by Lynn Cahoon
“Don’t freak out. It’s not about us. She says she knows something about the building. And the locked room.” He turned off the main road and headed out of town. “It will only take a few minutes; then we’ll be on our way to dinner and you can order whatever you want because I’ll owe you.”
“Okay, let’s talk about something else so I don’t freak out about meeting your mother. Why didn’t you tell me you got the storage room door unlocked yesterday?” Mia smoothed down the skirt of her cute, date-appropriate sundress. But maybe the neckline was too low for meet-the-parents night? Too late to worry about that now. The good news was, she’d brought a sweater in case the air in the restaurant was up too high. They always did that. And she always froze. She’d just slip that on before they went in. She realized Trent was watching her again. “What? You don’t like my dress?”
“Your dress is fine, but Mia, I didn’t open that door. I was going to, but then the guy was at the window and things got a little crazy. Are you saying it’s open now? Like all by itself?” He stared at the road again. “That’s not good. Mom needs to know this. She told me not to unlock the door. That there were things in there that were locked up for a reason.”
A pit gnawed at her stomach. “Christina saw a ghost in one of the pictures. I was trying to ignore it, but I think she was right. Do you think they’re in danger at the school? Should we go back?”
“Let’s talk to Mom first. She was pretty vague about the ‘danger.’ I’d hate to scare everyone just because she had a bad feeling.” Trent slowed for a turn off the highway and they drove onto a gravel road that ran along a fence line. “Welcome to Majors Ranch. The property runs from this spot on the road all the way back to the Salmon River. There’s a great fishing hole back there if you want to fish. Chinook, trout, steelhead, I’ve caught them all.”
“I’ve never been fishing.” Mia pushed away her concern about the library and instead thought about the fish she’d prepared for events. “Maybe I should go see what the product looks like in the wild.”
“You mean outside your freezer?” He squeezed her hand.
“Heaven forbid. I never use frozen salmon. Or any other kind of frozen fish. I try not to use anything that can’t be sourced regionally. I think food should be fresh when you cook it.” She pointed to the mansion coming up in front of them. “Wow. That’s some house you grew up in. Just a little ranch, huh?”
“That’s not the house I grew up in. Mom and Dad built that a few years ago, after all the kids had left. Which is stupid, because they have enough bedrooms to run a small orphanage.” He pulled his truck up on the driveway. “I think Dad’s trying to talk Mom into letting him do weekend hunting and fishing retreats. But she likes her quiet.”
“You could do that here, no problem.” Mia wondered if they’d like to rent it out for events. You could do a wedding here easy. But maybe they just wanted to treat it like a home. If she lived here, that’s what she’d do. She wondered, not for the first time, if her pool idea was worth giving up the space for large events. She’d already hosted the reunion for the old school there. Maybe she should just nix the pool idea and upgrade the gym into a ballroom. Then she could do weddings without getting the Lodge involved. It could be a one-stop shop. But would people want to have their wedding in a remodeled gym?
So many decisions and questions to get clarity on before she made a final decision.
“Are you ready? This will be quick. I told my mom we had plans, but we’d stop by for a minute so she could update you on what she thinks she needs to tell you. Listening to her, you would think she’d had a vision from God Himself, giving her a directive.” He opened his door and came around to the passenger side to help her out. “Just think of them as normal people. Mostly, that’s what they are. It’s just that sometimes they let this whole coven thing take over the thinking part of their brains. You’ll be fine.”
“I think you’re trying harder to convince you than me.” Mia squeezed his arm. “As long as they don’t ask me when I’m going to make an honest man of you, we’ll be fine.”
“Do we need to have that conversation?” Trent looked down at her, humor in his eyes.
“I don’t know, do we?” Mia smiled back, enjoying the banter. Meeting Trent’s parents would be fine. That was nothing to worry about; it was just more history about the school. Which she needed, because the people in her life were being less than up-front. Well, until last night. “Grans and I had a conversation last night about the school too. She thinks the problems stem from a girl who was killed because she wasn’t magical.”
