Dead Before The Wedding: A Carly Keene Cozy Mystery (Carly Keene Cozy Mysteries Book 1) (2 page)

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 few 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 too 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…”

As Shell handed Mona her receipt, the bride-to-be shouldered her purse and issued a reminder. “Make sure I get this cake on time, sugar. I want my big day to be perfect, and since we’re having the wedding at Moore House, I need you to be sure you’ve got everything you need to get all my photos done. I want before shots, indoor photos, outdoor photos, the works. Money is no object.”

Carly wondered why, if Mona had so much money to throw around, she didn’t invest some of it in a better wardrobe and makeup lessons.

As the door shut behind Mona, Shell let out a dramatic breath. “Oh my gawd...do you believe all that? And how on earth did she get her hair so big? I mean, the eighties just called, and they want their Aquanet back.”

Carly giggled, unable to stop herself. “What a pair. I mean, Larry’s bad, but Mona, well, she takes the cake. I’m guessing she thinks her poop don’t stink these days, for some reason. Did she win the lottery or something?” If her memory served her right, Carly remembered Mona as being from a very poor family. If Mona was really having her wedding at the historic Moore House, which had a waiting list over eighteen months long and a four-figure deposit, she must have come into some serious money.