Genre: Cozy Mystery
A mouth-watering home run of a beach read, this lighthearted romantic comedy featuring a newly widowed fortysomething takes the reader on a joyful romp through-out some of Chicago’s finest eateries—with a dash of Cubs baseball on the side.
In the heart of Chicago, forty-five-year-old Angie Sortino finds herself at a crossroads. Recently widowed, she discovers that her deceased husband, Vinnie, has left her penniless. Until his City pension can be cleared up, she’s on her own.
Angie has just taken a job at Chicago City Hall as a cleaning woman when her spirited twenty-two-year-old niece, Gina, and Gina’s best friend, Kim, approach her with the idea of starting a catering company targeting funeral parlors. Seeing a chance to reawaken her own culinary aspirations, Angie gets on board. As the three women embark on this new venture, they face the challenges of the catering business, from securing clients to perfecting their menu. Angie and Gina’s love for the Chicago Cubs adds a playful twist to their journey; they often find inspiration in the vibrant atmosphere of Wrigley Field. Gina’s youthful enthusiasm, meanwhile, contrasts with Angie’s cautious nature, leading to hilarious mishaps, unexpected romantic encounters, and heartfelt moments.
Through late-night brainstorming sessions and spontaneous cooking experiments, Angie begins to find her voice, both in the kitchen and in her life—and ultimately, with the support of a respected funeral director, Gina and Kim, and an unexpected new love interest, she learns to embrace her worth and pursue happiness.
Excerpt
The sky was blue, it was a warm late-September afternoon, and there was no better place to be as they walked across the street from Murphy’s into the ballpark. They had the best bleacher seats. Center field, perfect view of the field, and an excellent place to grab a few home run balls, if the stars were aligned. As they approached their seats, Kim stopped. “Wait a minute. Gina, do you see what I’m seeing? It’s Peggy’s girls from the kitchen.”
Gina looked past the girls and saw something that astonished her. There was Peggy sitting next to Ben, who stood up and waved.
“Uncle Ben, what the hell?”
“Hey, Gina, it’s a long story, but we’re all here to have fun and forget about our troubles, right, Peggy?”
Peggy growled, “Why not, can’t work today, schools are closed. Ben stopped by with tickets yesterday and I figured my crew needed a break after the poisoning incident.” She sat back down, grumbled some more, and took a sip of her beer. Gina walked over and hugged Ben and sat between him and Peggy.
“I am so sorry about the poisoning,” Gina said. “Angie got it all straightened out. It wasn’t us who did it. She can bring you up to speed after the game.”
“Good to hear. Sorry I was so mean to you, but it put me behind schedule,” Peggy said. “By the way, my niece is coming out from San Francisco tomorrow, loves baseball. Maybe we can take her to a Cubs game. She’s a private investigator and has a case here. I think you’d like her. She’s a lot of fun. She bats for Kim’s team.”
“What’s her name?” Gina asked.
“Jackie Larsen, she’s one fun-loving smart cookie. Her parents disowned her when she came out, but I told her she would always have a place in my heart and home,” Peggy said, and then turned to watch the players warm up. Gina went to sit with her mom, Angie, and Kim.
“That Ralph knows how to pick good seats,” Connie said.
“Vinnie and Ralph spent many a day in the bleachers,” Gina leaned over and remarked. “They could afford the fancier seats, but they said this is where the real fans were.”
Angie bought popcorn, peanuts, and beer for the crew, toasting, “Here’s to family and the Cubs.” They all raised their beers, toasted, and yelled, “Go, Cubs!”
The Cardinals took an early lead with two home runs in the top of the second, and the Cubs answered in the bottom of the fifth and tied the score. Baseball time was different for Angie. She had learned from Vinnie to put all her cares away and soak it all in, one pitch at a time, one hit at a time, one inning at a time. Today, of all days, she was doing just that, glancing at the field and then over at her family, including Thad and Daisy, knowing they would always get through anything as long as they were together. She laughed out loud when one of the lunch gals yelled at the ump, “That was a strike! Get some glasses!”
What a motley crew, Angie thought. At the top of the sixth, one of the ushers came over to where she was sitting. “Is there an Angie Sortino here?”
They all looked up. “Who wants to know?” Angie asked.
“We have a very special surprise for Angie. Are you Angie?”
“Depends. You’re not from the mayor’s office, are you?” Angie asked.
“No, I work for the Cubs.”
“Okay then, I’m Angie. What exactly is the surprise?”
“Not at liberty to say, but if you’d please follow me, you’ll know soon enough. All I can say is it must be your lucky day.” He gestured for Angie to follow him.
“Bring her back in one piece,” Connie called after.
“No worries, she’ll be safe and sound. Enjoy the rest of the game. Go, Cubs.”
Angie followed him through the park, her mind reeling. Where is he taking me? They navigated through all the fans, kids in tow, lines of people waiting for beer and dogs.
He took her on an elevator up several floors, and she noticed a sign pointing to the press boxes. They walked past them.
“Would you please take a seat, Angie?” said the escort. “I’ll be back to get you at the start of the seventh inning.” He pointed to a small area with a live TV monitor displaying the game and several chairs. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Why not? I’ll take a beer, please.”
The young man returned with a draft beer and a bag of peanuts. “Enjoy.”
Angie sipped her beer, cracked open peanuts, and watched the rest of the sixth inning. The game was tied. Fans were yelling as the Cubs took the field at the top of the seventh. She was deeply engaged in the game when the usher interrupted her.
“How are you doing?”
“Great, but I’d like to get back to my family. Time for the seventh-inning stretch.”
“You’ll be enjoying that in just a few minutes. A friend of yours has arranged something for you. I hope you brought your best singing voice.”
Singing voice? Angie thought, as the usher led her to a door marked “Announcer” and gently knocked. What the hell?
“Come in,” came a voice from within.
The usher opened the door and Pat Hughes, the announcer for the Cubs, glanced over. “Angie, you’re going to be singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with our guest celebrity.”
“What! Are you kidding me? Oh my God! This is a dream come true!”
“Come on in. We’re on in a few minutes.”
Angie stepped in and froze. There in front of her was Bill Murray—the Bill Murray, wearing his 2016 World Series T-shirt and hat, holding a microphone. “Hey, Angie. Nice to meet you. I was a friend of Vinnie’s—so sorry he’s gone.” He reached over
and gave her a warm embrace, saying, “He was a hell of a man, and there was no better Cubs fan.”
Angie was having an out-of-body experience, thoughts flooding through her mind. Is this real? How did this happen? I’m with Bill Murray.
Bill brought her right up front—where you could see the entire field—and handed her a microphone. “I know you know the words,” he said, smiling.
The Cubs announcer broke in, “And today we have our very own Bill Murray with a special guest, Angie Sortino, singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Bill jumped in, “A one—A two.” He glanced over at Angie and they both started singing.
“Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack. I don’t care if I never get back!”
Angie gave it all she had, joy erupting from within her. She caught sight of her and Bill on the Jumbotron. As the camera scanned the crowd, everyone got up and sang, arm in arm. “So it’s root, root, root for the Cubbies . . .” The song ended, the crowd went wild, and Angie hugged Bill, smiling ear to ear.
“This was truly a dream come true.” She pointed at him with both of her index fingers. “Bill Murray. I sang with Bill Murray!”
Bill gave her a departing hug. “Take care, Angie. So nice to meet you after hearing about you from Vinnie for so many years. That man sure loved you.”
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