Center Stage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1 Read Free Page B

night?”
    “ All of them.” She shook her head as she turned on a street headed downtown. “When you were a cheerleader, you were in the middle—”
    “What?” I protested. “My cheer coach put me there!”
    “You were still front and center.”
    “This is ridiculous.” I shook my head. “I’m not having this conversation.”
    “Because you know I’m right.”
    “Because there’s no talking sense to you when you’ve made up your mind about something.” She pulled up behind a building on Main Street, and I sat up straighter in my seat. “Your kitchen is downtown ?”
    “Yep. Has been for about seven years.”
    I knew she’d kept a lot of her life from me as punishment for running away, but it had never occurred to me she’d keep something this big secret. “Isn’t the rent expensive?”
    A grin lit up her face. “We can afford it.”
    Franklin, Tennessee, had a picturesque downtown. Brick buildings and trees lining the sidewalk. A roundabout with the statue of a Civil War soldier in the middle. Franklin was home to several Civil War battle sites, and the history added to the charm. Downtown was a huge draw for local residents and tourists alike. I could only imagine that the rent was pricey. The smile on my mother’s face confirmed it.
    She pulled into a parking space behind a row of buildings, next to a white van with the words Southern Belles Catering painted on the side.
    “You have a van too?” I asked in surprise.
    “Two vans.”
    “Wow.” We walked inside the back door, past two women who were loading foil-covered pans into the back of the van.
    “Hey, Lila,” one of the women said.
    “Y’all ready for our big night?” my mother asked cheerfully.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    I followed my mother into a small kitchen prep room, my chest tightening when I saw the woman placing appetizers onto a pan. It was my mother’s best friend and business partner, Tilly Bartok.
    “Lila, everything’s ready on my end,” she said, concentrating on her task. “Did you find a replacement for Patty?”
    “I did.” But Momma’s voice sounded off, even to me.
    Tilly’s head shot up and her mouth dropped open when she saw me. “Maggie? Is it really you?”
    I nodded, unable to push words past the lump in my throat.
    Tilly rounded the stainless steel prep table and reached for me, pulling me into a tight hug. “I thought I’d never see you again, girl.”
    Tears stung my eyes as I rested my cheek on the shoulder of the woman who had been like a second mother to me. While my mother fit her surname to a T, Tilly was her soft and comforting counterpart. She was the one I’d always turned to when I needed sympathy—especially after my father took off. My mother was the one I turned to when I needed action.
    Tilly leaned back and grabbed my cheeks in her hands, searching my face. “You haven’t changed, sweet girl. You’re still as pretty as the day you left.”
    “And you haven’t aged a day,” I said with a soft smile. Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a bun, but it was still sleek and shiny with no hint of gray. Other than a few crow’s feet around her eyes, her face was free of wrinkles. The only noticeable change was the additional twenty pounds around her middle.
    She looked me up and down, her eyes widening as she took in my uniform. “What are you doin’ wearing that?” Her gaze jerked up to my mother. “She’s not filling in for Patty, is she?”
    “She sure is.”
    “She can’t be wait staff! She’s a Broadway star!”
    “Not anymore she’s not.”
    Tilly looked like she could have been knocked over by a feather.
    “It’s okay, Tilly. I want to help.” My mother released a soft scoff, but I ignored her. “Looks like you and Momma are doing well for yourselves. A downtown storefront. Two catering vans. I remember when you started, cooking in our kitchen and using your minivan.”
    Pride filled her eyes. “We sure have come a long way.”
    “We don’t have time for