Trent paused as he opened the front door. “That’s almost the story Mom told me last night.”
Mia shook her head, wondering what was going on. “At least they aren’t contradictory versions.”
Trent paused and called out a greeting. “Hey, Mom? We’re here.”
“In the kitchen, dear,” a woman’s voice echoed through the hallway.
The house was decorated in high-end Western cabin, if that was even a theme. Mia noticed the statue of a bull rider on a foyer table and, in the living room, a large rock fireplace with leather couches. As they walked through the room, they passed a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with a variety of books. Not just up there for show; some of the books looked well loved.
But she fell in love with the house when she reached the oversize kitchen. It had a lovely breakfast nook that was bigger than either of her entire kitchens, in the apartment and in the Boise house she’d owned with Isaac. There were two sets of ovens that bookended the working part of the kitchen. A woman stood by the large island, which was complete with a small sink, peeling potatoes. Mia could see the resemblance right away. She had Trent’s hair and smile. Or, actually, he had his mother’s hair and smile. Levi must look like his father.
The woman put down the potato and the peeler and wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh my, Mia Malone. I’m so honored to have you in my kitchen.”
“Mrs. Majors, I’m happy to be here. Your kitchen is lovely and I’m totally jealous.” Mia reached out a hand to shake, but Trent’s mom ignored it.
“Put that hand down. We’re huggers in the Majors family. And call me Abigail. Trent has told us so much about you. And, of course, Levi says good things as well. It’s about time I got to meet the woman who has made such an impression on my boys.” Abigail pulled Mia into a hug.
The feeling of hugging Abigail reminded Mia of what it must be like to hug Mrs. Claus. It wasn’t that Abigail was soft and fluffy, as Mia expected Mrs. Claus would be; it was more than that. When she hugged you, you felt like everything was going to be okay. No worries. No pain. Just happiness. It must have been amazing, growing up with a mother this loving.
Mia blinked away the tears that wanted to sneak out. What was wrong with her? She cleared her throat. “Trent said you knew something about the old school building I bought?”
“Something? Of course. I attended school there until I went away to college. Oh, there were rumors all the time. We had the normal high-school rumor mill, of course; then there were the rumors that I guess I would say bordered on the supernatural, or maybe you would call it paranormal. I’m not good with the labels.” Abigail waved them to the stools. “Please sit. I need to get these potatoes on the stove or dinner will be late. Levi’s eating with us tonight.”
Mia wondered if that was an invitation to talk about Levi and Christina, but she dodged the jab. “I hate to just drop in on you like this, but Trent said you needed to talk to me?”
“Trent takes care of his responsibilities well.” Abigail smiled over at her son.
Mia wasn’t quite sure what had just happened between Trent and Abigail, but there had been something. An unspoken agreement. It might have been a casual conversation, but Mia had no doubt she was being watched and judged. She let the silence settle.
Finally, Abigail spoke. “Like I said, I went to the school, probably at the same time as your mother. Theresa Carpenter, right?”
“Yes, she was, I mean is my mom.”
Abigail shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Once someone gives up the power, it’s like they’re existing on another plane. That’s all your slip meant. So, anyway, when we attended, a girl disappeared. And while she was gone, this story cropped up about a feud between a magical and a nonmagical student. It was said the nonmagical one lost and was sent home to her parents. Disgraced.”
“Grans said she was killed,” Mia interrupted.
Abigail paused for a second, and Mia could see the years running past in her brain to when she was in school. “Nope, sorry. The girl went home. And it’s understood that she was a powerful witch in her own right. Apparently, her heritage hadn’t been acknowledged when she came to the school. But she studied the softer spells and turned into what you now call a kitchen witch. Of course, I don’t know that she’s related to you or your grandmother, but there’s been a strange hum in the valley since you’ve arrived here. I think you’ve woken something in the house. Something that may be dangerous.”
