“Sounds good. Tell her I’ll be by later to check in. After I eat, I was going to go over to the bakery and get started on the cookies. Do you have a key to her bakery I can borrow?”
“Oh, yes, of course.” She took a key off her key ring and set it on the table. “Hey,” she said, pulling her daughter into the standing position. “I need a hug.”
Ana went into her mom’s outstretched arms. “Mom.” Ana inhaled deeply, drawing in her mom’s familiar scent. Her mom always smelled like mint.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Ace.”
Ana hugged her tighter. “Me too.”
Her mom leaned back and smiled, flashing the same Hollywood smile she and her sisters had inherited. “Love you, Ace. See you in a bit.” She kissed Ana’s forehead before heading to the door that led to the garage. Most people didn’t drive in Fable Town. There wasn’t a need. Everything was in close proximity. Occasionally there would be a limousine from some flashy person staying at a resort or hotel, but that was it. Since her mom was picking up Lox, it made sense she would drive. Lox shouldn’t be doing too much walking. Not for another day or two.
“Love you, too, Mom.” Ana went back to eating, grateful for such an amazing family. She took the catsup out of the fridge and squirted some onto her plate before continuing. Breakfast was delicious.
When she was on her last bite, there was a knock on the kitchen door. A large shadow covered most of the window attached to the top half of the door and she knew it was Nate, his massive body blocking any light that might come through.
Chapter Six
Ana went to the door and opened it wide. Nate was dressed in an outfit similar to hers—jeans and a blue shirt—as well as a coat. “You got some clothes that fit,” she said, letting him in.
“Why do you sound disappointed?” He removed his coat and hung it on the back of his chair before sitting across the table from her.
She forced herself to keep a straight face. “What you were wearing last night was very… fantastic,” she finally said, winking.
“Uh-huh.” He eyed her empty plate.
“You hungry?” She knew his well-muscled physique required an almost constant amount of fuel.
He smirked. “Do you even need to ask?”
“Not really.” She took her plate to the sink before scooping the rest of the egg and potato mixture onto a clean plate for Nate. When they were married, he’d done most of the cooking. Her favorite meal day or night? His ham and cheese omelet with chopped scallions sprinkled on top. Teasing would always ensue. It started with his mischievous banter about his secret ingredient in the omelet. “It’s love,” he would say. That was true. But he also used butter in the pan and some spices as well as salt and pepper to add flavor to the egg. “Here you go.” She set the plate in front of him.
“Thanks.” He reached across the small kitchen and opened the silverware drawer to get a fork, then took a bite and chewed. “The second helping is even better than the first.” He flashed his perfect teeth. She knew some of them were veneers since he had more than a few knocked out over the years. A hazard of football.
“I’ll be sure to tell my mom.” Ana squirted some soap into the sink and turned on the water so she could wash and rinse their dishes. Her parents didn’t own a dishwasher. With just the two of them at home, she understood why. It would take days to have enough dishes for one load.
“Jocelyn and I already spoke this morning. She is well aware of how much I admire her cooking.”
Ana laughed. “That’s good.” Ana was happy to hear things seemed to be okay between Nate and her mom. She washed the few dishes in the sink while Nate ate, the silence comfortable. When she was ready for his plate, she turned. He was finishing up. “I’ll take your plate.”
He shook his head. “Nonsense. I don’t mind washing my own.”
Ana raised an eyebrow. When they’d been married, they’d had more than one fight about who would do the dishes until finally he’d just hired a housekeeper. Cooking was his thing. Cleaning up? Not so much. “Really?”
He bumped into her with his hip. “I’m a changed man.” His goofy grin turned serious. “In a lot of ways, Ace.”
At her nickname on his lips, her body tingled. “Me too.” She watched him wash his plate and then rinse it. She took it from him, dried it and put it away. When she faced him, his hands were on his hips. She sucked in her breath. If there ever was a real superhero in the world, she thought it might be Nate. Nate the Great, she thought and snorted internally. Lame. He deserved a better nickname than that, but she couldn’t think of one.
