Sweet Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page A

ever read.”
    â€œDo they write about you a lot?” asked Nancy.
    Brock grimaced. “Oh, yeah. The more successful ‘City Heat’ has gotten, the more they’ve picked on me. Especially the Midnight Examiner. The last time I saw an issue, they were claiming that I was married to my thirteen-year-old cousin. I don’t even have any cousins. My fiasco in that chocolate vat would have been right up the Examiner ’s alley.”
    Suddenly Mrs. Tagley leaned across the table. “And just what caused that disaster, Samantha?” she asked sharply.
    â€œI don’t know yet, Mom,” Samantha replied in a tight voice. “I’ll get on it, don’t worry. There are a lot of other things at the inn that need my attention besides that.”
    Mrs. Tagley briefly patted her gray hair. “Well,if you’re going to be running this place, as you insist on doing, you have to be concerned with everything,” she said evenly. “A good innkeeper keeps track of the details and the big picture, you know.”
    A sugary-sweet smile spread across Samantha’s face. “All right, Mom,” she cooed. “I’ll just follow your good example, okay?”
    Uh-oh, thought Nancy. That sounded like a direct jab at Mrs. Tagley’s own innkeeping skills. From what Jake had said earlier, Oakwood had been having trouble attracting customers. Was Samantha implying that that had been her mother’s fault?
    Now Mrs. Tagley seemed as though she was about to explode, but her husband intervened.
    â€œLet’s leave this for another time, all right?” Mr. Tagley said quietly. He looked stiff and uncomfortable in his suit and tie. “The festival’s driving us all crazy enough as it is. No need to bother our company with it, too.”
    â€œOh, all right,” snapped Mrs. Tagley.
    This family certainly didn’t seem to be self-conscious about arguing in front of total strangers! Nancy thought.
    She decided it was time to try to get people back into a good mood. “This is a fantastic meal,” she told Mrs. Tagley. “I can’t believe your chef could prepare chocolate in so many interesting ways.”
    â€œWait till you taste dessert,” Jake volunteered. He sounded relieved at the change of subject.“My stepmother’s chocolate desserts are out of this world. They’re the thing that’s kept this inn going for the past couple of years.”
    Once again he broke off, embarrassed, and nervously brushed his sandy hair back. Nancy guessed he hadn’t meant to blurt out yet another reminder that the inn was in trouble.
    â€œWhat is for dessert?” she asked swiftly.
    â€œBrock Sawyer—the chocolate version, that is,” Mrs. Tagley said mysteriously.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Bess.
    â€œYou’ll have to see for yourself,” Samantha put in. Glancing around at the other tables, she asked, “Do you think people are ready for dessert yet?”
    â€œDefinitely!” Bess and George said in unison.
    â€œWell, then, I’ll go get it!”
    Samantha jumped up and walked across the dining room toward a cart by the kitchen door, where Nancy could see there was something covered with a white cloth on the cart. As Samantha wheeled the cart to the front of the room, conversation at the other tables began to die down.
    â€œDid everyone have a nice lunch?” Samantha asked, smiling as the guests burst into applause.
    â€œYou couldn’t possibly find room for more chocolate, could you?”
    â€œYes! Yes!” people called out.
    â€œThen I guess we’re just going to have to give you what you want. As some of you may know, my mother is a real artist with chocolate.” Onceagain the room filled with applause. “And for dessert today, she’s made what I think is her finest creation ever.
    â€œI’m going to ask our special guest to unveil this spectacular dessert for