Francie Vanderhoosen blogs for

The Domestic Diva Mysteries

by Krista Davis







Hi, I'm Sophie Winston's next door neighbor. I was asked to blog today, which I find pretty exciting. Sophie said to share the local gossip so here goes.

I've lived in Old Town for a long time and didn't think it could get any better but it has. We have a tea room now! It's called The Parlour. Very appropriate because it's set up like little parlours. Instead of formal tables, there are private furniture arrangements with sofas and cushy chairs and a coffee table for serving the tea and goodies. So it's almost like curling up at home with a friend, except someone brings the tea and scones and you don't have any dishes to wash.

My friend Velma Klontz and I go there every day. You might call it our hangout. The Parlour has huge windows that front on King Street so we can watch what's going on in town. And right across the street is the brand new antiques store called Robert Johnson Antiques.

As luck would have it, the store belongs to Velma's widowed brother-in-law. Can you imagine—an older widowed man in Old Town? And good-looking, too. You should see the women who parade by his shop. He's very proper and elegant. Alas, too young for me, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the notion of being a cougar!

But I'm a little bit concerned because Martha Carter, the owner of The Parlour, asked Natasha to help her with a literacy fund-raising tea. I can't wait to see the mess Natasha manages to put together. That girl puts on a good TV show about cooking and such if you like that kind of thing, but she's no event planner.

So come on by The Parlour. I'll be there, eating a Bacon Cheddar Scone. What's your favorite kind of scone?