Have a Deadly New Year. Lynn Cahoon

or that we catered the dinner, but no announcing the address or pictures of the band.” Felicia made eye contact with each of them. “This is important, guys, I gave Cliff my word that we’d be discreet.”

      “Then we’ll honor that, right?” Angie went to stand next to Felicia. “Matt’s right, this is an awesome way to end our year. I’ve been excited about how well the restaurant has been doing, so part of our brainstorming is going to be about monthly themes. We get a week to live in this house. Just don’t break anything. My umbrella policy isn’t that large.”

      “So no using Ming vases for football practice?” Matt grinned but pointed to Dom, who was sleeping in the corner of the kitchen on the bed Angie had brought with them. “What about him? Does he know the rules too?”

      Angie worried about Dom’s ability to be careful in the expensive rooms. But she had a plan to keep him away from the really delicate items and close by her side. Maybe they’d leave with the house unharmed. At least she hoped that was what would happen. “Keep an eye out for him, will you? And if he seems to be somewhere he shouldn’t be, bring him back to the kitchen.”

      “We will watch out for Dom. He’s one of us,” Estebe said as he closed his tablet.

      Dom lifted his head, huffed, and lay back down. Apparently, he agreed.

      “Are we ready to start cooking? Dinner’s at five thirty.” Angie reviewed the menu for the evening. They were going all out for their guests. An opening salad, then a garden gazpacho soup. A caviar-topped scallop appetizer. Beef tenderloin in a Wellington preparation for the main course along with potato/turnip mash, and one of Felicia’s chocolate-on-chocolate desserts.

      Tomorrow they’d start to work on a winter menu plan for the County Seat. She wanted some new ideas to spark more complex dishes to serve to their customers. But today, they had customers to feed. She wanted to have a good showing on the dishes. One, for the sake of the County Seat, and two, to show Felicia’s old schoolmate what an amazing woman she’d turned out to be. Angie had a few high school naysayers she’d like to show what kind of person she turned out to be. But maybe that was just her. “Then let’s get going.”

      The serving staff that Felicia had hired from the local temp agency showed up at five fifteen. Felicia left her spot where she’d been watching the chocolate souffle in the oven. Angie hadn’t seen her friend so wound up about a service. Maybe there was more to this Cliff guy than just an old friend. Maybe they’d dated. The staff started getting ready to serve. With three of them, the food would go out to the formal dining room quickly and in one fell swoop.

      Felicia had just come in from setting up the dining room with the servers when Cliff Henry breezed through the door.

      He glanced around the room, his gaze falling on Felicia. “There you are. I wanted to get here earlier to greet you, but Bailey and I went shopping. I forgot to pack a jacket. Can you believe it? One of our crew members loaned me his for the trip into town. It’s terribly out of fashion, but as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers.”

      “The jacket looks fine, Cliff. Man, it’s good to see you. It’s been too long.” Felicia fell into the rock star’s arms. “You always promise you’re going to come in a day or two early or fly back late when you’re playing a local venue. But it never comes to be. What happened this time?”

      “I guess I stopped in early this time, poppet.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Introduce me to your lovely friends.”

      Matt ran to the guy’s side. He pumped his hand with a maniacal look. “I’m Matt Young, sir. Thank you for coming to the end of the earth for your getaway.”

      “That’s what getaway means. If I’m here, no one will look for Cliff Henry, the rock star. I’m just Cliff, the guy with way too much money that lets this place sit empty too many days a year. All the locals know me and judge me on that character flaw. Like every other rich person who has a cabin up here.” Cliff slapped Matt on the back. “I’m trying to live up to their expectations of me.”

      “You’re always trying to live up to someone’s expectations,” Bailey mumbled, and Cliff shot her a look. She rolled her eyes but went back to staring at her manicure.

      “Muffy thinks getting the band together is a bad idea. We’re not exactly on friendly terms right now, but at least we’re trying. And it’s the music that’s important, right?” He hugged Felicia, then addressed the rest of the group. “I can’t believe this one owns her own restaurant. I mean, she was always smart. She helped me through Algebra II and Calculus. But really, she was known for being the best-looking girl at school. Captain of the cheerleading squad. Drill team. Didn’t you win a few beauty pageants senor year?”

      Felicia rolled her eyes. “Mother’s idea. She wanted me to earn scholarships to make sure I felt obligated to go to Brown. Her alma mater. My dad was pushing for Harvard. When Boise State offered me a full ride to the culinary program, I grabbed it. They didn’t talk to me for a year. Thanksgiving dinner that first trip home was brutal.”

      “Cliff, give your friend a break and stop calling me Muffy.” Bailey stuck her finger into Cliff’s stomach. She smiled at Felicia as she added to the discussion. “I think you should do what you want with your life. You only have one. And living here must be amazing.”

      Angie got the feeling that Bailey’s words weren’t totally aimed at Felicia’s situation. She locked gazes with Felicia. “I’m glad you chose Boise State. I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.”

      “And I wouldn’t have this cool job where I get to meet Cliff Henry,” Matt added. When everyone turned to him, he shrugged. “What? I have a personal motto that it’s all about me.”

      “You’re the leading man in your own play,” Cliff agreed. “So many people don’t get that about life. Or if they do, they think the rest of us are two-bit players and not important. I suppose you’ll be doing New Year’s resolutions during your week? Make sure they’re about you and not what others think you should do.”

      The venom behind the words surprised Angie, but once he realized he’d shown more than what he’d expected, Cliff let a smile transform his face. And she was left wondering if she’d imagined the pain she’d caught from his statement.

      “Anyway, I just wanted to check in. We’ll have about thirty people here for dinner, then all but six of us will leave tonight for home. The band will fly out tomorrow to L.A. for some business and promotion stuff.” He sighed. “That part I haven’t missed. I love sitting alone or with Dane writing songs. And performing isn’t bad. But the media? They’re vultures.”

      “You’ll just have to plaster on that pretty smile of yours and they’ll be eating out of your hand.” Bailey ran her hand up and down Cliff’s arm.

      He turned to her and smiled. It was clear to Angie that Bailey was the rock Cliff clung to. She and Ian had a different relationship. He was at her house this week, feeding Precious the goat and Mabel the black-and-white hen. He was also working on a plan for a greenhouse at her farmhouse. If she could grow her own veggies during the winter, she’d have a better feel for what she could buy for the restaurant. They were independent of each other. Bailey and Cliff seemed to be joined at the hip.

      Reminding herself that all relationships were different, Angie pushed away the judging thoughts. “Well, at least you’ll get a good last supper before you have to start the media tour. Food can sustain you, especially during times of stress.”

      Felicia beamed at her. “Angie’s on point. And the menu tonight will be filled with power foods, so you all should be ready to fight off any attacks.”

      “Unless they’re from within,” Bailey muttered.

      Cliff turned and stared hard at her, making Bailey drop her gaze. Maybe he was stronger than he looked. “Sounds like a terrific meal. Anyway, we’ve got to go hang out with the guys for a while. FYI, there are ski runs in all directions here. So all you have to do is slap on a pair of skis, and head out on a trail. The lodge has a shuttle