Deadly Sweet Tooth Read online

“What are Mary Janes?” Molly asked.

  “They’re candies from Boston,” Tally told her. “They’re mostly sugar, molasses, and peanut butter.”

  “Mm. Sounds good,” Lily said.

  “Molasses?” Molly made a face. “That stuff is nasty.”

  “Okay,” Tally said to her, keeping her voice level. “On Saturday, you need to keep your opinions to yourself. I want you all to know what the products are, in case anyone asks—”

  “Just don’t tell them if they’re any good or not, right?” Molly said.

  After a beat, Tally replied, “Right.” Had she made a mistake choosing Molly?

  Tally went over the list of goodies she would serve: Twinkies, Clark Bars, Whoopie Pies, Baileys Truffle Fudge, Mary Janes, and Mallomars. She thought six different choices would give everyone enough variety. Kevin had chosen four wines, two red and two white, to complement them.

  “The Clark Bars and the Mary Janes contain peanut butter, so if someone has an allergy and asks, tell them not to eat those two.”

  “Did you make all of these?” Molly asked. “Here?” She looked around the kitchen and Tally wondered if she was waiting for candy to emerge, fully formed, from the countertops.

  Tally assured her that she did.

  “Why are you serving Twinkies? You can’t make those.”

  “Yes, I can. And I do make them. They’re my own version. Better than the commercial kind. At least, I think so.” Tally smiled at them, proud of her creations.

  “How much are we allowed to eat?”

  Suppressing a frown, Tally answered. “When the party’s done, I’ll hand out some leftovers.”

  “Well,” Molly said, “can we at least drink the wine?”

  Tally caught herself before that frown went too far. “Not while you’re working.”

  Molly made a face and shrugged.

  A knock sounded on the front door. Tally hoped that was Greer. She dashed to the front to let her in.

  “Good morning.” Greer gave a big smile that drew attention to how red her lipstick was. She had a narrow face and curly brunette hair twisted up into a messy bun with a butterfly clip at the back of her head. She didn’t say anything about being very late.

  “We’re just about finished, but there are a few more things to go over with Lily and Molly. I’ll try to catch you up when we’re done, if there’s time.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  Tally tried not to be aggravated by the woman. She was older than the other two, near thirty. She had to remember that her age meant Greer might be more experienced than the other two, which would be an advantage.

  There was another knock at the front door. As Greer disappeared into the kitchen, Tally turned to find Allen Wendt peering in. She ran to unlock the door once again, and noticed his white pickup idling at the curb. They had made a few tentative tries at a relationship, but Tally didn’t know where it was going at this point. She didn’t even know, from one day to the next, whether he’d still be living in this town or not. He’d drifted in a while ago and she expected him to drift out again some day.

  “Hey, I just need to tell you,” he said, “I can’t make your party on Saturday.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He hadn’t positively said he would when she’d asked him, but he must have been planning on it.

  “Yeah, I took a new job. I’m pretty pumped about it.”

  “Good for you.” He’d been picking up odd jobs and she knew he hadn’t been getting many lately.

  “Yeah, I’m driving a truck. Long-haul.”

  The smells of sunshine and soap emanated from him. Tally breathed in the pleasant scents and stepped a bit closer.

  “You think you’ll like that?” she asked. “Don’t you have to get a special license?”

  “I did. I passed the test and I have to be ready to start my first route any day now. They told me Friday or Saturday.”

  That kind of work might suit him. “You should enjoy that. Being on the move. You don’t like to stay put, do you?” He had likened himself to a tumbleweed once and it was an apt description.

  He shrugged. “I’ll see. Hey, good luck with the party.”

  They hadn’t progressed to a kiss good-bye. Tally didn’t know if they ever would, at this rate.

  She got back to training the prospective helpers. They all three had a chance to walk around balancing trays with plates and glasses on them. Tally planned for them to use the trays when they circulated among the guests, offering them wine and sweet treats. After that, Tally sat with Greer and went over the list of what would be served and explained some of them.

