The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane (Life in Icicle Falls)

by Sheila Roberts

  * * *

  “If you don’t need me, I think I’m going to stay down here a little longer,” Cecily said to Samantha on the phone.

  “We can manage. How long?”

  “A couple of weeks or so,” Cecily said vaguely as she poured herself a glass of orange juice and went out onto her friend Margo’s apartment balcony to soak up some rays.

  Silence reigned on the other end of the call. Then her sister asked cautiously, “You’re not thinking of moving back there, are you?”

  It had crossed her mind. But, “No,” she said. She’d fallen in love with Icicle Falls all over again, and, really, there was no place else she wanted to live. She just had to figure out how she was going to live there and watch her sister and Todd build a life together.

  “Well, that’s a relief. We need you.”

  “You could find anyone to run the chocolate festival and do your advertising,” Cecily said.

  “I wasn’t talking about Sweet Dreams. I was talking about our family. You’re coming back for Bailey’s grand opening next month, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll try,” Cecily said diplomatically.

  “You’d better do more than try,” said Samantha, now in bossy big-sister mode. “I don’t want to have to deal with the fallout if you don’t. This kind of stuff isn’t good for expectant mothers.”

  “Playing that card again?” Cecily teased.

  “It’s the only one I’ve got. Seriously, I know you want to bitch-slap Bailey right now.”

  “Oh, that’s too kind,” Cecily said lightly. “I was thinking more in terms of murder.”

  “Bad idea. Mom would get mad.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably true.”

  “It’s on the tenth.”

  “I know,” Cecily assured her. Bailey had talked about the date often enough.

  “Okay,” Samantha said, and her tone of voice added, “Don’t let me down.” They chatted a few more minutes, then Samantha said, “I’ve got to go. I need to talk with Luke about boosting production on our chocolate garden set.”

  Luke. If she’d picked him instead of Todd, both she and Bailey would be happy now. And why was it she hadn’t chosen Luke? Oh, yeah, that pesky chemistry thing. This is what you get for being picky, she told herself as she looked out at a sea of buildings baking under sun-drenched smog. Oh, yeah, I’m having fun. Wish I wasn’t here.

  * * *

  It was tea party time at Muriel Sterling-Wittman’s house with Olivia Wallace, Dot Morrison, Pat Wilder, Janice Lind and Bailey in attendance. All the goodies being served were in the running for the Tea Time menu, and Bailey had called in the town experts for advice.

  “You have to serve this lavender cake,” Olivia said. “It’s heavenly.”

  Dot shook her head. “I’m partial to the carrot cake, myself.”

  “Maybe I should serve both,” Bailey said.

  “Don’t make your menu too extensive,” Olivia cautioned.

  “And remember, you can always change your menu, make substitutions, if you feel like you’re getting tired of the same thing,” Janice said.

  “Except people will develop favorites and expect to see them when they come in,” Dot pointed out. “Do the two cakes, the scones and those chocolate cookies. You need the chocolate cookies for the chocolate tea.”

  “I agree,” Muriel said.

  “But what about the lavender sugar cookies?” Bailey asked.

  “I think you’ve got enough lavender items without them,” Dot replied.

  “No, but she needs those cookies for her afternoon-tea plate,” Olivia said, and Dot capitulated with a shrug.

  “I think you could eliminate the ham sandwiches,” Pat suggested.

  “I wondered if I should have them because they’re sort of English,” Bailey said.

  “Go with the salmon instead. More of a fit for this area,” Dot advised.

  Olivia took another bite of cake. “Really, I could eat an entire lavender cake in one sitting.” She smiled at Bailey. “You’re going to have a success on your hands.”

  Bailey certainly hoped so. She thought of all the time and energy and money that had gone into this business. If it failed...

  “That sister of yours better come back for the grand opening,” Dot said sternly, looking at Muriel as if she could still control her grown daughter.

  The other women seemed as uncomfortable as Bailey felt, but her mother smiled serenely and said, “I’m sure she’ll be here. The Sterlings always stick together.”

  Correction: the Sterlings always had stuck together. Bailey had called her sister several times, but Cecily never picked up. What if Cecily never talked to her again? Sudden tears stung her eyes.

  “Now look what you’ve done,” Olivia scolded Dot. She patted Bailey’s hand. “Everything will be fine, honey. You’ll see.”

  “And your tea shop is going to be a smashing success, kiddo,” Dot added. “Sorry I even mentioned your sister, even if she is being a brat.”

  “These situations have a way of working out,” Pat said in a comforting voice.

  She smiled at Mama, and Bailey remembered the story about how Pat and her mother had fallen out over a man. They’d patched things up. Could she and Cecily do that, too?

  * * *

  Bailey and Todd sat at a table in Pancake Haus, going over their to-do lists. “The Facebook page is great,” he said. “I got hungry looking at all those pictures of food.”

  “And you saw how many likes we’ve got. I think everyone in Icicle Falls has liked us.” All except for one sister, who was still in California...

  “Yeah, not a bad start. So, you’re done hiring?” he asked, pulling back her thoughts before they could wander any further into the bog of misery.

