“Some of them will,” Vic admitted. “But a lot of them are going to keep coming here, because you’ve made a place for yourself here. I loved my Aunt Angela, but going to The Bake Shoppe when she ran it was not like coming to Auntie Clem’s. You didn’t go there and visit and get the latest gossip. You went there to get your bread or your birthday cake, and then you got out. There were no teas or children’s parties or dog biscuits. People didn’t linger and get something for tomorrow’s dessert too, or lemonade slushes to beat the heat,” Vic nodded to the new freezer case. “And you want to know why?”
Erin knew what Vic was getting at. She had met Angela only a couple of times before she had died, but she had been a hard woman. She hadn’t been able to work inside The Bake Shoppe anymore because of a late-onset allergy to wheat, but she had continued to own and manage it. Erin had never been there when it was running, so she could only imagine what kind of atmosphere pervaded the place.
“But Charley isn’t your Aunt Angela. She’s going to do all of the things I’m doing. She’s going to copy everything I do that makes me successful. And she naturally has the bigger market.”
“We’ll make it work, Erin,” Vic insisted. “Don’t let her get you down.”
“But… what if we can’t?”
Chapter Five
E
rin wouldn’t have thought that things could get any worse as she dreaded the reopening of The Bake Shoppe. There was no way of knowing whether her worst fears were going to be realized, or whether she had reason to be optimistic like Vic said and to believe that people would keep coming for the good food and gossip rather than just going to The Bake Shoppe with its normal fare. Charley had done little to endear herself to the residents of Bald Eagle Falls, but if she had cheap fresh bread, did anyone really care about her interpersonal skills?
Erin knew who Don Inglethorpe was. She had seen him around town, but he hadn’t been a regular customer at Auntie Clem’s. Maybe he had bought one or two emergency purchases there, but he hadn’t been a frequent visitor. She knew he was a lawyer, one of the three trustees who administered the Trenton Plaint estate, which currently held The Bake Shoppe in trust for Charley and her half-brother Davis Plaint, who was in prison. Erin’s own lawyer, James Burgener, was one of the others, along with a woman who wasn’t often in town.
So she was surprised to see him walk in the door while she was working a Wednesday afternoon shift with Bella, but at the same time, it wasn’t anything that rang alarm bells for her.
“Good morning, Mr. Inglethorpe,” she greeted him as he approached the counter.
He was a middle-aged man, white, slightly balding and overweight. Not someone who stood out in a crowd. He was wearing a blue button-up shirt and seemed uncomfortable. Maybe that was just because he hadn’t been to Auntie Clem’s very much. The early-morning rush had died down, but there were still a few other customers coming and going, and maybe he’d been hoping it would be quieter. Some people couldn’t make decisions when there were other people waiting on them.
“Here you go.” Erin handed Melissa her purchase, a box of muffins for the police department break room. “Have a good day!”
Melissa nodded, her brown curls dancing, and smiled her wide, easy smile. “I’ll say ‘hi’ to Terry for you.”
Erin had been sure to include a couple of blueberry muffins in the selection, knowing it was Terry Piper’s favorite flavor. Though he always complained that he shouldn’t be eating so much sugar, he walked it off during his patrols with K9 and he hadn’t put on any noticeable weight in the time she’d been running Auntie Clem’s.
“What’s your turnover?” Inglethorpe asked, looking into the display case.
“These ones are sour cherry, and these are blueberry,” Erin told him, pointing to them even though they had clear signs in Vic’s neat printing. “I have some apple turnovers in the oven, but you probably don’t want to wait or come back for those…”
“Uh… that’s not what I—”
“I think he means finances, Erin,” Bella said, with a bubbly laugh. “What are your annual sales?”
Inglethorpe looked at the teenager in surprise. He nodded. “Yes, exactly.”
“My… what business is it of yours?” Erin blurted before she could come up with a more tactful response.
