When Gia Morelli flees New York City and escapes to the outskirts of Central Florida’s Ocala National Forest, she uses the last of her savings to buy a small house and open the All-Day Breakfast Café. Her best friend, Savannah Mills, helps her set up and decorate the café. Before Gia arrives, Savannah makes blue and white gingham curtains, dark blue tablecloths, and cushions with zipper covers for the light-colored wood chairs. She also adds a few strategically placed paintings of local scenery and hangs a hand painted, wooden open/closed sign in the front window. Savannah does an amazing job creating the comfortable feeling of home Gia was striving for.Unfortunately, Gia doesn’t share Savannah’s creative talents. She’s also out of money, so when it comes time to make centerpieces, she has to come up with something cozy but inexpensive. With very little time left, Gia decides on an easy, inexpensive idea that anyone can make, even her.
Gia loves the beach. Although she hasn’t had much free time since arriving in Florida, she does manage to sneak away for a little while, and when she does, she heads straight for the ocean. She walks along the beach with a bucket in hand, collecting anything she finds that catches her interest; beach glass, seashells, small rocks, twigs, beach grass, driftwood, even a length of old fishing net. After that, she strolls through town and hits up the antique shops, and even the dollar stores, and picks out a variety of glass containers, mason jars, and small candles.
When she gets back to the café, she sifts through all of the interesting things she found on the beach and sorts them into jars. Some jars get candles in the center—of course, she’s careful not to put anything flammable in those. Others get beach grass or twigs sticking out the top. If the jars have no fun decorations on them, she ties a ribbon or a leather cord around them.
When she’s done, she sets a jar in the center of each table, then she creates a setting on the counter behind the register. She spreads a small bit of fishing net on the counter and arranges the jars among pieces of driftwood. With the lights dimmed and the candles lit, her customers can enjoy an intimate setting with their meals.
“This fast-paced mystery that will leave you hungering for more!” —J.C. Eaton, author of the Sophie Kimball Mysteries
For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .
When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast Café. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder . . .
“Hold on to your plates for this fast-paced mystery that will leave you hungering for more!” —J.C. Eaton, author of the Sophie Kimball Mysteries
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