by Emily Greene
Andrew raised his brows in surprise. “And how did you hear that Courtney is the mistress?”
“Well, I suppose I did not hear that directly, but we kind of came to that conclusion.”
“We?”
“Yes, Edna, the girls and I were talking and we figured out that had to be the reason they were arguing. Courtney just moved here two months ago right around the time the man had the affair and his wife left him. It is way too much of a coincidence for a to be anything other than that.”
Andrew thought about what I said for a few minutes and slowly nodded his head.
“I guess I can see that as a real possibility. You should probably just stay out of it, Harper. I don’t see anything good coming of you asking around about that situation.”
I looked at him and try to act surprised.
“I never said that I was going to ask around about it.”
“I know you pretty well by now, and I am sure that the wheels are already spinning in your head about how you can find out more information about the situation. But trust me, it is not worth it to waste your time looking into that because it is none of your business. I don’t say that to be rude, I just don’t want you to waste your time on something that is insignificant in your life.”
While I understood where he was coming from, he did not understand that I had to figure out why Courtney was in town because her presence was ruining my business. So rather than disagree with him I just cross my fingers under the table and nodded. It seemed to be enough because he smiled at me.
“Okay good, at least we are on the same page about this.”
I took a sip of my water so that I wouldn’t have to say anything and then I glanced at my watch.
“Andrew, we have been here for nearly 45 minutes and I don’t want you to Buick getting back to the station. I really should get back to the bakery because I have a retirement party to bake cookies for.”
“Oh good, I am happy to hear that you are still getting orders for parties.”
“Me too, it is the parties that are keeping us afloat.”
“I really think that the bake-off is going to help turn your business around to what it was.”
“I sure do hope so.”
“Okay, we should probably get going. It was so nice to be able to see you in the middle of the day like this. Do you want to go out to dinner this Saturday?”
I could not hold back my smile. “I would love to.”
“Great!”
When we left the restaurant I was on cloud nine and that Saturday could not come soon enough.
Chapter Four
We had a small television in the kitchen of the bakery where we occasionally watched cooking shows, and that Friday we were sure to have it on KTPC at 11:00 to hear the bake-off announcement. I asked Molly to kind of stay in the back at 11:00 and call for us when the entertainment segment was coming on.
Once again, we had a pretty disappointing morning at the bakery and I think maybe five customers came in for something to eat. At 11:16 Molly told us the entertainment segment was next so Carrie and I went in the back while Natalie watched the front for any customers. Mark and Evelyn were making crullers for the Prairie Cove Elementary school celebration that afternoon so they were in the back as well.
It was so exciting to watch the entertainment reporter announce to the viewing audience that we were going to have a bake-off. They told viewers it was my bakery and Courtney’s bakery, and they gave a brief background on both of us. They also said it was something they would not want viewers to miss so they should definitely be at Prairie Cove Middle School the following Saturday. As soon as the announcement was over, we got back to work and I felt really good about what was to come.
I was pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven when I heard a bit of a commotion in the front, so I placed the cookie sheet on the counter and went to see what was going on. I nearly stopped in my tracks when I saw the amount of people in the bakery. It was packed. Most of the customers had a bag of from Courtney’s bakery and I could not figure out what was going on.
I asked Molly what was going on and she told me that a lot of the customers had heard about the bake off on the news so they decided to buy pastries from each bakery and decide for themselves who they Felt had the better food. I had a feeling that we would benefit from the bake-off after it happened, but I never imagined that the buzz would spread so quickly and it would boost my business so soon.
Edna and the girls were sitting at their usual table, and every other table was full. I could not remember the last time it had been that way and I was overjoyed. I was glad I had decided to bake extra cupcakes that day because we would have run out of pastries to sell. I asked Mark and Evelyn to put a batch of cookies and a batch of cake pops in the ovens so that we would have enough goodies to sell. It was a good problem to have.
By the end of the day, we’d had more customers through the door in one day than we had in a month. It was a wonderful end to a very slow business week. After everyone had left, Carrie and I closed the door, went in the back, and jumped up and down like little kids, screaming with joy.
“Oh my gosh, Carrie, I can’t believe how amazing this afternoon was! We had so many customers and it felt like old times! Thank you for thinking of the bake off idea; it is genius!”
“You’re welcome! This was one of the best days we have had in a very long time and we need this. I bet it’s going to get even better after the results are announced next Saturday so you better get prepared to be swamped with customers again!”
