What was her problem when it came to men? Her best friends—except for Rose and her two college friends Tori Cannon and Kathy Grant, whom she seldom saw—were all men. And most of them were gay.
And then there was Ray.
Thinking of him made her feel confused and unhappy.
Being with him … now that was another thing.
Katie sat on her love seat, with a cat nestled on each side of her, for more than an hour pondering the complex feelings assaulting her before she trundled down the steps and unlocked the front door to Tealicious. She gave the dining room a final check before she hauled out the food for the meeting. Everything was nicely arranged for her partners. She placed the refreshments on tables she’d pushed together in the back with plates, napkins, and silverware. On one of the tables, an assortment of teas on hotplates stood beside cups and saucers.
Unfolding the brief agenda she’d prepared, she wondered momentarily why she found herself in charge once again. Was volunteering to head up everything something she did because she craved control? Did she have a desire to feel useful or powerful? Or was she simply a lifelong people-pleaser who didn’t know how to say no?
The thought bothered her on way too many levels.
Her reverie was interrupted by the opening of the door. “Hello—” Her face fell at the sight of the interloper. “Nona.”
“Am I the first one here?” Nona strode over to an empty table and dropped her large black purse on it with a thud. “Is Seth Landers going to be here?”
“No,” Katie said. Hadn’t Nona bothered to read the note Katie had sent? “But I’ll address that when everyone else arrives. Feel free to help yourself to some sandwiches and pastries.”
Nona scowled toward the tables laden with refreshments and then at Katie. “Are you sure it’s safe? This place has been closed since that young man died after eating here. I hope you’re not making us your guinea pigs.”
Katie ground her teeth to control her temper. “Tealicious was closed on Sunday out of respect for Jamie, and today is our normal day off. Tomorrow, we’ll be back to business as usual.”
“Will you? I can’t help but wonder if anyone will want to eat at an establishment where someone died right after eating there.” She cast a disdainful look around the dining room. “I hate to admit it, but I’m hesitant to partake myself.”
“Suit yourself, but there’s plenty of food if you change your mind.” Katie scoped out the entrance, hoping someone else would arrive and rescue her from Nona.
“Who are you looking for?” Nona asked. “Is it Andy? Is he supposed to be here? Are you two still on good terms since the breakup?” Without waiting for answers to her questions, Nona forged ahead. “I’m surprised that either you or he would be interested in buying that old abandoned warehouse with it being the place where his other girlfriend died and all. By the way, what do you think of Andy’s new assistant manager?”
“I didn’t know Andy had hired a new assistant manager,” Katie answered truthfully.
“Oh, yes. She looks rather like a tart if you ask me, but then that does seem to be his type.”
Katie’s fingernails bit into her palms. If she doesn’t shut up, I’m going to scream.
Nona nodded toward the door. “Well, you can decide for yourself—here they come.”
And just when Katie thought it couldn’t get any worse than being alone with Nona, she grasped the pendant Moonbeam had given her for strength. The woman had certainly been right—Katie really did need any kind of healing and protection she could get that evening.
Eyeing the woman on Andy’s arm, Katie had to make the grudging admission to herself that Nona had also been right. Angelo’s new “assistant manager” looked as though she’d been sent over from central casting for the role of trashy girlfriend. She wore a strapless black mini dress that barely covered her naughty bits, and her hair trailed down in fire-engine red coils. Katie tried to keep her face impassive as she wondered whether the woman was wearing a wig.
Oh, good grief. Is he actually bringing her over here?
Thankfully, Sue Sweeney, Ann and Jordan Tanner, and Gilda Ringwald-Stratton came in right behind Andy and his new assistant manager. Katie went over to greet them and spare herself the awkward introduction. By the gleam in Andy’s eye, she could tell that he’d looked forward to it.
After saying hello to the group, Katie announced, “Everyone, please fill your plates while I go ahead and get this meeting started.” She knew her clenched muscles and queasy stomach wouldn’t allow her to eat anything anyway.
