“You bet. Here are two orders that came in today for parties.”
I took the two small slips of paper and thanked her, heading through the swinging door. I made a mental note to order professional order forms with our logo. It was one of the things we couldn’t afford right away and I’d been forgetting to put them in the budget the last few months. Maybe Millie could design something.
“Victoria,” I called. Her head poked out of the fridge. “Do you know if Millie is coming in today?”
“Yes.” Victoria disappeared back inside then came out, four bowls of dough balanced on her arms. I rushed over to shut the door and help with two of the bowls. “Thanks,” she said. “Millie should be here soon. She had a phone interview with that art school today.”
“What is all this?” I looked at the bowls of dough. Recognizing two as chocolate chip cookie dough, I peered more closely at the other two.
“Gladys told me that we almost sold out of the Mini Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies, so those two are to make more.”
“Great, I’ll whip up extra hazelnut filling. What about the others?”
Victoria held up one bowl, Sugar Cookie dough, to make Mini Sugar Cookie Sandwiches. I thought we could make a light, summery filling flavor for those, but I’m not sure what yet. The other bowl is also Sugar Cookie dough,” she nodded to the fourth bowl. “I’m going to mix in strawberry jam and lime zest to make Strawberry Limeade Cookies.”
“Genius!” I patted her on the back. “Why don’t I concentrate on both of the fillings. You can get the Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies in the oven first.”
“Okay, cool.” Victoria never had to be told twice. She set to work scooping tiny mounds of cookie dough onto parchment-paper lined pans.
Millie came in from the café right as I started on the Lemon Whipped Cream Filling for the Mini Sugar Cookie Sandwiches. Squishing sounds came from her soaked shoes as she walked. Her pant legs, too, were soaked up past the ankles.
Victoria stared at her drenched friend. “Holy cow, Millie! Did you walk here?”
“Nope. I may have to walk home though.” Millie leaned her elbows onto the stainless-steel work island in the center of the room, head drooping. “I nearly hydroplaned on my scooter more than once. The street out front is three inches deep in water on the sides of the road.”
“I’m so sorry, Millie.” I looked between the girls. “You two know Sam or I are happy to give you a lift home if things don’t dry out some.” I held up a hand to curtail their protests. “I won’t have you in danger. We’ll see how the storm plays out but you have a ride if you need one.”
Tension leaked out of Millie, her shoulders sagging in relief. “Great. It was kind of scary, especially when cars passed and sprayed more water over me; as if the road wasn’t hard enough to see already.”
“Thanks, Piper.” Victoria continued pulling sheets of cookies from the oven and placing them on the cooling racks.
“Millie, how would you like another art project?” I asked.
“As long as it doesn’t involve creating a water feature for the flooding, count me in.”
I described the type of order form we needed. “I’d love you to put your creative touch on it to really represent the Ooey Gooey Goodness Bakery. Our logo, plus whatever your heart desires.”
Clapping gleefully, Millie assured me she could do it. “Thank you for this,” she said. “You and Sam hired me to clean. I never imagined I would also get to do so much extra-fun stuff with my art, as well. I’m so lucky!”
“You aren’t lucky; you’re talented. See if you can have something ready for me on Monday, can you?”
“Absolutely!” She stood and stretched her arms overhead. “I’ll start working on it right after I wipe down tables and clean up trash up front.”
A high-pitched whirring noise sounded. For a moment, I thought I might be losing my mind. When Victoria looked up and glanced around the room, I knew she must here it, too. The noise grew louder.
“Do you think that is the severe weather alert system?” Victoria’s voice trembled a fraction.
“No…” I cocked my head to the side. “It sounds like it is coming from the back door.” In confirmation, a sudden clattering sound rang out. The door knob twisted. Finding it locked, the person on the outside stopped trying. We waited. The whirring noise revved up again, similar to that of a dentist drill.
Victoria’s eyes widened even more. “What do we do?” she asked.