“What’s your plan now? Should we make cookies first or follow the clues and figure out what happened to your sister?”
She swallowed heavily. As long as she was with him, anything sounded like the most fabulous plan in the world. “Let’s get started on the cookies. I know Lox is probably anxious about whether we can follow a recipe and produce a cookie worthy of her standards.” She put on her gray coat, pulling her ponytail out of the way and then zipping the front.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He followed suit, sliding on his coat.
“Let’s go.” After closing the garage, she followed Nate to the kitchen door. He opened it and she went through. “Thanks.”
Once they were outside, her first thought was to lock it, but in Fable Town no one locked their doors. It was an insult to do so. But she’d been living outside her hometown for too long. It took every ounce of effort not to turn the lock. Her mind swirled with reasons for and against. It was nearing the end of the winter tourist season. Montana still produced a lot of snow in January, but by this time most of the tourists came only on the weekends. Still, she figured there might be more than the usual since the super bowl was the Sunday before. When she still hadn’t decided after several long moments of staring at the door, Nate interrupted her thoughts.
“You want to lock that door, don’t you?”
She laughed at the amusement in his voice. The man knew her. Checking to make sure the door was shut tightly, she faced him. “What gave you that idea?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Probably because I’m feeling the same way.”
She shrugged. “I’d better not just in case my parents don’t have a key.”
“True.”
Ana bounced down the steps with Nate right behind her.
The bakery was only a few blocks over. They walked side-by-side. She admired the clean sidewalks, and the pristine yards covered in snow. Like a picture on a postcard, every driveway was shoveled, and every window framed by quaint and colorful shutters. Smoke plumed from several chimneys, decorating the clear blue sky. A dog barked in the distance followed by an answering bark in the opposite direction.
“I can’t get enough of this place,” he said quietly.
“It’s beautiful.” Ana took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, cold air. A brisk wind stung her cheeks. Thankfully, it wasn’t constant, thanks to the surrounding mountains. The tops stayed snowcapped all year long. She knew at the bottom of the one straight ahead was the Fable Town Lodge. Skiers meandered their way down the slopes.
Ski resorts and hotels circled Fable Town. Filled with restaurants and gift shops, there wasn’t a reason to venture into the town itself, but many tourists still found their way into the heart of the city. You hadn’t been to Fable Town if you hadn’t visited Main Street. On the corner was Happily Ever Hair Salon. It sat beside Poochie’s Grooming, which shared a wall with Goldie’s Bakery, her sister Lox’s pride and joy.
Ana noticed as she turned on to Main that there was a line outside Goldie’s. She hurried over to the disgruntled customers. “Hey everyone. I guess you didn’t hear that the owner was in an accident yesterday and won’t be in.”
“But Goldie’s Bakery is one of the reasons we booked our trip to Fable Town,” someone whined. “I’ve heard about her carrot cake cupcakes.” The woman had an accent Ana couldn’t place and wore more makeup than Ana had put on in her entire life. Sh
e resembled a blue marshmallow in a sky-blue ski coat with matching ski pants.
Nate stepped in front of Ana and the woman took a step back. Ana wasn’t sure whether it was because his size was so intimidating or that he was seriously gorgeous. Probably a combination of both.
Ana didn’t want to scare the customers off though. She knew from experience that Lox usually had a few day-old items left over to sell for a discounted price. “Tell you what, let me open the store and I’ll see if there are any leftovers available.” Lox had mentioned last night that she’d been taking some cupcakes to her parents for dessert. Those might’ve been the last of them. As she debated, her gaze roamed the ground. Between the feet of those waiting outside the store, she thought she could make out some frosting and something else. Was it blood? She shuddered at the thought, grateful once again her sister was alive and in recovery. It could’ve turned out much worse.