Not willing to let his new friend’s presence be ignored—as if—Andy addressed the group. “I hope no one minds my bringing Whitney. We’re going to dinner right after the meeting.”
No one said anything, but Whitney tittered.
Katie broke the uncomfortable silence by saying, “In light of our attorney Seth’s personal tragedy, he couldn’t be here tonight. However, we have a few days before we reconvene with our final decision. We’ll see if Seth is back to work by then, and if not, we’ll discuss other alternatives. Seth told me on Friday evening that a developer from Rochester was looking at the warehouse and that we’d better act soon if we want to offer a competing bid.”
“The place is going to require quite a bit of work to get it up to par,” Gilda said. “We need to take that into consideration when we formulate our offer.”
“True, but it’s in a prime location,” Jordan said. “Its value will only increase, especially after our renovations.”
Katie and the other members continued to discuss both the pros and the cons of buying the warehouse. Except, that is, for Andy. He was too busy whispering and giggling with Whitney to even know what the rest of the group was talking about. Why did he even come? Katie wondered. But, then again, she knew. He’d come to throw Whitney in her face. Like Katie even cared.
After the partners decided on an acceptable offer for the property, and calculated the amount of money necessary from each partner, Katie suggested they take a few days to consider whether they—individually—wanted to commit to buying the property.
“If we’re not interested in this property, will we retain our status in the partnership?” Sue asked. “Or will the other partners buy us out? This is a bigger investment than the one required for the building that now houses The Flower Child.”
“I’ll ask Seth—or the attorney we ultimately choose to work with—about that and send out an email with the answer,” Katie said. “Everyone, please email me with any other questions or concerns, and I’ll try to get answers for you.”
Before she could finish dismissing everyone, the entrance door burst open and Margo Bonner strolled in. Always the epitome of elegance, she wore a black peplum suit with a black-and-white gingham belt and trim, black patent peep-toe pumps, carrying a smart Chanel bag. Her silvery hair was wound into a French twist and secured with pearl-headed bobby pins.
Encompassing the room with her smile, she said, “Please don’t let me interrupt. Katie, darling, nice to see you.” She stepped forward to give her former daughter-in-law an air kiss. “And even better to see those goodies over there on the counter. My flight was delayed, and I’m famished. Will you all excuse me?”
“Actually, that’s all I had to say,” Katie announced to the group at large. “Feel free to stay as long as you’d like and to have some more goodies—” She said this, although no one had really indulged in the food.
As Margo filled her plate, sampling a morsel or two as she did, she exclaimed about how delicious everything was. “Katie, did you make all this yourself, or did Brad help you?”
“It was all me, Margo.” Katie joined her former mother-in-law at the counter and got herself a plate. Now that the meeting was over and the shock at seeing Andy parade his possible new conquest had subsided, she realized she was hungry, too.
“Then you’ve outdone yourself.” Margo turned to take in the group. “Wouldn’t you all agree?”
“Oh, yes,
” Nona said. “I was just about to try a cookie myself.”
Margo winked. “You should have two, dear. With your lovely figure, you can afford it.”
And, just like that, Nona began filling her plate. As did the rest of the group. Except, of course, for Andy and Whitney because they were out the door and on their way to dinner.
Small talk dominated the next half hour, with Margo catching up on the news surrounding Victoria Square, but finally, the others dispersed, leaving only Katie and Margo sitting at a table by the window overlooking the parking lot to enjoy their tea.
“What in the world has been going on around here?” Margo asked. “The last time I was here on Victoria Square, you had two men falling at your feet. Tonight, they’re both with other women.”
Katie followed Margo’s gaze across the street where she saw Ray and Carol Rigby walking toward Ray’s car parked in the lot. Even though that’s what Katie had wanted—for Ray to be happy—it hurt more to see the two of them together than it had for her to see Andy and Whitney fawning all over each other.
“Whatever did you do?” Margo asked.
