by Rosie Sams
“I want this kind of cake for my child,” Kerry said as she piped strings of rainbow icing on the cake.
Melody laughed. “You’re not even married yet.”
“Well, it’s best to plan ahead. Life’s short,” Kerry said the last part softer than her usual tone. Melody felt sad, too.
“She just wanted a new life,” Melody muttered, remembering those words Amelia had said. Kerry reached out to her and squeezed her shoulder.
“Not everyone gets a second chance to live their lives differently, Mel. Amelia’s life should be a lesson to you.”
Mel turned to Kerry, “Why do I think that was about me, and a certain sheriff, again, Ker?”
Kerry turned away from Melody to get back to icing the cake. “Just saying, Mel. You don’t have many chances; it is foolish to let opportunities pass. You’ve been hurt once but it does not mean it will happen again. Or if it happens again, who cares? You’re strong enough now to feel you can cope because you know that after failure, there can be another success.”
Melody rarely saw this side of Kerry and she considered her friend’s words.
They were busy packaging over a hundred cupcakes when the bell rang at the door of the shop. Slipping off her apron and dusting off her hands, Mel went to see who had stopped by and she silently wished it was Alvin. He hadn’t dropped by recently; he was probably still focused on the case. To her utter surprise, it was Grant.
“Grant,” she said, astonishment filled her voice. “This is a surprise. What can I do for you?” she asked as he approached the counter.
He grinned sheepishly at her. “I just wanted to stop by and say thanks for helping to clear my name. If it hadn’t been for you, there’s a good chance that I would be sitting in a jail cell right now.”
Mel blushed. “No need to thank me, I was just following my gut.”
“Well, I really appreciate it. In fact, I was hoping you would accept a donation on behalf of clearing my name. It turns out I’m still going to inherit Amelia’s fortune, and I would really like to help you in any way I can. It’s the least that I can do.”
Mel’s eyes widened in shock; this was not what she was expecting. She couldn’t accept his money, not when all she was doing was trying to get justice for Amelia. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t accept your money. I was just doing what I felt was right, so there’s no need for any type of reward. I’m sure anyone would have done the same.”
Grant sighed. “I’m not sure they would have, but are you sure? I really don’t mind. You deserve it after all.”
Mel smiled. “Thank you, Grant, but I’ll have to pass. I really appreciate you thinking of me, though. But since you mention it, there is one thing you could do for me.”
“Anything,” Grant said, his eyes lighting up. “Whatever you want, just say the word.”
“Well, I was hoping you would let me keep Smudge, Amelia’s bulldog. I promise to give her a good home. I’ve spent so much time with her lately that I just can’t imagine life without her now.”
Grant smiled. “Of course, Melody. I think that’s a great idea. Amelia would be happy knowing that she has such a good home. Let me know if you change your mind about the money, okay?”
“Sure, thanks, Grant,” Mel said before Grant left.
When he was gone, she went back to helping Ker with the birthday order.
“Who was that?” Ker asked, icing a raspberry cake, flour smeared across her face.
“Grant.” Mel watched for Ker’s reaction.
Ker’s eyes widened, almost dropping the frosting in her hand. “Grant? What did he want?”
“He came to offer me a reward for clearing his name,” Mel explained.
“Wow… I surely wasn’t expecting that. What did you say? Did you take the money? You know, it would give you a chance to expand the business like you’ve been wanting. We could open up a new location and finally afford to advertise. I really can’t believe that. How much did he offer you? I hope you accepted. You really could use the money, you know, Mel.”
Mel rolled her eyes. “I didn’t actually accept it. But speaking of expanding, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
Ker froze, “What is it?”
“Do you remember Leslie? The girl that used to work as a maid for Amelia? Well, I’ve hired her to help out around here. She starts today.” Mel looked down at her watch. “Actually, she should be here any minute now.”