The woman in blue stomped her foot and pouted. Nate crossed his arms. “I guess that would be fine,” she said, swallowing.
The others agreed.
“Good. Let me by and I’ll check really quick.” Ana unlocked the door. She glanced at Nate. “Can you stay up front with them?”
“Yep.”
She nodded appreciatively, heading beyond the counter and into the back where Lox did all of her baking. The walk in refrigerator was the furthest away, near the back door. She went inside and a wave of cool air struck her. A quick check revealed three carrot cupcakes and a dozen or so other pastries, including some oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies, pumpkin cheesecake bites, some raspberry tarts, her famous beignets, and double chocolate brownie bars. She hefted the trays and brought them out. “You’re in luck. There are three carrot cake cupcakes left,” she said to the marshmallow woman.
“I’ll take them.” The woman came to the counter, taking out her wallet.
“Excellent.” Ana set down the trays, grabbed a box, and folded it before placing the cupcakes inside. Then she rang them up. “Thanks for coming.”
The woman took the box and left.
One by one she let the remaining customers check out what Ana had on the tray. By the time she finished with the customers, the leftover pastries from the day before were gone. When the last of them finally went through the door, causing it to jingle, Ana sighed. “Would you mind locking the door?”
“Sure.” He turned the lock and pushed on it once to make sure it was secure. “I thought I was going to have to show off my tackling skills with a few of them. People are serious about Lox’s baked goods.”
“It’s always been that way. She is so good at what she does, and it shows.” She picked up the empty trays. “Ready to get started?”
“As ready as I’ve ever been.” He gave her a bright smile, following her into the rear of the bakery.
“Then let’s get to—” The back door banged as a gust of wind whipped it open. She thought she saw sparkles hovering in in the air. Ana shook her head and glanced back at Nate, but he’d been distracted by something on his phone. “That’s weird.” The sparkles were gone as she took hold of the knob before opening it wide to peek out into the tidy alley. It was empty, except for the green metal garbage cans. “Very weird,” she said again, tugging the knob. Before she shut the door, she checked to make sure the mechanics were still working properly. If someone had broken it, then the lock might be busted. A quick inspection revealed everything worked fine, but there was a piece of material caught on the deadbolt. “Look at this.” She tried to remove the red and blue plaid material, but it was stuck and started to tear as she pulled.
“That might be a clue,” Nate said, coming over.
“I know, but I can’t get it out.” Her mind ran through ways she could release the material without ripping it. “Do you still carry your grandfather’s Swiss Army knife with you wherever you go?” He’d told her the story of how his grandfather received it when he joined the army during the Second World War. Nate kept it in perfect order, and it was one of his most prized possessions since he didn’t have much of anything from his family.
He gave her an enormous smile before snorting. “Always.” He took it from his front pants pocket.
Ana held the doorknob while he worked to carefully pry the cloth with the pointy end of the knife. When the cloth finally came loose, Nate gave a hooted holler. “Yes.” He held it out for her triumphantly, his eyes twinkling with accomplishment. His excitement was contagious.
The man was breathtaking. She roamed his handsome face as a memory of when they first met filled her heart, but she quickly pressed it away. Now wasn’t the time. Still, her heart flip-flopped happily. “You’re so awesome.” She took the material from his fingers, holding it up to get a better look at it. “Part of a shirt, maybe? It feels too thin to be a jacket.” She tucked it in the front pocket of her jeans while he put his knife away.
“You might be right.” He closed the door and double locked it. “Do you think anything is missing from the bakery?” Nate looked around. “Hopefully whoever that material belonged to didn’t steal anything.”
“I wouldn’t know either way. But I’ll have to tell Lox. She’ll want to know, of course and she isn’t going to be happy if something is missing.” Ana studied the door again. Even though no one locked their doors in Fable Town, Lox always locked her bakery up tight. It just made good business sense. Plus, it was a requirement for insurance purposes. All of the businesses did. Of that Ana was certain. “Should we make sure we’re alone?” A creepy thought that maybe the person who knocked Lox unconscious might still be around filled her. It was doubtful, but she was still grateful Nate had come with her. And not just because he would protect her.