  “The part about peanut butter is important for people with allergies,” she said. “So remember that.” She wasn’t sure Greer was taking all of this in, since she had only glanced at the list of candies.

  After she asked all three of them to come in Friday night to help with last-minute preparations, she shooed them out and opened her store. The onslaught of sweet treat buyers made her wish she had kept one of them to help her out for the day. But she stuck to her resolve to try them all out on Saturday before she decided who to hire for the shop.

  Chapter 3

  The rest of Thursday and all day Friday flew by for Tally in a flurry of baking, wrapping, cleaning, and smiling the whole time at the thought of all the wares she was selling. She worked late hours both days to make sure she had made enough food for the reception, as well as to keep up with the bustling business she was doing. The amount of business both days made her wish she could continue the momentum and not close on Saturday. Over and over, she told herself, It’s only one day.

  Friday at 7:00, after the store closed at the usual time, Lily and Molly showed up promptly and Greer fifteen minutes later. She had made enough of some of the confections, but needed to make more Clark Bars, more Twinkies, and a few more Whoopie Pies. Molly jumped at the chance to help with the Twinkies. Lily got instructions on how to make the boiled Clark Bars. They were a simple candy of sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and rice cereal, frosted with chocolate chips. And Greer was put to work on the Whoopie Pies. Tally thought she might be a slower worker and she only needed one more half batch of those.

  Tally had just come into the kitchen from her office, where she had gone to check on her orders for next week, when she heard Lily talking to the other two.

  “This is so much fun,” Lily said as she swirled the peanut butter into the boiled sugars.

  She was glad to hear Lily say that. The others didn’t answer her, though.

  “Are you having fun?” Tally asked Molly.

  “I dunno. I guess so. It’s not as much fun to make Twinkies as I thought it would be.”

  “How about you, Greer?” Tally asked.

  “What?” She’d been staring into the distance, holding a spreader full of Whoopie Pie filling, marshmallow crème, butter, and powdered sugar, and dripping some onto the counter.

  Tally refrained from rolling her eyes. “I asked if you’re having a good time.”

  “Well, I’m on a job, right? So it’s working, not fun. When do we get our break?”

  “Greer, you’re only here for three hours tonight.” Tally glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, the one with the chubby, aproned baker using his arms to tell the time. It was 9:00. “If you can’t make it another hour, take a short break. You’ve gotten a lot done, all of you.”

  Molly and Greer headed out the back door. Tally hadn’t expected that. Were they going somewhere? Lily looked puzzled, too, and kept working. Tally regretted saying they could have a break when they came in twenty minutes later, both reeking of tobacco smoke.

  Maybe it was too early, but Tally felt she might have to cross Greer and Molly off the list of who to hire on at the store.

  * * * *

  Tally’s parents got in extra-late Friday night, due to a
delayed flight, a missed one, and a rebooking. Everyone was happy that their luggage made it through with them. Cole picked them up and offered to move to a motel, but Nancy and Bob insisted on staying in one so they wouldn’t displace their son. In spite of the late hour, they insisted on seeing Tally’s place.

  Friday night, Tally was ready to leave, having gotten the kitchen cleaned up after the flurry of preparation that had gone on until ten, when Cole called and caught her up on their parents’ arrival.

  “Yes, bring them by,” she said. “It’ll never look better than it does right now.”

  “We’re on our way,” Cole said.

  When they finally gazed upon her store, her parents were suitably impressed.

  “Tally,” her mother said, eyeing the pink and lilac swirled walls and the wide-planked flooring in the salesroom, “this is terrific. It’s so attractive.” She spun around, taking in the shelves, the gleaming candy display case—now empty—and tilting her head up to admire the mason jar light fixtures. “I didn’t know you had such decorating talent.”

  Tally laughed. “If my sweet shop fails, maybe I could do decor instead.”

