Book Fair and Foul (Ashton Corners Book Club) (2 page)

The important thing was I wouldn’t have to do it alone.

ARSENIC AND OLD CAKE
—JACKLYN BRADY

L
izzie pushed herself from a yoga-style sitting position on the floor, where she’d been reading off book titles to Sally-Jo, who perched on a wicker chair with the master list in hand. “What a difference a day or two makes,” she said with a grin. “Friday we’re taking tea, all posh and gentle, today we’re taking inventory in Molly’s store, dressed in jeans and T-shirts.”

Sally-Jo laughed. “We can’t do glam every day, Lizzie.”

“I hear you gals. I might remind you that the men in the book club were not included in Friday’s outing,” Bob Miller said with an exaggerated air of aggrievement.

“Am I to believe you would have actually enjoyed high tea at the Jefferson Hotel, Bob Miller?” Molly asked as she walked past the girls on her way to the front desk, her arms filled with books.

“That would be carrying togetherness a bit too far,” Bob said quickly. “Now, this here is more my style. Where would you like this box deposited?”

Molly took a moment to brush back a stray strand of gray hair that had escaped the French roll that had been a tidy hairdo earlier that morning. “I guess right by the back door, Bob. I think I’ll end up with several boxes to be tossed. I thought I’d donate some to the Bargain Bin. I like that their profits go to help the food bank. The rest will go to the library. It seems their budget is never quite elastic enough.”

“Great idea, Molly,” said Jacob Smith, from his perch on top of the ladder. He’d been busy dusting off the top of the shelves, a task that needed to be done on a more regular basis, Molly always said, though she could never quite follow through on it.

“Well, y’all know how grateful I am to you for giving up your Sunday to help with this inventory. Lizzie and I did it when I bought the store but I guess it does make sense to do it twice a year. That way, I can keep better track of inventory changes.”

“Uh, you mean losses, don’t you?” Stephanie asked. She and Andie had just finished with the children’s section and she presented the paperwork to Molly. “I just can’t get my head around the fact that people really do swipe books. I mean, they’re books, for crumbs’ sake. Aren’t all readers honest people?”

Molly patted her arm. “I’d like to think so, honey, but you never know what some people will do.” She looked around at the store walls. “It looks like we’re making good progress here. How about if I send you two across the street to the deli to pick up the lunch and drinks I’ve ordered? Then we’ll all take a much-deserved break.”

By the time the girls arrived back, bags of food in hand, Molly had cleared off the worktable in the back room. They set the dishes of food out along with paper plates and plastic cutlery.

“This is just like a picnic,” Andie exclaimed, spooning some pasta and artichoke salad onto her plate.

Molly laughed. “Without the blanket and the ants. Just grab a seat anywhere and enjoy your meals. Sally-Jo, maybe while you are eating you could fill the boys in on our plans for the book fair.”

“Happy to, Molly.” She filled her plate, grabbed a can of cranberry juice and sat on the wicker love seat in the rear of the store. “You do know it’s in the Picton Hall at the Eagles Center, which has a stage, a large floor space and a kitchen at the opposite end of the room. We’ll have chairs set up onstage for the morning panel portion of the day, along with theater seating for the audience. And it should be easy to switch it up to an intimate setting with two easy chairs, one for the author and one for the interviewer, for the afternoon program.”

She scanned the faces of the members of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society to make sure they were all in agreement.

“What about someplace to sell the books?” asked Lizzie.

“I’m thinking along the right-hand wall. There’s plenty of room for a few tables and chairs for Stephanie and Andie. They’ll want to sit down in between dealing with customers. And the signing tables can be on the opposite wall, the one with the entry door. We’ll also set up the registration desk along that wall, too. Does that sound about right?”

“I think that will work out perfectly,” Molly enthused. “Do you foresee any problems, Bob? You are our logistics person, after all.”

