Triple Dip Debacle: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 7) Read Free Page A

attention. A little man departed the SUV on the driver side. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. He was shorter than Dottie by a couple of inches and his barely there hair slicked across his dome of a head. Who was he and what was he doing here with Dottie? I had a feeling I really didn’t want to know.
     
    I started to let out a warning cry to Stormi, but it was too late. Dottie flew into the shoppe with the little man right on her heels. She turned quickly and spotted me.
     
    “Tara!” She squealed as she ran over and pulled me into a bear hug. Her floppy hat hanging down on the side stabbed me in the left eye. All of a sudden, she pushed me back with strong arms as my hand flew up to my eye.
     
    “Let me look at you! Oh Tara, pretty as ever. What’s wrong with your eye dear? You don’t have pink eye or a sty do you? I’m sure we can figure something out and get you right as rain.” Suddenly she looked down at the floor at Winchester who, just like me, had lost his voice. “Oh my goodness who’s this little guy? Oh, you’re so cute I could just eat you!“ Winchester started to back away.
     
    “Now where is my precious daughter?”
     
    With my head spinning, my eye pulsing, and the sudden inability to speak, all I could do was point towards the swinging door that led to the back of my shoppe. Right at that moment Stormi walked through carrying a barrel of Peach Galore. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw us, allowing the door to come back and hit her hind end. She didn’t seem to feel it, as she was as dumbstruck as Winchester and me.
     
    Dottie ran flying around the counter. “Put that barrel of awesome goodness down and give your momma a hug!” In a robotic manner, Stormi did as she was told.
     
    Dottie grabbed Stormi and gave her a hug. She was lucky enough to avoid having her eye pulverized by her mother‘s hat.
     
    “Oh my baby girl is getting married,” Dottie squealed as she rocked her back and forth. I could see Stormi’s eyes filling with fear. I wasn’t much better, standing like a fool at the window unable to move. Suddenly I saw movement outside. It was Brandon and he was coming towards the shoppe!
     
    I started waving at him. He waved back. No you fool, stop!! I started shaking my head and raking my thumb across my neck. He stopped dead in his tracks. I kept sneaking a look behind me to make sure Dottie didn’t see what I was up to. I turned back to Brandon. He must have understood because he skulked away like thief on the run. I sighed. At least that crisis was averted for the time being. Now to take care of the one occurring in my shoppe.
     
    At this time, Dottie was dragging Stormi over to the little man. I had almost forgotten about him. “Stormi, this is Mr. Rodney Pennington.”
     
    Stormi held out her hand. Dottie turned to Mr. Pennington. “This is my daughter, Stormi Rogers.”
     
    Mr. Pennington took Stormi’s hand as if it was a raw fish. He touched the end of a couple of her fingers and that was it. Stormi brought her hand back to her side just in time for Dottie to say, “He’s a wedding planner.”
     
    Stormi finally found her voice. “He’s a what?”
     
    Dottie pulled the red floppy hat from her head and laid it on the counter. “He’s a wedding planner. I hired him to help plan the wedding. This will be so much easier. He can do all the heavy lifting per say, and us girls won’t have to worry about a thing.”
     
    Stormi looked at Mr. Pennington. “Nothing against you sir, I’m sure you’re great at what you do, but I don’t need a wedding planner.” Stormi looked back at her mother. “How could you hire someone without consulting me? This is exactly what I was afraid of…that you would come in and take over and that’s what has happened. Well I won’t stand for it!”
     
    I slowly turned the open sign back to closed.
     
    “Now listen here little girl. I didn’t raise you to be inconsiderate to your elders.