“Just wondering what a bakery in this town can make.”
Erin stared at him. Bella looked at Erin.
“Did Charley send you here?” Erin asked finally.
His eyes gave nothing away.
“Are you going to get something? If not, I’d appreciate it if you’d step aside so others can order.”
“You’ve said for some time that there’s enough business in Bald Eagle Falls for two bakeries,” Inglethorpe pointed out. “So I don’t see why you’d have any problem sharing information.”
“The only turnovers I’m going to talk to you about are these ones,” Erin pointed to the pastries in the display case. “Would that be cherry or blueberry?”
He stood there for a minute looking at her. He looked back down at the turnovers. “I’ll take three of each,” he said finally.
Erin was surprised, but she just nodded and put six turnovers into a box for him. He paid for them without a word. Bella gave him his change.
“You have a nice day, now, Mr. Inglethorpe,” Erin said politely. He gave a nod and walked out of the bakery. Erin shook her head.
“You handled that pretty well,” Bella complimented. “You sure put him in his place.”
“Well, I made a sale. I don’t know whether he got anything out of it.”
“Sure he did. He got six of those turnovers.”
Erin forced a smile. “Which is six times what he was looking for, right?”
“That’s right.”
“He’s got some nerve coming around here scoping out my business and fishing for information.”
“He wasn’t exactly covert.”
Erin shook her head. “Well, I guess I’d rather he was obvious about what he was doing.”
Willie was working, so Vic had joined Erin for the evening, and they were sitting in the living room with the animals, Erin making her lists for the next day and Vic paging through the weekly paper for any local news they might have missed. She stopped, staring at an advertisement.
“Holy crap.”
Erin looked over at her. “What?”
Vic turned the paper around to show it to Erin. It was a full-page advertising circular for the opening of The Bake Shoppe, advertising “traditional baked goods, made the time-honored way your grandma made them, with no trendy or unorthodox ingredients.” There were pictures of various kinds of baked goods, sweet cherry turnovers featuring prominently. The lineup replicated almost exactly the current offerings at Auntie Clem’s Bakery. There were a number of call-outs with notations such as “healthy foods, not health food” and “traditional family recipe.”
Erin swore under her breath, making Vic giggle. Erin swatted at the newspaper.
“Take that away. I don’t want to see it. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you burned it.”
“At least you know you’re doing something right. She wouldn’t be copying you so closely if she didn’t think so.”
“She mimics me and attacks me in the same ad copy! Who does that? I never did that when I opened Auntie Clem’s.”
“No, I know,” Vic agreed, growing more serious. “You advertised your specialty and offered a free cookie or muffin for each customer. I remember.”
Erin cocked her head. “You weren’t even around yet.”
“I was around. We just hadn’t met yet. I went in, you know, and got a cookie from you.”
“You did?” Erin was floored. “I don’t remember that!”
“I picked a time when it was really busy, so I could hide in the crowd and you wouldn’t notice me. Nobody really did; it was pretty chaotic. It was just you, working all by yourself, but you had a great big smile and were so friendly with e
veryone. I only went because I wanted free food. But I liked it,” Vic ducked her head, turning a little pink. “I liked you. I thought you were cool.”
“You never told me that! I thought the first time we’d met was that day I caught you at the bakery.”
Vic shrugged and shook her head, getting still redder.
“Well, I’m just glad you decided to stay,” Erin declared.
“Yeah, me too. I never would have guessed, when Aunt Angela turned me away, that things would turn out the way they did. That you’d take me in and become such a good friend to me.”
There was a lump in Erin’s throat. She patted Vic’s knee, and sat back to look over her lists to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, not wanting to get all teary.
Chapter Six
T
here was a knock at the door and Erin got up to answer it. She didn’t look out at the curb to see if Terry’s squad car was there, and she didn’t look out the peephole. Vic was there with her, and despite all she had been through during her time in Bald Eagle Falls, it didn’t occur to her that it could be anyone but Terry, Willie, or one of their friends at the door.