He took a while to answer, looking like he was enjoying his food. “Nope. I think it’ll be an easy setup, which is good since it’s only Jacob and me doing the heavyweight stuff.” He grinned. “The chairs will take the longest but I’m sure we can get it all done if we get there, say, an hour before the doors open.” He looked over at Jacob, who nodded.

“Good.”

“Will all those heavy book boxes be here at the store for pickup?”

Molly shook her head. “No, I had them delivered to my home. They’re in the garage. That worked out well for Teensy Coldicutt’s launch, except for the initial glitch.” She smiled ruefully. “The back room here is so crowded already, as you can see.”

This was Molly’s first big event as new owner of the only independent bookstore in town. Molly had spent the last few months doing some rejiggering of the floor plan and redecorating the store while the book club members had been delighted with their various new roles. Bob Miller handled the bookkeeping end of it; Stephanie Lowe took on the role of manager and worked in the store most weekdays; seventeen-year-old Andrea Mason worked part-time, mainly on weekends and a couple of days after school; Jacob kept his eyes on all things legal; and Lizzie handled the promotional end of things and enjoyed doing the occasional shift selling books.

The Ashton Corners reading community had embraced the store in all its newness, especially the fact that Molly was the new owner. And now, she was venturing a bit further afield with her first major daylong event.

Sally-Jo was anxious to continue when it looked like they’d finished processing those details. “Now, remember I said there’s a kitchen at one end of the room? The luncheon will be held in that area. That makes it easier to set up the food that will be offered buffet style. We can leave the tables at the ready all day and it won’t interfere with the author events. How does that sound to y’all?”

Andie finished off her can of root beer and set it down on the floor. “I can’t believe it’s almost here. One more week,” she beat a pair of invisible drumsticks in the air, “and we’re holding our very first mystery conference.”

Lizzie nodded. “It’s not really a conference, more like a festival, but since the authors are coming directly from the Readers and Riters Festival in Atlanta, we’ve decided to call it a fair.”

Andie waved her hand. “Conference, festival, fair . . . doesn’t matter. I can hardly wait. Aren’t ya just bursting?”

Lizzie grinned, happy that Andie seemed ready to dive into another new project. The book club had been Lizzie’s method of turning her former tutoree onto reading. And although the club presented a variety of reading tastes and opinions, it seemed like they had also bonded as a fairly effective gang of sleuths, too. She just hoped this latest venture wouldn’t end up with another dead body count.

“I once again have to thank y’all for embracing yet another of my pet projects,” Molly said, helping herself to some more green salad. “When I took over the store I had no idea how much work it would be but it is because of you that I can try out something as ambitious as a daylong mystery fair. I’m also truly amazed that we have gotten such a good response from the authors.”

“Well, why in tarnation wouldn’t we?” Bob Miller asked, huffing up as he spoke. “We’re a legitimate mystery book club and you own a very popular bookstore.”

Molly gave him a warm smile. “You really do put the best spin on everything, Bob. Especially things to do with the store. Of course, we’re not paying them, but have put together a nice little package for them as a thank-you.”

“Such as?” Bob asked.

“Well, we’ve booked them at the Quilt Patch for an extra couple of nights after the book fair so they can take in the sights of our wonderful town. And while canvassing for items for our big draw at the end of the day, Lizzie managed to get extra contributions for the authors such as gift certificates for meals and the like. Plus, we have guest passes to the local museums. I think we’re treating our authors quite nicely.”

Lizzie jumped in. “The merchants are all delighted to help out. They’re in favor of anything new in town that might grow into a yearly event and bring in some tourists.”

Molly groaned. “Grow? Yearly? One event at a time, please. I’m really in such a tizzy about this fair, you would think it was a whole week long rather than just one day.”

“That’s understandable, Molly,” said Lizzie, reaching over to touch her hand. “It’s the first time you’ve put on an event like this. You’ve had so many firsts since buying the bookstore and you’ve handled them all so professionally. I’m sure this event will be every bit as successful.”

