Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 03 - Dead and Berried Read Online Free PDF

milking. All of the ponies, goats and sheep were here this weekend.
    “They’ve been a huge hit, as expected. And Jackie’s been a huge help. She told me she helped you unpack your car this morning.”
    Kori nodded, disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to get Jackie to help in her own booth this afternoon and tomorrow. “She’s a hard worker. You’re lucky to have her.”
    “Well,” Holly chucked, “I’m not sure she’s there for the love of the ponies. My nephew is also helping out. She hasn’t been able to take her eyes off him all day.”
    Kori smiled. She’d been right this morning when she suspected Jackie wanted to be here because of a boy and that’s why it had been so hard to convince her mom to not work at The Treasure Chest all weekend. So much for getting her to work weekends at the café if she just followed boys around.
    “Well, I’ve gotta get back to my tent. No one’s serving right now. I had to leave it alone so I could get some lunch.”
    “Bye Kori.” Holly waved and continued heading toward her pickup and horse trailer.
    Kori tied Ibis back to the tent post next to her bowl of water and Ibis quickly lapped it all up, then lay down and closed her eyes. She was always spent after a visit to Milo and Otis.
    Kori found everything just as she’d left it. She started unpacking her supplies, focusing on serving the strawberry rhubarb pies now that everyone would have eaten lunch. She was counting on them being ready for some dessert.
    As she placed the first pie on her table, she saw her mother approaching and braced for some dramatic revelation. Gale always had an epic story to share. At least , epic in her mind. Kori was often either underwhelmed or already knew about it.
    “Kori, you’re back! I can’t believe you took time away from your tent.” Gale always participated in the crazy hat contest and was still donning her pride and joy—she always wore the same thing. Years ago she had fashioned a small birdcage from thin wire. Inside was a bird flying down to a strawberry plant. She had to get a new plant each year, but there were always plenty around to use. She’d won the first year she’d worn it and had opened the flood gates to crazier and crazier hats. But she’d never made anything more outrageous, just stuck with what worked. Once.
    Kori rolled her eyes as discretely as she could manage. “I had to eat,” she told her mother with the little patience she had for her today.
    “Do you need help? I could cover breaks for you.”
    Kori couldn’t say no, but she wished someone else was offering. Gale had a mind of her own and was usually on a mission of her own to match it. “That’d be great. I should be all set for the rest of today but if you could come tomorrow at eleven I’ll get you setup to be here alone from noon to one.”
    “Of course. I’m going to the pie toss now. I volunteered to let pies be thrown at me. Can you believe it?” Gale was nearly in hysterics at the thought of kids throwing pies at her face and Kori wished she could see it.
    As Gale left, Jay approached, like he’d been waiting for their mother to depart before coming to talk to his sister. Kori found his arrival much calmer than their mother’s.
    “Hey Jay, what’s up?” she asked him while piling more pies on the table and starting to cut them.
    “Need some help?” He didn’t wait for a response and headed behind the table, picking up the second knife and laying into a pie.
    “Thanks. Today has been crazy. What have you been doing?”
    “You won’t believe this, but Jenna talked me into helping paint faces.”
    Jay was right, she couldn’t believe it. “How’d she manage that?” she asked through her laughter.
    “I’m still not sure. But when one kid walked away looking like a lion when he’d requested to be a tiger I got fired. By the kids, not by Jenna.” Jay was laughing by now too.
    Just then Holly walked back through the front gates from the parking lot looking