“I can only hope! Well, it is getting late so we should probably get going. I can lock up; I will see you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I just have to double check something in the office and I will be on my way so you have a good night, thanks for all your help today, and I will see you tomorrow,” I smiled at her.
“Okay, Harper, have a good night!”
Carry left and five minutes later I was right behind her. I locked the door and as I turned to walk to my car, I noticed that Courtney was just locking up as well. I almost said hello to her but decided against it when I saw someone following her. I ducked behind a newspaper stand and. At Across the street. Thankfully, the Street lights illuminated what would otherwise have been a pitchblack street.
As Courtney walked to her car I noticed a man’s footsteps picking up and he moved to a slow jog to catch up to her. I could see that Courtney was startled as she turned toward him. From what I could see he looks like the man who I saw sitting in her bakery, staring at her. I could not hear what they were saying but his mannerisms were quite aggressive and I wondered if I should call the police. Before I had a chance to do anything, he shoved her against her car, put his finger in her face and a couple of seconds later he walked off. Courtney crumple to the ground, put her face in her hands and at that point I felt I needed to make sure that she was okay.
I dashed across the street, trying to make as much noise as possible so as not to startle her further.
“Courtney, are you okay? That man hurt you?”
She seemed a bit out of it and was definitely surprised to see me.
“Yes, I am fine, and no he did not hurt me. He was just trying to scare me.”
“Who was that?”
“It was no one, Just a disgruntled customer.”
I knew that was a lie.
“Really? Because, although I have never had a satisfied customer, I highly doubt that any customer would react that way over dissatisfaction with their cookie or cupcake. Are you in trouble? Do you need help?”
“I am fine Harper, thank you. Boy, you’re still the same person you were in college. After everything I put you through, here you are checking to make sure that I am okay,” she said.
Just as I thought she was going to actually say something nice, the old Courtney reared her ugly head.
“I am sure you’re just doing this so that you can tell everyone that you came to my rescue, w
hich will garner sympathy and prays for you, thus allowing you to win the bake-off. But that is not going to happened,” she sneered at me.
I was stunned to say the least. I sat there, staring at her, blinking my eyes a few times trying to comprehend what had just happened. I saw a man nearly attack her, I came to her aid, and that was the thanks that I was getting? It was time for me to go so I just got up and walked away without saying a word.
She didn’t call after me, she did not apologize and I was not surprised. Just as I had suspected, Courtney was the same exact person she had been in college. I was happy that the man had not hurt her but disappointed that she have not changed. I hopped in my car, drove home to Gracie, and slept better than I had in weeks.
The next day at the bakery, the line was nearly out the door by 9 o’clock and I could not have been happier. It was like that all day and could only hope that it would continue. I don’t know that I would’ve been able to handle it if Business had been slow that day. By the end of the day I was on cloud nine as I got ready for my date with Andrew.
He picked me up at 7:00 for our 7:30 reservation, and looked as handsome as ever.
“Harper, you look beautiful, and I don’t know if I am seeing you this happy in weeks. Did something happen today?”
“Thank you, and yes, something happened today and yesterday. It was the craziest thing, after the bake-off was announced on the news, we have been slammed with customers. I was concerned that it was just a fluke and would only happen yesterday because that was that it was announced, but it continued today. Andrew, it feels so good to have customers again. I feel like my bakery is on its way back to being what it once was.”
“Harper, that is such great news! I knew that things would get back to normal for your business. I bet it’s going to explode after Saturday’s contest.”
“I certainly hope so.”
We made small talk as we drove to the restaurant and when we were seated I remembered what I saw the night before with Courtney.
“Andrew, I want to run something by you, and you tell me if this sounds strange or suspicious, okay?”
“Okay, shoot.”
“When I left the bakery last night I noticed Courtney leaving at the same time and I was going to say hello to her when I saw a man run up to her, shove her against her car put his finger in her face and then– Off a few seconds later.”
“Are you sure that is what you saw?”
“I am positive, and I even went over to her to make sure she was okay and she brushed it off like it was no big deal. But by the time I got over to her she had crumbled to the ground and was trembling, so I know that he scared her.”
“Hmmm, had you ever seen him before?”
“I can’t be positive, but I think he is the same man I saw in her bakery one day who was sitting in the corner and staring at her. That’s all he was doing, just staring at her. It was very strange. At the time, I asked her who she was and she claimed he was the customer who came in once A week and bought cookies. She tried to play it off like it was no big deal but he definitely gave me the creeps.”
