clapped along or swayed to the rhythm.

  Callie tapped her foot in the grass, humming the tune. Too bad they weren’t all dancing. She’d love to take a spin with Falk. But he had rushed off, and she didn’t even know what for. Somehow he always threw her off-balance and left her confused.

  After the dancing, more drinks were handed out, and people flocked to the buffet for savory treats. Iphy had created pizzas in the shape of the number four, which people could customize with all kinds of fresh toppings, which stood at the ready in bowls: pepperoni, mozzarella, vegetables, fruit.

  For the kids there were coloring pages to work on at a long low table and sparkling juice that had no alcohol, of course, but still looked like champagne. They were excited that they could stay up past their bedtime and looked in awe at the colorful party lights that were strung between the trees. Their glow seemed to increase as the sun’s light faded and darkness closed in, creating the perfect background for the fireworks show that would be their party’s grand finale.

  Cuddling Daisy in her arms, Callie chatted to Peggy while Quinn was teaching Biscuit to sit. The dog didn’t listen most of the time, and the boys were laughing until, as Jimmy put it, their sides hurt.

  Peggy said to Callie, “I’m so glad things worked out here for Quinn. Imagine him being able to do such a big job as the work on the community center. I told him that if he’s working there and I’m at Book Tea, we should have lunch together some time. It only makes sense, right?”

  “Perfect sense,” Callie agreed, suppressing her grin of delight that Peggy and Quinn would see more of each other and might get together in due time.

  “And he’s going to keep Biscuit. He can actually take him to the community center when he’s working there. The ladies who volunteer have all taken to Biscuit, and they want to look after him. I hope they k
now what they’re getting themselves into.”

  “Well, with long walks and proper training he’ll turn into a perfectly well-behaved dog. I’m sorry that it didn’t work out with the couple who originally brought him here, but maybe, by some weird twist, he ended up with the person he was intended to be with after all.”

  “You bet.” Peggy smiled as she looked at Quinn and her children petting the dog, who lay sprawled in the grass with his four legs in the air.

  Biscuit’s portrait had turned out to be a stunning likeness, and it was now sitting in Callie’s closet; she was waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to Quinn. Maybe for his birthday? She thought he’d mentioned in passing once that it was in September.

  Just as the fireworks were about to start—an official show put on by a licensed company from a nearby town—Falk returned to Callie’s side. The bright light of the exploding firecrackers illuminated his face as he came to stand close beside her, his hands behind his back.

  “You missed the dance demonstration,” Callie groused, “and I don’t see what could have been so urgent. I thought you were off today.”

  “I am. This was personal.” He pulled his hands out from behind his back and showed them to her. He was holding a colorfully wrapped box. “For you. But be careful—it’s heavy.”

  Callie accepted it. “You weren’t kidding. I’ll put it on the grass to unwrap it.”

  She crouched down on the grass, nervously tearing at the tape while the skies overhead filled with gold, silver, blue, and purple. The oohs and aahs of the eager audience resounded in the air.

  What could it be? Last time Falk had given her a present, it was a heart reading “Welcome Home.” He had won it in a raffle at the ice-skating rink, and it had seemed to convey a special message for her—for them together. It had felt like the best present ever. Could this new gift be as good?

  Or even better?

  She slipped the paper off.

  It was the Tiffany lamp she had seen in Falk’s cabin. The one that had struck her as out of place in his austere interior.

  “I bought it for you,” she heard him say from above her, “in a little antique shop. Back in February. I meant to give it to you on the day you arrived here in town, as a welcome gift. But I suddenly thought that for some reason you’d leave again. I didn’t want you to think I was forcing you to settle someplace when you didn’t want to. But now that you told me that … well, anyway, here it is.”

  “I love it.” Callie smiled at the lamp’s elegant designed foot, the colorful glass fitted into a poppy pattern. It was the perfect thing to claim a place of pride in her new home. Maybe in the sitting room? She had a great oak sideboard there, polished until it shone.

  Or beside her bed? Perfect for reading a little before she turned off the light for a good night’s sleep.

  She got to her feet and hugged Falk, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you. It’s wonderful.”

  Falk’s arms closed around her waist as he held her against him. He whispered into her ear, “Happy Fourth of July. My mother always said that when you see all those shooting stars, you should make a wish.”

  Just then the crackling and light of the fireworks ceased, and Callie let go of Falk in a rush, suddenly conscious that people might see them embracing.

  Her cheeks were on fire, and she looked down at her feet.

  Jimmy came over and cried excitedly that they could watch while the plane was loaded up to be taken back to its hangar.

  Callie nodded and said they’d come over in a sec.

  As Jimmy ran back to his mother and Quinn, Callie met Falk’s eye. He was smiling at her, his brown eyes sparkling.

  She answered his smile with a wide one of her own. “Happy Fourth of July, Ace. And I don’t think I need any wishes right now. Everything I wish for is right here.”

  Author Biography

  A lover of books, tea and sweet treats, Joy Avon decided to combine these in a mystery series about an organizer of the book-themed tea parties Joy herself would love to attend. When not writing or reading, Joy can be found buying bonbons, fluffy socks or notebooks with pretty patterns to write down her next idea. This is her first Tea and a Read mystery.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Joy Avon

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.

  ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-023-8

  ISBN (ePub): 978-1-64385-024-5

  ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-64385-025-2

  Cover illustration by Brandon Dorman

  Book design by Jennifer Canzone

  Printed in the United States.

  www.crookedlanebooks.com

  Crooked Lane Books

  34 West 27th St., 10th Floor

  New York, NY 10001

  First Edition: June 2019

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