“Mel! How could you not have told me this?! Are you sure you can trust her? What if she steals again? Oh, I don’t know about this… It seems like an awfully big risk to me.”
“Everyone deserves a second chance; didn’t you say that, Ker? And, if I don’t give her one, who else will?”
“I don’t know.”
“She really needs the job, and we could use the help around here.”
It was true, they really did need the help. Mel and Ker tried their best to get everything done on their own, but sometimes they still struggled to get the orders done on time. It would be a relief to have an extra set of hands to help run the shop while Mel and Ker prepared orders in the back. It might mean they could finish on time a little more often.
“If you say so…” Ker trailed off, returning her attention to the cake she was frosting, “but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Not long after that, Leslie arrived. Ker kept giving her wary glances out of the corner of her eye, but Mel ignored her. She busied herself, showing Leslie the ropes. Smudge was excited to see a familiar face and wagged her tail excitedly when Leslie entered the shop. Leslie seemed just as happy to see the little dog again, as she reached down and petted her.
“The packaging boxes are all pre-made. You just have to assemble them,” Melody said to Leslie as she was touring with her in the stock room. They walked toward the whiteboard where her inventory of items was written down.
“Make sure that each of that item has over a hundred pieces. Anything less than that should instigate a call to the suppliers.”
Leslie nodded and listed everything that Melody was saying in a small notebook.
“I did not realize that a bakery has so many things to do. All I imagine is flour and an oven.”
Melody laughed. “I always get that. Well, like any business, it requires other things to work.”
Melody knew that Kerry was uncomfortable around Leslie, so she solved it by assigning them on completely different tasks.
In had been a week since Leslie arrived and Melody noticed Kerry was not talking to the new employee.
“I’m disappointed with you,” Melody said to Kerry while they were working on a wedding anniversary cake.
Kerry stopped working. “What?”
“I know you are still suspicious about Leslie. You’re not talking to her. Do you think she would steal your items right before your face?”
“I’m sorry, Mel. I just need some time to adjust, too. It used to be us only. I’m sorry… also, if you think that I’m not being friendly to Leslie… I’ll try harder… for you.”
“She is working on the cash register because I trust her, she would not steal. I’ve checked the till, the money’s all there.”
Kerry blushed and bowed her head.
Kerry and Melody were quiet, getting back to the process of cake decoration. Melody was wishing she was able to hit her friend’s soft spot, to get the two girls to become true friends. After they finished, Mel watched her two employees.
As Kerry promised, she was more friendly to Leslie. Because of that, Leslie’s enthusiasm just grew bigger. Probably because of Kerry’s acceptance. While Leslie and Kerry were doing the inventory, Melody heard from the kitchen, the shop's bell. She washed her hands briefly and wiped them against her apron. She was happily surprised to see Alvin standing there, a grin on his handsome face. She realized that she missed his regular visit and now, instead of annoyance, her heart skipped at the sight of him.
“Hey,
Alvin, what can I do for you today?” Mel smiled cheerfully.
Alvin grinned even more, running his hand through his thick hair. “I just wanted to stop by and say thanks for everything you did to help with the investigation. We really couldn’t have done it without you. Has anyone ever told you that you’d make a good detective?”
Mel laughed. “No, they haven’t, actually. But I was happy to help. It was the least I could do.”
Just then, Smudge raced out from behind the counter. “Hey, girl,” Alvin said, bending down to scratch her behind the ears. “I was just about to ask Mel about you.”
The little bulldog wagged her tail and licked his hand playfully.
When Alvin straightened up, Smudge barked, looking between the sheriff and the pastry chef.
Mel laughed, taking a hint from the dog. “So, how are you? How’s Claire?”
Alvin shrugged. “I’m fine. Another record for me, thanks to you. For Claire, well of course, she’s not fine. She still cannot believe she’s going to jail.”
Mel felt her heart sink. “I hope she realizes how wrong she was.”
