Tea'd Off Read online

“Placate you? For what?”

  “Because I—” But then Nona said nothing more.

  Katie indicated the pretty three-tiered, china cake plate before them. “My goal is to make Tealicious an integral part of Victoria Square. A celebration, if you will. That’s why I want to incorporate a little something from almost every merchant on the Square.”

  “Not every business is represented,” Nona pointed out.

  Katie offered what she hoped was a wry smile. “As Ezra maintained, pizza doesn’t exactly fit in with the theme of the Square. I can’t serve alcohol, and while I may offer some tea-appropriate gadgets, such as tea balls, cups, and sundries, Tealicious isn’t a gift shop. But if you look over there by the end of the display case, you’ll see a rack. It has brochures from every business on the Square.”

  “Not from me.”

  “Why don’t you take a look,” Katie suggested.

  Nona got up from her seat and marched across the dining room, stopping in front of the rack. She studied for a moment, and then plucked a brochure for the Quiet Quilter. She turned. “Where did you get these?”

  “They were left over from the Dickens Festival. I’m going to need more in the coming weeks and months.”

  Nona replaced the brochure in the rack. She stood there for a moment, running her fingers over the glossy leaflet. It was the first time Katie had ever seen an act of tenderness from the older woman. Then Nona seemed to shake herself and returned to the table. This time, she removed her coat and placed it on the back of her chair and sat down once more, folding her hands on the table before her.

  “How soon do you need that wall hanging?” she asked.

  Chapter 4

  The Tealicious dry run was an unqualified success. Every one of the Victoria Square merchants arrived to celebrate the opening of the shop, as well as a number of Artisans Alley vendors. They oohed and ahhed over the décor, the ambiance, and especially the food.

  Nick Farrell darted around the room playing photographer, his Nikon at the ready as people mingled and nibbled on the lush banquet Katie had provided. She had an inkling that a beautifully crafted scrapbook chronicling the event would soon arrive on her doorstep.

  “Congratulations, Katie. It looks like you’ve got a hit on your hands,” Ray Davenport said. The delicate, bone-china teacup looked absurdly small in his large, work-worn hands.

  Katie crossed her fingers. “I’m feeling optimistic.”

  “Would you hold onto my cup for a minute, I need to get something.”

  Katie watched as Ray moved to the side of the big display case and retrieved a gift-wrapped package.

  “Oh, Ray, you shouldn’t have.”

  “It’s nothing much, just something I made for the shop.”

  Katie set the cup aside and accepted the present, carefully removing the tape from the end of the heavy package, which she knew would be made out of his signature crafting material: wood. As the paper fell away, her mouth dropped open in delight. Her eyes glistened with tears as she studied the plaque with the Tealicious logo and underneath, the words Katie Bonner, Proprietress. “Oh, Ray, it’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  “I thought you might want to hang it somewhere in the shop,” he said modestly.

  “I certainly will.” She stared down at the logo carved into what looked like a piece of cherry and smiled.

  Andy sidled up to Katie, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close before planting a kiss on her cheek. “Very impressive, Sunshine.” He nodded in Ray’s direction, his expression nothing less than proprietary, making Katie feel more than a little uncomfortable.

  “Look what Ray made for the shop.”

  “I made it for you,” Ray corrected her.

  Andy looked less than impressed. “I’ll be giving you your gift later tonight,” he said and waggled his eyebrows.

  Katie glared at him, fighting the urge to hit him with the heavy plaque. “Not funny, Andy.”

  “Just a little joke.”

  Ray gave Katie a smile. “I’d better get going. Thanks for inviting me to your dry run.”

  “Thanks for coming. I’m glad so many of my friends and colleagues could make it this morning.”

  “See you around, Andy,” Ray said, his tone more than a little tight.

  Katie watched him leave.

  “I need to get back to Angelo’s, too,” Andy said, leaving unsaid “and Erikka.” He gave Katie a proper kiss, that for some reason she didn’t put her heart into when reciprocating. He gave her a thumbs up and headed out the door.

  Ray’s and Andy’s departure seemed to signal to the others that the event had run its course.