She was startled to see a stranger in a long, dark coat that flapped in the wind, along with long hair that obscured his face at first. Erin’s stomach clenched, and her hand tightened on the door, preparing to shut it again and shoot the bolt.
The young man pulled his hair back from his face, fighting the wind, and gave her a smile.
“Hullo, Miss Erin. I’m sorry to bother you, but I wonder if my—”
“Jeremy!” Vic was on her feet and pushing past Erin to reach her brother. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Jeremy Jackson gave her a big hug. “I didn’t know how you’d feel about it, so I figured it was easier to get forgiveness and you wouldn’t turn me down if we were face-to-face.”
“Come inside, out of the wind,” Erin ordered. She shut the door once Jeremy was inside.
“I wouldn’t turn you down?” Vic repeated. “Turn you down for what?”
“Well…” He scratched his head, looking sheepish. “I’m looking for a place to stay. Just for a few days, while I get on my feet…”
“Sure, of course,” Vic agreed immediately. “There’s a fold-out couch. I’m not sure how comfortable you’ll be—I don’t have a lot of space—but of course you’re welcome.”
“We have the whole house too,” Erin put in. “He doesn’t have to stay in the loft. I’m the only one here, so you could have your own room with a real bed.”
It didn’t even occur to Erin that she had just barely gotten rid of Reg as a houseguest. Jeremy might be even more annoying than Reg had been. Who knew what bad habits he might have? But he was Vic’s brother, and the only one who had treated Vic with tolerance and love, so Erin wanted to do something for him.
Jeremy laughed. “Two offers, when I wasn’t even sure if I would get one. You’re both so generous! Thank you.”
“Come and sit down.” Vic practically pushed him into an armchair. “Tell me why you’re here. What’s going on?”
Jeremy got back up to take off his coat, moving slowly. He was, Erin thought as she watched his eyes, coming up with his answer on the spot. He hadn’t arrived with an explanation worked out and was stalling for time.
“I decided to leave the farm,” he said finally. “I had enough of the expectations, so I thought I’d take a page from the book of my little bro—sister and get out on my own. Make something of myself. I decided I’m not cut out for working the Jackson farm. It’s just not for me.”
Vic’s eyes were wide with surprise. “You always loved the farm. I thought if anyone was a natural farmer, it was you. You loved the animals and the fields and everything about it.”
“Things change. I’d like to be something… more.”
“Wow!” Vic sat back, amazed. “Who would’ve guessed!”
Jeremy glanced over at Erin and then back at Vic. “If you could keep this all on the down-low. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, and I want some time before Pa—before Mom and Dad know where I am. Time to think and figure out what I want to do with myself.”
Vic nodded vigorously. “Of course,” she agreed. “They’d be out looking for you and have you back there before you knew what hit you. We’ll keep it a secret, won’t we, Erin?”
Erin shrugged. “I don’t need to tell anyone.”
“You guys are awesome, thank you so much,” Jeremy said. He let out a long stream of air. “I’ve been all wound up, worrying about it. Thank you.”
“I’m so excited to have you here!” Vic exclaimed. “It’ll be just like old times.”
Erin laughed. “You guys are too young to have old times!”
“You’re not that much older,” Vic countered, “and you and Reg had old times.”
“You’re babies compared with me.” Erin smiled at them. “So, tell me what you did in the old days. And what changed?”
Jeremy and Vic looked at each other.
“Just guy—kid stuff,” Jeremy said. “Playing games outside with the others. Climbing trees, shooting, helping Pa on the farm. Vic and me shared a room, being the two youngest. We’d stay up late talking when we were supposed to be asleep. We played cards. Tried to scare the pants off each other with ghost stories.”
Erin smiled. There had been few foster siblings that she’d been close to. But sometimes things just clicked, even though they had completely different backgrounds. Those relationships had always been temporary, fleeting, and she had no idea where any of them were anymore.
