He laughed. "I'd like to offer you the part of Beth in Little Women."
I pumped my fist in the air. "That's the one who dies!"
"Who died?" Keanu asked, confused.
I put a finger to my lips. "Yes! I'll take it!"
Jeff chuckled on the other end. "Beth doesn't have much of a singing part in the show. I think we can work around your—ah—lack of experience there. My assistant and I agree that you have a special stage presence. You practically glided across it. I think you're exactly what we're looking for."
His words amazed me. In my twenty-four years on this earth, I didn't think I had ever glided at anything. My mother had been excellent at making me feel clumsy and awkward. The only time I'd ever been truly happy was when performing. For years I'd been more focused on singing instead of my acting ability. Did I really have a talent for theater? Maybe I was able to perform well because I'd spent most of my life pretending to be someone else, like the waitress game when I was a child. Maybe I… "Thank you, Jeff. You don't know how much those words mean to me."
"I have no doubt you'll be an asset to our show," Jeff said. "We're having a read-through tomorrow night at seven o'clock sharp. I'll see you then."
I couldn't stop smiling as I put the phone down and turned to face Keanu. "You won't believe this."
"Let me guess." He folded his arms across his broad chest and surveyed me with amusement. "You got a part in the musical."
"Little Women."
"That's it. Tad was at the café this morning, talking about it."
I laughed as his face came to mind. "Yeah, he's going to be assistant stage manager. He'll be at most of the rehearsals, so I can bum rides with him. This is going to be a blast."
Keanu edged closer to me. "I can't wait to see it."
I raised an eyebrow. "You'll come to the show?"
"Of course I'll come. I'll be front row center. You'll have your own personal cheering section."
"I like the sound of that. Everything does seem to be falling into place for me," I admitted. "Maybe it's a sign I do belong here."
His blue eyes sparkled as if they held their own secret. "Hm. Want my take on it?"
My breath caught in my throat. "Sure."
Keanu nuzzled my hair with his lips then brought his face level with mine. For a moment we stood there, lost in time, our eyes locked upon one another. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut through one of Poncho's prized pineapples.
"Do you believe in fate?" he asked.
"Sometimes," I confessed.
"I think it was fate that brought you here. Brad didn't have anything to do with it. You were meant to come to Aloha Lagoon, work at Loco Moco Café, and hook up with a great guy like me." Keanu winked.
"All in that order?" I teased, relieved that Keanu was willing to move slowly. This proved that not only did he care about me, but he also respected me. I had never before had a man in my life that I could count on. Maybe that was about to change.
Keanu traced his finger over my lips. "You're special, Carrie. I knew it the moment you gave me first-degree burns."
I laughed, but at the same time, there were also tears forming in my eyes. I placed my arms around his neck. "It does feel right to be here with you. I already owe you so much. You saved my job and my life."
"Like I told you last night, I always want you to feel safe with me." He lifted my chin and kissed me again. His lips were warm and moist, and I had to fight the urge to moan inside his mouth. It was a gentle kiss, as if to echo his previous sentiments. "I'm only going to date you on one condition though."
"Oh? What condition is that?"
"You let me teach you how to swim," Keanu said. "Everyone who lives in Hawaii should at least be able to dog paddle."
"Okay, it's a deal."
We stood together for a long time, holding hands and looking out at the ocean. Things had never been so perfect for me before. It was almost surreal, and I found myself wondering if the other shoe was about to drop somehow.
"So," Keanu breathed into my hair, "do you think you'll feel well enough to come back to work tomorrow?"
I smiled at him. "I could come in this afternoon if you need me."
He shook his finger disapprovingly. "No work today. Doctor's orders."
"Is there any way I can shift my hours around? The rehearsals will be at nights—mostly Monday thru Fridays, I believe. I'll work all day on Saturday and Sunday if I have to."
His mouth formed a slow, sexy smile. "I think that can be arranged."
"Really?" I asked. "You don't think Alana will mind my changing shifts? I was afraid she might fire me."
He laughed softly. "That reminds me of something else I have to tell you."
Uh-oh. I braced myself for the worst. "Is it good news or bad news?"
"It's pretty good," Keanu admitted. "Alana sold the café today."
My mouth fell open in surprise. "Get out. What brought this on? And to whom?"
Keanu's face was stern as he leaned back against the rail and watched me thoughtfully. "Alana wasn't happy there. She confided to me right after Hale died that she was thinking about selling the place but didn't want to act on it until the killer was found. Alana doesn't care to run the place and never did. She said she needs to go away and find herself again."
Although I hadn't liked the woman, I felt nothing but pity for her now. She had loved Hale, after all. "I know something about that—the finding yourself part, that is." A worrisome thought occurred to me. "Do you think the new owners will clean house? Does this mean I might have to look for another job?"