Nate gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll check. You stay here.”
Chapter Seven
Nate checked every nook and cranny of Lox’s charming yet state-of-the-art bakery. While she waited, Ana admired the surroundings. The style of the bakery spoke to Ana with its simplicity. Comfortable and homey, the store drew you in, begging customers to stay and hang out, eat delicious baked goods, and then take some home. Recessed lighting was interspersed between brown mahogany beams on the white ceiling. Portraits of baked desserts stood out in frames stained expresso against the powder blue walls in the kitchen as well as out in the front where the customers hung out. The tasty-looking portraits were painted by a local artist as a gift to Lox when she opened the bakery.
In the kitchen, floating shelves filled with bowls, plates, and other necessary items made the room feel like home. In the front, Lox had frilly aprons, dish towels, and other cute items displayed for sale. They sat on a distressed white Victorian cabinet and hutch. Small, bistro tables and barstools dotted the floor. At the front of the store were full-length windows. They allowed in all kinds of light. Scalloped brown mahogany shutters hung at the top. There if the light needed to be blocked. Ana nodded in admiration as she completed her visual tour. It also smelled amazing within—like vanilla and sugar. Ana was proud of her oldest sister and what she’d accomplished. She and Nate had talked at length about moving to Fable Town once he retired from professional football. He had his degree in English and had talked about writing books about fitness and football and had even thought about getting a job on TV. He certainly had the looks and the charisma for it. A lot had happened since their late-night talks sitting out on their porch swing talking about their dreams.
“It’s just the two of us.” Nate returned, a smug grin on his face.
Ana couldn’t help it as her pulse picked up speed. “Good. Thanks for checking.” She tried to keep her voice even, but the man was more handsome than ever. “Should we get to work?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ana internally fanned herself, hoping to stop the heat from rising to her face. It didn’t work, so she made a beeline to her sister’s office. “I’ll get the recipe and be right back.” Inside Lox’s office, she closed the door behind her and then went to her sister’s desk. Sitting, she opene
d the top right drawer. There was a false bottom, which was where she kept all of the paper copies of her recipes. Ana pressed the slight indent and it topped up enough that Ana was able to get underneath.
A quick glance at the door to make sure she was alone and then she removed the recipes, quickly flipping through them until she located the one titled: SUGAR COOKIES. Returning the rest to their hiding place, she replaced the false bottom and stood. There was a mirror hanging on the wall beside the door. Ana took two seconds to adjust her ponytail, then studied her face. “You can do this,” she whispered. “He might look like Hercules, but he’s just a man.” A very tall, very muscled, very hot man, but a man just the same. She took a deep breath and was about to leave when something in the reflection caught her attention. It was a woman with long blond hair with similar features to her own, though she was dressed differently. Old fashioned. The woman was cooking something in a fire. She glanced up and stared right at Ana.
Ana flinched and quickly shut her eyes, counting to five before opening them. Only her own reflection stared back. She took a deep breath, blowing off the weirdness and left the office.
Back in the kitchen, she set the recipe card on the stainless-steel counter, resting her elbows on it as she studied the ingredients:
SUGAR COOKIES
1 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C Shortening
3 1/2C All Purpose Flour + flour for counter surface to roll out the dough
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 C Powered Sugar
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Vanilla
A dash of Cinnamon
Cream together butter, shortening, sugars, and eggs. Mix well. Add vanilla. Add all dry ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate dough for thirty minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes. (Dip the cookie cutter in flour before pressing into the dough so it doesn’t stick.) Bake at 375 degrees F for eight to ten minutes. Don’t overbake. Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on size and shape of cookie cutters.
Iced Raspberry Cookies and a Curse Page 4