Jeremy looked at Vic again, soberly. “And then… I don’t know what happened. We stopped talking. Around about tenth grade. Maybe I thought I was too grown up.” He raised an eyebrow at Vic. “Was I a jerk to you? Did I act like I didn’t want my little brother around anymore?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just… was going through a lot of stuff. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
“Well… I guess you’re probably right. If you’d told me you were a girl instead of a boy, I probably wouldn’t have been real understanding.” He scratched his ear and looked down fixedly at a spot on the carpet. “Is that when you decided? When you knew…?”
“I always knew.” Vic was looking at her big brother, blinking rapidly. It had meant so much to her the previous Christmas when he had visited her, and she knew that she had one person in the family who could accept her for who she was. “But that was when I decided… that I couldn’t live like that forever. I couldn’t keep pretending to be something I wasn’t to keep everybody else happy.”
“I must have had my head in the clouds,” Jeremy admitted, “because I didn’t have any idea. Not for a couple more years.”
“It wouldn’t have been safe for me to come out. I knew that once Pa knew… I’d have to leave.”
“Yeah.”
Erin noticed the time and started to gather up her papers. “The two of you can talk, if you like, but I need to get ready for bed. Morning comes early for bakers!”
Jeremy looked at the clock. “I guess you’ve got to get to bed early too, Vic. So…”
“Where do you want to stay?” Vic asked. “In the loft on the couch, or in the house with your own bed? I know which I’d choose.”
“You wouldn’t be insulted if I chose the bed…?” Jeremy asked tentatively. “If you want me at your place, I’ll stay with you…”
“I’m here just as much as I am over the garage. I’ll see you at breakfast. Actually, who am I kidding? You’re not going to be up before the rooster. You can come over to the bakery for some lunch. Or I’ll see you after we close.”
Jeremy nodded. “Okay. And you’re sure it’s okay with you, Erin? I’m practically a stranger.”
“No, you’re not. You’re family.”
“And… your boyfriend is the cop, right? He won’t… maybe it’s best if he doesn’t know I’m here. Does he stay over…?” Jeremy looked around. “Maybe I
should stay with Vic.”
Erin shook her head slowly. “No, he doesn’t stay overnight. And he won’t be by tonight, because he knows I’ll be heading to bed.” Erin hesitated. She looked at Vic. “Let me just walk Vic out…”
Erin and Vic walked into the kitchen, slowed, and stopped at the back door in the growing shadows.
“Is he in trouble?” Erin asked Vic. “If he’s on the run from the police…”
Vic shook her head. “Not Jeremy,” she said with certainty. “I know him, and he wouldn’t get into anything serious.”
“They’re all involved with the Jackson clan, aren’t they?”
“Can’t help but be. But that doesn’t mean he’s done anything. He would have stayed away from anything real bad…”
“So, you think it’s safe to have him here?”
“Jeremy wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. And nobody but you and me are going to know he’s here.”
“I don’t like the idea of hiding it from Terry.”
“It’s too late to make any other arrangements tonight. If you don’t want him in the house, just say the word, and he’ll come to the back with me. Tomorrow we can sort everything else out.”
“I’m okay with him here tonight.”
“Okay.” Vic gave her a hug and left by the back door to go to her own apartment over the garage.
Erin armed the burglar alarm. She turned around and just about tripped over Orange Blossom, who had decided that if Erin was in the kitchen, it must be to feed him. He yowled when she stepped on his tail, even though she knew she’d just gotten the fur at the end and hadn’t stepped on the tail itself.
“Oh, hush,” she told him. “Jeremy will think I’m killing you.” She got him a couple of treats from the can and slid them across the floor past him. He chased after them excitedly and gobbled them up. He looked disappointed when Erin didn’t give him more or stay to play with him.
Sour Cherry Turnover Page 3