Keanu shook his head. "Nothing will change, except maybe the hours. We'll probably stay open seven days a week, and more staff will be brought on in order to make this happen. The restaurant does rely on tourism, after all. It never did make sense to me that Hale wanted the place closed on Mondays, but he was the owner, so who was I to argue with him?"
Curious, I searched his face. "Did Alana tell you all this?"
"Not exactly."
"Okay." I took a step away from him, but Keanu laughed and drew me back into his arms again. "Do you happen to know the owners?"
He waggled his hand back and forth. "Pretty well, in fact. My parents are buying the café from Alana, and I'll be managing it. When I told them it was available, Mom and Dad jumped at the chance. They didn't even argue over Alana's asking price."
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. It may have been indigestion from Poncho's delicious rich breakfast, or maybe it was plain fear. "Y-your parents? They'll be my boss?"
Keanu grinned wickedly. "Well, technically I will be your boss. They'll stop by a few times a week. But it's nothing for you to worry about. They're going to love you."
Oh boy.
RECIPES
Poncho's Pineapple Salsa
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
¼ cup chopped onions
2 green chili peppers, chopped
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Dash of salt and pepper
In a large bowl, mix together pineapple, red and green peppers, corn, onions, green chili peppers, orange juice, and cilantro. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Cover and chill in fridge until serving. Serve as a side dish or with tortilla chips.
Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup solid pumpkin
¾ cup flour
Filling:
1 package (8 ounce) soft cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs and sugar together. Add soda
, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Add pumpkin and mix well. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread mixture over paper. Be sure to reach into the corners.
Bake for 15 minutes, and then cool for 20 minutes. Lift off the cookie sheet; put waxed paper on top, and then roll up. Put in fridge for 1 hour.
Filling: Whip all ingredients with mixer until creamy. After refrigerating, open pumpkin roll and remove paper from both sides. Spread filling on roll. Roll again, and wrap in wax paper, then Saran Wrap. Roll must then be refrigerated. Serves 8-10 people.
Pulled Pork
3 lbs of pork butt (without bone)
1 cup water
1 tsp flour
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup ketchup
1 cup barbeque sauce
½ of a medium onion, finely chopped (optional)
Hamburger or sub rolls
Use a Reynolds slow cooker liner for the Crock-pot so there will be less of a mess to clean up afterward. Add flour, water, and pork butt. After cooking on high for an hour, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir every ten minutes or so. After an additional three hours, remove pork mixture from the Crock-pot and shred apart with a fork. Spoon pork onto buttered rolls. Makes 6-8 servings.
Mai Tais
1 ounce spiced rum
1 ounce light rum
1½ ounce Triple sec
½ ounce orange juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
¼ ounce cranberry juice
Ice cubes (as required)
Fill shaker with ice cubes. On top of the cubes add dark rum, light rum, orange and pineapple juices, cranberry juice, and triple sec. Give combined liquids a shake. Pour drink into glass and enjoy.
* * * * *
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ALOHA LAGOON BOOKS
Ukulele Murder
Murder on the Aloha Express
Deadly Wipeout
Deadly Bubbles in the Wine
Mele Kalikimaka Murder
Death of the Big Kahuna
Ukulele Deadly
One Hawaiian Wedding and Funeral
* * * * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns lives in Upstate New York with a male dominated household that consists of her very patient husband, three sons, and assorted cats and dogs. She has wanted to be a writer since the age of eight when she wrote her own version of Cinderella (fortunately Disney never sued). Catherine holds a B.A. in English and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
To learn more about Catherine Bruns, visit her online at: http://www.catherinebruns.net
* * * * *
BOOKS BY CATHERINE BRUNS
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries:
Death of the Big Kahuna
Cookies & Chance Mysteries:
Tastes Like Murder
Baked to Death
Burned to a Crisp
Frosted with Revenge
A Spot of Murder (short story in the Killer Beach Reads collection)
Cindy York Mysteries:
Killer Transaction
Priced to Kill
* * * * *
SNEAK PEEK
of the first Cookies & Chance Mystery:
TASTES LIKE MURDER
by
CATHERINE BRUNS
CHAPTER ONE
Mrs. Gavelli wagged her stubby finger. "You no forget my free fortune
this time. I tell your grandmama if you cheat me."
My mouth fell open in surprise, but I knew better than to argue with the elderly, Italian lady who stood before my display case, dressed in a drab, gray housecoat. It was shocking how well her outfit matched her coarse hair, pulled back from her stern face in a severe bun. As she reached down to scratch her leg, she succeeded in pushing her knee-highs farther down her calves. One more movement and they'd be level with her black Birkenstocks.