  She swallowed a mouthful of pancake and nodded. “Yep. I actually lured Ginny away from the deli. She was looking for a change and wants to maybe have a shop of her own someday, so she figured this would be a good learning experience. She’ll help me in the kitchen before we open and then ring up sales. I’ve also hired a full-time server, and Amber Wilkes will come in to help on Saturdays.”

  “How about a dishwasher? Oh, yeah. That’s going to be me.”

  Bailey laughed. “You did say we needed to stay on budget.”

  “Me and my big mouth,” he joked as Dot Morrison came over to greet them.

  “Are you two all ready for your grand opening?”

  “We’re getting there,” Bailey said.

  “Well, put me down as a yes. I’m coming with Olivia.”

  Bailey brought up her guest list on her iPad and checked off Dot’s name.

  “I’ve got to hand it to you Sterling girls. You’re a clever bunch.” Dot pointed a finger at Todd. “And you, Mr. Hot Stuff, are lucky to get one of them.”

  Todd shrugged. “I had to settle, Dot, since you wouldn’t go out with me.”

  “Didn’t want to wear you out, kid,” Dot cracked. “You’d never have been able to keep up.”

  “Hey, she’s right,” Todd said as Dot sauntered off in the direction of the kitchen. “I hope I have half as much energy at her age.”

  “She’s inspiring,” Bailey agreed. “And she’s sure had a lot of good advice. Everyone at the chamber has been helpful.”

  “They know the importance of sticking together.”

  That made Bailey think of Cecily all over again. Samantha had promised her that Cec was coming back in time for their gala opening. She hoped Sammy knew what she was talking about.

  * * *

  It hadn’t been all smog and misery for Cecily. She’d had a good time. Yes, indeed. Days at the beach lying on a towel reading romance novels and flirting with surfers, dancing at trendy clubs, seeing friends, paying for dinners out with friends (which h
ad about broken the bank).

  Oh, who was she kidding? Reading about fictional happy endings was getting old, and none of the surfers held her interest. She sweltered in the heat and missed the fresh mountain air. She’d go out to a restaurant and speculate about who was at Zelda’s. Or go dancing and wish she was two-stepping at The Red Barn or, even worse, remember what a good dancer Todd was. Every man she met was only interested in hooking up, and the only topic of conversation at parties was who was seeing whom and which men had the most money. Oh, and what movie project had been green-lighted. She was living at the shallow end of the pool. Still, L.A. was an exciting place, full of energy. Not everyone here was shallow. What was wrong with her? Why was she just seeing the negatives?

  Any place can be great if you’re with people you care about. Where had she heard that before? Oh, yeah, Luke. It looked as though he was right. No wonder she was feeling restless. The people she cared about most weren’t here. They were in Icicle Falls. No matter what, heartbreak or happiness, that was where she belonged.

  * * *

  “The chocolates are boxed up for the tea shop,” Luke reported to Samantha. “I’m sending Jimmy over there with them this morning.”

  “Thanks,” Samantha said. “Bailey wants to have everything in place by this afternoon.”

  “So, she’s all ready for the big unveiling tomorrow.”

  “Yes, and it looks wonderful. You’ll have to come and bring your mom and Serena.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I have a feeling Serena’s going to be a regular customer.” Then he casually added, “I assume Cecily’s coming back for this.”

  “She’ll be there,” Samantha said, and he could hear the steel in her voice.

  Cecily’s sudden vacation had come as a surprise to a lot of the Sweet Dreams staff but not to Luke. He knew exactly why she’d left town. He understood her need to lick her wounds, but enough was enough. It was time to come home.

  It was also time to settle what should have been settled long ago. He’d been a wimp and let her dangle him like a fish on a hook. Of course, he had no one to blame for that but himself. He’d taken the bait. He could have looked around for another woman.

  And yet, although he’d tried to convince himself otherwise, he didn’t want another woman—not when he knew that he and Cecily would be good together. He had no idea why she didn’t see that. She was supposed to be the expert in these things. As far as he was concerned, he was through with trusting the expert.

  * * *

  “You should have stayed longer,” Cecily’s friend Margo said as Cecily followed her out to the car, pulling her suitcase behind. “How am I going to find my perfect match without you here to guide me?”

  Margo never listened to her when it came to men, so Cecily considered that a moot question.

  “I mean, when’s the last time you had a vacation?”

  Cecily hadn’t felt the need for one. She’d enjoyed working at the Sweet Dreams office, and the days had run smoothly together. “A while, but this visit has been like three vacations. I need to go home to recover. Anyway, I have to get back for the opening of my sister’s tea shop.”

  Much as she wanted to stay away, she knew she couldn’t. She was far from excited about seeing Bailey and Todd together, but family solidarity was important, and if she didn’t show up her mother would not be happy. That was the main reason she was doing this. She didn’t want to disappoint Mom. After losing two husbands, her daughters were all she had, and regardless of what Cecily felt about her sister, she was determined to keep up appearances for Mom’s sake.

  And she needed to catch this flight. She should have booked an earlier one. This would be cutting it close, and if she missed the opening, it would really be ugly.

