I sighed and said, “That’s not likely to happen, we’ve been incredibly busy here. As it is, I have to get more help in, at least until the holiday season is over.”
“Business is good, then. The regular help will be happy, and maybe you’ll be able get some rest after Christmas.” Devin laughed. “The end of the season is only a month or so away. I’m sure you can manage to not overwork yourself.”
“I guess. Honestly, I’m not complaining… It’s the other stuff that has me worried.”
The silence on the phone lasted for what seemed an hour, but it was surely only a second or two before Devin asked, “What other stuff? Do you mean Arianna?”
His voice changed, and the cool quality of his voice raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Instantly, I became suspicious of his reluctance to discuss Arianna with me. I said, “The faeries are being drained of their dust, Devin. Ari acts like she’s lost her marbles, and hasn’t a clue as to what the hell is going on. Gosh, if I thought for one moment her crackers had crumbled, I’d pack up and leave town. I’ve had enough crazy people in my life to last me a long time.”
All right, I was on a rant. The past summer had left me short tempered in the crazies’ department. With everything that was taking place, I felt like I was living a bad dream from which I couldn’t awaken. Top that with Devin’s unwillingness to tell me what he knew about Arianna, and… Well, it all left me on overload. The fact that I’d left Calis out of the conversation also left me uncomfortable, but should I need him, Devin was too far away to be of any use to me anyway.
“You sound a bit hysterical, Luna. I can’t come back right now, so you’ll have to make the best of things. You can do that, can’t you?” Devin asked in a serious tone.
I took a deep breath and rubbed my forehead. “Sure, I’ll manage. Give my love to the Mr. and Mrs. and hug them for me, too. I’ll talk to you soon.” When the line went dead, I hung up the phone and rested my head against the back of the arm chair. Was I losing my mind, or what? It seemed everyone had an agenda but me. Darn, that’s annoying.
It occurred to me that I’d have to look out for myself, no matter what life threw my way. I wondered what the future held.
Chapter 6
The alarm clock sounded, bringing my day to a new start. Dressed in slacks and a jersey, I headed downstairs to the creation station and began the cupcake-making process. Within a few hours, I’d baked dozens of cupcake varieties and was heavy handedly frosting them.
Rich, creamy frosting swirled atop luscious white chocolate chip cakes, brownie and strawberry cake cupcakes, and a dozen or so apple cobbler cupcakes, among others. My favorite – banana cupcakes – were covered with cinnamon, cream-cheese, buttercream frosting. I topped luscious candy corn cupcakes with a layer of basic yellow frosting, and then added orange-buttercream frosting on top of that and then scooped on a dollop of white frosting. I tucked in two pieces of candy corn as embellishments.
Cinnamon-toast cupcakes held vanilla buttercream frosting, sprinkled with sugar cinnamon-flavored crystals. I frosted the peanut butter cupcakes and added a small square of chocolate along with a single section of a graham cracker crisp. Once the embellishments were finished, I loaded a few trays onto the dumbwaiter shelves and left the remaining cupcakes in covered containers on the countertop of the station.
With little more than an hour to spare before the help would arrive, I headed into the office and wrote checks for outstanding bills. By the time I’d finished, there were sounds of footsteps on the stairs. Annie called to me and asked if I was okay. I smiled and went to greet her.
“I saw the lights on down here and wondered if all was well,” Annie said with concern.
“Everything is fine. I wanted to catch up on some bill paying after the cakes were done.” I glanced past Annie and asked, “Is Dilly coming in today?”
“As far as I know. She must have gotten her car repairs straightened away, or I’d have had a call from her,” Annie answered as she set the first tea urn of water to heat. She glanced at me with a curious look.
“You didn’t go out or meet with that nutter after we left, did you?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did.” I raised my hands as she opened her mouth to speak and said, “Don’t get upset. I didn’t have much choice, and what he said made sense.” I took the second urn from her and plugged the cord into the electric socket.
