A Lime To Kill: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 1 Read Online Free PDF

the
arrival of him and his son.  Father and son were complete opposites – Joe was
tall and thin with a receding hairline, Larry had a full head of hair, and a
girth that made Tiara wonder how he was able to fit into some of the spaces
that needed his attention.
     
    “I’m so glad
to see you two,” she said with a sigh of relief. “We are absolutely stalled out
here without our ovens. I hope you can save the day,” she smiled sweetly,
hoping that her shameless flirting would spur them to work faster.
     
    She could feel
Drew’s eyes on her and her face flushed with color that had nothing to do with
the island heat.
     
    “Give me a
sec,” Tiara said to her Yogi, and turned to Susan who had just come back from
the walk-in freezer. “Would you mind?” she asked, inclining her head toward the
new customer who had walked in just behind the repairmen. “I’ll only be a
minute.”
     
    “Of course,
take your time” Susan smiled knowingly, before turning to the woman at the
register. The customer’s cloyingly sweet perfume permeated the entire shop.
     
    Tiara turned
back to Drew. “Is there anything that I should bring?”
     
    “Tiara,” Susan
called out softly. “She would like to use the restroom…?” She phrased the
situation in the form of a question because they actually had no public
restroom and she didn’t want to offer the employee restroom if it wasn’t
allowed.
     
    “Oh, no
problem, it’s in the back on the right. Just be careful, there are some men
working on the ovens, so there might be tools on the floor.”
     
    “Thank you,”
came the woman’s voice as she bolted rather quickly to the back of the shop.
     
    “Tiara, you
are a genius!” Fergus burst into the store with greater enthusiasm than usual.
she glanced apologetically at Drew and mouthed ‘sorry’.
     
    “So you liked
it, did you?” she smiled.
     
    “Those little
puff things. Exactly right, hit the spot!” Fergus noticed Susan with obvious
appreciation, and Tiara looked at him pointedly, warning him without speaking,
to stay away from the kitchen staff. “You must be new…” he commented to the
baker, who smiled and returned to the kitchen after placing the two fresh pies
that she had carried out of the freezer into the chilled display case.
     
    “Down boy—”
Tiara warned, aloud this time. Fergus merely winked at her and began perusing
the selection of goodies behind the glass.  “So what’ll it be today?” she
asked.
     
    “Same thing as
last time. Only hold the popsicle,” he rubbed his hands together in
anticipation.
     
    Tiara smiled
at his antics, despite herself, “You got it.” Pulling out a pie box, she
carefully loaded up a full key lime pie, four key lime cream puffs in each
corner, and four of her new key lime stuffed strawberries on top, tilting it up
for approval.
     
    “Genius,” he
pronounced, dramatically plucking one of the strawberries from the pie and
popping it into his mouth. She took another from her tray and replaced the
missing strawberry, then sealed the box. Fergus paid and dropped a dollar bill
into the tip jar, whistling a happy tune as he made his way out the door and
back to the boardwalk.
     
    Tiara returned
to the table where Drew reclined in his chair, taking in the entire situation.
“I am so sorry. This has been the craziest morning…the ovens aren’t working, my
mother is out on a delivery, it’s just been bananas.”
     
    “You seem
pretty yogic about it,” he observed kindly.
     
    A piercing
scream suddenly shattered the lull of the now nearly-empty shop. “Someone help
that man,” the lady that had gone back to the rest room yelled, staring in
horror through the glass at the front of the shop. Tiara followed her gaze and
leaped to her feet.
     
    “Fergus,” she
cried out, tearing out of the shop at a dead run. Drew got there before she did
and was assessing the situation. “Fergus, what’s wrong?” Tiara whimpered.  His
face was drained of color and