A Spicy Secret

by D. Savannah George

  “Of all things, we found some recipes under a floorboard in the carriage house.”

  “Recipes?” Ian looked puzzled. “Just shoved in there?”

  “No, not exactly,” Annie said. She then explained what they had found. She dug around in her bag and pulled out the notebook where she’d scribbled her list. It suddenly occurred to her that although the club had eaten cookies made from one of the recipes, they’d not actually talked about the recipe itself or the mystery during the meeting.

  “Here’s what we know—” she started to say, but Peggy interrupted by dropping off their drinks.

  “Thank you, Peggy,” Ian said. “You always take such good care of me.”

  Peggy nodded, a slight smile on her face, and went through the kitchen doors.

  Ian took a gulp of his drink. “You were saying?”

  “Oh, yes,” Annie flipped the pages until she came to the list, which she read aloud to Ian. “What do you think? Any ideas on who might have left the recipes?”

  “Well, I remember the Swanns living there, of course,” he replied, “but they didn’t strike me as being very secretive.” He leaned his face on his hand and looked thoughtful. “Now, you say the plank over the hidey-hole was different than the rest of the floor?”

  “Yes, though I have no idea what kind of wood either one is.”

  “Chances are, the floors in both Grey Gables and the carriage house are pine. Likely whoever did the hiding would not have known—or would not have wanted to try to find out, for fear of discovery, how to match the wood.”

  “Do you think whoever it was might have come to the sawmill to get the new piece?”

  “It’s entirely possible, but that’s something I have no way of knowing for sure.” Ian smiled. “So tell me about your project for the Hook and Needle Club.”

  “It’s not really my project—Kate came up with it. And that reminds me.” Annie leaned down to dig around in her bag and came up with a handful of the flyers Mary Beth had given to everyone. “Would you mind putting some of these at Town Hall? We really want to get the word out—we’ve got to collect a hundred blankets. Kate’s daughter, Vanessa, and her best friend, Mackenzie, designed these.”

  “No problem.” He took the colorful paper and glanced at it. “Anything to help the Hook and Needle Club, not to mention promote the young talent in our town.”

  “Thank you. Kate will be thrilled,” she said. “But I still can’t figure out why everyone in town always thinks that I’m the only person who comes up with and does good deeds. Our little town is chock-a-block full of wonderful, giving people.”

  “Well, you always seem to get things organized and people …” he started to reply.

  “Here you go, Mr. Mayor, Annie,” Peggy interrupted. “Enjoy your meal.”

  “Wow, Marie’s fast today,” Ian said.

  “Your ham-and-cheese sandwich proved quite a challenge for her, but she managed to get it made,” Peggy said in a rare display of sarcasm. “Annie, here’s your tomato soup. I got you some cheesy bread instead of plain garlic. Let me know if you two need anything else.”

  After she had gone on to the next customer, Ian leaned over and said softly, “Guess Peggy has forgiven me for getting in her way—my lunch seems safely ensconced on my plate.”

  “I guess so,” Annie laughed. “Lucky for you, Peggy isn’t one to hold a grudge.”

  They were quiet for a minute as they started eating, and then Annie told him all about Blanket Haiti.

  “That’s got to be the Hook and Needle Club’s most ambitious project to date,” he said, polishing off his sandwich and the last of the chips. “Think you ladies will be able to pull it off?”

  Annie groaned as she wiped the last bit of soup up with a piece of bread. “Well, we’ve got a few months, but I sure hope so. I’d hate to see Kate’s face if we failed. It practically glowed while she told us about it.”

  Ian smiled. “I can only imagine.”

  “Oh!” Annie sat up straight so suddenly her knees knocked the underside of the table. The salt and pepper shakers fell over, and all the dishes rattled.

  “Goodness, now you’re gonna get us kicked out of here,” Ian said. “Whatever is the matter?”

  “Nothing’s the matter. I just had a brilliant idea! Why don’t you knit a blanket or two for the project? I know your mother taught you how to knit; Mary Beth told me so on our trip to the needle-art conference in Texas. She said you knitted a sweater for Tartan. You could be a temporary member of the Hook and Needle Club!”