“That’s nice of you to say, honey. I really did jump in with both feet and not much in the way of eyeglasses, buying that store. But you know, I have loved every minute of it and so much more having y’all involved in it. The little book club that could.”

“Do you need help with anything besides the bookselling, Molly?” Stephanie asked. “Mrs. Sanchez is staying over at my house for the Friday night and Saturday so that I can attend. I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be the first time in a long time that I’m out at something other than work or a book club meeting. Not that I don’t enjoy being here with y’all today,” she added quickly.

Bob chuckled. “Even if you don’t, you know you can’t get out of it. You’re part of our book club, little lady.”

“And Stephanie, I do not know what I would do without you running the store. You have turned out to be an amazing manager,” Molly said.

Stephanie turned a bright pink and grinned from ear to ear. “So, what’s the agenda for the fair, Molly?” she asked.

“Well, I went and asked Teensy Coldicutt to be the emcee for the day.”

“I thought she was busy house hunting,” Sally-Jo said. “She might not have time for us.”

“Pshaw. Teensy’s a social butterfly at heart and she’ll have fun meeting the authors. Who knows, she may get some publicity out of it. After the huge amount of sales her book had in the summer when it came out, it is just languishing on the shelves these days. Not that Teensy is not trying her best to promote it, but there are not many more opportunities here in Ashton Corners and she is not very keen on doing any touring herself.”

“Maybe these authors will just sweep her up with them,” Stephanie suggested. “Didn’t you say they often do events together?”

Molly looked thoughtful. “You are right, my dear. They do and she just might find them to her liking. But as you said, she is busy looking for a house, so we will see.”

Jacob sat down beside Sally-Jo on the wicker love seat that resided in the travel section of the store. He took one of two pecan balls from his plate and placed it on hers. She flashed him a smile that made Lizzie feel like she was intruding on a special moment, even in the midst of the entire Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society. Sally-Jo and Jacob had met at the first meeting of the book club and had quickly become an item, much to the delight of all. Nothing like a romance right in their midst.

Molly gave Lizzie a smile that said she felt the same way, before she continued. “As Lizzie suggested, I also asked Isabel Fox from the library to be the moderator of the morning panel and she is thrilled. I have left the questions she’ll ask them entirely in her hands.”

“In the FYI department,” Molly continued, “Caroline Cummings, whose real name is Margaret Farrow, by the way, and her husband are arriving at the bed and breakfast next Thursday. And, as Margaret Farrow, she has a very popular romance series.”

“That’s that woman who writes a cozy or something, isn’t it?” Bob asked. Bob’s nose actually crinkled as he said it.

“It is. She has a Southern belle who is a caterer as her amateur sleuth. Bob, you are more than welcome to be part of the welcoming party, too.”

Bob guffawed. “Not on your life, Molly. I’ll wait until that fella who writes about the sheriff gets here. What’s his name?”

“A.J. Pruitt.”

“That’s the one. Now he’s writing what I want to read. I’ll be mighty pleased to make his acquaintance.” Bob winked at her.

Molly grimaced. “Continuing. A.J. Pruitt,” she looked pointedly over at Bob, “will arrive after supper on Thursday, he said. Lorelie Oliver will come in on Friday and Gigi Briggs will be flying in from Boston the same day. Bob, would you be able to pick her up at the airport? I think her plane comes in at three.”

“Sure thing.”

“That’s all of them then, and we will have dinner at my place, of course. I’m having it catered by Food Lovers’ Delight, so it will be an easy evening. Now, have I missed anything?”

Bob shrugged and the others just looked at one another, saying nothing.

“Good. Then, I guess we’re all set. Oh yes, I wanted to remind everyone that even though this mystery fair has been a lot of work, we have all agreed to still hold our regular book club meeting. Bob has chosen
Shoot the Dog
by Brad Smith, which is now out in trade paperback and on our shelves, although you should have finished reading it by now,” she said with a smile.