  They inspected the kitchen, too. Tally stifled a few yawns, noticing how alert and awake her parents were after their long trip. She was too tired to figure out what time it was in the zone they had just come from, in Morocco and Spain.

  Tally went with Cole to drop them off at the Sunday House Inn and Suites, a hotel very close to the business district. The hotel was named after the distinctive Sunday Houses that the town was known for. They were now quite expensive and Yolanda lived in one of them.

  They had said they would show up early for the afternoon reception, and Tally knew they would. She marveled at their stamina, after flying halfway around the world. But that was nothing new to them.

  * * * *

  Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and hot, as usual. When Dorella Diggs came into the shop, midmorning, setting off the soft door chime, Tally and Cole were almost finished moving the round tables to where Tally wanted them. On a normal business day, they were heaped with boxes of her products, but today they would hold wine, stacks of small plates and napkins, and large plates of unwrapped candies, set out for the guests. Dorella got to work setting things out and took great care arranging everything just so. Tally was glad an artist was handling that part of the affair. They looked beautiful, enticing. Cole had come over with Tally, earlier, to help out and was actually being useful. Yolanda, wrapped up in flowing aquas and chartreuses, breezed in soon after Dorella, bringing the chairs Tally had rented for the occasion.

  * * * *

  Yolanda started unfolding the rental chairs as she talked to Tally. She knew she had to warn her about what was coming. “Violetta is going to be here to help,” she said. Violetta was her younger sister, who lived in Dallas. “She should arrive in a few minutes.”

  “She’s coming up just for this?” Tally asked.

  “Not exactly. She had planned to come up already.”

  “She was just here, wasn’t she? A week or so ago?”

  Yolanda looked away. “Here’s the thing—Vi told me, but our parents don’t know yet. She has a girlfriend.”

  “Like in, girlfriend girlfriend?”

  “Yes, like that. I always wondered why she had never dated, and after she talked to me a couple of days ago, now I know. I’m very happy for her, that she found out who she is and that she found someone who, she says, she loves and who also loves her. But…”

  “Your parents don’t know,” Tally guessed.

  Tally knew the Bella family well. Yolanda knew she could count on Tally to buffer the coming confrontation. Yolanda’s parents were strict, old-fashioned and, in many ways, intolerant of anyone different.

  “Exactly,” Yolanda answered. “Eden—her name is Eden Casey—wanted to meet our family this weekend and Vi said okay. So she’s thinking maybe she’ll tell them quietly at the reception, in public, where they can’t have such a bad reaction.”

  “I suppose that might work.” Tally sounded doubtful.

  “I hope there isn’t a scene at your event, but I don’t think they’ll make one out in the open, where everyone can see them. Do you?”

  “It should be all right. If they do, well…there probably isn’t a better way to do this.”

  “They’ll both be here in a few minutes.”

  “Both of them?” Tally asked. “Good. I’ll get to meet Eden before the party starts.”

  When Violetta and Eden got to the shop twenty minutes later, Yolanda saw Tally hurry toward the front to greet them. Violetta took charge right inside the door.

  “Everyone,” Violetta said, raising her voice to be heard over the chatter and noise of setting up, “I want you to meet my friend, Eden. She’s up for the weekend from Dallas to meet my family.”

  Eden Casey had red hair, a broad Irish face, and a huge, warm smile. Everyone returned her smile and nodded.

  Violetta started to introduce Eden to everyone. “This is my sister, Yolanda,” she said in her usual soft, musical voice. “And this is her friend, Tally, and Tally’s brother, Cole. And…” Violetta looked a question at Cole.

  Tally jumped in when she saw Violetta floundering. She had no idea who Dorella was. “Eden, I’d like you to meet Dorella, Cole’s friend who is helping out today.” She was reluctant to call Dorella his girlfriend, given Cole’s history of dumping women so often, even if that’s exactly what she was. For the moment.