“So, when you went over to her last night, she didn’t say anything more about him? She didn’t offer a reason why he would have targeted her?”
“No, nothing like that, in fact, she got a bit nasty with me and told me the only reason that I was checking on her was so that I could spread the word that I had come to her aid to sway the judges in the contest so that I would win.”
Andrew looked dumbfounded. “Are you serious? A man had just accosted her, you went to her to make sure she was okay, and that is what she had to say to you?”
“Yes, that is what she said. But, Andrew, I know that he scared her.”
“Okay, I will have to maybe ask around about him to see what, if anything, anyone might know about him. Things like that don’t typically happen in Prairie Cove, so if he is trying to cause a problem, perhaps we will be able to nip it in the bud.”
“Okay, thank you, that will make me feel a lot better.”
“Wow, Harper, you have had a crazy couple of days!”
“I know, but I could not be happier about the bakery right now. How are things at the precinct? Any big cases happening that I should know about?”
“Fortunately, no. Things are pretty quiet.”
“Hopefully they will stay that way. I like Prairie Cove best when the worst thing that happens is someone parks the wrong way on the street.”
“Well, it has been quiet for a while now so maybe Prairie Cove is back to the quaint little town you always talk about.”
“Maybe, but that creepy man does concern me.”
“I will definitely look into that situation.”
We enjoyed our meal, and before I knew hey, it was almost 11 o’clock and I was exhausted. I tried to fight off for Jan but I lost, and I quickly apologized.
“No worries, you have been under a lot of stress lately and past today’s have been crazy busy for you. I’ll get you home so you can get a good night sleep.”
“Thanks for being so understanding, Andrew.”
“Anytime,” he smiled at me.
He walked me to my door and gave me a sweet kiss good night before taking off. I practically floated to bed, I was so happy. A few minutes later as I turned off the light, Gracie hopped on the bed, curling up at my feet. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Chapter Five
Two days before the bake-off, I realized that I was low on a couple of ingredients for the apple turnovers so I went to the grocery store. I was in the spices aisle looking for a particular brand of cinnamon when Courtney literally ran into me.
“Oh Harper, I wonder if you’re here doing the same thing I’m doing. I’m looking for a few last-minute ingredients. Are you ready for tomorrow?”
Courtney was unbelievable. She was talking to me as if we had not had that interaction the previous week. Instead of stooping to her level, I decided to take the high road and Play along like nothing it happened.
“Yes, I need a couple of other things but I am definitely ready for tomorrow. It should be fun and entertaining for the crowd.”
“How many people do you think will be there watching?”
“I think we’re going to have a decent sized crowd, If the number of customers I’ve had every day since the announcement is any indication.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Your business has picked up?”
“Yes, hasn’t yours?”
She hesitated for a second but quickly recovered. “Of course, we have been busier than ever!”
Her excitement was a bit over exaggerated and it never occurred to me that her business had been suffering. Perhaps the customers who that first day had come into my bakery with her pastries tasted the difference and decided not to go back to hers.
“Well, I am happy to hear that we have both benefited from the announcement of this bake-off.”
Just as I was about to say goodbye and continue shopping, a woman walked right up to Courtney and put her arm around her shoulders. I can see that Courtney was visibly afraid and when she saw me look at her she tried to act like everything was okay.
“Courtney, it is so Great to run into you! Long time no see. How have you been?”
Courtney cleared her throat and I washed her hands tremble as she brushed her hair out of her eyes trying to appear nonchalant.
“I am wonderful, Katerina, how are you?”
“I am just swell, Courtney.”
It was a very awkward exchange and I could tell that there was definite tension between those two. I was nosy and wanted to know what was going on so I cleared my throat and looked at Courtney expectantly.
“Oh, how rude of me, Katerina this is my very dear friend Harper Madison from college. Harper, I would like you to met an old friend of mine, Katerina Slavik.”
Old friend from college? Who was she kidding?
Katerina barely acknowledged me as I shook her hand.
“It is nice t
o meet you Katarina.”
She quickly glanced at me and then all of her attention was back on Courtney.
“Likewise.”
“Well, Harper, I’d better get going. I still have a few things to buy. See you tomorrow!”
Courtney could not get out of that aisle fast enough and her friend followed right behind her. Something about those two did not add up so I followed them, staying one aisle over but still within earshot. They stopped in the soup aisle so I was all ears.