I snaked my hand in a drawer, pulling out one of the cans of pepper spray Gladys had insisted we each have as part of our “supplies” earlier in the month. I might not have carried it on my person all the time like she wanted; still, I kept it handy.
“We find out who it is,” I said. “Get ready to holler at Gladys in the café if I need you to.”
CHAPTER 7
I wrenched the back door open and stepped back. Rain peppered my face. His back turned to me, I experienced a feeling of déjà vu as, for the second time in one day, Griff stood in the pouring rain outside the door. This time he wasn’t alone.
“Hey!” I yelled over the roaring rain. “What the heck are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Hearing, Griff turned. Skirting a ladder, he stepped inside and shut the door.
“Here,” Victoria called. She tossed a kitchen towel our way.
I caught it and held it back. “You can have this,” I waved the towel. “After you tell me what you are doing. Why is someone on a ladder out there?”
“I tried to call,” Griff said. “We’re putting up a little canopy. You shouldn’t have to stand in the rain to unlock your back door.” Not only a building inspector, Griff also ran a few crews of guys for small repairs and installations to bring things up to code.
“Griff! It is storming out there.” I stomped a foot. “Surely a canopy could have waited.”
“It’s raining today. Which means it might still be raining when you leave to lock up.” He shrugged. “You needed a canopy.”
“I highly doubt that safety protocol gives permission for canopy installation during inclement weather.”
Griff shrugged. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
I tried to be angry at the infuriating man but the truth was I could barely contain a smile. Growing from the warm-fuzzy feelings in my belly, the smile persisted and I grinned. “You are crazy,” I told him.
“Always,” he promised. “We should be done in a few more minutes and then out of your hair.” Griff squeezed my hand, waved to BeeBee and shouldered back out into the rain.
Victoria whistled as she ambled away from the swinging door and back to the counter.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I told her, earning myself a giggle.
“Yes ma’am,” she saluted.
I edged my phone out of the cargo pocket on my hip after she turned away. There it was: one missed call. I tapped the button on the side a few times to turn the phone up to full volume and put it back.
An hour later, Sam came bustling inside with BeeBee trailing behind. “We have a canopy.” Sam made it a statement rather than a question.
I answered anyway. “Your brother helped install it. In the rain. Thankfully, nobody blew off the ladder or got struck by lightning.”
“At least, we assume not,” Victoria piped up.
“True. Wouldn’t have been able to hear them if they did.”
“Well, there weren’t any bodies,” Sam reassured me.
“Lovely.” I gave a wry smile. “Now, let’s see the new hair.” Both girls wore hoods to protect from the rain, BeeBee’s an extension of a cozy hoodie sweatshirt; Sam’s hood attached to a designer Burberry raincoat. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Sam had bought them today after the freak rainstorm began. It seemed unlikely they would have been laying around in her new car.
“You first,” BeeBee told Sam.
Sam shrugged out of her raincoat, hanging it on a hook to drip. I made a mental note to put a dry towel down back there before one of us
slipped and fell.
“Wow, I didn’t even know you could have hair that color.” Victoria stepped closer, gazing at the light purple hair.
I circled my finger in the air. Sam spun obediently. I ran my hand through it, lifting it to see through to the bottom layers.
“It’s all the same color,” Sam answered my unspoken question.
“Very pretty,” I told her. “Kind of makes you look like a magical fairy which is perfect because we have a magical cookie order for more of your unicorn masterpieces.”
“The color is lilac,” she said. “Okay, your turn BeeBee.”
BeeBee flicked the hood back from her head. Black as crow’s wings hair highlighted the delicate Asian features of her face. “Beautiful,” I told her. “But I thought you were getting brown and just one pink stripe?” On the left side of her head, two deep blue, about an inch wide, ran from top to tip.
“I decided on black before we got there. Then, Sam convinced me to go with blue.”
“It’s the color of human trafficking awareness,” Sam explained. “I looked it up.”
“Two blue stripes…” I looked back to BeeBee.
“One for Eva. One for me.” BeeBee smiled.