Without allowing Annie an opportunity to ask more questions, that I was reluctant to answer, I crossed the corridor and pressed the dumbwaiter button. While the trays traveled upward, I skipped downstairs to ready the next batches for delivery to the first floor.
The dumbwaiter went up and down for about a half hour before all the cakes were ready for display in the cooler cases. I joined Annie and we made short work of setting the trays on the shelves. The delightful little cakes were food for the eye and stomach. Their loveliness, and luscious gourmet taste, made me proud to serve them.
“If you have a minute, I’d like to ask what happened when you spoke with the stranger,” Annie suggested.
“Not much, except we went to visit Arianna Gentile afterward. She’s quite odd, isn’t she?”
Annie averted her eyes and mumbled an answer that sounded like, “Yes, in more ways than you can imagine.” Abruptly, Annie returned to the galley kitchen and began to set up teacups and plates for customers.
The back door slammed shut, I turned as Dilly rushed along the corridor. “Sorry if I’m late.” Dilly checked her watch, glanced at me with a grin, and hung her coat in the hall closet.
“Imagine that? I’m actually on time!” Dilly said gleefully. On a serious note, she asked, “Have you found anyone to help out here for a few hours every day? Since the kids have returned to school, we’ve worked harder than ever.”
“I know. I have feelers out,” I assured her. “The college kids that helped during their vacation were a bonus, but now, by the time their class day ends, we’re winding down for the day. I’ve been thinking we should have help come in from eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon, what do you think?” I asked both women.
“Sounds great, that’s when we’re the busiest,” Dilly agreed. She lifted her left foot and waggled it around. “This dog was barking something awful when I got home last night. I had to soak my feet for nearly a half hour.”
Smiling over the dog comment, and knowing she meant her foot, I said I’d place an ad in the local paper if Stephanie didn’t call me with a referral within the next two days. Annie and Dilly were great as far as staff were concerned, they knew the ropes, and took the time needed to make customers happy. It meant a lot to me that I’d been able to hire such capable workers, even if I had been tempted to let one of them go.
Tables were dressed and ready for customers, the sun was bright, and our first customers drove in just as I put Riddles out in the backyard. He scampered off the porch and raced along the path toward the woods, on the hunt for unsuspecting faeries. I watched as his tail disappeared around the bricked path’s edge.
The first batch of cupcake lovers streamed through the door with wide smiles, sweet comments, and money to spend. They made a dent in the cupcakes, ordered some boxed for take-away and then hit the gift shop. I watched as they wandered around the shelves, peering at the faerie books and lore, and admiring the glass window hangings. Questions were asked and answered, goods were bought and wrapped, and happy consumers went on their merry way. Life is good.
As I returned to the dining room, I stopped short when I saw Calis sitting at the corner table. A pot of tea, a teacup, and an assortment of cakes sat before him. He glanced my way, beckoned me to join him by way of a crooked finger, and poured tea into the cup.
As I slid into the seat across from him, Calis set the teacup in front of me and offered a cupcake. Why? I hadn’t any idea, but I shook my head and sipped the tea. I’d noticed a few of the nearby customers were taking notice of what was happening at this table. I was unwilling to let gossi
p spread that I’d taken up with a dark-haired stranger, so I smiled at the onlookers. Dilly brought a second teacup to the table and lingered for a moment.
“Is there anything else you need, Luna?” Dilly asked as she fixed her gaze on Calis.
“No, we’re all set, thank you, Dilly. I think Annie could use a hand, though. People are waiting for their orders,” I said.
Dilly glanced at Annie, the crowd, and then hurried toward the kitchen. I smiled, knowing full well that she would badger me for information later on.
“You’ve made an impression on my help, Calis,” I murmured with a smirk.
“Seems so. I’d rather they didn’t hear what we discuss though, so I’ll be coming by after hours from here on out,” he replied.
“I’m afraid that’s not convenient. I have a routine, and to vary it puts me behind schedule. This is a food business that works on well-greased wheels. I can’t afford to have you interrupt my days and evenings on a whim,” I said.
