Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series
Read Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series Online
Authors: Patti Benning
Tags: #Fiction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Hearty Homestyle Murder
Book Nine in the Darling Deli Series
By
Patti Benning
Copyright 2016 Summer Prescott Books
All Rights Reserved
. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.
**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.
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HEARTY HOMESTYLE
MURDER
Book nine of The Darling Deli Series
“Are you sure you don’t want to participate?” Moira Darling asked Dante Williams. “Besides the chance to have your soup represent Darling’s DELIcious Delights in the county fair, our little store contest should be fun.”
“I’m sure,” her employee said. “With classes starting up again, I’m busier than ever. Plus, I don’t want to compete against Meg. I’m happy to stick to making the quiches.”
Moira smiled. Meg Brownell was a spunky young woman she’d hired a few months back. Outgoing and confident, she couldn’t have been more different from shy, hesitant Dante, but in this case opposites certainly had attracted each other. The two had started dating shortly after Meg had started working at the deli, and had been inseparable ever since.
“All right, if you’re sure,” she told him. “But I hope you’ll still join us tomorrow. David, Candice, and Eli will be the judges, but there will be enough soup for everyone to have a taste.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said with a grin. “I can’t wait to see what everybody comes up with.”
The county fair was in just under a week, and Moira had already rented a booth for the deli. Though she was looking forward to spending a few days selling fresh soup, sandwiches, and salads on the fairgrounds instead of being cooped up in the deli, it was the soup competition that had her most excited. The fair’s soup competition was one of many food-related contests, which included a cupcake competition and a contest to see who could make the stretchiest taffy. The competitions were usually lighthearted and all of the contestants had fun; nevertheless, the stakes were real. The winner of each competition got a ribbon, a mention in the local newspaper, their picture hung in the town hall, and a hundred dollars donated to the charity of their choice. Such good publicity could be pivotal for a business, and Moira hoped that the deli would win this year.
We almost won last year
, she thought.
If it wasn’t for the Soup Shoppe, we would have.
She shook her head, refusing to think ill of the dead. The past was past, and this was a new year.
Moira greeted her other male employee, Darrin, as she walked into the kitchen. Darrin had been working for her for nearly as long as the deli had existed, and she often depended on him to take over when she couldn’t be there. He could practically run the deli on his own by now, and she sometimes wondered what she would do without him.
“Hey, Ms. D,” he said with a nod. “Heading out?”
“I’d better be. I want to stop at the candy shop before it closes. I still don’t know if Candice is renting a booth at the fair or not.”
“I hope she is. I bet she would get a lot of new customers if she did.”
Candice, Moira’s twenty-year-old daughter, had opened her own business just over a month ago. The candy shop had a steady stream of customers and was getting new ones all the time, but the deli owner knew that the real test would begin during the long, snowy northern Michigan winter. It was essential for local businesses to have the support of local residents during that time; businesses that depended too much on the summer tourists tended to fail when the snow started to fall.
She said a final goodbye to Darrin, who got back to scrubbing the soapy dishes in the sink with good cheer. It was the tail end of summer, and they had the side door propped open with cinder blocks to allow the warm breeze into the kitchen. The scent of freshly cut grass wrapped around Moira as she stepped outside. She paused and tilted her face up to the sun, determined to enjoy the peace while it lasted. Lately it seemed like one crisis after another had been popping up. She really wished every day could be like this.
The drive from the deli, which was in her hometown of Maple Creek, to Candice’s Candies in Lake Marion was a short one. She had made the drive countless times over the past year, and sometimes thought she could do it with her eyes closed. On a nice day like today she envied Candice her sleek silver convertible; what could be better than driving down the twisty, tree-lined roads with the top down? As it was, Moira had to make do with putting all of the windows down and wishing, once again, that she could justify getting a new car for herself.
“Maybe next year,” she said to herself as she pulled her car into the parking lot behind the building that Candice owned. “If the deli does as well next summer as it has so far this summer, I should be able to afford at least a nice used car.”
Knowing that Candice now kept the candy shop’s back door locked, Moira walked around to the front of the building. She paused outside for a moment, watching her daughter through the glass shop window. The girl was chatting animatedly with an older woman while two children eagerly examined the plentiful selection of candies, chocolates, and other sweets. Most of the hard candies were made by Candice herself in the store, and Moira knew that she had recently branched out into fudge, peanut brittle, and saltwater taffy.