“Who’s Eva?” Victoria glanced around the room.
“You know what,” I slapped my hands on my thighs. “I just remembered that Flo has a delivery to make now that we’re all here.” As planned, my announcement distracted everyone including Victoria. I’d bought BeeBee a little time to choose whether or not she shared with anyone else about her sister.
CHAPTER 8
Trying to look nonchalant while trying to crowd six people behind the counter in the Ooey Gooey Café isn’t exactly possible.
“What gives?” Gladys asked seeing Victoria’s furtive motion for Millie to join her, Sam, BeeBee, and me beside Gladys at the cash register. “Is the kitchen flooded? Did someone break in? I know I’ve got some supplies here…” Gladys reached for the zipper on her trusty fanny pack; the fanny pack that contained pepper spray, panic buttons, and a plethora of other gadgets that I knew of, to say nothing of anything Gladys had added but failed to mention.
Right on time, Flo opened the door and carried a short vase with a plump, round bouquet of white daisies, orange roses, and pink lilies.
“Hi, Flo.” Gladys greeted. “You coming to join this crowd behind the counter, too?” Gladys eyeballed us.
Victoria smothered a giggle.
“Not at all, Gladys.” Flo strode forward purposefully. “I’m simply here to make a delivery.” She smiled and placed the vase on the counter.
Gladys looked over the top of the flowers at her. “For Piper or Sam?” she asked twitching a thumb our direction.
“Neither.”
“Oh?” Gladys peered at our little huddle again. “Then who?”
“Why don’t you read the card and see,” I motioned to the arrangement.
“This better not be a bouquet of prank flowers,” she frowned. “The kind that squirt water. I’d be upset, Flo, since you didn’t tell me we could buy prank flowers.”
“For goodness sake, Gladys.” Flo crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t sell something so childish as prank flowers. My flowers are about beauty and communication.”
“Too bad,” Gladys mumbled as she searched the arrangement. Spying the card at last, she pulled it from the plastic pitchfork-looking holder. “It’s for me!”
“Open it,” Sam urged.
Gladys opened the card, reading silently.
Before I could so much as attempt a peek over her shoulder, Gladys stuffed the card back in the envelope. “Piper, Sam.”
“Yes?”
“Yeah?”
“Could I have the next few days off?” she asked.
I looked to Sam. Shrugged. She nodded. “Sure,” I didn’t mind if Gladys took time off. Though I would have like to ask her why, I didn’t get the chance.
“Thanks!” Gladys hauled the vase of flowers out the front door and down the sidewalk. We watched her get into her car and drive away.
Millie spoke first. “That was an odd reaction to flowers.”
We all agreed.
CHAPTER 9
I stretched my hands above my head, and pointed my toes, stretching my legs out to the corners of the bed. Sunday. Daylight leaked into my bedroom around the edges of the curtains. The bakery wouldn’t open until one and I didn’t have to go in early since Sam and I stayed late to do the baking last night. She and Landon had rescheduled house tours to Monday, thanks to the weather.
Wait a minute! Sunshine.
I untangled my legs from the sheets and hopped over to the window. Sunshine beamed. Not a cloud in sight, thank goodness.
My phone beeped from the nightstand. Unplugging it from the charger, I plopped back down on the bed to read the new message.
Sam: You up?
Me: Yep.
Sam: Can one of the girls help at the Ooey Gooey today?
Me: No prob. What’s up?
Sam: Mother. Mandatory Lunch. Something about dinner wardrobe.
Me: Ick.
Sam: Griff has to be there 2.
Me: Double ick. No worries, we will handle the bakery.
Sam: K. See you at church?
Me: Yeah, see you then.
I looked at the time on my phone. Plenty of time left before I needed to get ready. My phone beeped again as I tucked the corners of the sheets back into place. Wondering what Sam had forgotten, I stared at our conversation thread for half a minute before realizing the notification was for a message from Victoria.
Victoria: How soon can we do going-away party for Millie?