Alvin smiled. Melody noted that he was not his usual self around her now, the shy and tongue-tied man who could never say anything straight to her, was gone. His confidence was showing through. Melody was happy that their partnership had helped Alvin outgrow his shyness around her.
Smudge yelped again. Melody took this as a hint. Her face grew warm at the thought of what she was planning to say. What if Alvin’s comfortable demeanor around her indicated he was no longer interested? Kerry’s words rang into her head, who cares? She knew that after failure, there was a possibility of success.
“I was wondering… uhm.”
Goodness! It was Melody now getting tongue-tied! Now, she knew and understood what Alvin must have felt around her. She looked at Alvin’s face and his smile was reaching his ears.
“What are you trying to say, Mel?”
Mel took a deep breath. She stared at her shoes for a moment before looking up to Alvin. “I was wondering if your offer last time, you know, that night when I told you about Amelia’s disappearance…” Mel could not continue.
Alvin’s smile was growing wider and wider. Mel equally hated and loved it.
“What about that?”
“Well...”
“Well?” Alvin looked amused.
Kerry suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “Just get on with it, Melody! Say it!”
Mel breathed deeply again and closed her eyes. “I was wondering if you still want to have dinner with me. That’s what I wanted to say.” It was a relief for Mel that she was able to say it out loud. Now, she was just bracing for his possible response.
Alvin’s face lit up in wonder. “Miss Marshall, I do believe you’re asking me on a date.” He winked.
Melody blushed. “Well, yeah. I guess I am. How about tonight?”
“Sounds great, how about I pick you up around seven?” He was positively beaming at the prospect of finally getting to take her out.
“Perfect,” Mel said, waving goodbye to the sheriff as he left the shop. She smiled to herself and reached down to pet Smudge. “You’re a clever girl, Smudge, you know that? You might possibly see things clearer than most people do.”
As the rest of the day passed, Mel couldn’t help but look forward to her date with Alvin. Ker was absolutely ecstatic. She had been trying to get Mel to jump back on the horse for ages. And it seemed that time had finally come. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she thought about the evening before her.
Later that day, when Alvin came back to pick Mel up, she had changed into a blue sundress and had taken her hair down. Letting it flow down her back across her shoulders.
Alvin’s eyes widened when he saw her.
“Wow, Mel… You look amazing,” he said, admiring her outfit.
Mel blushed, smiling at the sheriff. “Thanks, I felt like dressing up a bit.”
“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the door.
Mel nodded, and before they could leave, they heard a voice shout from the back. It was Leslie. “Enjoy your date and try not to get swept up into any murder mysteries!”
Alvin and Mel looked at one another and laughed. With a sigh, they headed out the door.
Brides and Blades
Bakers and Bulldog Mysteries
by
Rosie Sams
Chapter Twenty-Two
Melody Marshall’s nose scrunched in concentration as she tried for the dozenth time to choose between red roses or blue chrysanthemums. As a skilled baker and decorator, she generally had a rather easy time deciding on color-schemes and adornment selections. However, this time, the desire for the cake to be perfect had her second-guessing every flower combination she tried.
“You’re overthinking this, Melody,” she told herself, stepping back to survey the dummy cake. “Aren’t I, Smudge?”
Melody looked over to where her French Bulldog spent the bulk of her time to find her lying flat on her back, snoring softly.
“Well, you’re no help,” she remarked with a chuckle, turning back to the task at hand.
Melody set aside the red roses, gathering up a few chrysanthemums once again. She tentatively placed them across the cake, spacing them perfectly along the top tier that would be chocolate draped with white frosting on the real cake. Taking a few steps back, she took in her work. She was quick to shake her head. Beautiful as the vibrant blue flowers were, they still didn’t feel right, not at all.
“Too much like a coming-out ball… she’s a bride, not a debutante, for goodness sakes,” she muttered to herself as she stepped back toward the cake and quickly removed the offending flowers.
