The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane

When it comes to men, sisters don’t share!

After a fake food poisoning incident in L.A., Bailey Sterling’s dreams of becoming a caterer to the stars collapse faster than a soufflé. Now Bailey’s face is in all the gossip rags and her business is in ruins. But the Sterling women close ranks and bring her back to Icicle Falls, where she’ll stay with her sister Cecily.

All goes well between the sisters until Bailey comes up with a new business idea—a tea shop on a charming street called Lavender Lane. She’s going into partnership with Todd Black, who—it turns out—is the man Cecily’s started dating. It looks to Cecily as if there’s more than tea brewing in that cute little shop. And she’s not pleased.

Wait! Isn’t Cecily seeing Luke Goodman? He’s a widower with an adorable little girl, and yes, Cecily does care about him. But Todd’s the one who sends her zing-o-meter off the charts. So now what? Should you have to choose between your sister and the man you love (or think you love)?

www.SheilasPlace.com

Praise for the novels of Sheila Roberts

“This is an engrossing story with strong characters and arcs similar to Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove titles. The light romance, delicious descriptions of chocolate and recipes add to the flavor of Roberts’s promising new series.”

—Booklist on Better than Chocolate

“Strong and determined women wrapped up in sinful chocolate is the recipe for Roberts’s inspiring Life in Icicle Falls series starter.”

—RT Book Reviews on Better than Chocolate

“Homing in on issues many readers can identify with, Roberts’s women search for practical solutions to a common challenge with humor.”

—Publisher’s Weekly

“Within minutes of cracking open the book, my mood was lifted...the warm, glowing feeling it gave me lasted for days.”

—First for Women on The Snow Globe

“Her characters are warm and engaging, and their interactions are full of humor.”

—RT Book Reviews on Bikini Season

“An uplifting, charming, feel-good story.”

—Booklist on Angel Lane

“Will doubtless warm more than a few hearts.”

—Publishers Weekly on Angel Lane

“Love in Bloom is a wonderful story with characters so real and defined I feel like I am personally acquainted with them....There is humor and emotion in large quantities in this fantastic book that is next to impossible to put down. Kudos and a large bouquet of flowers to Sheila Roberts for giving us one of the best books of the year.”

—Fresh Fiction

The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane

Sheila Roberts

www.mirabooks.co.uk

For Jill, the next best thing to a sister

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for joining me again in Icicle Falls. You’re just in time for summer fun with Bailey Sterling, who’s returning home to pick up the pieces of her life. Sadly, Bailey discovered that being a caterer to the stars in L.A. wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. So when the going gets tough the tough get going...back home to family and friends and new beginnings.

And speaking of new beginnings, Bailey’s sister Cecily is working on some herself—with Todd Black, the sexy owner of The Man Cave. Everything is going smoothly, or so it seems, until her baby sister hits town and decides to open a tea shop on Lavender Lane. Suddenly, Bailey’s new business takes an interesting turn, while Cecily’s well-planned life takes a nosedive, thanks to small-town complications and unexpected sibling rivalry.

But I have a feeling everything will work out here in Icicle Falls. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll brew yourself a cup of tea, enjoy a scone and join my friends on their newest adventure here in my favorite mountain town.

Please check out my website, www.sheilasplace.com, for information on upcoming books, contests, recipes and more. And I’d be delighted if you followed me on Twitter and Facebook (look for Sheila Roberts, author).

Sheila

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Praise

Title Page

Dedication

Dear Reader

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

A Little About Tea

Acknowledgments

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The party was going perfectly until the hostess clutched her stomach with an agonized cry and crumpled to the floor.

Rory Rourke, her boyfriend and star of the new TV series Man Handled, knelt by the woman’s side and barked, “Someone, call 911.”

“Call her doctor,” said someone else.

“Call the Star Reporter,” the victim said faintly.

And that was when Bailey Sterling knew she was in trouble.

She’d been so excited to land this gig catering Samba Barrett’s party. Samba wasn’t an Emma Stone or Kristen Stewart, but she was...someone. Sort of. And with her catlike green eyes and red hair, she was on her way up, like the rest of her party guests. It was what everyone said. And surely that had meant Bailey was on her way up, too. The West Hollywood apartment had been packed with hot young actors and actresses. As she’d slipped among them bearing trays of goodies, she’d heard more than one person rave about the food and had envisioned a whole string of catering gigs after this one.