Susan Gillard - Cherry Dream Murder

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2017 by Guardian Publishing Group - All rights reserved.

All rights Reserved. No part of this publication or the information in it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by means such as printing, scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Table of Contents

"I know it's clich," Mona said, and brushed the underside of the pale pink petal with her forefinger, "but I adore roses. There's something so classical about it. It really speaks to me. A traditional wedding setting."

Heather inhaled the perfume in the florist and smiled at the bride-to-be over a bucket of daisies, their sunny faces turned to the ceiling. "I get it," she said. "So you want a traditional wedding."

They'd taken the Monday afternoon off to help Mona choose her flowers. She'd asked Ames and Heather to be co-maids of honor that very morning. Amy wandered down the opposite aisle, pausing to sniff flowers, a blush creeping up her cheeks. This wedding stuff brought out a different side in Heather's bestie. The romance was infectious.

"I'd love a traditional wedding. I just haven't decided on the color scheme yet," Mona said.

"What did Col say? Does he like any color in particular?"

Mona snorted. "Col has officially handed me the reins, let's put it that way. He wants me to be happy, but if he had his way everything would be green and tea related."

"That sounds like Col," Amy called out.

"Everything all right, dearies?" The owner of the store hurried out of the beaded doorway which led to an office. "Do need any help picking them out?" The elderly woman had introduced herself as Catherine Willard when they'd entered the store.

She shuffled over to Heather and Mona, then leaned in to sniff the roses. "Ah, this is my favorite flower. Classical," she said, her bright green eyes sparkling.

"That's what I said." Mona grinned.

"What's the occasion, dear?" Catherine asked, and rearranged a few of the rose stems - luckily their thorns had been removed.

"I'm getting married!"

Heather detached herself from the conversation and made her way to the Arum Lilies gathered in the far corner of the store. Amy stood in front of them, a small smile on her lips.

"Imagining your wedding?" Heather asked. "Jamie and Amy sitting in a tree."

"Stop." Amy swatted her arm. "Im remembering yours actually. We had such an amazing time in France but it feels like another life. I was still with Kent and Lilly wasn't in the picture. It's strange to think back on those times."

"I wouldnt change a thing," Heather said.

"You wouldn't?"

"Not a thing. Everything we've been through has taught us something about ourselves and each other. Don't you think?"

"Sheesh, that's a little heavy for a Monday afternoon," Amy said. "I think I'll need a donut to make up for that."

"Ah, you're in luck," Heather replied. She'd stashed a box in the back of the car, just in case they needed a snack during the flower selection. "Be right back." She hurried back up the long aisle of weeping stems and upturned faces, then out into the warm afternoon. She unlocked the Chevrolet, opened the back door, then grabbed the Donut Delights box off the back seat.

Luckily, the car hadn't become a sauna just yet. She bumped the door shut with her hip, then frowned. And stopped.

Something felt off. She was transported back to Key West and the sensation she'd had just before they'd met their supposed stalker, Roadkill Rodney.

"You're losing your touch," she whispered and set off for the front of Fancy Floaty Florist again. But that feeling, that foreboding sense of a hot gaze on the back of her neck doubled. She paused and glanced over her shoulder.

A man shrank back from the fence opposite the road, retreating into the Hillside Park and the cover of the trees. His blond hair caught the afternoon light, but he showed her his back, hid his face.

Heather started forward, opened her mouth to call out to him, then faltered. What did it matter if some dude had stood beside the Park's fence and given her the beady eye? She wasn't exactly popular after all those articles in the Hillside Reporter, retraction aside. For all she knew, he could've been enjoying the afternoon, not spying on her.

"You're getting as paranoid as Amy," she said.

"That was uncalled for," Ames spoke from the half-open door of the florist's. "Say are you going to bring in those donuts or what?"

"Coming, coming. Keep your hair on." She bustled into the perfumed interior and plonked the box on the counter.

"What's this?" Catherine asked, and patted her tight bun of gray hair. "A treat?"

"We snack wherever we go. It's a habit," Amy said and lifted the lid on the box.

"At this point, I think it's a lifestyle."

Catherine peeked at the donuts nestled inside, their fat, glistening sides touching each other. "Oh my goodness, I've never seen anything like these before. They're positively gourmet."

"That's our M.O." Amy puffed out her chest.

"Well, I'm impressed. What are they called?" Catherine asked.

Mona hurried to the front counter and brought a long-stemmed rose with her. She caressed its smooth stem - the thorns had been removed - and went wide-eyed at the sight of the donuts.

"Cherry Dream Donuts," Heather announced. She'd already given Eva the lowdown that morning. "A vanilla donut filled with glace cherries for extra crunch, baked in the oven until golden brown, then triple dipped in a candied cherry glaze. They're sinfully sweet." She left out the dash of lemon she'd added to the glaze to elevate the flavor.

"They look perfect," Mona said.

"Thanks." Amy and Heather replied in unison. They were two sides of a coin. Amy a little crass, definitely sarcastic and impulsive, while Heather was more methodical and she doubted herself a lot.

"No, I really mean it. I think this might be the perfect donut for my wedding. It would suit the red roses. Oh, wait, unless I get pink roses. I'm torn. Pink or red?" Mona's eyebrows knit together in the center of her forehead.

Amy nudged the open box toward her. "I know how you can decide. Think it over. The donuts will tell you the way."

"They're treats not crystal balls," Heather replied.

"Eh, you know what I mean."

Mona and Catherine both dug in and Heather and Ames joined them. The sweet glaze dissolved into a dream on their tongues. The women sighed and chewed in silence, but Heather couldn't help looking at the plate glass windows at the front of the store and the wrought iron fence beyond it.

Spring had come and the weather had warmed a little. They weren't in full blown dry heat territory yet, but the number of orders for milkshakes large and small, and in every flavor imaginable had already picked up.

Heather slurped on the end of her iced coffee shake - Amy's suggestion and a new addition to the Donut Delights repertoire - and relished the flavor. "This is pretty darn refreshing if I do say so myself."

"Mmm!" Eva agreed and drank some of her shake. Leila perched on the edge of her seat beside her. She was still in the process of transitioning from Hillside Manor, but they'd booked her out of the place for the day so she could enjoy a couple Cherry Dreams.

"So," Amy said. It was the tone she used when she determined it was time for a good Hillside originals gossip session. "What do we think of this Lyle Clarke fella?"