Shrugging, Katie wondered how to answer. Given Margo’s judgmental tone, she didn’t feel inclined to tell the woman anything. Margo knew that Andy had cheated with Erikka Wiley, so she was presumably asking Katie what she’d done to run off Ray.
Katie’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket—she’d turned the sound off during the meeting. She fished out the phone and looked at the screen. The call was coming from an unknown number, but the digits were vaguely familiar to her.
“Excuse me,” she said to Margo. Accepting the call, she said, “Hello, Katie Bonner.”
“Ms. Bonner, my name is Gabrielle Pearson. I got your message.”
“Ms. Pearson, I’m so glad you returned my call. I’m the proprietor of Tealicious, the tea shop where you dined on Saturday with Jamie Siefert.”
“Yes, I know.” Ms. Pearson’s voice was clipped, and Katie was unable to gauge the woman’s tone.
“I’d like to speak with you about Jamie,” Katie said. “How did he seem while he was with you?”
“He was slightly ill at ease, I thought. But then, lots of men are. You see, I’m a wedding planner.”
Chapter 10
Tuesday morning, Katie poured herself a cup of coffee from Artisans Alley vendors’ lounge before returning to her office. Before she could get settled, someone knocked on her door. Hoping it was Gabrielle Pearson, she called, “Come in!”
Instead, it was Rose. She came into the office, her face wreathed in distress, and closed the door behind her. “How are you, you poor little thing? I want you to know I’m here for you.”
Poor little thing? “What do you mean?” Katie asked.
“I heard about Andy bringing his new girlfriend to last night’s meeting.” Rose settled in the chair beside Katie’s desk and sighed dramatically. “Everyone is talking about it.”
Katie wondered how everyone could be talking about it when not everyone was there. “Who says he has a new girlfriend? She was introduced as his new assistant manager.”
“And I’m the Queen of the May,” Rose muttered sarcastically.
Katie continued. “I’m fine. In fact, I’m getting ready to meet the woman who had lunch with Jamie on Saturday.”
Raising a hand to her chest, Rose gasped. “You found the mystery woman?”
Katie nodded. “And she’s not such a mystery after all…unless you count being a wedding planner as mysterious.” Katie did to an extent since Jamie and Seth hadn’t—as far as she knew—been planning their nuptials.
“A wedding planner?” Rose echoed, her eyes widening. “I’m intrigued. Could you please get the woman’s contact information for me before she leaves?”
Katie raised an eyebrow. “Do you have something you’d like to tell me, Rose?”
The old lady smiled. “Not yet. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
“True.” Katie chose her words carefully. “But please don’t rush into anything. You’ve only known Walter for a few weeks.”
“Oh, I know, dear. But, at our ages, it doesn’t pay to dawdle.” Rose winked. “Besides, I didn’t say I wanted to hire this woman. I’d merely like more information about the work she does.”
Uh-huh.
“I’ll see if I can get her business card.”
“Excellent,” Rose said got up and gave a wave of her hand as she left the office.
Katie shook her head and resumed working until once again there came a knock at the door. Rose had returned, but this time she had a tall, striking brunette with her.
Katie rose from behind her desk. “Ms. Pearson?”
“Please call me Gabrielle.”
“Could I get the two of you some coffee?” Rose asked.
“None for me, thanks,” Gabrielle said.
“I’m fine, too, but thank you, Rose. Would you please pull the door closed on your way out?” Katie gestured toward the chair beside her desk. “Gabrielle, thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m on a tight schedule, but I hoped you could put me in touch with Mr. Landers.” Gabrielle pulled a slip of paper from her barrel purse. “I’d like to return this to him.”
Katie examined the five-figure check Gabrielle handed her, apparently a retainer from Jamie that had been marked void.
“I was so terribly sorry to hear about Jamie’s death,” Gabrielle continued. “I didn’t even realize what had happened until I saw the article in yesterday’s newspaper.”
Blanching, Katie asked, “There was an article in the paper? What did it say?”
