Hearty Homestyle Murder: Book 9 in The Darling Deli Series Read Free

leaned the folded-up wire crate and the bright pink dog bed against the wall. Diamond and Maverick were greeting each other enthusiastically. Even though the big German shepherd was at least three times her size, the smaller dog wasn’t intimidated by him at all as she bounced around, trying to get him to play.
    “Thanks again,” Martha added. “I owe you, big time.” She bent down to pet the wriggly little dog. “You be good, okay princess? Be a good girl for Moira.”
    “Just enjoy your vacation,” the deli owner told her. “Don’t worry about Diamond, I’m sure she’ll settle right in here. It really won’t be any trouble. I’m sure she and Maverick will entertain each other most of the time. It will be nice for him to have a friend around.”
    “You’re a lifesaver, Moira.” The two women clasped each other in a quick hug, then Moira watched as her friend hurried back to her car and waved one last time before pulling out. Moira called the two dogs inside, glad that Diamond was used to listening to commands while she was off leash. The two dogs raced through the house until she let them out into the fenced yard to play. She checked the time and was surprised to see that it wasn’t even eight-thirty yet. She had had such a busy morning that it felt like it should be much later. Watching the dogs chase each other through her yard, she gave a bemused smile and shook her head. So much had happened already, and she still had the soup competition between her employees to get through tonight.

CHAPTER THREE
    Her shift at the deli that afternoon went by slowly but pleasantly. She enjoyed making the sandwiches for the day’s special; they were colorful and tasty—sliced honey-glazed ham on Hawaiian bread with a thick slice of roasted pineapple, a few leaves of the naturally flavorful mizuna that she had discovered last week at the farmer’s market, and a drizzle of brown sugar dressing. They made for unique sandwiches that brought back memories of a cruise to the Caribbean she had taken years ago, when she was in college.
    Maybe I should take a vacation soon myself, she thought. Candice or David could watch Maverick, and surely between the four of them, my employees could manage the store for a few days while I’m gone. It was tempting. The image of herself sitting on a beach somewhere tropical and sipping a margarita while reading a paperback appeared in her mind. It was tempting, that was for sure. And if she hired a travel agent or even looked online herself, then she might be able to find some good deals.
    But if I’m going to go somewhere tropical, I might as well wait until winter when I’m sick of the cold and the snow. There’s no sense in trading the heat and humidity of Michigan for an even hotter beach somewhere down south, not when I’m already praying for a cool breeze half the time. She decided to put plans for travel on hold for now. Maybe when things settled down and tourist season ended, she could start looking online for cruises that would leave sometime after the holidays. Right now she needed to focus on keeping the deli running smoothly and on enjoying the upcoming fair.
    She had been fighting doubts about the upcoming soup competition all week. Was letting her employees have a chance at entering one of their own recipes in the competition a mistake? Wouldn’t they have a better chance of winning if she used one of her own recipes?
    But winning isn’t the most important thing , she reminded herself. Sure, it would be good for the deli, but it’s more important to have fun and give the kids a chance to shine. She knew that Darrin was planning on a future in the food industry, and Allison and Meg might be. If one of them won the soup contest at the fair, it would make a nice addition to a résumé. And even if the deli lost, well, there was always next year.
    The bell on the deli’s front door jingled, and Moira looked up to see a familiar face walk into the deli. It was Mayor Willis,