  “Wonderful food,” Gilda Ringwald-Stratton called as she made for the exit.

  “I’d love that chocolate chip cookie recipe,” Jordon Tanner said, “but I won’t ask for it. We chefs have to keep some of our secrets.”

  Katie blushed at his charity in calling her a baking equal.

  “Love how you’ve changed the décor!” Rose said, swiping another of the butter cookies as she left the shop.

  Nona was the last to leave. She hadn’t interacted much with the others, and Katie wondered why it hadn’t been her who was the first to leave. She stopped before Katie. “I’ll let you know when I can start that wall hanging. I suppose you want a discount.”

  “Please treat me as you would any of your customers.”

  Nona’s eyes narrowed just a little. “Nice place you have here,” she said rather grudgingly and turned to leave. She closed the door behind her—not a slam, but not far from it.

  Katie hadn’t expected an apology—or even a thank you for the invitation.

  Had Nona learned anything from her visit to Tealicious?

  Katie doubted it, but she also felt good about the entire experience, and that was more than enough.

  The dry run was over.

  It was time to get down to business.

  Tea’d Off takes place between the Victoria Square Mystery novels Yule Be Dead and Murder Ink!

  Don’t miss Murder Ink: A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get hot under the collar at the proposal, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That's what the sheriff's office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building's owner is electrocuted with his own saw.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, tensions rise when a hot chef takes over the square's tea shop. Will Katie have three men vying for her affections, or will her rival take the tea cake?

  Get your copy today!

  Katie’s Recipes

  Egg Salad Sandwiches

  Ingredients

  12 thinly sliced pieces of sandwich bread

  8 hard-boiled eggs

  ⅓ cup mayonnaise

  1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

  2 tablespoons minced celery

  1 green onion finely chopped (optional)

  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

  ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  * * *

  Chop, grate, or mash the eggs and transfer them to a medium-sized bowl. Add the mayonnaise, relish, celery, green onion (if using), mustard, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cover and chill the salad for at least an hour.

  * * *

  Divide the egg salad between 6 slices of bread and spread out evenly with a knife. Top with the remaining slices of bread and press each sandwich down slightly. Trim the crusts (optional), cut the sandwiches into triangles and transfer to a platter.

  * * *

  Yield: 24 triangles

  * * *

  Cucumber Sandwiches

  Ingredients

  12 thinly sliced pieces of sandwich bread

  Softened sweet or salted butter (your choice)

  1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly*

  Freshly ground pepper

  * * *

  Butter one side of each slice of the bread. Divide the slices of cucumber among 6 slices the bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread
and press each sandwich down slightly. Trim the crusts (optional), cut the sandwiches into triangles and transfer to a platter.

  * * *

  Yield: 24 triangles

  * * *

  *If using an English cucumber, wash and slice. (No peeling necessary.)

  * * *

  Apple-Cinnamon Scones

  Ingredients

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  ¼ cup granulated sugar

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ cup butter, chilled

  1 apple, peeled, cored and grated

  ½ cup milk

  2 tablespoons milk

  2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  * * *

  Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, Gas Mark 7). Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Add the grated apple and milk. Stir to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 8 to 10 times. Pat into two 6-inch circles. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Score each into 6 pie-shaped wedges. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and risen. Serve warm with butter, apple butter, clotted cream, or whipped cream.

  * * *

  Yield: 12 servings

  * * *

  Applesauce Cake

  Ingredients

  1½ cups unsweetened applesauce

  1 egg

  1 cup granulated sugar

  2 tablespoons butter

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

  ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  1 cup raisins

  1 cup chopped walnuts

  * * *

  Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4). In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and spices. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Pour into two greased 8-inch x 4-inch x 2-inch loaf pans. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to wire racks.

  * * *

  Yield: 12-16 servings

  * * *

  Butter Cookies

  Ingredients

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1 large egg

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  Optional garnish: coarse or sanding sugar

  * * *

  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 with a handheld mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Form the dough into a 12-inch log (2 inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill the dough on a baking sheet until firm (at least 4 hours).