  “It’s nice to meet all of you,” Eden said. “I’m very happy to be here. Vi told me you’re throwing a party because your parents are in town for a few days, Tally. This looks fantastic. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I think we’re mostly ready,” Tally said. “Mom called just a few minutes ago and they’re on their way over.”

  “I hope some people show up,” Cole said. “We practically invited the whole town.”

  “We did invite the whole town,” Tally said. “We put an announcement in the local paper.”

  Ten minutes went by while everyone fiddled with the streamers, straightened plates, and flicked invisible flecks of dust from the tables. Tally started getting nervous. No one else was here yet. What if no one came? There were lots of people in Fredericksburg who knew her parents, but hadn’t seen them in a long time. She had assumed they would want to see them, but maybe they didn’t.

  Just in time, all three of the young women Tally had hired to serve walked into the shop. She quickly gave them smocks, two lilac and one pink, to match the walls of the shop, and was glad she had shown them where everything was the day before. By the time the three came out of the kitchen with some trays for circulating, guests were starting to pour in.

  Tally relaxed. It would be fine. People were showing up.

  * * * *

  About an hour into the party, Tally took a moment to lean against the candy counter and take a breath. Her parents were chatting with Mrs. Gerg, Tally’s landlady and neighbor. Kevin Miller had arrived and gone straight to check on the wines he’d brought over earlier. Yolanda swooped in on him and introduced her sister and her sister’s girlfriend. People were clustered in groups, chatting and, to all appearances, having a good time.

  Fran and Len Abraham had recently shown up, making a dramatic entrance, as befitted theater people. Some other theater people were already there. Some were probably associates of Fran and Len and some knew Nancy and Bob from their local performances years ago.

  The shop got warmer and warmer with the noisy crowd, so Tally nudged the AC to be a notch colder. Welcome cool air spilled out of the vents immediately.

  Tally’s phone buzzed in her pocket. A glance showed her it was Allen as she answered it.

  “Hey, I just wanted to see how your deal was going.”

  That was nice! “I’m tired and I’ll sleep soundly tonight, bu
t it’s going well. Tons of people showed up and I think my parents are having a good time. Lots of old friends and people who’ve known them for a long time are here.”

  “Glad you’re doing okay. Just…wanted to check in.”

  “I’m glad you did. When are you coming home? Do you know?”

  “Yeah, well, not really. I could pick up an extra load. Maybe. Don’t know yet. I’ll call you when I get back.”

  Tally smiled as she tucked her phone into her pocket.

  A woman named Shiny Peth had arrived just after the Abrahams. Tally knew her vaguely and noticed she seemed to be stuck to Len, batting her false eyelashes and running a hand down her admirable model-thin body. Tally wondered if she was thinking others would think she was smoothing her dress. But no one thought that, of course. The woman was showing off her perfect body.

  Lily stopped and whispered to Tally, “See that woman with Lennie? Fran blackballed her from the theater.” She was talking about Shiny Peth, the one Tally had been glancing at as she made her way around the room.

  Tally could see why. Shiny was a huge threat to Fran, judging from Len’s reciprocal flirting and Fran’s sour looks at both of them. As Tally and Lily watched, Fran turned away from them and went over to Bob Holt. Tally thought she was flirting with him just as outrageously as Shiny was flirting with Len, but with much less success. Her father was a one-woman man, Tally was sure. Anyway, how could Len put up with anyone with such a grating, nasal voice as Shiny had? It probably carried onstage, but it was annoying up close.

  “I wonder if Fran would be drinking so much wine if Shiny weren’t here,” Lily whispered, then headed toward Fran to give her a fresh glass from the tray she balanced gracefully.

  Another theater person, Ionia Goldenberger, stood chatting with Nancy, Tally’s mother. They both went way back, having started together when they were both very young in local theater. Ionia had been active on the stage for years until Fran recently took over as director. Tally wondered if her mother’s old friend resented Fran’s position. She knew from her mother that Ionia would have made an excellent director.