She felt a swell of pride at how well her daughter was doing. After her divorce ten years ago, it had just been the two of them. Candice was the most important thing in her life, and sometimes she couldn’t believe just how much her little girl had grown up. No longer the wild teenager of just a few years ago, her daughter was now a responsible, outgoing young woman who had directed her future by striking out on her own. The day that her daughter had moved out for good had been bittersweet for Moira, but now, watching her daughter in her element, she couldn’t be happier.
Letting herself in through the candy shop’s front door, she examined the shelves and bowls of candy, wondering what new flavors her daughter had come up with since she had last visited the store. The shop was air-conditioned, and the cool air felt good on her skin after the heaviness of the hot weather outside.
“Hey, Mom,” Candice said, coming around the register to greet her mother with a hug once her customers had left with their purchases. “How are you?”
“I’m doing pretty well,” Moira told her. “You?”
“Never better.” Candice grinned, and Moira was glad to see that entrepreneurship seemed to be a good fit for her.
“That’s good. How is the shop doing?” she asked.
“Well, it was pretty busy this morning. It seems to be slowing down right now, though. All in all, these last few weeks have been going better than I expected. Oh, I have something neat to show you.”
Amused by the young woman’s seemingly boundless energy, Moira followed her through the door in the back of the store that led to the kitchen. Candice opened a cupboard and pulled out a box of silicone molds in various shapes.
“Eli knows a guy who does 3-D printing. He agreed to make custom molds for my store, so now I can offer people chocolate, fudge, and hard candy in whatever shapes they want. I think it will be great for things like birthday parties. In fact, I already have my first order.” She beamed. “Do you want me to make something for the deli? The guy who makes these can do any shape you can think of - he just puts it into his machine and about six hours later it finishes up the new mold.”
“That is really neat,” Moira said, taking one of the silicone molds in her hand. She examined it closely, wondering exactly how the 3-D printer that Candice mentioned worked. The concept sounded familiar, but she had never seen one in action. “I’ll have to think about what I want for the deli.”
Impressed, she placed the butterfly mold back in the box. Candice seemed to have a better grip on some of the newer technologies than she did, which was a good thing. She could barely figure out how to make a regular printer work.
“I’m glad to hear you’re finding your niche,” she added. “Remember, if you ever need any help, let me know and I’ll figure something out. You must get tired, working every day like you do.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad. I mean, I live right upstairs, and I usually take an hour lunch break or so. And the store is only open for three hours on Sunday. Plus, Eli helps out a lot.”
“It’s wonderful that he’s so helpful. He must like you quite a lot.” Moira hid a smile. Eli Rothberg was Candice’s newest boyfriend. He managed an ice cream parlor for his grandfather just a few blocks away from the candy shop. Stable and grounded, yet optimistic, the young man seemed to be a perfect match for her daughter. She could tell that Candice liked him a lot, and hoped that their relationship was a lasting one.
“I think he’s just a nice person,” said Candice with a blush. “We’re still coming over to the deli tomorrow evening after close, right? He’s eager to be a judge in the contest you set up. Who do you think will win?”
“Yes, everyone will be meeting at the deli at eight. And I really don’t know whose soup will win.” Moira cocked her head as she considered her employees’ cooking abilities. Both Meg and Allison Byrd, her newest employee, had little experience in a professional kitchen. Although Darrin often helped out in the deli’s kitchen, she didn’t think she had ever seen him come up with a recipe of his own, aside from his hot sauce. She didn’t know what to expect from any of them, but was certain that at the very least the casual competition would be fun.
“I bet they’ll all be good though,” she added. “That reminds me… I wanted to ask you if you rented a booth yet for the fair? The price goes up a few days beforehand, so I wouldn’t wait too long if I were you.”
“I already did, don’t worry,” Candice assured her. “Well, actually Eli and I are renting one together. Ice Cream Dream and Candice’s Candies will be teaming up for the fair. He’s even got a few new sundaes planned that have gummy worms and jelly beans instead of fruit.”