  “Me? Annie, I hardly think …”

  “Yes, you! Or I can teach you to crochet. Oh, that would be great! There are tons of simple stitches you can learn, and I’m told I’m a pretty good teacher.”

  “I’m sure you are,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “But I don’t know if it would be a good idea.”

  Peggy dropped off the check, picked up their empty plates, and asked if they wanted any coffee.

  “Yes please, I’d love some,” Annie replied. “Hey, don’t you think it would be a great idea for Ian to participate in our project and learn to crochet?”

  Peggy actually smiled at Ian and said, “That would be fabulous! You’d be welcome to attend our Hook and Needle Club meetings, and we’d all be glad to help if you got stuck.”

  “Well, I don’t know …,” he said.

  “Aw, come on, Mr. Mayor,” she said. “If you agree to help, the rest of the town will feel like they should too! Think of the great publicity it would be!”

  “Yes, Ian, think of the publicity!” Annie gushed. “I’m sure Mike would love to put a picture of you crocheting on the front page of The Point. I bet we could get something in the Maine Sunday Telegram and the Portland Press Herald. Maybe even a TV station would talk about our project! And of course, they’d talk about Stony Point too.”

  Ian threw his hands up in the air, mimicking a suspect who’s been caught red-handed. “OK, I surrender! I’ll learn to crochet and attempt to make a blanket to donate.”

  “Hooray!” Peggy said, leaning down to give him a hug. “I’ll be right back with your coffees, and I’ll have Marie make that club sandwich for you, Annie.”

  “So,” Annie smiled smugly at Ian, “when should we start your lessons? I have plenty of yarn I can give you, or you can buy some at A Stitch in Time. Mary Beth is giving a 10 percent discount to anyone buying supplies for the project.”

  “Well, what are you doing this weekend?” Ian asked. “I thought you might want to go back to Sweet Nell’s with me. It’s been awhile since we’ve been there, and I had a lot of fun that time we went.”

  Annie felt herself blushing. There could be no doubt that going to Sweet Nell’s, a karaoke restaurant in a former tire shop located halfway between Stony Point and Wiscasset, would be a date. She decided to revert to her Texas sorority girl accent. She picked up a napkin and began fanning herself.

  “Why, Mr. Ian Butler, are you asking li’l ole me to go on a date with you?”

  “Mrs. Dawson, I believe that is my spoken intention, yes.”

  “Bless your heart, Mr. Butler,” she said, fanning more frantically. “I shall have to check my busy social schedule and get back to you.”

  “Please do that, if you don’t mind,” he said, grinning slyly. “You could give me my first crochet lesson before we go.”

  Peggy came by and handed Annie a brown paper bag. She gave her a huge smile when she noticed the older woman’s slightly red face.

  “Here’s that sandwich, Annie. And thanks again, so much, Mr. Mayor. You both have a nice day, OK?”

  “You too, Peggy. See you next week, if not sooner!” Annie replied.

  Annie and Ian argued over the check for a few minutes, but Annie finally gave in.

  “Consider it payment for the crochet lessons,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to Town Hall. See you this weekend.”

  Annie sat at the table for a few minutes after he left, collecting her thoughts.

  Peg
gy stopped by once more, a half-full pot of coffee in one hand.

  “Let me guess. Our mayor asked you on a date,” she said.

  “How could you tell?” Annie asked, surprised.

  “Easy. Your face is red, and you flapping that napkin about is a dead giveaway. And anyway, everyone knows you and Ian are sweet on each other.”

  “We are both too old for that kind of nonsense. He’s a very kind man and a dear friend. That’s all,” she replied.

  “Yes, I’m sure that’s it. You’re just friends.” Peggy grinned.

  After a moment, Annie admitted, “OK, I guess it is actually a date. He wants us to go back to Sweet Nell’s. We went there once before. And he agreed to let me give him his first crochet lesson that night.”

  “So that’s what they’re calling it now—crochet lessons,” Peggy teased. “Sweet Nell’s is so much fun! Wally and I haven’t been in forever. It’s hard to find a babysitter.”

  “I’d be happy to watch Emily anytime,” Annie said. “Just let me know when. But of course it can’t be this weekend.”

