BooksBarbecue
Back The Village
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘There were maggots in your cake. Caused quite a stir when I served up a piece to one of my customers. I’ll be lucky if he ever comes back.’

‘Maggots?’ Naomi’s hand fell to her chest. ‘There can’t be . . .’ But a feeling deep in the pit of her gut told her there could. Her hand tightened into a fist. Morgan. She had gone too far this time. ‘Are you sure it was my cake?’ she said, trying to contain the situation. She imagined the uproar. Her business being tarnished before it got off the ground.

‘Mercifully, they were dead,’ Joanne responded, ignoring the question. ‘I asked my customers not to take pictures but . . . well, you know what people are like. I think it’s best you steer clear, you don’t want them going online.’

‘No,’ Naomi gasped, tears welling in her eyes. ‘There’s been a mistake. Those cakes were per . . . perfect.’ Her tongue tripped over her words as she stood, horrified. She turned to the window but could see nothing but grey sleet. Darkness was drawing in, reflecting her mood.

‘I hope you’re not suggesting I had anything to do with this,’ Joanne said haughtily. ‘I run a clean establishment. Those maggots were embedded in the centre of your cake.’

‘No, of course not. I just meant that . . .’ Naomi sighed. She didn’t know what she meant. She was at a loss for words.

‘It’s the talk of the village,’ Joanne continued. ‘So, it’s best if you stay away. I don’t want people to think you’re supplying the café.’

Her words were followed by a dead ringtone as she abruptly ended the call.

So that was it. She wasn’t waiting to hear Naomi’s side of the story.

She didn’t trust herself to have this out with Morgan – not yet. The last thing she needed was an atmosphere when Connie came to her door. She scrolled through her social media, thankful that at least no photos had been tagged to her Facebook page. Her frown deepened as she thought it through. How could Morgan physically put maggots inside her cake? The answer immediately sprang to mind. The same way she put the prawns in your clothes. No wonder she was smirking to herself. Naomi’s thoughts turned over like dark, shiny pebbles. Her outing with Dawn had brightened Morgan’s mood, but it didn’t change the resentment that she clearly felt. She would confront Morgan later, when it was just the two of them. The thought left Naomi uneasy in her skin. If Morgan was capable of ruining her business, what else was she planning for her?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN