“Yes, that’s right.” All eyes turned to Ms. Lambert, who’d stood and was now addressing the room in her sweet southern drawl. “And everyone in attendance will have a chance to taste these marvelous creations, too.”
Bentley took a couple of steps forward, removed her readers, and leveled her gaze on the woman. “Thank you, Ms. Lambert,” she said tightly. “Everyone, this is Ms. Trudy Lambert. She’s the local coordinator from Southern Belles Bridal Company. Her organization is responsible for the wonderful setup you’ll see later at the Marlette Robbins Center for Fine Arts.” Bentley paused politely while everyone clapped for Ms. Lambert. “And right before the cake display and tasting”—she nodded toward the coordinator, who took the hint and sat back down—“patrons will be treated to a reading from one of our newest clients, Lynn Werner.” Bentley pointed our way. “Ms. Werner is a promising writer of cozy mysteries. We thought her reading would appropriately accompany Tuesday’s cake theme, since the murder victim in her mystery was found facedown in a wedding cake.”
A chorus of spirited laughter broke across the room along with an enthusiastic round of clapping. Poor Lynn, not used to so much attention, shrank back in her chair, her face flushing. But she didn’t have to endure the scrutiny for long, because a series of sharp yaps and high-pitched whimpers sounded from the other side of the pub’s front door. Zach hurried over to investigate, opening the door and allowing a little brown and white dog to dart inside.
“Zach!” Bentley started to admonish, but stopped when the dog came to her side and pawed at her legs, whimpering and shivering. I held my breath, thinking surely Bentley would be upset that the pooch was pawing her designer trousers, but instead my usually fastidious boss bent over and rubbed her hand between the dog’s fluffy ears. “Well, who do we have here?” she cooed. And then, “Oh my goodness, you’re so cold. You poor thing.” I watched in amazement as she squatted down lower, repositioned her readers on her nose, and leaned in to examine the dog’s ID tag. “Olive. What a cute name.”
Olive? That sounded familiar. Then I remembered that I’d seen this dog last summer at the pet shop down the street. Of course, it was just a puppy then, but how many Cavalier King Charles spaniels named Olive could there be in this town?
“Lila!” Bentley called out. “Go find this cutie pie’s owner. This sweet little thing shouldn’t be out in this snowy weather. We’ll keep her here until you get back.”
Cutie pie? Sweet little thing? That was a shocker. Bentley never used endearments. Who’d have thought our can’t-keep-a-houseplant-watered, all-business boss would ever have a soft spot for animals? And a dog inside a restaurant? I wasn’t sure how that was going to go over with the James Joyce Pub people. I shot a furtive glance at Flora, but she simply shrugged and offered to have the waitress keep my plate warm for me. So I slipped back into my coat and headed out in search of the dog’s owner.
*
MY BREATH CAME out in sharp white bursts as I made my way up and down High Street, searching for anyone who might have lost a dog. I wasn’t having much luck. Determined, though, I continued walking, passing by Sherlock Holmes Realty and the Sixpence Bakery. When I reached the corner, I decided to cut through the town’s small center park, pausing for a second to admire the Nine Muses fountain. Even though the water had been drained in anticipation of colder weather, the fountain, with its nine beautiful goddesses, was still awe-inspiring. Today, the goddesses seemed to have dressed for the weather, the snow making it appear like they were wearing white shawls and fluffy caps.
Then, as I gazed in wonderment, the sun peeked out from behind a cloud, causing the snow to sparkle like diamonds. Like magic, their shawls and caps were transformed into dazzling sequined attire, fit for a wedding party. I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to visions of my own dazzling yet-to-be-chosen wedding gown—maybe I’d find the perfect one this week! Along with my work duties, I hoped to get a lot of personal wedding planning done with my best friend and our local barista, Makayla. To our delight, we’d both become engaged just last summer. Which made planning our weddings double the fun.