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  With new resolve, Nona trundled down the wine shop’s steps and headed toward Artisans Alley.

  Few cars were parked outside the building that early on a Tuesday morning, and Nona stepped inside, passing the Envy Day Spa and heading for the opened French doors that led into Artisans Alley. The Alley not only hosted the hairdresser, but dance and photography studios. Several empty spaces sported for rent signs. So, Katie hadn’t been entirely successful when it came to turning Ezra’s business around, and Nona felt a flash of satisfaction. Ha! Little Ms. Perfect wasn’t the great savior everyone touted.

  The lobby was decorated for spring, with a host of colorful faux flowers and other harbingers of the season. Ezra wouldn’t have approved and neither did Nona, who stalked past the displays and entered the Alley. Nona paused at the threshold and saw Rose Nash, a fixture from the days when Ezra managed the business, sitting on a stool behind the first cash desk, reading a romance novel. Nona could tell it was smut by its cover. A woman with a sweeping low-cut emerald gown clung to a bare-chested man in a kilt. Nona pulled at the collar of her turtleneck, pushing it higher, and straightened her midi-length skirt. She dressed properly and was proud of it. No one would ever accuse her of being a loose woman.

  Stopping in front of the cash desk, Nona had to wait for Rose who held up a hand while she finished reading a paragraph.

  Finally, Rose looked up, her expression bland. “Hi, Nona. What can I do for you?”

  Nona scowled. Rose could have greeted her with more enthusiasm.

  “I wondered how the vendors feel about Katie abandoning Artisans Alley for that teashop she’s about to open.”

  Rose’s brow furrowed. “Katie’s not abandoning us. She’s hired a manager for Tealicious.”

  “That girl Janine? She’s barely out of her teens.”

  “That may be,” Rose agreed, “but she’s well acquainted with how the business runs. She’ll do fine.”

  “If you say so,” Nona said and sniffed. “I heard that Vance Ingram’s been hired to manage Artisans Alley.”

  “That’s right. Vance is now officially Artisans Alley’s assistant manager. We’ve known him for years. He was practically Ezra’s second-in-command, too, so I don’t see where there’s a problem.”

  “Hmm,” Nona muttered. “I heard Katie’s cut him in on the action.”

  Rose’s eyes widened.

  “Yes,” Nona insisted. “I’ve heard he’s been told to cut corners, and if he saves her major bucks, she’ll pay him big bonuses. Life as you vendors know it is about to change dramatically.”

  Rose scowled.

  Nona shook her head. “It’s not surprising Katie is so bitter with what’s been going on right under her nose.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Nona shrugged. “Everyone knows her man makes goo-goo eyes at that assistant of his.”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say about Andy!” Rose protested.

  “It’s the talk of the Square,” Nona insisted.

  Rose climbed off the stool and stood to her full five-foot height. “You’re not a very nice person, Nona, and I think you should leave.”

  Nona’s mouth dropped open in horror. “How dare you speak to me like that.”

  “You’re lucky I don’t do more,” Rose threatened, taking a step forward.

  “I have a mind to march right over to Katie’s office right now and let her know how you’ve insulted me.”

  “Fine. I’ll lead the way.”

  Nona clamped her teeth shut and glared at Rose for long seconds before she pivoted and stomped out of the building.

  Somehow, some day, she would make Rose pay for her insolence. But at that moment … Nona decided it was time to open her store for the day. After all, her mission was complete.

  For now….

  Chapter 2

  Katie Bonner set down the receiver to Artisans Alley’s landline and scowled. In the space of fifteen minutes, she’d received four phone calls from other merchants on Victoria Square. All of them warning her about Nona Fiske.

  She appreciated their candor and it amused her that they were so fervent in her defense. Nona had been a pain in her butt since the first time they’d met, a little more than eighteen months before. Nona struck her as bitter and hateful, with a sour take on life. She took it out on anyone she encountered, which meant her outlook was never going to improve. That wasn’t Katie’s concern; what was her concern was the woman savaging her reputation among her fellow Victoria Square merchants.

  A knock on her office door drew Katie’s attention. “Rose, what’s up?”

  “Have you got a minute?”

  “For you, always. Sit down,” she encouraged, waving a hand in the direction of the guest chair in her tiny, shabby office.

  “I just had the most disturbing conversation,” Rose began.

  Katie felt an ironic, if chagrined, smile settle across her lips. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. Nona Fiske just paid us a visit.”

  “And how. Why she thought I would want to hear—”

  “Her disparaging me?” Katie offered.

  “Yes! How did you know?”

  “Because she seems to be on a mission to sully my good name. What did she tell you?”

  “That you were abandoning the Alley in favor of Tealicious. That you’d bribed Vance to cut corners. And she also intimated that Andy and his assistant manager were having an affair.”

  The mean gossip wasn’t that worrying, but Katie admitted to herself that she’d had more than a twinge of jealousy when it came to thoughts of Erikka Wiley. Erikka was a knock-out. She was smart and talented, all the qualities a man could want in a woman. On her best day, Katie considered herself attractive, maybe even cute, but never beautiful. That said, she trusted her boyfriend, Andy Rust. He came to her at night, not Erikka. And why should she let Nona’s gossip poison her view of the man she loved?