She replaced them with the roses. Yes, the red flowers suited Dorinda Mitchum (soon to be Dorinda Werther), much better. The blue was far too juvenile.
Melody breathed a sigh of relief at finally having made a decision. Nothing but the best would do for the daughter of Port Warren’s doctor, Dr. Ambrose Mitchum, and Melody wanted the cake to be absolutely perfect as each and every other aspect of the wedding was sure to be.”
“There,” Melody said once she’d completed the top layer.
A contented sigh escaped from the sleeping Smudge, drawing Melody’s eyes in the pup’s direction. The Frenchie lay sprawled on her back, grey and white paws up in the air, her eyes tightly closed and her mouth hanging open. Her pink tongue crept out of her mouth as she continued to snore with abandon.
“You’re so lucky, Smudge,” Melody said, chuckling. “You don’t have to worry about any of this wedding stuff.”
Melody turned back to the cake, intent on completing the whole design right then since she finally had the color scheme figured out. However, the sound of raised voices from the kitchen drew her attention towards the door, and she frowned. Smudge, startled out of her tranquil state, leaped up and rushed in the direction of the commotion.
Melody exhaled, reluctantly setting aside her decorating tools, more than a little displeased at the idea of abandoning her project after inspiration had finally struck. However, as the voices of her two assistants continued to rise, it was made abundantly clear that she had little choice.
Melody walked swiftly from her office, followed by Smudge, who trotted dutifully toward the scene. The pair arrived in the kitchen to find Melody’s two employees huddled over a large stainless mixing bowl.
“That’s not how you fold ingredients, Leslie,” Kerry said. Her tall frame was taut with vehemence as she towered over her coworker, her flushed cheeks turning the color of the auburn hair escaping from her hairnet. “These macaroons are going to be flat, thanks to you!”
“Would you mind your own business?” Leslie retorted, angling away from Kerry, her arms wrapped protectively around the mixing bowl. “I’ve made many batches of macaroons in my life, and I will have you know that I’ve never had a batch go flat.”
Though she hated breaking up cat-fights, Melody knew that it was time to step in
. “Ladies, do we have a problem?”
Kerry turned toward Melody, her brows rising, arms crossed.
“Melody, if you want Dorinda’s cake to be even close to acceptable, I wouldn’t let Leslie within a mile of the kitchen when it comes time to bake for the wedding if I were you.”
Leslie’s mouth popped open in fury as she cradled the mixing bowl against her. It looked huge in front of her small frame. She nearly dropped the load of unbaked macaroon mix as she shoved her wire-rimmed glasses up on her nose, glaring at Kerry in rage.
“You have some nerve! You never complained about my folding technique before today, and you know it. You’ve been hovering all day. Why don’t you just mind your own business? This task doesn’t take two of us, so why don’t you stop micromanaging?”
“She’s quite right, Kerry,” Melody said. “There is a great deal to do, so I would appreciate it if you’d get started on bread for tomorrow.” It was plain to see that that the stress of the wedding was getting to everyone, not only Melody, causing her employees to be even more irritated with each other than usual. The best solution always seemed to be placing the two women in separate rooms in order to avoid further bickering—besides, keeping them quiet would allow her to finish the cake, which was her main goal.
“We have a lot to do,” Melody went on. “I would also really appreciate it if you two work quietly on your separate tasks so I can focus on Dorinda’s cake. If I don’t get this cake right, the entire reputation we’ve built for this bakery will be in danger. Do you want all of our hard work to go right down the drain?”
Kerry and Leslie shook their heads wordlessly, looking very much like guilty school kids. If she hadn’t been so stressed, Melody would have laughed at their comically child-like expressions.
“You both know how important this is. We’ve been entrusted with a monumental task, and I need to be able to count on you two to help make it a success. I think I’ve had an epiphany about the color-scheme, so if you two will just hold down the fort while I finish up, you would be fulfilling my greatest wish. Can I count on you for that?”