Victoria: Like, Friday?
Victoria: She leaves next weekend for art school. ☹☹
I waited a moment to see if she would send a fourth text. When none came, I responded.
Me: We will make it work for Friday. Millie can work the register today. You and I will talk plans in the kitchen.
Victoria: TY TY TY TY! ??
Me: Welcome!
Bed made, messages all answered, teeth brushed, I grabbed a notepad and headed to the living room. Party planning meant one thing: a new list. Finding a purple gel pen in the cute mason jar full of writing utensils, another new treasure I purchased when refurbishing after my apartment got shot to pieces not long ago, I started jotting down the things I would need to find out from Victoria. Number of people, invites or open, favorite desserts, theme or favorite color, allergies, name of the school Millie was leaving to attend? The list went on. Satisfied that I had captured most of my thoughts, I stuck the spiral notepad into a purse. Church today meant I’d give the regular cargo pant wardrobe a break and wear a dress instead.
Time for breakfast. I whipped up some sausage balls, oozing with sharp cheese and tanging with spicy seasonings, plated a handful, and carried them with a glass of tea back to the couch. I didn’t get lazy mornings very often; I planned to take full advantage of my lounge time. Flipping on the news, I bit into the moist, delicious sausage ball as I watched reports of the damage from yesterday’s storm. Seven inches of water measured in most areas. The worst part of the forecast predicted that more would soon follow. Hurricane Loretta charted a course for Florida with building strength. Whether the hurricane would also make landfall here, or only send another deluge of water remained undetermined.
Thank God that Griff installed that canopy. Looks like we may need it soon after all.
I paused as I picked up the remote to flip channels. Deidra’s face splashed across the screen. A tableau of smaller images dotted the sidebar, all of Deidra as a teen. Wincing, I turned up the volume.
“Teenage miscreant becomes town menace?” The nasally voice on the television posed the question. “Sources say these scandalous photos of Deidra Lowe, first lady of Seashell Bay and wife to Mayor Lowe, are only the beginning of an unveiling of her past, and present, sins.”
Clicking the television off, I looked down at my empty plate. Good thing I had alre
ady polished off breakfast; now I’d lost my appetite.
~
The church sanctuary filled up quickly. Of course, I arrived several minutes early, so finding a seat wasn’t a problem. Sam and I attended services more regularly now that we took Sunday mornings off from the bakery. Today, however, Pastor Dan had mentioned that a special guest would be introduced and hinted that we should be there.
“Did you save us a seat?” Sam whispered. The choir and instruments began their first notes as she and BeeBee slid into seats beside me without waiting for an answer.
Worship music and singing lasted for half an hour. As the last chords were sung, Pastor Dan ascended the steps to the platform. “Good morning, good morning.” He smiled, displaying large white teeth. “Today’s service is going to be a tad different than our normal Sunday morning. Of course, that means you all get a break from me preaching.”
The congregation laughed as a body. One or two peopled hooted out amen.
Pastor Dan laughed right along with everyone. When the room quieted, he grew serious. “I am pleased to introduce a new member of our community, of this church, and the head of a brand-new focused ministry.” Stretching an arm out to the side, he waved someone up to join him from the front row.
Landon jogged up the steps and shook Pastor Dan’s hand, enveloping him with the other arm in that universal male hand-shake / back-slap version of a hug.
“Brothers and sisters, this is Landon.” A smattering of applause sounded before the introduction continued. “Landon, why don’t you take a few minutes to explain your role and our churches role for the new ministry program.”
“Thank you, Pastor.” Landon waved to the congregation. Dressed in khaki pants and a navy polo shirt, he presented a very professional image. “A few of you may remember the fundraiser that local businesses and Sandy Shores Evangelical Church participated in earlier this year to raise money for Breaking Chains. I work with Breaking Chains, identifying victims of human trafficking and reaching out, giving them opportunities to get free and receive help.”
Ooey Gooey Bakery Mystery Box Set Page 50