  “I’m sorry you had to endure that, Rose.”

  “I can just imagine what else she’s saying to the merchants on the Square.”

  “That I intend to renege on all the agreements I’ve made to carry chocolates, jams, and pastries at Tealicious.”

  “What are you going to do about Nona? You have to do something,” Rose said, gazing over the tops of her glasses and looking very much like the librarian at Katie’s old elementary school.

  “Oh, I intend to do something, all right.”

  Rose’s eyes widened in anticipation. “Something evil?”

  Katie blinked. “Of course not!”

  “Well, darn it,” Rose muttered, disappointed.

  “On the contrary. I’m going to kill her with kindness.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  “I have no idea. But I’ll come up with something.”

  Rose smiled. “I’ll just bet. I only wish I could be a fly on the wall when it happens.”

  “Are you sure you want to invite Nona to your dry run?” Andy asked that evening as he handed Katie a dripping plate. The tiny apartment over Angelo’s Pizzeria boasted no dishwasher, and if Katie cooked, Andy often tied on an apron and helped with the washing up while she dried.

  “She did say some pretty nasty things about me—and you, too.”

  “Me?” Andy asked and turned to face her, surprise and annoyance darkening his brown eyes.

  “Apparently she thinks—and may be telling everyone on the Square, for all I know—that you and Erikka are having an affair.”

  “Well, she’s wrong. I’ve got a mind to walk over to her shop first thing in the morning and tell her off.”

  “And what good would that do?” Katie asked reasonably.

  “I could threaten to sue her for slander. The one thing that old biddy cares about is a threat to her pocketbook.”

  “Old biddy?” Katie asked, placing the now dry dish into the cabinet.

  “I was trying to be chivalrous.”

  Katie grinned. “Oh, my knight in shining armor.”

  “Seriously
, you can’t let that old witch get away with badmouthing you—us!”

  “Oh, I intend to talk with Nona all right, but I don’t have to be mean about it. In fact, I won’t say a harsh word or even raise my voice.”

  “Well, then you’ve got more self-control than me.”

  Did she?

  “I’ll invite her an hour early to the party, that way I’ll have an opportunity to talk to her one-on-one.”

  “And what will you do, shame her?”

  Katie sighed. “I can try. Other than that, there’s really nothing else I can do to stop her.”

  “You could kick her out of the Merchants Association. As its president, you’ve got the authority. And according to the charter, she’s violated the organization’s code of conduct,” Andy said and swished the dish rag around a glass.

  “You’ve been brushing up on the Merchants Association’s charter?”

  “When I have time,” he said and rinsed a glass beaker before handing it to her.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to attend my dry run?”

  “Sunshine, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said and leaned closer to kiss the tip of her nose before starting work on another glass. “You’ve only got another two days before the big event.”

  “I’ll be ready. I’ve already got my menu planned, and I’ve arranged to have one of the new waitresses, as well as Janine, ready to help serve.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You’ve already done so much. I wouldn’t be ready this early if it wasn’t for your brawn and your brains.”

  “And a little help from your other friends.”

  “Yes, I feel very lucky to have such good friends on the Square, and grateful they were so concerned about Nona’s trashing me.”

  “Why do you think she did that?”

  “Jealousy, probably.” Again, Katie smiled and gazed into Andy’s eyes. “She’s lonely. And she doesn’t have a big, handsome guy like you around to wash her dishes.”

  “That isn’t all I could wash,” he said and reached over to wrap a strand of her hair around his wet index finger.

  “Not tonight,” Katie lamented. “Remember, you’re a man short on your team tonight.”

  “Yeah, but Erikka and I can handle it,” he said confidently.

  Katie tried not to wince. The old green-eyed monster seemed to like to test her—and on a regular basis. But she trusted Andy. He would never betray her.

  “That’s all right,” Andy assured her, leaning closer to nuzzle her neck. “There’s always tomorrow night.”

  Yes, there was.

  Chapter 3

  On the morning of the dry run, Katie stood by the big refrigerated display case near the Tealicious front door, looking across the dining room with pride. She’d accomplished a lot since gaining possession of the building just a month before. Paint was an inexpensive way to transform a room, but it had worked wonders. Instead of looking precious, Tealicious now had clean lines, subdued décor, and white-painted metal bistro tables replacing the clunky old wooden ones. To save on linens, she’d purchased twenty pieces of heavy-duty beveled glass to place over the tablecloths, which made clean-up a snap. Each table would have a small vase of fresh carnations and baby’s breath, which could last up to a week or more. She kept the mismatched china but also bought a few dozen each of cups, saucers, and plates, all with the Tealicious logo on them.

  But it was the kitchen where she’d made most of the changes after getting advice from Andy, Jordan Tanner, and Don and Nick from Sassy Sally’s B&B. It felt good to know that so many of her fellow merchants were rooting for her to make Tealicious a success. The only fly in the ointment was the somewhat annoying soft-rock music that played in the background; a compromise she’d made with her new manager, Janine, to keep the young woman happy.