“May be or is?” Mia pressed for an answer. She didn’t want to tell her about the discussion she’d had with her grandmother.
“Now that’s the question, isn’t it? I may just be hearing the clicks of an old clock that stared working again since you’re here. Or it could be something more sinister. I just want to make sure you know to be careful. And don’t do anything foolish.” She rinsed the last potato and put it into the pot. Turning away from them, she put the pot on the stove and turned on the heat underneath. “I’m afraid something will happen around the school. Something that won’t be expected and will cause permanent damage to you and your family.”
Chapter 17
After dinner they were still at the trendy steak house when Trent handed her a dessert menu. “Coffee and what?”
“Something. Maybe two somethings. I can’t believe what a week I’ve had.” She studied the menu. “Your mom seems nice.”
“She is nice. She’s a cloud of sugar and spice. She was always there for us. She did the books for the store for years, but when we came home, it was all about us. What our day was like. Who had practice, music lessons, or Scouts? We were always on the go and she made it all happen. We had treats in the car if we got hungry. Sodas in a cooler in the back. And pizza rolls or something hot if we were all just home doing homework. Kind of a perfect way to grow up.” He pointed to a cheesecake. “I want that one. That way I get huckleberry and chocolate. Do you think they bake them that way?”
“No, I’m pretty sure they bake them separate.” She laid the menu on the table. “That works for me. If you want to share.”
“You get that and I’ll get the apple pie à la mode. That way we get three desserts.”
Mia rubbed her stomach. “I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to eat. I’m stuffed from dinner.”
“They have doggy bags here,” Trent reminded her. “And we’ve been so busy lately with stuff, we haven’t gone out for a while.”
“You were just over at my place, helping unpack,” Mia reminded him, even though she thought the three desserts was a perfect way to end the evening. And if you deconstructed it, it was four desserts, because one came with ice cream.
“That wasn’t a date. That was work.” He smiled at her. “I’m pretty sure the look on your face is because of the idea of desserts and not me, but don’t ruin my fantasy.”
She put her hand on top of his. “Thank you for this distraction. I needed to get out of the apartment. With Cindy and Grans there, it’s a little over the top in the estrogen department.”
“Has Cindy realized that Dorian’s in Mr. Darcy?” Trent asked after he’d put in their order for coffee and dessert.
“No. She knows he’s different for a cat, but she has no idea her father’s in there. Thank the Goddess.” Mia rubbed the top of Trent’s hand. “I’m going over to the winery tomorrow to talk to Priscilla. Someone called me from their phone. I’m wondering why.”
“Maybe they want you to cater an event. Isn’t that what you do?” Trent eyed her suspiciously.
“It was right before I saw someone behind my house. Maybe it was the homeless guy. Did you ever find out his name? I hate calling him ‘that man.’ ”
“He’ll just say it’s Ronnie. No last name. No ID on his person or in his stuff. Baldwin finally got him sober yesterday, but the story is still the same, if just a little less wobbly. Some guy told him you had money hidden in your kitchen. Sober Ronnie knows it’s silly, but drunk Ronnie thought he’d hit the jackpot.”
“Ronnie, that fits.” Mia sipped the coffee the waitress had just set in front of her. She’d probably regret the caffeine later, when she was trying to sleep, but it wasn’t every night she got dessert after dinner. “Did he kill Denny?”
Trent shook his head. “No, and he actually has an alibi. He was at the soup kitchen in Boise for the week, helping out. It seems he does that off and on. He gets sober, goes back to his real life, and works with the homeless. Then, the next thing his friends know, he’s homeless himself. Except for the fact that he owns a house in Boise just waiting for him to go there.”
“Sad.” Mia picked up a spoon and took a bite of the chocolate cheesecake as soon as the waitress turned her back after delivering it. “I guess my first suspect is still the best one. When is Baldwin going to arrest John Louis?”
“I guess when he can prove he did something. It’s kind of the law.” Trent took a bite of the huckleberry cheesecake. “This is heaven.”
