Dead Before The Wedding: A Carly Keene Cozy Mystery (Carly Keene Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  “Thank you, again, Carly Keene...Betty Sue here just does not know how to listen.” He held out his hand. “Would you like me to help you carry that? It looks heavy.”

  Carly found herself wanting to smile, and considered handing the bag over just so she’d have an excuse to stay and talk with Tucker for just a few more minutes. He seemed like a nice guy, and lord knows there weren’t a lot of those running free in Parker’s Mill these days. She noticed his hair was slightly tousled, and his face was still flushed from chasing the dog, but he still managed to look pretty gorgeous.

  I’ll bet he has six-pack abs under that shirt, she thought, then pushed the thought away. She wasn’t at the park to flirt with guys who couldn’t handle their pets; she was here for business. Smiling, she shouldered the bag more securely. “It’s alright, Tucker. I’d better be going. I’m meeting someone here, a client, to take some pictures. I’m a photographer.”

  Just then, Betty Sue pulled up sharply, her brown ears cocked and her whole body straining to pull away from her owner. “Aww, she’s seen that squirrel again!” Carly laughed, and patted the dog’s rump. “She’s a hyper one, isn’t she?”

  Tucker groaned. “You don’t even want to know. I just picked her up from the vet’s office because I thought she ate my spare set of house keys.” He pulled her leash, and she relaxed some. “The x-ray didn’t show my keys, but there was a weird little blob that looked an awful lot like a ping-pong ball in there.”

  Carly wasn’t sure whether to cringe or laugh. Tucker was nothing like his brother, but it had been a long time since high school. Maybe they’d all grown up a little.

  “Thanks again for catching Betty Sue, Carly. I’m just on my way to take her home before I drop off some medicine for one of our customers.” Carly hadn’t even noticed the name tag Tucker had been wearing.

  “You work over at the Shop N’ Go pharmacy, don’t you? I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.” Besides when I dated your brother, she added, in her head.

  “Yeah, I deliver medicine to some of our older customers who can’t get out much. That is, when I’m not chasing my dog all over town.” Tucker laughed nervously, and cleared his throat. “It was nice seeing you, Carly Keene.”

  “Yeah, it was good seeing you, too, Tucker. And it was nice meeting you, too, Betty Sue,” Carly said, rubbing the dog’s ears. She watched the pair walk away, then hurried over to the gazebo where she’d planned to meet with Amy and Derek.

  Amy and Derek were a cute couple, and pretty photogenic. It was easy for Carly to get plenty of good shots, and a few that she was sure they’d treasure forever. Amy’s growing tummy and a few humorous props supplied by Derek (the mock oven he’d held in front of his fiance’s baby bump had been her favorite) made the session fun and fast.

  Carly chatted with them easily, catching up on what they’d been up to since high school. Sometimes, Carly wondered what life would have been like if she’d settled down and gotten married to the first boy that proposed to her, but since that had been Jack Dawson and they had both been seven years old at the time, she was pretty sure that relationship wouldn’t have worked out.

  Carly took a quick look at the images of the little family in her viewfinder. They did look so happy, and seemed to be excited about the future. Carly felt a little pang of envy looking at the photos. Marriage would be nice, she mused. Maybe have a few little kids…but she pulled herself up short of feeling sorry for herself. Carly had decided a long time ago that she did not want to be married and having kids just for the sake of it.

  When Carly finally settled down, it would have to be with ‘the one.’ She wasn’t going to settle for good enough, because she wanted great, just like her parents had. They’d been married for thirty years and they still made each other giggle. Carly didn’t need perfection, she just needed her perfect match, and then life would be, well, perfect.

  Carly loved photography for many reasons, but one of them was the fact that looking through her lens let her see a situation clearly, without distraction. Looking at the little family in her camera viewscreen, she could see happiness and love. She couldn’t see the worry in their faces when they went home and wondered how they were going to afford a new baby, a wedding and everything a growing family needs.

  Carly realized that looking at life through a lens was somehow cheating, because real life was messy and not at all neat like her photographs. Still, she felt that everyone deserved one moment of clarified joy that they could keep and cherish for their whole lives, and that’s why she’d decided to become a photographer.

  Goodness knows the pay wasn’t great, and the long hours she’d spend editing these photos were way more than the amount of money she’d earn from them. But the look on Amy and Derek’s face was priceless, and she wanted them to have something positive and joyful to hang on to if the future got scary and stressful.

  “I think that’s it, y’all,” she said, switching off her camera. Amy and Derek seemed relieved, and Carly could tell that the pregnant woman was beginning to feel the heat of the day creep up on them. “Now, I don’t let anybody see these til they’re perfect, so you just go on home and sit tight. I’ll call you when they’re ready, and we can sort out prints.”

  Amy and Derek thanked her, and headed off towards their car after hugging her way too many times. Carly knew she had some great shots, and would enjoy editing these. She put her camera back in the case and headed for her own car, looking out for any wayward dogs as she went. She kind of wished she’d got Tucker’s number. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time, and found herself somewhat endeared with Tucker and Betty Sue.