  “Of course not!” Peggy smiled. “And we might just take you up on your offer.”

  She gave Annie a hug and then added, “Kate and Mary Beth are gonna be so happy when you tell them about Ian!”

  ****

  When Annie re-entered A Stitch in Time, Mary Beth was nowhere to be seen, while Kate was helping a customer with pattern books.

  “Annie, how’d your errands go?” Alice called, stuffing her crochet work in her tote. “Did you remember my sandwich? I’m starved!”

  Mary Beth walked out of the back room, sat in her favorite chair, and picked up her knitting.

  “Sure did,” Annie said, handing the bag over. Alice promptly opened it and drew out the sandwich, cut in half and wrapped in waxed paper, a bag of chips, and a saran-wrapped brownie.

  “Hey! I didn’t get a brownie with my lunch!” Annie said.

  “I guess whoever put this together likes me more than they like you,” Alice said, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a big bite. “I know I said I wanted to take this home, but I can’t wait. I’m so hungry I could eat yarn.”

  Annie walked over to the coat rack and began the process of removing her scarf, hat, gloves, and coat. The worst part of winter, she reflected, was the constant bundling and unbundling that had to be done when going from one place to another. She’d wrapped herself up snugly for the short walk back from The Cup & Saucer and had still shivered the entire way from the freezing temperatures. Now she thought she’d pass out from the heat.

  Mary Beth and Annie chatted while Alice ate.

  Alice balled up the waxed paper from her sandwich, dropped it into the paper bag, and opened the bag of chips.

  “That was quick,” Kate said.

  “Told you. Hungry enough to eat yarn!” Alice said around a mouthful of chips. “So, Annie, how exactly did your errands go?”

  Annie felt her ears start to turn red.

  “They went fine,” she said. She hesitated a moment, then added, “Guess what? I ran into Ian at The Cup & Saucer when I got your sandwich, and he’s agreed to take crochet lessons from me and participate in our project. He’s also going to put the flyers up at Town Hall for us.”

  “That’s awesome!” Kate joined the conversation, having checked out the customer. “I never even thought that any of Stony Point’s men might want to help.”

  “I hope it’s OK, but I told him he could be a temporary member of the Hook and Needle Club. Peggy thought it was a great idea too. She said if he participated, it would make lots of other people want to be involved.”

  “She’s right about that,” Mary Beth said. She shook out her blanket—it was growing bigger by the second—and eyed it critically, then began knitting once more. “Everybody in town likes Ian, and for good reason. Of course he’s welcome to attend meetings. I’m sure that he’s too busy to become an official member of the club, but we’ll need all the help we can get to make our goal.”

  “I’m hoping we can get some publicity for the project,” Annie added. “I know Mike will put something in The Point, and I plan to contact newspapers in other cities and the TV stations too.”

  “That would be so great,” Kate said. “Thanks for thinking of it.”

  By now, Alice had finished her chips and eaten her brownie. She stood up, walked over to the trash can, and deposited her garbage.

  “Annie, are you ready to go?” she asked. “I’m about pooped.”

  “No problem,” Annie said, and she began the re-bundling process.

  Once they were both in Annie’s car and on their way home, Alice turned pointedly to Annie and asked, “So, how was lunch with Ian?”

  “Fine,” Annie said. Knowing where this was going, she tried to change the direction of the conversation. “Did everything go OK while I was gone?”

  “Nothing exciting,” Alice said, “though I did make some progress on my blanket.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  “Uh-huh. Unlike some people who go gallivanting at lunchtime instead of working. That reminds me—did you ask Ian about his cat, Banana?”

  “Oh, phooey! I completely forgot!”

  “Annie! I give you one job, and you mess it up.”

  “Don’t I know it! But don’t worry—we’re getting together one night this weekend so we can start his crochet lessons.”

  “Just lessons, huh?” Alice cocked an eyebrow at her. “Nothing else?”

  “Oh, OK, yes, there’s more,” Annie said, starting to blush again. “He asked me to go to Sweet Nell’s with him.”

  Her friend laughed. “I knew it! You’ve got a date with Ian. You’ve got a date with Ian,” she sing-songed as Annie pulled into her driveway.

