“I’d love some but I can’t. I have to stop at the bank and post office, and then I’m off to meet Maggie for lunch.”

“Ah, yes, I suppose I must press on as well. Ray is due by at any moment. I should get ready for him.”

“Ray’s coming?” Candy rose and looked around. “Are you remodeling?”

“Putting in some shelves along the wall here.” The baker pointed to the far side of the room. “Expanding my offerings. I’ve decided to import German-made candies and cookies and sell them here in the store. Here, I’ll show you.”

He darted behind the counter and pulled a package from a large cardboard box. “You must try these. They are called Waffeletten. Wafer rolls dipped in chocolate. Straight from Germany. Absolutely delicious!”

He opened the bag and held it out to her. “Here, take one.”

“Herr Georg, I just can’t.” Candy patted her stomach. “I ate way too much this weekend. I’m going to be on a diet for the next month, at least.”

Georg nodded, closed up the bag, and passed it to her. “Take them with you then. Doc will enjoy them. Ah, here comes Ray now…”

Candy grabbed the bag from him, mumbled a quick “thank you,” and headed out the back door so she wouldn’t have to spend the next fifteen minutes making small talk with Ray.

The morning raced by, and before she knew it she was pulling up in front of the Stone & Milbury Insurance Agency, where Maggie worked as an office manager.

“We have to hurry,” Maggie said, grabbing her purse and dragging Candy out the front door with her. “I have to be back by one sharp.”

“Where are we going?”

“There’s that new café that just opened up on River Road.”

“Oh yeah. Melody’s, right?”

“I’ve heard good things about it. Let’s check it out.”

Melody’s Café was a soup, salad, and sandwich bistro with only eight or ten tables crammed into a small wood-floored space, but it was cool inside and tastefully decorated and smelled wonderful. And it was almost full. Candy and Maggie managed to snag the last open table in the back corner and settled gratefully into their cane chairs. Crisp white linen covered the tabletop, fresh flowers added an elegant touch, and fine china and fresh-baked rolls were placed in front of them the moment they sat down.

“Yummy,” Candy said as she and Maggie tore into the bread like wolves into a fresh kill. Their waitress was a pleasant young woman named Stephanie. Maggie ordered a teriyaki chicken salad, and though it seemed a bit decadent and she was seriously trying to cut back on her food intake, Candy opted for the lobster roll and chips. Both ordered a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay from Washington State, which was recommended by Stephanie.

“So,” Maggie said as she sipped her wine and nibbled at a fresh-baked roll oozing butter, “before we get distracted, you never told me how you did at the festival. Did you make out okay?”

“I had an amazing day. Made almost twelve hundred dollars.”

“Wow! I’m impressed.” Maggie patted her friend’s hand. “I’m so proud of you! You’re so resourceful.”

Candy sighed. “I need every penny. I just had to pay a killer property tax bill and make a quarterly payment to the IRS. It looks like Doc’s going to need some dental work. Registration on the Jeep is due next month-I just hope to God it doesn’t need any work to pass inspection. And I have to pay the harvest help. With all these bills I feel like I got the sword of Damocles hanging over my head.”

Maggie’s mouth twisted in thought. “Hmm. Damocles? He’s not that good-looking UPS driver, is he?”

They both had a good laugh as their food arrived. Candy nibbled at her lobster roll while Maggie speared a forkful of salad.

“So tell me,” Candy said between mouthfuls, “how is Amanda doing after her big night onstage?”

Maggie shrugged. “You know teenage girls. One minute she’s bouncing off the ceiling because she won second runner-up, and the next she’s down in the dumps because she lost to Sapphire Vine. It’s all hormones. An emotional roller-coaster. And having Cameron around so much doesn’t help.” She rolled her eyes.

“I talked to Herr Georg. You know, that thing we talked about.”

“You mean the judging?”

Candy nodded.

“Ooh, tell me. What did he say? Someone screwed up royally, right? Or maybe Sapphire just got her hooks into one of the judges-you know, bribery?”

Candy frowned and shook her head. “He wouldn’t admit to anything. But I know it has to be something like that. There’s no way she could have won that pageant without help from someone.”

“Right. It goes against the laws of the universe.”

“Something’s definitely rotten in Denmark.”

“Who gives a crap about Denmark? Something’s rotten right here in good ol’ Cape Willington.”

They talked on for some time as they finished their food and were still gabbing away when they heard another voice nearby. “Hello, excuse me.”

Candy and Maggie looked up. A curly-haired woman with a dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and a bright smile stood beside them.

“My name is Melody… Melody Barnes,” the woman said, introducing herself. “I’m the proprietor of this little establishment. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself. You’re Candy Holliday, right?”

“That’s right.” Candy held out her hand as she nodded toward Maggie. “And this is my friend Maggie Tremont. It’s nice to meet you, Melody.”

There were smiles and handshakes all around, after which Melody continued. “So how’s the food? Are you enjoying it?”

“Excellent,” said Maggie.

“The lobster roll is wonderful,” added Candy. “These chunks of lobster are huge.”

Melody seemed pleased. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. That’s a specialty of the house. My grandmother’s recipe. It’s all in the spices, you know. Listen, I must tell you, there’s a reason I wanted to meet you. I bought one of your blueberry pies on Saturday.”

“Oh yes, I remember,” Candy said pleasantly. “Did you like it?”

“It was one of the best I’ve ever tasted. I ate one piece myself and served the rest of the slices to some of my customers today. It’s been a huge hit, especially with the tourists, and I was wondering, well, if you would consider baking pies for me on a regular basis, to serve here in the café?” Leaning a little closer, she whispered, “I’ve been told I need to upgrade my desserts!” She leaned back again as she continued. “But I just don’t have the time to bake, since I’m so busy with the rest of the cooking. Anyway, your pies are so much better than anything I could make. I don’t think I could improve on them. And if you could help me out, it would mean the world to me.”

Candy’s eyes lit up. “Really? Of course! I’d love to do that. How many would you need?”

They set to talking then, and by the time Candy and Maggie left the café fifteen minutes later, Candy had an order for eight pies a week, half to be delivered on Monday morning and the other half Thursday morning. For this first week, though, she had agreed to deliver five pies the following afternoon.

“Wasn’t that nice?” Maggie said as they drove back to the insurance agency. “I guess things really are looking up for you, what with the festival, and now this.”

Candy nodded, feeling all aglow. “It’s great, isn’t it? With the way things are going, I just might be able to pay my bills this month.”

“Honey, with the way things are going, you’ll be able to buy Pruitt Manor!”