Read chapter 1 in this bookstore cozy mystery!

Chapter 1

“I can’t believe I’m going to Belize and you two aren’t going with me,” I said to my best friends, Cora and Sally.

“You aren’t even going to miss us. You’re going to have so much fun,” Sally said.

“Without you two, it just won’t be the same.”

“You just need to go, have fun, and be prepared to tell us all about it when you return,” Cora added.

Cora, Sally, and I opened a combination bookstore, coffee shop, and wine shop a while back. It was scary opening a business, but we were having the time of our lives. I wished I would have done it sooner.

“But what if Cody needs me? I’ve never left him for so long.”

“Your ex-husband might be a deadbeat in the finances department, but you can’t say that he isn’t a good dad,” Sally reasoned.

She was right. Jared had never quite gotten himself together when it came to a steady job, much less a career, but he loved our son Cody, and honestly, it was probably going to be good for them to spend this quality time together for an extended period. It was the beginning of baseball season, a sport they both loved, and I knew Cody was looking forward to practicing his pitching with his dad.

“I second what Sally said. When is the last time you’ve been on vacation?” Cora asked.

“I’m not even sure I can answer that; I might have still been living with my parents.”

“Then see, you deserve this,” Sally said as we all arrived at the security line, which was as far as they could go with me. “You’re going to have an amazing time and come back rested and refreshed.”

We all hugged, and I waved as I got into the security line in the throes of people who, like me, wanted to get away from the cold of the Midwest. After I got through security, I stopped at one of the airport stores for a bottle of water and some snacks and then went to wait at my gate. As much as I hated to go on this trip by myself, it wasn’t because it bothered me to travel alone, but Cora, Sally, and I had all won this trip based on a contest we entered. However, they both had scheduling conflicts they couldn’t change, and the contest rules were firm: it was either this week or no week. Cora and Sally said there was no way I should give up an all-expenses-paid trip to Belize, and while I felt guilty, I was glad not to miss out.

After several hours on a commercial flight, then a really small prop plane that made me pause for a second when they asked everyone to wait before getting on and not to move because they needed to balance the plane out, and a twenty-minute car ride, I was walking into the resort. The pictures online didn’t do it justice. The foyer was all open, with palm trees decorated with lights and growing out of the floor. As I walked up to the reception desk, I felt instant happiness from the turquoise-and-peach decor. It was the little things.

“Can I help you?” Cheryl, the smiling woman behind the desk, asked.

“I’m checking in. Trixie Pristine.”

“Ah yes. We’ve been expecting you. You are in one of our premier suites, which comes with a butler, a fully stocked mini fridge, and everything at the resort included in your package.”

“Oh, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever had a butler. I’m not sure I need one.”

“You may not think so, but I’m sure you will find that Javier can be very helpful.” Cheryl called out to her right and lifted her hand, motioning over a young man who was probably in his late twenties, dark-skinned, and had black hair that was a little bit on the longish side and tucked behind his ears.

“Javier, this is Trixie Pristine. She is your VIP guest for the week. Can you please take her luggage and show her to her room?”

“Of course.” He held his hand out to shake mine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Is this all you brought?” he said, pointing to my suitcase.

“Yes, is that a surprise?”

“Honestly, yes. You should see the number of bags some of our VIP guests bring.”

“Javier,” Cheryl admonished, but I had to suppress a smile. I found his honesty refreshing.

“You will find, Javier, that I am very low maintenance. Now lead the way to my room; I would love to get freshened up.”

Javier and I chatted on the way to my room, which was on the top floor. I was speechless when he opened the door to let me in and then set my bag on the suitcase stand.

“Is there anything else I can get you right now, Ms. Pristine?”

“No. And please call me Trixie.”

He gave a quick nod. “Trixie it is. If you need anything, you can go to the phone and press #9896, and that rings directly to my phone,” he said, pointing to a phone on his belt.

“I’m sure I won’t need to bother you.”

“Please. Bother me. I’m assigned to you for your entire stay, twenty-four seven. If you don’t bother me, I will be very, very bored.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll try to think of something for you to do.”

“Appreciated. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you plan to do for dinner?”

“I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. I saw on the website that there are several restaurants here at the resort.”