  * * *

  Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC, Gas Mark 5). Cut enough ⅛ to ¼ inch-thick slices from the log with a heavy knife to fill 2 ungreased large baking sheets and arrange about 1 inch apart (chill the remainder of the log, wrapped in plastic wrap). If garnishing with coarse sugar, sprinkle slices with it.

  * * *

  Bake the cookies, switching the position of sheets halfway through baking, until the edges are golden, for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with the remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

  * * *

  Yield: Approximately 4 dozen cookies

  * * *

  Katie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Ingredients

  1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

  1½ cups brown sugar (packed)

  2 large eggs

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  ¼ cup corn starch

  1 baking soda

  ¾ salt

  2 cups semi-sweet (or milk) chocolate chips

  1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

  * * *

  Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4). Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using). On a greased baking sheet, drop the dough (about 1½ tablespoons) about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool fully.

  * * *

  Yield: 3 dozen cookies

  About the Author

  The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent--whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett—that keeps her in the hearts of her readers. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series, the Tales of Telenia adventure-fantasy saga, and now the Lotus Bay Mysteries, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s). Check out the descriptions and links to all her works, and sign up for her emailed newsletter here: http://oi.vresp.com/?fid=aee11a8d64

  If you enjoyed TEA’D OFF, please consider reviewing it on your favorite online review site. Thank you!

  Find Lorraine on Social Media

  www.LorraineBartlett.com

  Also by Lorraine Bartlett

  The Lotus Bay Mysteries

  Panty Raid (A Tori Cannon-Kathy Grant mini mystery)

  With Baited Breath

  Christmas At Swans Nest

  A Reel Catch

  The Best From Swans Nest (A Lotus Bay Cookbook)

  * * *

  The Victoria Square Mysteries

  A Crafty Killing

  The Walled Flower

  One Hot Murder

  Dead, Bath and Beyond (with Laurie Cass)

  Yule Be Dead (with Gayle Leeson)

  Murder Ink (with Gayle Leeson)

  Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbooks

  * * *

  Life On Victoria Square

  Carving Out A Path

  A Basket Full of Bargains

  The Broken Teacup

  It’s Tutu Much

  The Reluctant Bride

  Tea’d Off

  Life On Victoria Square Vol. 1

  * * *

  Tales From Blythe Cove Manor

  A Dream Weekend

  A Final Gift

  An Unexpected Visitor

  Grape Expectations

  Foul Weather Friends

  * * *

  Tales of Telenia

  (adventure-fantasy)

  STRANDED

  JOURNEY

  TREACHERY (2020)

  * * *

  Short Stories

  Love & Murder: A Bargain-Priced Collection of Short Stories

  Happy Holidays? (A Collection of Christmas Stories)

  An Unconditional Love

  Love Heals

  Blue Christmas

  Prisoner of Love

  We’re So Sorry, Uncle Albert

  * * *

  Writing as L.L. Bartlett

  The Jeff Resnick Mysteries

  Murder On The Mind

  Dead In Red

  Room At The Inn


  Cheated By Death

  Bound By Suggestion

  Dark Waters

  Shattered Spirits

  * * *

  Jeff Resnick’s Personal Files

  Evolution: Jeff Resnick’s Backstory

  A Jeff Resnick Six Pack

  When The Spirit Moves You

  Bah! Humbug

  Cold Case

  Spooked!

  Crybaby

  Eyewitness

  A Part of The Pattern

  * * *

  Abused: A Daughter’s Story

  Off Script

  * * *

  Writing as Lorna Barrett

  The Booktown Mysteries

  Murder Is Binding

  Bookmarked For Death

  Bookplate Special

  Chapter & Hearse

  Sentenced To Death

  Murder On The Half Shelf

  Not The Killing Type

  Book Clubbed

  A Fatal Chapter

  Title Wave

  A Just Clause

  Poisoned Pages

  A Killer Edition

  A Manuscript For Murder

  * * *

  With The Cozy Chicks

  The Cozy Chicks Kitchen

  Tea Time With The Cozy Chicks