He picked at a candy-corn cupcake and savored the taste of the frosting. When he glanced at me with a frosty blue glare, I drew in a breath and held it for fear he’d explode with anger.
“Whether it’s convenient or not is of no consequence to me. I can’t do my job without you. The best time to do it is when no people are hanging about. I can’t speak freely when there’s a chance that others will hear what I have to say. It puts them in danger, just as it does us. You’ll need to adjust; after all, I won’t be here forever,” he said with a slight grin.
Disheartened by his demands, I mumbled, “Thank God for small favors.”
“Those journals your father wrote, are they proving useful?” Calis asked.
I gave him a shrug and said, “I haven’t had a lot of time to study them.”
“Liar,” he accused softly.
My spine stiffened as I gave him what I hoped was a fearsome glare. “Don’t push me on this,” I whispered sternly. “I have a business to run, employees to attend, and a cat that must need to come indoors by now.” I slid the chair back and left Calis sitting at the table staring at me.
His expression unreadable as I turned and strode toward the gift shop to relieve Annie, who couldn’t keep up with the line of customers and the questions they asked.
“I’ll take over. Why don’t you work in the kitchen for a bit or sit outside in the sunshine for a while?” suggested. “Oh, and please let Riddles into the apartment if he’s ready to come indoors.”
Her smile widened as she took my advice and left the room. I peered around the corner and saw Calis had left his table. Dilly was in the process of clearing his leftovers away. I smirked at the possibility that I’d managed to get under his skin. and turned toward the waiting customers.
“How may I help you?” I asked the plump woman whose arms were filled with books and faerie statues.
“These are gifts for my grandkids. Could you bag them separately?” Her face beamed as she set each faerie on top of a book.
“Sure thing,” I answered and pointed to the small flower faeries. “These are garden faeries. The folklore in the books explains how they came to be the guardians of flowers and plants. I’m sure your grandchildren will enjoy the stories.”
The woman paid for her merchandise and happily clomped away in her clogs. I smiled and waited on the next customer. The line eventually ended, the room lay empty, and shelves once again needed goods.
In less time than I thought, I’d filled vacant spaces with the last of the faeries, and pulled boxes of gnomes from the back of the closet. Surely I hadn’t forgotten to order more faeries? I placed the gnomes around the room and scribbled a note to order more stock. Empty boxes in hand, I headed for to the trash bin near the rear walkway.
Diners had gone, and the Junction was peaceful as I walked along the corridor and opened the back door.
Dilly’s voice reached my ears. I stopped just inside the screen door.
“She’s acting odd,” she said. “Odder than usual, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask,” Annie remarked.
“You must know whether Luna’s been meeting that man after we leave at night. Can’t you see how tense she’s become? I think there’s trouble brewing, don’t you? And what would Devin think about this?” Dilly asked.
“I haven’t given it any consideration. If I had, I’d have come to the conclusion that what Luna does or doesn’t do is none of our business.” Annie’s voice raised an octave as she said, “You should really get a life, Dilly. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so interested in minding everyone else’s business.”
I heard footsteps approach. I’d no sooner swung the inside door closed when Annie opened it and winked at me. She’d known I was listening. Caught in the act of eavesdropping, I gave her a slight smile and a half shrug.
Annie stepped close and whispered, “She needs to mind her own affairs, not yours, Luna.”
“Mm, I know,” I answered as I opened the screen door, went down the steps, and tossed the boxes in the trash bin.
When I returned, Stephanie Jones, a local police dispatcher, stood in front of the cupcake cases chatting with Annie. Dilly rearranged cakes in the case to Annie’s left and unabashedly listened to their conversation. I guessed Annie’s advice went unheeded.
“Hi, Luna,” Stephanie greeted me with a grin. “I’m not here on police business… I have good news. My mother would like to come in and talk to you about those hours you need to fill. Are you interested in meeting her?”