"No, Mrs. Gavelli. You have my word."
My best friend and partner, Josie Sullivan, appeared in the doorway. She'd been icing cookies in the back room for a delivery tomorrow. "Mrs. G, you're fogging up the glass on our case with your breath. Are you buying something or not?"
Nicoletta Gavelli snorted as she pointed at the tray of chocolate-dipped fortune cookies that lined the bottom shelf of our display case. They had been my idea to lure more business into the shop, giving us a unique flair. The sign written in blue Magic Marker on the glass read: Buy a cookie—get a free fortune. They were easy enough for Josie to make, but she thought I was wasting my money on them. I didn't care. Although frugal about other matters concerning my business, this small expense didn't worry me. I enjoyed seeing the delighted expressions on children's faces when they opened them.
Mrs. Gavelli continued her tirade in broken English. "You no fool me, Sally Muccio. You be up to no good since you work your wiles on my grandson."
She'd never let the incident with Johnny go. As tempting as it was to throw her out of my shop, I had a soft spot for the old lady and her sharp tongue, though it was pretty obvious she'd never cared for me. Nicoletta had lived next door to my parents ever since I could remember and was good friends with my Grandma Rosa. To this day, she still insists I tried to take advantage of her grandson, Johnny, when in fact it was Johnny who had lured me into their darkened garage at the tender age of six. Johnny, much more mature and reckless at the ripe old age of eight, informed me there was a great game called Doctor which we should play. He even went so far as to say he'd give me an ice cream cone afterward. I was foolish enough to believe him. Even then it was all about food for me.
"No fortune cookie till you buy something." Josie folded her arms triumphantly across her chest.
Mrs. Gavelli let out a loud harrumph. "Josie, you never change. No respect for elders. That mouth, she never stop. Why you not home with babies?"
"My husband's there, Mrs. G. He works nights, remember?"
"Yah, sure he home. I bet he drink the beer till he pass out."
Josie narrowed her blue eyes. "We're running a business here. Are you buying something or not?"
Mrs. Gavelli snickered at her. "Some business. You bake cookies all day. Is no real job." She turned to me. "You need new husband. I see why old one leave you now."
I wasn't sure which of her remarks stung the most, the one about my ex-husband or the one that insulted our new profession, which I happened to be very proud of.
Josie's face turned as red as her hair. "Colin was a cheating bum. Sally left him, not the other way around."
"It's okay, Josie." I was afraid she might start flinging cookies at Mrs. Gavelli's head. "Let it go."
Mrs. Gavelli waved her hand. "Whatever. Give me Italian butter cookie. And why so many American cookies? You Sicilian, for God's sake. Why you got chocolate chip cookies touching Italian ones?"
"Because they're a huge seller, and we do have other customers besides Italians." I reached for a piece of waxed paper.
"Italians rule this town, missy."
I laughed. Her statement was true enough. I placed the cookie in a small, white bag. "That'll be one dollar and twenty-five cents."
"Is too much. Why you cheat me?"
"Oh, dear God," Josie muttered under her breath.
I didn't want to fight with Nicoletta. Deep down inside there was always a tiny flicker of hope that maybe someday she'd approve of me. "Okay, Mrs. G. There's a special today. Two cookies for one seventy-five."
Mrs. Gavelli sniffed and reached inside her leather handbag. "Good, I take. And you give me free fortune." She rapped on the glass with her f
ingernail. "I take those two on end."
I tried to explain. "Mrs. G, it's one free fortune cookie per person, with purchase."
"Yah, but I buy two cookie."
She was confusing me. I already knew I was going to lose this argument.
Josie wrinkled her nose. "Mrs. G, you get one free fortune cookie. It doesn't matter if you buy a dozen cookies. You only get one."
She stomped her foot. "You crazy? What the matter, you cheap or something?"
I gave in and placed the two fortune cookies in the bag with the others.
Josie made a face. "Sal—"
I shook my head at her. "Never mind." These two were going to be the death of me.
Josie whispered a curse word as Mrs. Gavelli grabbed her loot, reached for a fortune cookie, and immediately broke it apart. The lines in her face deepened as she read the paper and then stared at me with disgust.
"What this?" She waved the piece of paper.
I blinked. "Um, the fortune, Mrs. G."
"This no fortune. This crap." She sneered and read aloud from the strip of paper. "May you always have good appetite?" Mrs. Gavelli grunted and threw the paper on the blue-and-white, checkered vinyl floor. "Garbage."
"Pick that up." Josie's face was scarlet.
Mrs. Gavelli placed her hands on her well-rounded hips and glared stubbornly back at Josie.
I grabbed my friend's arm before she could move forward. "You can't hit the customers. It's bad for business."
Death of the Big Kahuna Page 21