  “Let’s just hope she doesn’t poison anyone this time around,” Margo said callously as they got in her convertible. She gave her long, blond hair a flip and started the car, and Cecily surreptitiously checked the time on her cell phone. They should have left an hour ago, but it had been hard to get Margo moving after their late night out.

  Margo must have seen her because she said, “Don’t worry. You’ll make your flight.”

  Who was she kidding? Freeway traffic was constipated, even this early on a Saturday morning, and they crawled along. “You’re gonna make it,” Margo said again half an hour later as they inched forward.

  How many miles had they gone? Two? Cecily pressed her lips together and stared out the window. Why hadn’t she arranged different transportation to the airport?

  By the time they got to LAX, she had ten minutes to clear security and reach her gate.

  “You’ll be fine,” Margo said as they air-kissed goodbye. “Call me when you need a break from Small Town, U.S.A.”

  Cecily thanked her and hurried to the nearest curbside check-in.

  That ate up six of her precious minutes. And she still had to get through airport security. She looked at the line. She’d never make it. No way was she going to get back to Icicle Falls in time for Bailey’s grand opening.

  With a sigh she pulled out her driver’s license and her e-ticket and went to the end of the line. If she got any flight out that would get her to Seattle in time, it would be a miracle. She should probably call Samantha and let her know.

  Except she didn’t want to have to tell Sam, Ms. Organized, that she’d missed her flight. She sure didn’t want to tell her mother. The very idea of having to hear the disappointment in her mother’s voice made her queasy. And what made her even sicker was the suspicion that she’d actually wanted to miss this flight, that she wanted, in some small, spiteful way, to rain on Bailey’s parade.

  She moved slowly behind a young family returning from Disneyland (the mouse ears on the two little boys were a big clue) and prayed that somewhere in this huge airport there would be an airline that could get her out of here.

  Two women came up behind her. “Look at this line,” one said in disgust.

  Cecily’s sentiments exactly.

  “I’ll be glad when we get to Seattle,” said the other. “Poor Linda.”

  “Awful to lose someone like that.”

  Like what?

  “It just goes to show, you never know when it’s your time.”

  “But to have her die so suddenly, and them not speaking. God, I bet she feels guilty.”

  “I’m dying for an iced coffee,” said one of the women, and that turned the subject in a whole new direction.

  Cecily never got to hear any more about Linda and the sudden death of the mysterious person with whom she’d been on the outs, but she got the underlying message loud and clear. She really needed to make that flight.

  Chapter Twenty

  WELCOME TO TEA TIME

  We hope you’ll come often to enjoy our specially chosen selection of teas and accompanying goodies, all made with love. Here’s what you’ll find on the menu.

  Afternoon Teas:

  Lavender Tea:

  Lavender–white chocolate scones with Devonshire cream & lavender honey

  Lavender sugar cookies

  Chocolate cookies

  Tea sandwiches

  Chocolate Tea:

  Chocolate delight cookies

  Chocolate cake

  Lavender–white chocolate scones

  Chocolate fondue, featuring seasonal fruits

  À la Carte:

  Chicken curry sandwich

  Salmon salad sandwich

  Smoked salmon quiche

  Chocolate cake

  Lavender cake

  Carrot orange cake

  Blackberry scones

  Lavender–white chocolate scones

  Teas:

  Lady Grey

  Lavender Earl Grey

  Orange Pekoe

  M
ixed Berry

  Jasmine

  Green

  Chamomile

  Chocolate Mint

  By Saturday at one-thirty, everything was ready for the grand opening, which was really going to be more of an open house. People would be able to purchase items, but today the eats were on Bailey and Todd. They’d be offering samples from the menu, as well as a list of the teas and foods that would be served.

  The Sterling family stood in the middle of Tea Time Tea Shop, admiring Bailey’s handiwork. “This is lovely, darling,” said her mother, taking in the tables covered with lace tablecloths and topped with small vases filled with daisies and pink carnations.

  A pink ceramic wall clock shaped like a teapot hung on one wall, and the anniversary clock her mother had gotten for her sat on top of the glass display case that housed a mouthwatering array of baked goodies and Sweet Dreams chocolates. In the shop section, all manner of teapots, tea accessories and fancy jams and teas were displayed on shelves and on little white tables decorated with vintage crocheted doilies.

  At one point Bailey had talked with Cecily about selling some of her homemade lavender sachets. There were no sachets anywhere on the shelves. And there was no sign of Cecily.

  “Cec said she was going to be here, right?” she asked Samantha for the tenth time.

  Her sister frowned. “That’s what she said.”

  A knock on the front door raised her hopes, until she opened it and found Kevin from Lupine Floral bearing a gigantic floral arrangement.

  “A little something from Heinrich and me for your big day,” he said as she let him in. “Oh, look at this,” he gushed as he handed it over. “You are going to do such fabulous business!”

  She thanked him and set the arrangement on the glass display case. “I hope you’re going to stay for our party.”

  “Oh, darling, free food? Just try and keep me away. And I’m going to insist Heinrich tear himself away from his workroom and come see this. It’s simply divine.”