“This is so amazing.” Casey could hardly contain her excitement as she took her seat in the makeup chair. “I can’t believe we get to be on TV.”
“And on Addie’s favorite show.” Brooke smiled at me in the mirror. She’d moved over to get her hair done.
“My new favorite show,” I corrected. My friends worked hard keeping the shelter together while I was gone and deserved the full-blown pampering session just for being their amazing selves. But today, we were getting ready for the very first episode of Diana’s Table.
And she’d come all the way to Harmony, New Hampshire to film it, as a thank you for my work in the case. Lindsay had brought Persephone and me to the hospital right after the arrest so we could meet.
But no one was more surprised than me when Kenzie called a couple weeks later to propose filming Diana’s first episode here. With George, Val, and Maxim awaiting trial, Detective Miller had sent me a snippet of footage from the very last taping of Parking Lot Potluck. It didn’t show George committing the crime, but it showed a very concerned Chloe sniffing the soup and him getting up in a hurry to get her away from it.
I’d have to testify when it went to court—which was the first time in our sleuthing career that Persephone and I had been summoned.
There was talk an animal expert might be called in to talk to Persephone. I told them only I could understand her, but maybe there were others like me.
Diana’s Table would explore local cuisine in different regions of the country as she and her sous chef, Lindsay, cooked for their friends.
That was me. I was Diana Diamond’s friend now, and my inner fangirl couldn’t be happier about this development.
There was a knock on the trailer door. Kenzie poked her head in. “Think you’ll be ready in ten to start filming?”
“Absolutely,” one of the stylists said. “These ladies are already gorgeous, and we’ll be done soon.”
I’d already been through the works, so I picked up Persephone and walked toward set.
“So we’re inside the TV again,” she said.
“Yes, we are.” Production had picked a gorgeous spot, with Harmony Bay as a stunning backdrop to Diana’s mobile kitchen. There was no denying how different the vibe on this set was than what I’d experienced on Parking Lot Potluck. To be fair to my former favorite show, they weren’t filming when I was there, and they’d all been the victims of a horrible crime.
Everyone here was excited about the new venture. I was, too.
“Do I have to wear the leash on camera?”
“No. I only have it on while we get acclimated with the set. I’ll take it off when we film, and I have a feeling Diana’s making some fish.”
“I hope so.”
My heart thrummed in my chest when I got closer to the kitchen. It was rustic, even though it was at the edge of a parking lot. Steam came from a big pot on the stove, and Lindsay was going over last-minute adjustments with a small crew of assistants.
And Kenzie had brought Chloe! I approached cautiously because we didn’t exactly have a chance to make amends with the Great Dane before we left Seattle.
Chloe rose to her feet, sniffing at us as we got closer. Her tail wagged.
“She seems happy to see us,” I said as Kenzie approached.
“She’s a totally different dog now that she’s with me all the time. Not so anxious. She loved George, but I think she knew he was up to no good, so I make sure she gets plenty of walks, treats, and as little stress as possible.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.” I reached for Chloe’s head, and she pushed against me, welcoming pets.
“I’m ready to be your friend, too,” Persephone said. “I’m sorry it took us this long.”
I put Persephone down, and Chloe jumped, ready to play. After spotting a ball that she’d forgotten about, I rolled it between them and almost died of the cuteness as they batted it back and forth to each other.
“Chloe! You’re playing with Persephone.” Kenzie beamed. “I hate to break this up, but we’re about to start.”
“We can pick up where we left off when we’re done filming.” I gave her another good scritch, picked Persephone up, and headed to the makeshift kitchen.
Lindsay was beaming, totally in her element. I was so excited that she was getting this chance, but I was really looking forward to eating food that she cooked. If it wasn’t for her help, Persephone and I might not have solved the case.
“Hey.” Henry caught me totally off guard when he came over. He laughed when I jumped. “I’m not as into cooking shows as you are, but this is pretty cool.”
“You look so handsome.” I always thought it, but I didn’t often say it out loud. The stylists had tamed his wavy hair a bit, and his skin looked amazing, not like he had makeup on, but he definitely had a glow to him.