  “That’s it. Get out,” Annie teased. “And take all your junk with you.”

  “Fine. I’m going, I’m going,” Alice said. She got out, opened the back door and gathered her belongings. “I just want you to remember that everyone loved the cookies—the very ones you said I shouldn’t bring. I wonder which of the recipes I’ll make for next week’s meeting?”

  Before Annie could reply, Alice slammed the door, waved and then hobbled up the front porch and went inside.

  Annie just shook her head and drove home.

  7

  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ended up being very busy for Mary Beth and Kate at A Stitch in Time—even more so than usual, especially considering the season. Winter was typically slow, but neither one got to sit down much, and Mary Beth didn’t make much progress on her blanket.

  On Wednesday, Reverend Wallace stopped by the store and asked for copies of the flyer.

  “How many do you need?” Kate asked, reaching for the small stack next to the register.

  “Well, I’d like to put one in every church bulletin this coming Sunday,” he replied. “So, about a hundred and fifty.”

  Kate’s eyes got big. “Really? You want to hand them out to everybody?”

  “Don’t look so surprised, Kate,” he answered, a smile on his face. “This is a wonderful idea, and the least I can do is help publicize it. Plus, the donated blankets will extend our ministry to the orphanage, even beyond what we had hoped to do and how we hoped to serve.”

  “Well, I figured you just wanted a few flyers to hang in the fellowship hall or something.”

  The minister laughed. “That I’ve already done. No, I want to make sure everyone sees it and shows it to their friends and neighbors. You know our membership includes people who don’t live in Stony Point.”

  “Wow. That’s—to steal a phrase from my daughter— super awesome! Unfortunately, I don’t have that many copies made,” Kate told him. “Would you be able to stop by later this afternoon?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied, rearranging his scarf and pulling his hat back on. “I’ll see you later.”

  The bell rang as he left, and Kate sank down on the stool behind the register, shaking her head in disbelief. Mary Beth wa
ndered in from the back room and noticed Kate staring into space.

  “Uh, Kate? Is everything all right?”

  “Gosh, sorry. I guess I just zoned out,” Kate said. “Reverend Wallace wants a hundred and fifty copies of the flyer to stuff in every church bulletin this Sunday.”

  “Then I suggest you get busy copying, missy!”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Kate saluted and then went to the back to get started.

  ****

  By the end of the day Thursday, Kate had copied and given out more flyers than she thought possible. In addition to the ones for Reverend Wallace, she’d had to make more for the store—every single one had been taken. Then Vanessa had requested a few to put up at school. Katrina, the activities director at Seaside Hills Assisted Living, wanted to give copies to her, as she put it, “crafty residents.” Valerie Duffy, one of the local librarians, asked for some to hand out to library patrons. Then Alice ran out of flyers and needed more for her catalogs.

  And the stream of customers seemed to be never ending. They helped people they’d never seen in the store before, as well as regulars and those who hadn’t patronized the store in a while. And every single one of them wanted to pick out yarn and an easy pattern and talk about Blanket Haiti. Kate began wishing for a clone, or at the very least, a recording to explain the project. Her jaws had started to ache.

  In a rare lull that occurred late that afternoon, she plopped down on one of the chairs next to Mary Beth, who worked away on her knitting, and put up her feet.

  “I … am … exhausted,” Kate said. “I had no idea my little idea would get to be so big.”

  “Aren’t you excited, though?” Mary Beth asked, pulling more yarn from her skein and turning the blanket to start a new row. “There’s really no way just the Hook and Needle Club members could have made that many blankets.”

  “True, and I’m thankful that everyone is embracing the idea. But I’m worn out, and I’m going to have to order more yarn, pattern books, and colored copy paper.”

  “I’d say that’s a good problem to have.”

  “Yeah, it is. But I’m still gonna wait until tomorrow to do it.”

  ****

  Kate spent most of Friday morning on the phone. She knew she could do the ordering online, but she liked talking to the sales reps. Many times they’d tell her about a new product or a discount that wasn’t available on their website, and they often had ideas for things that would be good sellers at A Stitch in Time.