“It had a photo of Jamie lying on the sidewalk—taken from someone’s phone, I imagine—with a crowd gathered around him. The headline read Is Tealicious Toxic? and the article went on to say that local medical examiner Jamie Siefert collapsed immediately after eating at Tealicious and died shortly thereafter.”
Panicked, Katie grabbed a peppermint from the jar on her desk, unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and immediately bit it in two, the crunch sending a surge of endorphins through her.
“That’s gotta be murder on your teeth,” Gabrielle said, taken aback.
“I know, but Victoria Square will be the death of me long before I have to worry about breaking my teeth.” Katie blew out a breath. “Would you like a peppermint?”
Gabrielle shook her head violently. “No, thank you.”
Katie took a moment to calm herself. “Would you mind telling me what you and Jamie talked about during your lunch at Tealicious?” Katie asked.
“Not at all. Jamie said he’d recently won a boatload of money in a poker game and that he wanted to surprise his partner with a proposal.”
“A poker game?” Katie asked, startled. She hadn’t thought Jamie to be that good a player.
Garbrielle nooded and gave a small, sad smile. “He must’ve been confident of getting a yes because he wanted to go ahead and plan the entire wedding as a surprise for Mr. Landers.” She sighed. “I thought it was terribly romantic.”
It was. Katie had no idea Jamie had been such a dreamer. But she didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on that at the moment. “Did Jamie appear to be in any discomfort while you were having lunch?”
Gabrielle shrugged. “I don’t know. He only picked at his food, but I chalked that up to his excitement about his plans. Afterward, I left through the back door because I’d been unable to find a parking spot in front of the building. That’s why I didn’t know what had happened to Jamie until I saw the news story.”
“You say Jamie told you he’d won some money in a poker game,” Katie said and wondered why neither he nor Seth had mentioned it on Friday night.
“That’s right.”
“Did he happen to say where he’d been playing?” Katie asked. “I hadn’t heard that he’d taken a trip to any of the state casinos recently.”
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask,” Gabrielle said. “It wasn’t my busine
ss. I intended to plan his fairy-tale wedding. I’m sorry for your and for Mr. Landers’s loss. If you could give me his address, I’d like to send him a note of sympathy along with that voided check.”
“I can certainly give you his address for the sympathy card, but I’ll be seeing him later today and would be glad to give him the check.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your help.” Gabrielle waited for Katie to print out Seth’s address, then she stood. “Again, I’m sorry for the loss of your friend and the fact that the tragedy occurred at one of your businesses.”
“Thanks.” Katie barely registered Gabrielle’s words because she was thinking, I have to get my hands on that newspaper. Then she remembered her promise to Rose. “Do you have a business card? A friend of mine might like to consult you.”
Gabrielle smiled and dug into her purse once again, handing Katie five cards. She was obviously optimistic but judging by the voided check, Katie had a feeling Gabrielle’s prices would be well out of Rose’s reach.
As soon as Gabrielle left her office, Katie reached for her cell phone. She intended to call Margo, but her former mother-in-law must have been having a psychic moment because she called Katie as soon as she picked up the phone.
“I was just going to call you,” Katie said, in lieu of a typical greeting. “We have a problem.”
“You didn’t have to send up that alarm,” Margo said. “I’m standing in the middle of an empty tea shop.”
“No wonder. I need to find a copy of yesterday’s paper.” She told Margo about the article Gabrielle had mentioned. “I seldom read the newspaper anymore. I get all my news online.”
“I’ll check with Don and Nick to see if they have an extra copy at Sassy Sally’s,” Margo said. “Get over here as quickly as you can.”
“On my way.” Katie ended the call, put her computer to sleep, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.
She encountered Vance in the vendors’ lounge. “Good morning, Katie. I need to speak with you about the second-floor repairs. It’s—”
“I’m sorry,” she interrupted. “Something’s come up and I’m on my way out the door. I trust you to use your best judgment to handle it.”
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