  Well, she did know where he worked, and that was something. As Carly started her truck, she made a mental note to herself. I must drop by that pharmacy and pick up some sunscreen, because it’s been getting kind of hot lately.

  Chapter 3

  Michelle Summers, or Shell, to her friends, had always been a keen baker. Ever since she was little, Shell had followed her mother around the kitchen, mixing, pouring and stirring everything her mother would let her, and eventually she learned most of her mother’s techniques by heart. This had made her a very popular girl in school, when she would bring in cookies or cupcakes to surprise her teachers or friends.

  Shell was a born nurturer, but thanks to a knack for picking the wrong guy every time, she currently found herself with no one other than Carly to care for. Unless you counted Shell’s cat, Mr. George, named after the colorful eighties pop star because of his funny little eyes that made him look as though he wore a hefty dose of eyeliner.

  Shell spent her days taking care of Sweets & Eats, the bakery that her parents owned and used to run, until their retirement in January, when they had left Parker’s Mill for a year of travelling the country in their RV. Some girls may have felt put upon to be asked to take care of an entire business practically by themselves, but at 26, Shell felt it was high time that she settled down and found herself a career, and running the bakery seemed like as good a choice as any.

  Besides, she loved to bake and chat with everyone that came into the little bakery. She’d made a few changes to the place while her parents were away, putting in a couple of small bistro tables and folding chairs in front of the display case. That way, people could come in and grab a snack, and enjoy some good gossip before they left.

  She’d also installed one of those small refrigerators that she kept full of sodas and little cartons of milk, because you never knew when someone would want a glass of milk with their brownie or cookies.

  The other change that she’d made was that she’d hired Carly, at least unofficially, to help out while her parents were away. The bakery didn’t stay busy constantly, so Shell could manage most days on her own just fine, but it was nice to have the company when times were slow and great to have an extra set of hands when the pace picked up.

  Today was a slow day, but Shell knew that it would pick up, because Friday afternoons were always busy. She’d usually have a fe
w bank employees drop by to pick up some snacks for their breakroom sometime around noon, and Melvina from the post office would usually stop by and get some cupcakes for her grandbabies. Usually, most of the items in the display case would be gone by the time she closed up the bakery on a Friday night, and she’d have several dozen cupcakes, muffins and assorted baked treats in the kitchen, waiting to be brought out on Saturday morning.

  Shell was wiping down the counter for the third time that day, meticulously scraping away at a few specks that she was sure no one else could see, when the little bell above the door jingled, and Carly walked in carrying two large coffee cups full of coffee and a white shopping bag.

  “Did you stop by Chow Time first?” Shell quizzed her friend.

  “Uh-huh. Got you a little something, courtesy of Pete.” Shell blushed. Pete Wellesley owned the little diner down the street, and he was always sending them free coffee and food. Carly insisted that Pete had a crush on Shell, but she doubted it. He was just being nice, she told herself. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her; they had practically nothing in common, apart from a love of cooking.

  “How did your photo shoot go?” Shell changed the subject before Carly could even sit the coffee on the counter. She watched as her friend pulled open the plastic bag she’d been carrying, and pulled out two white Styrofoam takeaway boxes. She could smell the grilled cheese sandwiches before the boxes were even opened, and her mouth began watering.

  “Fine, it was good. Amy and Derek are a cute couple, and I’m sure that baby’s going to be just adorable.” Carly sipped her coffee, a wistful look in her eyes.

  “Do you get the impression that we’re the last girls in town to get married and have babies?” Shell bit into her gooey grilled cheese, and wiped the edges of her mouth.

  “Nah, Shell. We’re not the last, we’re just the smart ones. The way I see it, there is no need to rush off into marriage and babies. That just ends badly, and you know it. Besides, we’re not the only ones who aren’t married yet. You’ll never guess who I ran into today, and he didn’t have a ring on his finger.”

  Shell sat up, and leaned in closer. Gossip was her favorite food, and gossip about her old school friends was her favorite flavor. “Who on earth did you run into today?”

  “Well, actually, his dog ran into me. Do you remember Tucker Gaston? He was the nicest one of the Gaston twins?” Carly didn’t want to remind Shell that she’d gone out with his brother, but she didn’t have to.

  “Eww, yeah. His brother was Larry Gaston, that pig. You went out with him once, didn’t you?” Shell crinkled her nose up like she had just gotten a whiff of something rotten.

  “One time was more than enough for me. He was so sexist and full of himself, I think he’d probably been better off just dating himself.” Carly took a sip of her coffee and remembered her one and only date with Larry Gaston. It had been a trip to the movies, where they sat through some macho action movie for two hours, then he’d tried to make out with her in his car before dropping her back off at home.

  To be fair, they had both still been in high school at the time, but Carly’s “bad choice of boyfriend” alarm had been going off like crazy after that first date, and she sort of felt that she’d dodged a bullet.

  “I wonder what lucky gal wound up with Larry for a husband, if he’s even settled down.” Shell threw her empty Styrofoam container in the trash as the bell over the door began to jingle.