“You look great, too,” he said, taking my hands in his. “I’m a little nervous about being on TV, so you’ll have to show me the ropes.”
“You’ll do great. It can’t be harder than standing in front of a class and teaching,” I said. Energy was tingling through my veins from his touch, and something felt different today. “I’ve only been on the news a couple times. I always cringe when I see myself, so I’m nervous, too.”
“You’re a natural.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. Those tingles exploded like fireworks.
We separated, and Henry had a dreamy smile on his face. I had a feeling it mirrored mine.
Leave it to Henry to make today even more amazing.
“This is so cool,” Brooke said. I hadn’t seen her and Casey join us. She could’ve been talking about the set or the kiss, but I didn’t ask for clarification because, either way, she was right.
Diana appeared on set with her styling team in tow. Last-minute touch-ups were underway, and someone came to smooth my hair and refresh my gloss, too.
The crew was in place, and Kenzie counted Diana in.
“Welcome to Diana’s Table. My name’s Diana Diamond, and each week, I’ll be teaching my assistant, Lindsay Lorenzo, local secrets to cooking regional cuisine. This week, we’re coming to you from Harmony, New Hampshire, and we’ll be cooking for some very special friends. Please meet Addie, Persephone, and their friends from Helping Paws Animal Shelter.”
Kenzie motioned for us to take our seats on the other side of the counter. Persephone’s seat had a booster so she’d be able to easily reach the table. We’d be able to ask questions and chat about Harmony while Diana and Lindsay cooked.
“If you’re not familiar with Addie and Persephone, they solve crimes together as Spy Kitty in the City,” Diana continued. “These ladies saved my life, and that’s the reason I wanted to start this new journey right here.”
Emotion welled in my eyes. People often laughed at the work Persephone and I did, thinking I fabricated what Persephone said, but we made people’s lives better. In some cases, we even saved them.
“Addie, tell us what’s special about Harmony.”
Oh. I didn’t think she’d call on me right away. Casey nudged me, and Henry squeezed my hand under the table.
“I grew up in Harmony, and sometimes, it’s easy to overlook what’s special about your hometown. But I love the way everyone comes together here and cares about each other. It might not be a big town, but we have a great college that Brooke, Casey, and Henry are all involved with.”
“Tell me about Helping Paws.”
A chance to talk about the shelter on network TV! “Helping Paws is a no-kill shelter that wants to make every animal’s time with us feel like home. Since Persephone has come to us, we’ve been able to make huge strides in how we care for the animals because we don’t have to guess what they like or need anymore. They can tell Persephone, and we make it happen. We’ve been able to take in some animals who’d lost hope and find them amazing forever homes.”
“I’ll be making a sizeable donation to the shelter to thank you for what you and Persephone were able to do for me.” Diana beamed at me as she breaded cod. “What’s your favorite thing to eat on a date night?”
Heat rushed to my face. “Whatever you’re making will be amazing.”
“You can do better than that,” Henry said. “I’ve asked Lindsay and Diana to give me a couple of cooking lessons before they go. Now that I’m settled in my new place, and you don’t have another case lined up—”
“Yet,” Casey said.
“I want to cook for you. Every time I try to take you on a date, you get a case. I know how much you like to stay in and watch shows like Diana’s Table, so I thought we could make our own cooking show.”
“That’s amazing.” I turned to him. “Thank you.”
Diana was beaming at us. “This is what I love about food. It brings people together, it brings us home even when home is far away, and it’s the best way to let people you know how much you love them without saying a word.”
“I love your shows because they make all the bad things go away. Thank you for giving me an escape.”
“Anytime. I don’t know what I’d do if anyone ever took cooking away from me.” Diana flipped over the fish. “Thanks to you and Persephone, I get a chance to try my dream show concept. No competition, just great local food with friends. Like I said, this is what cooking’s really about.”
“What case will you and Persephone solve next?” Lindsay asked as Diana put a plate of plain fish in front of my cat.
“We’ll know when we get the call.” But whatever it was, I wasn’t sure anything could top this.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you had as much fun solving this case with Addie and Persephone as I did writing it.
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