Relieved that she hadn’t forgotten, I nodded. If I could add another fine worker to the two I had, life would be easier for all of us.
Annie handed Stephanie a cup of tea and a cupcake on a matching plate. I rounded the counter and walked to a table near the front door where we could speak privately.
“When can she come in to chat?” I asked while I took the seat opposite the woman.
“I can bring her by later, if you’d like. She’s excited at the prospect of working for you and with the others,” Stephanie answered.
I glanced at the clock and wondered what time would work for all of us.
“I’m off work today, so any time is fine, Luna.” Stephanie finished off her cupcake and sipped tea, smacking her lips afterward.
I grinned and agreed to meet with her mother around three o’clock.
“Great, three it is. I think Mom will fit in perfectly with Annie and Dilly.” Stephanie leaned forward and said softly, “She doesn’t gossip, you know.”
Chuckling, I said, “We all have to be thankful for something, and I’m thankful for that.”
* * *
A few stragglers remained when Stephanie arrived with her mother, Leslie Jones. I sized the woman up the moment she entered the room and knew she’d be a good fit. Hoping my instincts were in order, I summoned Leslie to follow me to my downstairs office.
As we started toward the stairs, Annie drew me aside. “Riddles is begging to come in, should I put him in your loft? I couldn’t find him earlier.”
“Please do. He’s probably hungry, too” I said.
When Annie walked along the hall, I caught sight of Dilly peeking around the kitchen doorway. I gave her a smile and motioned Leslie down the steps.
Settled in the office, after giving Leslie a quick tour and an explanation of the creation station, I asked questions concerning her work history, waitressing, and gift shop experience.
Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she answered. “When I lived in Salem, Massachusetts, I ran a gift shop of my own. My husband and I returned to Swanscott when Steph was ready to begin school. Ralph got a job with the fire department which was perfect.” After Leslie had explained her shop, I told her what I was looking for.
“The hours are few, but daily from eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon, five days a week. We’re generally swamped at that time of day. The treatment of our customers is most important to me. If they go away happy, it means they’ll share their experience and business will increase,
which is good for all of us. We aren’t able stand relax for a minute while there are people to feed and gifts to package for buyers,” I said. “If you think you’d like to give it a go, and see if you’ll like working here, you can start tomorrow. What do you say?”
Leslie gave me a huge grin, asked if she needed special clothes or shoes, and then said, “After my husband passed away, it took me ages to get my life together. Now that I have done that, I’m ready to face the world and this will be good for me. I hope to meet your expectations, Luna.”
“I didn’t realize your husband had passed on, Leslie. I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to our staff. Dilly and Annie are easy to work with, and I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine.”
We discussed wages, and then rejoined the crowd upstairs. Annie gave me a look of relief and tipped her head toward the now-filled tables. Diners sat in nearly every seat as shoppers browsed gifts. Stephanie stood near the front door, eagerly awaiting Leslie. When she saw her mother, she quickly motioned her forward and said something to her. Leslie nodded and headed for the porch.
I watched Stephanie start across the room and met her halfway. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Not at all, I just wanted a word with you before I left. Can we speak privately?” Stephanie asked.
My nerves tightened, and suddenly, wariness cloaked me. When we headed toward the rear porch, I glanced over my shoulder. Calis stood inside the entryway, his expression ominous and his blue eyes storm-filled. Not again. What now? The thought hit me like a blast of cold air. I gave him a nod, and followed Stephanie through the door.
“I have to hurry back to help the staff but, you look worried, what’s wrong?” I asked as soon as I closed the door behind me.
She shrugged. “I wanted to say how much I appreciate you hiring my mother. She needs to feel useful and this will fill the bill. When my father died, Mom fell apart. It was a particularly nasty situation, and she still doesn’t know everything. If you could keep her from going into the forest, I’d appreciate it.” Stephanie kept glancing over my shoulder toward the wooded land beyond the flowered path leading from my steps.
Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) Page 6
