Excerpt:
The woman standing before her looked
close to her mom’s age, and had wild, curly black hair sticking out in ringlets
around her head. Her pale skin made the dark circles around her eyes look even
darker. Piper would have looked closer at the woman’s eyes, but they looked
black and scared the crap out of her.
This
was Hell, she just knew it. She’d been a terrible brat all her life, but she
didn’t think she deserved to go to Hell when she died. This has to be a
mistake. But Hell sure had a nice bathroom, even with the stinking liquid on
the floor. She’d be a good girl if only she could get out of Hell.
Looking
the woman up and down, as the woman did the same to her, Piper marveled at her
tiny waist, cinched in with a corset. She wore a black dress of a fine fabric
Piper couldn’t name, with red satin at her bust. And what a bust it was, with
the flesh pushing out the top of the dress.
Piper
watched the lady’s red lips as she repeated, “Piper? Is that you?”
Afraid
to speak, Piper nodded.
The
woman grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Look at you. What a
fine girl you’ve grown into.”
Piper’s
expression would be one of confusion, but she couldn’t manage anything more
than a blank stare.
“Are
you okay? You look dazed.” The woman looked around Piper, toward the bathroom.
“What were you doing in there? Your bum is wet.”
Piper
finally found her tongue. “Who are you?”
The
woman’s lips curled up at the corners. “You are
Piper Cavanaugh, aren’t you? Cuz you sure look like her.”
“I
thought we already established that.” Piper mentally slapped herself. She was
supposed to start being good, so she’d be moved up.
The
woman opened her arms wide and Piper thought her boobs might spill out from the
fabric. “I’m Aunt Winnie, sweetheart. Don’t you remember me?”
Aunt
Winnie? How would she remember her? It had been too many years since she last
saw her, and that was only for a moment. They hadn’t even talked.
“Aunt
Winnie? Where am I? And what’s happened?” Piper looked around.
Winnie
wrapped her arms around Piper and drew her in for a hug. “I’m so thrilled. I
can’t believe you finally came to visit. I thought for sure your mom was hiding
the letters. And then when I tried to find you online, nothing. Honey, don’t
you even have a Facebook account?”
Piper
shook her head. Winnie was happy to see her, and she knew she should be happy
too, but she was too confused to be happy at the moment. “I’m…uh…”
“Come.
Sit.” Winnie led her to the upholstered booth of a restaurant table. “I’ll
explain what I can, or at least what I think happened.”
Piper
sat on the aqua vinyl seat and scooted across to the middle of the booth. The
wetness of her pants felt cold and made sliding across the vinyl feel sticky.
She looked around and noticed she was in some kind of café with a beach theme.
“Where
am I?” She continued to look around without looking at Winnie, who slid into
the seat across from her.
The
place had fifteen booths, and a dozen stools at the counter. It looked like the
‘50s cafés she’d seen in movies, except this one had deep sea fishing items on
the walls, along with starfish, sand dollars, and hanging nets she assumed were
for fishing, too.
“You’re
in my café.” Winnie’s chest raised as she said it.
“You
still have the café?” Piper remembered her mom talking about it.
From
her mom’s description, it was a rundown money pit not fit to eat in. Her mom
couldn’t be more wrong. The café felt like a breath of fresh air. Ocean air.
The
aqua vinyl booth she sat in looked new. She could smell the fabric, almost like
new car smell. The tables were covered in pristine white linen clothes with
matching white linen napkins she assumed were wrapped around silverware. She
reached forward to touch the violet flower in the lead crystal vase.
“That’s
a blue violet. It brings love and inspiration. But I keep them on the tables to
protect my guests from all evil.” She plucked a flower and handed it to Piper.
“Carry this for protection and good fortune.”
Piper
accepted the flower. “Thank you, it’s lovely.” She held it between her fingers,
taking in the graduated colors of the five petals. She didn’t want to put it
down, but she tucked it in the breast pocket of her shirt.
“Press
it between the pages of a large book when you get a chance. Then you’ll be able
to keep it forever. But do it soon, before it wilts.” A bell chimed behind her,
and Winnie’s gaze moved to the door of the café.
Piper
looked over her shoulder. When she did, she almost forgot she had a crazy
morning.
The
guy who just walked in the door looked like he was her age. His athletic build
made her body warm, but it was his dark, brooding eyes she locked onto. And he
looked back. The smell of salt air flowed in with the guy, and Piper breathed
deeply.
“Aaron,”
Winnie said in a tight voice. “What can I do for you?”
Aaron,
Piper thought. Yes, he looked like an Aaron. He looked like he could be anyone
he wanted to be, and the girls probably hung on his every word, drooling over
his strong facial features and muscular arms. She wondered what his tanned skin
looked like under the knit sweater and canvas vest he wore.
“Hank
said he called in an order and asked me to pick it up.” Aaron shoved his hands
in his pockets and smiled at Piper.
“I’ll
be right back, honey. Hang tight, and I’ll explain everything.” Winnie jumped
up from the booth like she’d been stung. Her stride looked broken, like she was
fighting something as she disappeared into the kitchen of her café.
Not
wanting to be obvious with her interest, Piper turned away from Aaron and
looked out the window.
From
her vantage point, she saw the café sat at the end of a wharf of some sort.
Aunt Winnie lived near the water? Did she live on the island, and somehow the
winds blew Piper to her café? No, wait, she’d landed in the bathroom. She cringed at the thought of what was on her
pants, and what might have been on her hands. She really hoped it was just
water.
She
felt the air move behind her, and when she turned around, Aaron stood so close
she could reach out and touch him. He smelled sweet and salty, with a hint of
ash.
“I
thought I knew every pretty girl in town. I haven’t seen you before.” His wide
smile was infectious.
It
took Piper a second to break her gaze from his eyes and find her manners. “Oh,
hi, I’m not from here. And I just got here. I’m Piper Cavanaugh.” She reached
out to shake his hand.
Her
entire body felt the jolt as he took her hand in his. It wasn’t the “love at
first sight” kind of jolt like she read about in romance novels. This was an
overpowering energy disappearing as soon as he let go of her hand.
“Aaron
Payne. I’ve lived here forever, so if you need to know anything, I’m your guy.”
Winnie
reappeared with a white bag. “You’re not anyone’s guy for anything here.” She
shoved the bag of food at him. “Now run along before the food gets cold.”
Aaron
didn’t even look back at Piper as Winnie practically shoved him out the door.
When she came
back to the table, she sat again. “There are much better people to get your
information from. Aaron is trouble.”
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (April 22, 2018)
Paperback: 234 pages
ISBN-10: 1946063541
ISBN-13: 978-1946063540
Digital ASIN: B07DLJS6FF
” (2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel), “
,” “
” and “
r.”
,” a group mystery written by 24 authors with Cozy Cat Press, and writes the Roots of Faith column for the Acorn Newspapers.
