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“I’m guessing they dislike each other intensely,” Theodosia said.
“Sounds that way.” He paused. “But wasn’t Andrea on set when the murder occurred?”
“Sure, but she could have had help. A coconspirator.”
Drayton poured hot water over Assam tea leaves and placed the lid on his teapot so it could steep. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think anything yet. I was only on set for forty minutes this morning, just long enough to set up our table, meet the new director, and ask a few questions.”
“I’m amazed at how fast they replaced Josh Morro,” Drayton said.
“I guess Joe Adler was waiting in the wings for his big chance.”
“Does that strike you as strange?”
“A little bit. But I have to admit, Adler seems to know what he’s doing. There was a little more snap-to on the set this morning.”
“But you haven’t seen him in action,” Drayton said. “Haven’t seen him actually direct a scene.”
“No, I suppose that could prove to be another story. Then again, the movie really isn’t our problem. So I think…”
The telephone rang, prompting Drayton to hold up a finger, then grab the receiver. Theodosia figured it was someone calling for a last-minute reservation—that often happened—but Drayton listened intently for a few moments, then suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said, nodding his head in time to the beat. “That would work perfectly for us. In fact, it would be an honor. All right, we’ll be ready. See you soon. Looking forward to it, actually!” Then he hung up, looking nervous but excited.
“What?” Theodosia asked. “You’re acting as if you just won the lottery.”
Drayton pulled himself up to his full height and gave her a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile. “Actually, we kind of did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That call was from Tea Faire Magazine.” Drayton was practically breathless with excitement. “Willis Conklin, one of their feature writers, wants to come by and review our tea shop.”
“Dear Lord, when?”
“Friday. For lunch.”
“This Friday?” Theodosia cried. She was ready to hit the panic button. “No, that’s our Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea! We can’t possibly be ready!”
“We have to be ready,” Drayton said. “I told Mr. Conklin he’d be most welcome. And, believe me, he’s all atwitter to meet you.”
“Gulp.”
Drayton was fairly bursting with pride. “This is it, Theo, our big break. If Conklin loves us, then…well, his readers will, too. Just think, we’ll be written up and our photos will be featured in Tea Faire Magazine.”
“Exciting,” she said with tempered enthusiasm.
But Drayton was still over the moon. “I’d say it’s positively thrilling!”
“What? What?” Miss Dimple asked as she came over to grab a pot of English breakfast tea that was steeping.
“We have a writer from Tea Faire Magazine coming on Friday,” Drayton said. “To take pictures and do an article on us.”
“That’s your Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea,” Miss Dimple pointed out.
“Exactly,” Drayton said. He spun around to peer at his floor-to-ceiling shelves of tea. “Oh my, this visit calls for a very special blend. I’ve got to entirely rethink my tea repertoire.”
“Looks like Drayton’s having a moment,” Miss Dimple remarked.