“There are. Pretty much something for any mood that you are in, and some are better than others. I’m sure you want to relax and unwind and probably not feel like getting all gussied up for dinner, so I would recommend the Bay Lounge. It’s a more casual place. Think a few steps up from an afternoon deli, but more importantly, it’s outside facing the water. It’s so relaxing to sit out there as the sun is going down and listen to the waves.”

“It sounds amazing. Do I need reservations?”

“Because it is the busy season, and we’re getting close to full capacity, I would recommend you have reservations. Tell me what time you want to eat, and I will have that handled for you.”

Okay, maybe having a butler would be nice. “How about seven?”

“Consider it done. Before I leave, can I pour you a glass of wine or some champagne out of the mini fridge?”

I wasn’t one to day drink, even though it was almost five o’clock, and while champagne would be a nice treat, it would just put me to sleep. “I’ll pass on the alcohol, or I’d be in bed before dinner.”

“How about a soda? A little caffeine to pep you up,” he said and listed out the choices.

“I wouldn’t turn down a Diet Coke.”

I walked around this magnificent room that you couldn’t even call a room. It was much more than that. A suite the size of an apartment. The living area was bigger than my living room at home. I walked over and peeked in the bedroom, which was twice the size of mine.

“I set your drink on the table. Don’t hesitate to ring me if you need anything else and enjoy your dinner.”

“Thank you, Javier.”

He left, closing the door quietly behind him, and I walked over to grab my drink before walking out to the balcony. There was beach or ocean as far as I could see. The salt-scented breeze assaulted my nostrils, and I inhaled deeply, already feeling myself relax.

A couple of hours later, I made my way downstairs and found the Bay Lounge. I was glad I decided to have the caffeine because it definitely perked me up. Who knew sitting on a plane and doing absolutely nothing all day would be so exhausting?

I walked up to the hostess stand behind another woman, probably a few years older than me in her forties, who was talking to the hostess.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t see a reservation here, and we’re full,” the hostess said to her.

“Are you sure? I don’t think I’m hallucinating the fact that I made a reservation at the lounge for seven tonight, April 15.”

“I think I see what happened,” the hostess said. “Today is the fourteenth, so your reservation is for tomorrow.” The hostess scrolled down the iPad she was holding. “Yep, I see it. Tomorrow at seven.”

“Well, that explains it. I never was one for keeping dates straight.” She laughed. “And you really don’t have anything for tonight? I was looking forward to your lobster bisque special.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, sweetheart. Thanks for not making fun of me for not knowing the date.” The woman turned and smiled at me.

“I’m dining alone; would you like to join me?” I blurted out before thinking, but why not? She seemed nice.

“Are you sure it wouldn’t be a huge imposition?”

“Not at all. Is that okay?” I asked the hostess.

“Of course. Let me take you to your table.”

While inviting a complete stranger to have dinner with me was not my norm, we chatted like we had always known each other. Bessie Vincent was here a day early for a vacation with her sister. Bessie was a real estate agent from Fresno, California. Divorced, no children, and said her sister was recently widowed, which was why she was treating her sister to this vacation.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have another cup of coffee with me?” I asked her once we had finished dinner and dessert, and she got up to leave.

“I would love to, but I’m exhausted. I want to get a good night’s rest because if I know my sister, she’s going to want to hit the ground running the minute she gets here. She is like the Energizer Bunny, and I’m more like a sloth. I like my rest.”

“I highly doubt that, but I completely get wanting to rest up.”

“Are we still on for coffee in the morning?”

“Definitely. I’ll see if we need a reservation and take care of it if we do. See you at eight.”

“Sounds good. See you in the morning.”

I finished my coffee and signed the check, billing it to my room. It felt weird not actually having to pay or worry that there weren’t any dollar amounts on the bill. I went back to my room, and even though it felt weird, I called Javier.

“How can I help, Ms. Pristine? I mean Trixie,” he said, answering on the first ring.

“Can you make a reservation for two at the Beach Café for eight a.m.?”

“Absolutely. Anything else?”

“No, that will be it. Thanks, Javier.”

We hung up, and I grabbed my pajamas out of the suitcase. I should put everything up, but I was tired. I would rather deal with it myself tomorrow than have Javier handle my underthings.

After washing my face and changing into my pajamas, I crawled under the covers and immediately drifted off to sleep with thoughts of how relaxing this vacation already was.

Read the rest of the book.