“I know. I’m really going to have to up my game if I cater desserts around here. These bakers are top-notch.” Mia hid a yawn behind her napkin.
“Hey, none of that. Let’s get these to-go and I’ll get Cinderella back home before she turns into a pumpkin.” He waved to the waitress. “Can we get a to-go box and the check?”
“Of course,” she murmured and smiled at them. “You two are such a cute couple.”
“Thanks,” Mia responded, a little shocked. They were just dating; did that make them a couple?
“Stop overanalyzing and enjoy the compliment.” Trent tapped the table. “Grab one last bite before she comes back, because you aren’t eating in my truck.”
“Stop reading my mind.” Mia sipped her coffee, hoping it would keep her awake until she got home. She didn’t want to fall asleep on his shoulder. Even though that sounded really, really good right now. “You baby that truck like it’s a child, not a hunk of metal.”
“It is my child.” He signed the bill and picked up the dessert takeout box. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”
“Oh, you’re most welcome. I love visiting new restaurants. It keeps me on my toes when I can’t figure out what to do next in my deliveries.” Mia had responded automatically, her mind on the school and who killed Denny.
* * *
Christina was already in the kitchen when Mia got up on Monday morning. She poured herself a cup of coffee, sat down, and watched her apprentice as she read a cookbook. “Anything good in there?”
“Everything sounds good in here. It’s from one of the New Orleans restaurants that have been in business for years. They have an older recipe they’ve been cooking for years, then they give you a modern version of it. We’re supposed to learn to do that in one of my classes this year. I talked to this guy who took it last year, and he said it was the best class he’d had on campus. I hope he’s right.”
“Sounds like fun.” She sipped her coffee as she reviewed her planner. “Looks like we’ve got a busy cook day. I was wondering if I could tempt you with a lunch at the winery, though.”
“Tempt away. You know I love having someone else do my cooking.” She closed the book and studied Mia. “So, why do you want to go to the winery on a workday? Typically, you won’t even let me run upstairs for a soda. You keep me locked in the kitchen until we’re done.”
“That’s not true. At least not the soda part. And I only locked you in the kitchen once by accident,” Mia explained, but
she looked up and saw Christina grinning. “Oh, I get it, it’s mess-with-the-boss day. Maybe your paycheck will be lost by accident this week.”
“You direct deposit into my bank. And I’m pretty sure you’re paying me more than what we agreed on, so one lost check isn’t going to strap me.” Christina rolled her shoulders. “I’m going to go shower and get ready for the day. I’m looking forward to working with this menu. It sounds yummy.”
“You’re not the only one who saw it that way from the number of orders we got last week. I’d like you to take a shot at next week’s drop-off menu. I’ll need it first thing in the morning, before we do the drop-offs, so I can add it to the staples packet.” Mia stood and grabbed a bowl. Time for some oatmeal. That should keep her from being hungry as they cooked.
“Wait, you want me to come up with a meal? In less than a day?” Christina squeaked. “And still cook today?”
“You have to be able to think on your feet. And the life of a chef is always changing. Of course, if you don’t want to, I could . . .” Mia started.
“No, no, you’re not taking it back. I want to design a meal. But what if no one buys it?” Christina looked at her in horror.
“What about it?” Mia wondered where the girl’s mind was going now.
She sighed, exasperated. “If no one orders, I will have failed. What happens then?”
“We try something new the next week. Failure isn’t fatal. And besides, if you lose, you have to go back to living by Mia’s rules.” Mia focused on her planner, ignoring Christina’s shocked expression. It was going to be a fun day.
Mia called the break at eleven thirty so they could run upstairs and change into clean clothes. Cooking was fun, but because she’d themed the week Italian Night, the morning process of making sauce had been messy. She told Christina to be ready in ten and she ran through a quick shower, then pulled on some jeans and a cute top. Would Priscilla even be there for a lunch service? Mia didn’t know, but she was taking a chance. If she failed, she’d try again later, for drinks. Maybe Trent would come with her.