  The blonde that walked in the door seemed like a stranger to Carly and Shell at first. Her bleached hair was teased and sprayed into place using what looked like more hairspray than Carly had ever used in her life. The hairstyle wasn’t the only thing that was big about the woman. Her choice of clothing was loud, to say the least, and her makeup was something straight from the eighties.

  Yoga pants clung tightly to a generously sized derriere, which Carly couldn’t help but notice when the lady turned to unhook the handle of her purse from the door handle. She was wearing an oversized, low cut sweatshirt that had its sleeves cut off, and a pair of neon yellow bra straps could be seen hugging her curvy shoulders.

  Hot pink lipstick, loads of eyeliner, and the brightest blue eyeshadow known to man created an effect that was slightly retro, and completely unnatural. This lady does not read Vogue, thought Carly, but she smiled politely. Big Hair smiled back, but it didn’t look genuine.

  “Well, ladies, it is getting hot out there!” Big Hair sashayed into the room like a big neon sign, practically blinking in her brightness. “But it’s so cool in here, I might just have to stay for a while!” She stepped right up to the counter and plonked her purse down firmly. Looking back and forth from Shell to Carly, she laughed loudly.

  “Well, shoot! Y’all don’t remember me, do you? It’s Mona, from high school.” Carly looked at Mona, then at Shell, who seemed to be straining to put the brightly colored face and name together.

  Then it clicked. “Mona Durham?” Carly remembered only one Mona ever in her lifetime, and it was not the same person she saw standing in front of her. Mona Durham had been a skinny, quiet kid who followed her and Shell around the playground in elementary school, and who had been too shy to ask anybody to prom. This could not be the same person.

  “The one and only, but soon to be Mona Gaston, sugar! I’m getting married in three weeks, and that’s why I popped in here, I need a cake. But enough about me, how on earth are you two? Shell Summers, I knew you were here working for that sweet mama and daddy of yours, but I didn’t realize Carly worked here, too. I thought you went off to college to become a teacher or something.” Mona’s smile strained on her face. It was so fake, Carly wondered how she kept from losing it.

  “Oh, yeah, I went to college but decided to come back here and open up my own business. I’m a photographer, and I just help out here when Shell needs me.” Carly felt weird telling Mona this. They had never been friends in high school, and she didn’t think Mona was really that interested in being friends now.

  “Well, ain’t that perfect! It just so happens that I need a photographer for my wedding pictures, so you are hired. I know you’re good, because you took all those pictures for the yearbook, didn’t you? I need you to come over to Moore House in a couple of weeks and get some shots of me and my fiance. Larry’s just dying to get hitched, and we’ve only gone and picked out the most romantic place in town to get married.”

  Carly was sure that her mouth was hanging open, but when she went to close it, nothing happened. She swallowed quickly, then grabbed her coffee and sipped it, the cup barely hiding her astonishment. Shell wasn’t so subtle.

  “Oh my gawd...Mona Durham we were just talking about him! We were talking about how Carly went out with him that one time...ain’t it funny how life happens, huh? Well, congratulations!”

  Mona’s smile slipped for a moment, and her eyes flashed, a hint of jealousy played in Carly’s direction. “Yes, well that was an awfully long time ago, now, wasn’t it? Now me and Larry are as happy as can be, and we are planning the biggest wedding ever. His construction business is just booming after that tornado over in Catauga county, and he just stays busy, making that money.”

  Neither of the girls responded, so Mona kept talking. “I’m gonna need a big old cake. I want at least three tiers, four if you can get them all on there. My colors are pink and brown, and I want white cake with a cream filling, lemon will be fine. Now, I know it’s short notice, but I’d also like special cake toppers, if you can get them. I need the groom to have a little hammer, and the bride to be wearing zebra print, to match my dress.”

  Carly wondered whether Mona had actually stopped to breathe during that whole speech, while Shell wondered if she was being serious, or completely out of her mind.

  “Well, my goodness, doesn’t that sound like a lovely cake? I’m sure we can whip something up for you…” Carly tried to stop Shell before she could respond, but the feisty blonde was too quick for her.

  “Now, hang on, Mona. Four tiers are just t
oo many for this short notice, and I don’t have a clue where we’d find those cake toppers. Pink and brown, I can do. Did you want pastel pink or dark pink?” Shell was trying to hold her own in this confidence contest, and doing a pretty good job at it.

  Mona turned her fake smile up a few kilowatts. “Why, light pink’ll do just fine, and three tiers will have to do, I suppose. But, do try your best to find those little cake toppers. Maybe you can find them online on eBay or something.”

  Shell pulled out a pad from underneath the counter and began writing down Mona’s details, getting her phone number in case she needed to call her. Carly gave Mona her business card, so that she could arrange to meet later to discuss the wedding photos and schedule a pre-wedding walk-through, since Moore House was a large venue. She wanted to have a good idea of the layout before the big day, so she could get the best shots.

  “Ain’t it funny,” Mona purred, looking, Carly thought, entirely too proud of herself for someone who was marrying Larry the louse. “I mean, here we are, me marrying Larry after you dated him in high school. What a small world…”