Something's
Cooking at Dove Acres
by
Will Zeilinger
Summary
When
her Great Aunt Helen dies in a tragic barbeque explosion, young Maddie Van der
Wald inherits the huge house and estate on an isolated part of Catalina Island.
She reluctantly moves in amid rumors of ghosts and buried treasure
If
she doesn’t follow the terms of the will, which forces her to live on the
island and give up her life back in L.A., her greedy cousin stands to inherit
it all.
She
meets eco-activist Luke Garrett and tells him of her plans to turn the mansion
into a Bed and Breakfast inn. Her ideas go nowhere when she is plagued by debts
and legal problems. To pay her bills, she agrees to allow a cell phone tower on
her property. Everyone turns
against her, including her best friend Jojo.
Maddie’s
life has become a total mess. She wonders if her boat trip to this island was a
trip to Hell. Whatever the outcome, she’s ready to fight for what is rightfully
hers.
Buy
link: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com
To
see what inspired this Young Adult Mystery and recipes in the story see http://janetsrambling.blogspot.com/
Excerpt:
First thing in the morning I picked up a message from Jojo. Just hearing her say she'd been on the
mainland and was coming back today made me yearn for the freeways and the fast
pace I left behind for Catalina, but the sweet aroma of buttery croissants
distracted me. Veronica had baked a
batch for breakfast.
Jojo showed up just as they were cooling on the kitchen
counter. Veronica wrapped up a couple
for her kids and took them to day camp. While Jojo downed two more croissants
with her coffee, I told her about the financial issues.
"I have to
do something soon or we might lose this place.
Right now, renting a spot for a cell phone tower seems the fastest way
to generate income." Jojo listened
intently and sipped her third cup of coffee. "I'm telling you this because
half of this property belongs to you and I'd like your input before I make a
decision. Whether you were in the will
or not, you're a partner in this.”
“Stop right
there.” she held up her hand and looked me straight in the eye. “First of all, I'm not your blood relative.”
“How could you
say that? Mom and Dad adopted you.
Legally you're my sister and entitled to half this inheritance. ”
She waited a
long time to speak, “They never adopted me - legally.”
My throat
tightened, "But they raised us as sisters and I always thought it was
legal."
“They were my
legal guardians, but I learned just before they died that they never adopted
me. I brought this to their attention
and YOUR father said to me, “You're not a real Van der Wald, and I’m not going
to cheat my flesh and blood daughter out of half her inheritance.”
The deep hurt
and betrayal brought tears to her eyes.
“I'd always thought they loved me as much as they loved you, but when
your father said that, I knew it wasn't true.
He never considered me part of the family. I was just a charity case to him.”
“That makes no
sense Jojo. They showed us the same love
and affection. We got the same
education. We were in scouts and
basketball together. They even gave us
the exact dresses for prom night, different colors, but they were the same.”
Jojo put her
face in her hands and sobbed, “They never gave me their name, never made me a
real member of the family. When your
father said that to me, I felt like he slammed a door in my face. I was nothing, nobody."
I reached for
her hand but she pulled back.
"After I
moved away I researched my roots and found out I’m part Tongva, but that’s all.
My ancestors inhabited this island centuries ago. That's why I live here now. It’s my ancestral home - my land. Your father took away my family and I didn’t
fit in to your world. My true history had been hidden from me. I was nobody until I found my people.”
“But Jojo,
Mother loved you like her own, she doted over both of us at school
and...everywhere. How could you say
that?”
“I know, I owe them a lot… my health, education, the
stuff they bought me and the love they showed.
But when I learned I was never accepted into what I thought was my own
family, I felt like I had only been looking through a window at a family
gathered around a warm fireplace and I was outside in a storm."
“Is that why you left after the funeral and
never returned my calls?”
“I thought that
was the way they wanted it. I did my job
by acting the part of your sister. Once
we grew up, I knew my presence was not needed or wanted.”
“They said
that?”
"Not in so
many words, but that's how it made me feel."
“I can’t believe
that. Our parents weren't like that.
Jojo, you are my family, my only family.
Whatever happened between my parents and you is in past. It’s us now, you and me. It will always be that way. You're my sister
and I love you.”
She shook her head. “If you mean what you say, then don’t put the
cell phone tower on this land. This is
Tongva land, holy and sacred mother earth.
You can’t desecrate it with commercial structures."
“…and my bed and
breakfast idea, are you against that too?”
“The land was
here since before man came. The white
man built on top of it and covered over much of my people's history, but none
of that matters now.
BIO:
Will lives in
Signal Hill, California and visits Catalina frequently. Most
recently Will and wife, Janet Elizabeth Lynn (also an accomplished author),
co-wrote Slivers of Glass, a noir murder mystery set in 1955. At the time of this writing, Will has
published three other novels (Ebooks.) The
Naked Groom, Something’s Cooking at Dove Acres, and The Final Checkpoint (also in print).
Contact
info:
Twitter:
@Will_Zeilinger
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wzeilinger
blog:
http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com
These tea
sandwiches were served and made by Dimple at her first family gathering.
TEA SANDWICHES
Makes 20 small sandwiches, they should be varied in shape—round, square, triangular, or diamond. Remove the
crusts and cut in quarters or use a large cookie cutter to make unusual shapes.
Any kind of bread will do: white,
rye, nut, or raisin. Serve them open faced or
closed. Serve right away or cover
with foil, and store in the
refrigerator. Estimate 3 or 4 for each guest.
Here are sample of fillings
for the sandwiches
Fillings
•
Cream cheese, minced cooked mushrooms,
garnish with ground nutmeg.
•
Chopped watercress, softened butter, garnish
with grated
onion.
•
Strawberry marmalade, chopped pecans,
and cream cheese.
•
Minced crabmeat, mayonnaise, and ground turmeric.
•
Mashed avocado, fresh lemon juice, and hot
pepper sauce.
•
Minced chicken, almonds, curry powder,
and dairy sour cream.
•
Creamed Roquefort cheese, cream cheese,
and sherry.
•
Spread with smoked cheese
and top with sliced.
•
Minced cucumbers, dairy sour cream, garnish
with capers.
• Ginger marmalade, topped with chopped walnuts.
