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Chapter One
I walked out of my open-sided tent, massaging my aching back, tired but satisfied after setting up the Little Dog Diner’s tent at the Misty Harbor Blueberry Festival.
The aroma of my blueberry muffins wafted through the air as I tilted my head back, letting the sun warm my face. Despite this beautiful October day on the coast of Maine, a nagging unease gnawed at me, as though something wasn’t quite right.
A truck backfired. I startled, my hand flying to my chest to steady my racing heart. Harvey’s Hearty Subs! His battered food truck rumbled past my booth down the midway. Last month, at the Labor Day picnic, one of his customers ended up in the ER with a bad case of food poisoning. Yet, his fans remained loyal, much to my bewilderment. And now, here he was, a vendor at the festival. The sight only added to my unease.
Shaking it off, I turned my focus back to arranging my cookies, brownies, and muffins on display racks. I refused to let Harvey spoil this glorious day.
“Dani?”
I turned to see Christy at the edge of my tent. Her scowl stood out in a sharp contrast to her usual sunny demeaner when working at the Little Dog Diner. Dressed in a crisp white blouse and jeans under her purple apron, she looked poised on the surface, but the tension in her stiff posture betrayed her mood.
Christy had worked tirelessly perfecting the flavors of her homemade specialty vinegars. I was excited for her big debut today, but the worry etched in her expression suggested this was more than just launch-day jitters.
Walking toward her, I wiped my hands on my apron then gently eased a few stray tendrils of hair away from her face. Her sad eyes made my stomach tighten. She looked ready to unravel.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you notice who’s right next to my Very Berry Vinegar tent?” she whispered.
I shook my head. With my own display to set up, I hadn’t noticed much of anything beyond my immediate neighbors, Tony’s Sno-Cones cart to my left and Henrietta’s Blueberry Crafts to my right. Until help arrived, either in the form of my grandmother Rose or my friend Sue Ellen Baer, I couldn’t sneak in a break and have a look around.
Christy nervously pulled on the end of her long brown braid. “Harvey’s Hearty Subs. His food truck is barely ten paces away from my tent,” she said, her voice trembling and her eyes misting.
Ah. So that was why my stomach tied itself in knots earlier. Poor Christy had enough on her mind without worrying about Harvey spoiling her day.
“Don’t worry, Christy,” I said in the most soothing voice I could muster. “Lots of folks in Misty Harbor know Harvey can be a troublemaker and won’t blame you for his shenanigans.”
She scuffed her sneaker in the dirt, her gaze downcast. It was clear Harvey’s presence was eating away at her confidence. I’d requested Christy have the spot next to me. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and it was way beyond the time for any last-minute shuffling.
Hoping to cheer her up, I said, “In my opinion, he should name his truck Harvey’s Heart-Stopping, Artery-Clogging Subs.”
Christy managed a weak smile. “But what if no one comes near my booth because of Harvey?”
I finished arranging my lemon squares on a display stand and handed her the last one. “What if you put the side of your tent flap down? At least that way, you won’t have to see him.”
“Maybe.” She nibbled on the lemon square, her shoulders sagging with uncertainty.
Pip’s excited yipping interrupted us as Maggie Marshall, my friend and the local PI, approached with her black Labrador, Sherlock Bones. Maggie’s sharp gaze swept over the festival, taking everything in as she greeted us.
She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head, her short, dark bob shining in the sun, and eyed my goodies. Meanwhile, Bones scooched under the table sniffing determinedly for a treat, stopped short by the limit of his leash.
Before the curious Labrador could cause a catastrophe beneath my pastry-laden table, I lured both Pip and Bones away with a container of sweet potato dog treats. Then with a playful wink, I offered one to my friend.
“Do you want one too, Mags?”
“Ha-ha, Dani. I’ll pass thank you very much, but how about one of your famous lemon squares? I can’t resist the sweet, yet tart combination.”
“Sure, help yourself.”
While Maggie savored the pastry, Christy blurted out her predicament. “That horrible Harvey set up his food truck next to me. I’m afraid he’ll drive away customers and no one will stop by to try my new line of gourmet vinegars.” She let out a weary sigh. “Can you scare him off, Maggie? You’re rough and tough and intimidating.”
Maggie dabbed her lip with her pinky, then grinned at the compliment. It described her pretty well, in my opinion.
She helped herself to a peanut butter ball before saying a word. Honestly, Maggie could probably eat everything I’d brought and still not add an ounce to her svelte figure. As far as Christy’s request, though, I could see a plan brewing behind her dark eyes.
Finally, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, tossed it in the trash, and gave us a sly smile. “Sure, I’d love to play the bad guy for you. Is that the creep who’s always trying to grab you when you’re working at the diner? He’s a total scumbag.”
“The one and the same,” Christy said glumly. “As a matter of fact, it got so bad a couple of days ago I told him to keep his hands to himself or he might lose them. I had a knife in my hands at the time.”
Maggie laughed but Christy turned to face me, still looking dejected. “Sorry, Dani. It just slipped out and everyone at the diner laughed. It made me feel better at the time, but it made Harvey angry. Now I have to sell my vinegars right next to him.”
“Don’t stress over it.,” I said. “Guys like him are sneaky and know how to avoid consequences.”
“Yeah, and he’s careful Chad doesn’t catch him. He’d probably rip Harvey’s arm off.”
Chad, Christy’s husband, also worked for me at the diner. He was a fantastic cook, and I relied on the two of them to keep things running smoothly so I could take time off once in a while, like this weekend.
Christy looked away, her voice low. “Actually, Dani, the reason I’m so worried about Harvey parking his food truck next to me is that he’ll spend the day intimidating me. What if he gets handsy with me, calls me out, or gets verbally abusive? How many customers will want to sample my products with that nonsense going on in the background? And I certainly can’t pull a knife on him when I’m trying to run my own business.”