  Katie had made most of the food herself, from the scones, to the sandwiches, to the cookies, but she also had on hand a variety of jams from Booths Jams and Jellies, decadent hand-dipped chocolates from Sweet Sue’s Confectionery, and the bread for the cuke and egg salad sandwiches had come freshly baked from Tanner’s Café and Bakery that very morning.

  She glanced at the big, black-framed, French country clock that graced the north wall as a focal point. The hands pointed to the Roman numerals ten and six. And, as predicted, her first guest had arrived precisely on time: Nona Fiske.

  Although the breeze outside was warm for the month, and the sun shone brightly, Nona Fiske entered the shop bundled up as though a blizzard might hit at any moment.

  “Good morning,” Katie greeted cheerfully.

  Nona’s sharp gaze raked the empty dining room. “Where are the others?”

  “They’ll be here soon. I invited you to come a little early because I thought we should have a little chat.”

  Nona looked ready to bolt, but then Katie, who was at least three inches taller than her, sat down at the first table, where a freshly made pot of tea sat under its quilted, satin cozy.

  “Please have a cup of tea with me.”

  Nona’s pursed lips made a thin line in her already heavily wrinkled face. She must have been at least forty years older than Katie, and Katie had a pretty good idea what was the cause of the bitterness the older woman constantly spewed.

  Nona slowly approached the table.

  “Why not take off your coat and stay awhile?” Katie asked gently. “I’ve made a batch of my Aunt Lizzie’s butter cookies, as well as my favorite chocolate chip cookies—” She indicated the pretty rose-patterned plate. “—and I chose my favorite cups for us to take tea.”

  Nona glared at Katie, and though she did not remove her coat, she did take a seat opposite her hostess.

  “I understand you paid a visit to many of the Square’s merchants this week,” Katie began.

  Nona looked Katie square in the eyes, her expression devoid of any emotion, and said nothing.

  “The merchants were concerned that you had some incorrect information about how Tealicious is going to be run. That perhaps I intended not to keep my word to them about supplying their products in the shop.”

  Still, Nona said nothing.

  “Well, I’m happy to let you know that it’s just not the case, as you can see by the items on this lovely table setting. And I’ll be talking about it more when the others get here in just a little while.”

  Still no reaction from the stone-faced woman who sat opposite her.

  “What concerns me more is—and please correct me if I’m wrong—that you seem under the impression that I can be bullied in some way.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nona grumbled.

  “I don’t understand why you’d try to tear down my good name and spoil my relationships with the other merchants on the Square. One thing is for certain: I’m not going anywhere. I’ve made a commitment to Victoria Square—both at Artisans Alley and here—and I intend to be on Victoria Square for the long haul.”

  Nona’s mouth took a decided downward dip.

  “Now, what is it about me that makes you so unhappy?” Katie asked earnestly.

  Nona’s expression hardened. “Everything on Victoria Square changed when you busted your way in.”

  “I did not bust in. As Chad’s widow, I was already co-owner of Artisans Alley. I stepped in to save the business after Ezra’s murder and you know that.”

  “It’s your fault my nephew, Carl, is in jail.”

  “I know it’s hard to believe that Carl could behave so badly, but back before Christmas, he deliberately targeted me, hitting me with his car. My leg was broken, and I suffered a concussion, but even worse, he could have killed me.” Katie said those last five words slowly and with conviction.

  “It was an accident,” Nona protested.

  “Then why did Carl plead guilty?”

  Nona’s mouth dropped in indignation. “He did no such thing.”

  “When was the last time you spoke to him?” Katie asked. “Because I spoke
with a woman from the district attorney’s office just this morning.”

  Nona shook her head fiercely, tears welling in her eyes. “No, no, no!”

  “It’s true,” Katie said quietly. “I know you love Carl with all your heart. He’s going to need that love and support even more in the next few months or even years. I hope you’ll be there for him. Everybody needs someone in their corner.”

  “Everybody is in your corner,” Nona practically spat.

  “And why do you think that is?”

  Nona looked away, her lower lip trembling.

  As Katie had told Andy, she already suspected it was jealousy that was behind Nona’s behavior. After all, she had years of life ahead and she had the support of not only Andy, but friends—on the Square and in the village. As far as Katie knew, Nona was alone, and it was her sour look on life that kept people from being friendly toward her. Did she treat her shop’s customers the same way?

  Katie poured tea into the pretty bone china teacups, knowing she had no assurance that this conversation would stop Nona’s incessant rumormongering, but she hoped she’d addressed it with civility and a healthy dose of compassion.

  Katie leaned forward in her seat. “Now, let’s get down to business.”

  Nona looked up, her expression wary. “Business?”

  “Yes.” Katie turned her head and nodded toward a blank space on the west wall. “Do you do commissions?”

  “Commissions?”

  “Yes. I’ve been thinking, that empty spot on the wall would look nice with a pieced wall-hanging of a pretty teacup. I found something similar online.” Katie reached around her and plucked a sheet of paper from the chair directly behind her and handed it to Nona.

  The older woman studied the photo for long seconds before looking up at Katie with sharp eyes. “You just want to placate me by offering me some silly little job.”