Maggie snorted. “Guys like Harvey don’t like being put in their place by a woman. I know just the fix. Let’s go, Christy.”
She slid her sunglasses into place and looped her arm through Christy’s. But before they’d gone far, Maggie stopped and turned back toward me. “Dani? I promised AJ a dozen blueberry muffins for his team. They’re all on duty here today, even those who were supposed to have today off.”
I gave her a thumbs-up, slid a box of muffins from the stack under the table, and scribbled AJ’s name on the cover. “All set,” I said, smiling at Mags. “I’ll hold it for him in case he stops by before you get back. I brought plenty of extra blueberry muffins,” I said, capping the pen and sticking it out of sight.
Maggie tightened her hold on Christy’s arm, and they set off with Bones prancing happily along. Maggie looked like she was heading off on a grand adventure, but Christy slogged, as if she was walking to her doom. I told myself, if anyone could deal with Harvey Walters Maggie could. Tough as nails, strong as an ox, and sharp as a tack. Harvey wouldn’t know what hit him once she had him in her sights.
Pip let out an excited, high-pitched yip, her tail wagging furiously as she darted out from under the table.
Only one person inspired that level of affection from my little fireball.
“There you are,” my grandmother Rose said, resplendent in her ivory linen hat, royal blue blouse, and tan slacks. She bent down and scooped the wiggling Pip into her arms.
After their cuddle session, Rose straightened. “Well,” she said with a playful smile. “It looks like you don’t even need me here, Dani.”
“Ha! Nice try.” I took Pip and handed Rose a Little Dog Diner apron to cover her sharp outfit. “You’re not getting out of helping that easily. There are still display cases to fill before the gates open, and once the customers come, they’ll need constant restocking.” I laughed. “So, there’s still plenty to do.”
I handed her a full pastry box. “Can you start with this, please? I’ve got the lobster roll ingredients chilling in the cooler and the clam chowder is heating on the hot plate.” Lowering my voice I added, “But there’s already a problem.”
“Oh?” Rose raised her brows, set the box down, and helped herself to a coffee from the urn.
“Harvey’s Hearty Subs’s food truck ended up next to Christy’s specialty vinegar display.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at me. “No! If anyone had consulted me, his spot would be in the middle of Blueberry Bay. Mark my words, this will be trouble,” Rose said, her tone as sharp as her instincts, and I knew she was right.
“Help me finish setting up, and when Sue Ellen gets here, you and I will give Christy some moral support. She’s devastated by this situation. Maggie is with her, but who knows what she’s up to. She said she knew how to fix the situation, but—” I threw out my arms dramatically, illustrating that, knowing Maggie, anything could happen.
Rose placed her linen hat on the back table, looped the apron over her neck, tied it neatly, and got to work. In no time, we’d arranged the muffins, scones, coffee cakes, peanut butter balls, and slices of cheesecake to perfection.
“There,” I said, placing the last cider donut on a tray. “Just in time for the hungry hordes.”
Sue Ellen called, “Yoo-hoo!” Then waved when we looked up.
She arrived dressed in her signature attire, red tunic, matching pants, and hat, with her enormous tote bag slung over her shoulder.
“This looks amazing, Dani.” She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Ahhh, the aroma! Do I smell cider donuts? Oh my. I’m drooling.”
Rose handed her one, hot off my portable donut maker. “Did you hear about Harvey?” she said.
Sue Ellen’s hand froze inches from her mouth and her eyes narrowed. “What about that scumbag? Don’t tell me he’s here, today of all days, when all we want is fun and food.” She shook her head and, with that thought dismissed, took a bite of the donut.
“He’s here,” I said. “And his food truck is right next to Christy. Maggie went off with her to take care of the situation, and you know Mags. She might have challenged him to a duel. Will you keep an eye on my booth so Rose and I can have a quick look at what’s going on?”
Sue Ellen, still looking shocked, finally snorted. “Sure. But hurry back because I want to hear every detail. Now, where’s the pipsqueak? I have something for her.”
Pip, hearing her name, bounded out from her shady spot under the table, tail wagging and practically smiling when she spotted Sue Ellen.
“There you are, my little cutie pie! It’s your lucky day.” Sue Ellen reached into a white bag. “Here you go, honeybun. A freshly baked gourmet doggie treat.” Pip took it as gently as she could.
Honeybun? I had no idea how Sue Ellen came up with that nickname, but I loved it.
“Pip? Stay here with Sue Ellen. We’ll be right back.”
I dropped my apron in the basket under the pastry display table and walked into the sunshine. Pip looked at me, then at Sue Ellen, seeming to calculate her options. But before she had time to dart after me, Sue Ellen scooped her up and showered her with compliments.
“Ready to go, Rose?” I asked, squinting in the bright sunshine.
“I am.” She handed me my sunglasses and together we strolled toward Christy’s location at the far end of the festival.
But before we’d gotten far, someone called my name.
“Dani? Have you seen Maggie?”
I waited for Detective Crenshaw, Maggie’s fiancé, to catch up to us.
“Maggie’s with Christy,” I said. “What’s up?” I asked casually as though I had no clue trouble might already be brewing.
He lifted his I LOVE MAINE cap and ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign of his distress. “I just got a complaint that someone is harassing Harvey at his food truck. This is going to be a long day,” he mumbled, more to himself than for our benefit.
I didn’t disagree, nor did I tell him the harasser was most likely his fiancé. He’d find out that detail soon enough.
I’d bet anything on Maggie coming out on top in this conflict.
End of Excerpt
