Shannon McGraw meanwhile couldn’t help but notice Chloe’s head firmly lost in the clouds.
“Usually pie makes you feel better by now,” Shannon said.
Shannon wasn’t just the owner of the pie shop. She was one of Chloe’s other old friends and a wise pietender, generously dispensing sage advice.
Chloe took another bite of her slice and tried to make sense of the craziness.
“I’m still a little rattled,” Chloe answered.
“I can tell. And here I was just feeling guilty about missing the girl’s night out.”
Originally, Shannon was supposed to join Chloe and Hope for the ladies night. As a business owner, it was hard for Shannon to get away. In this case, that was a good thing.
“You’re lucky you missed it. You don’t need that kind of drama in your life,” Chloe insisted.
“Who does?”
“Good point.”
“Poor girl. Hope has never had the luck of the Irish.”
“No, she has the bad luck of a degenerate gambler,” Chloe replied.
Hope’s name was quite fitting. In life, some people had all the luck. Things went right in bunches. Struggle never seemed to find them. Hope wasn’t one of those people. For whatever reason, life seemed to make Hope do everything the hard way. At every turn, she had to hold on for dear life it seemed. It was as if the universe was trying to test her to see if ‘hope’ really did spring eternal.
“At the same time, the great thing about life is that things can turn around when you least expect them to. The future isn’t written in stone. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?” Shannon said.
“I certainly don’t. I can’t even tell you what I’m going to do with the rest of my night.”
Shannon seemed confused. “Really?”
Chloe nodded. “I’m just taking things one bite of pie at a time.”
“What a slice half eaten thing to say. Keep your chin up, the last time I checked, you still have another half slice of pie left, and it has a serious chance of being delicious. Now, the night is still young. Who is to say it won’t be great?”
“That’s one way of looking at things.”
“Only, you’re obviously looking at things the other way.”
“Look, I’m sorry I’m not exactly great company right now.”
Shannon didn’t give up. “Come on Chloe, this isn’t like you. Sure ladies night went up in flames, but you could always pay a house call to that doctor you’re dating.”
“Actually, when he heard tonight was girl’s night out, he decided to go see some apocalyptic movie.”
“What a weird twist of fate.”
Chloe nodded. “If I’ve learned anything tonight, it’s that the only thing you can expect is the unexpected.”
Almost on cue, the universe sent another surprise Chloe’s way. Of all the people to enter the pie shop at that moment, Chloe’s grandma didn’t even make the list. Yet Grandma Betty walked in, looking like she could pass for someone in her late fifties, instead of early eighties. Betty had an undeniable verve to her. Grandma Betty was joined by three other women in their early eighties, each looking like they weren’t going to let their age stop them from taking on the world.
When Betty spotted Chloe sitting at the counter, her eyes lit up.
“It seems that great minds really do think alike,” Grandma Betty said.
Chloe looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
“It turns out we both had an irresistible craving for pie.”
“I’m not sure it’s great minds, but rather hungry stomachs growling alike.”
“I’m going to stick with my saying. It sounds more flattering, and at my age, I’ll take all the compliments I can get,” Grandma Betty insisted.
“Either way it’s good to see you,” Chloe said.
Grandma Betty then zeroed in on the slice of pie on Chloe’s plate.
“So this is where the party is,” Grandma Betty remarked.
Chloe looked confused. “What party?”
“Are you kidding? With a pie that tasty, tell me there isn’t a party going on in your mouth.”
Chloe smiled. She always got a kick out of her grandma. Through thick and thin, Betty never failed to have a good attitude. That really resonated with her granddaughter, especially at a time like this.
Shannon’s mind went off in a different direction with Betty’s comment.
“Every slice is like a party in your mouth,” Shannon repeated. “That would make a great slogan for the shop.”
Grandma Betty went into bargaining mode. “It’s all yours…in exchange for a free slice for everyone in my party.”
“Deal,” Shannon replied.
Betty celebrated. “I’ve still got it after all these years. You can take the woman out of the sales department, but you can never take the sales department out of the woman.”
“So true. Now, what flavor would you like?” Shannon wondered.
Grandma Betty bit the corner of her lip. “Talk about a brain buster. How do you expect me to choose just one?”
“Why stop at one?” Shannon asked.
“Trying to upsell the retired saleswoman, huh? I just want you to know I’m on to your game,” Grandma Betty said.
“Is that a no?”
“Are you kidding? My sweet tooth wouldn’t allow me to turn down a proposition this delicious. What’s the point of being eighty-two if you can’t enjoy the finer things in life?” Grandma Betty said.
“Is this what qualifies as the finer things?” Chloe wondered.
“Let those rich folks have their big houses and fancy schmancy cars. Give me a group of dear friends and a slice of pie, and I’m in heaven,” Grandma Betty answered.
“Speaking of, it looks like you have your whole book club here. I thought you ladies preferred going over to Mabel’s house to throw back some cocktails and tell jokes while pretending to talk about books,” Chloe explained.
“We decided to take our octogenarian show on the road for a wild girl’s night out,” Grandma Betty revealed.
Chloe got quiet.
Shannon became curious. “Really? So, what’s on the agenda?”
“Throwing caution to the wind. After indulging our sweet teeth, we’re going to storm the retirement villas for a little shindig with some of the most eligible widowers. I have a feeling there will be some dancing, and maybe even a little romancing.”
Shannon smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
Grandma Betty then noticed the troubled look in her granddaughter’s eyes.
“You look down, honey. Are you ok?” Betty asked.
“Life has just thrown me a few curveballs tonight,” Chloe replied.
“Then throw them right back. Life is too short to not have a good time,” Grandma Betty insisted.
Mabel Joyner, from Betty’s book club, then got off her phone and grabbed Betty’s attention.
“That was Will Brennan. They’re starting early over at the villas,” Mabel revealed.
“We don’t want to miss any of the action,” Grandma Betty said. She turned to Shannon. “Can we get our slices to go?”
Shannon nodded. “Coming up.”
“Bless your pie-baking heart,” Grandma Betty said.
***
When Betty and her book club left the shop, Chloe suddenly had plenty to chew on.
“Your grandma is still a spitfire,” Shannon said.
“She’s more than that. She’s inspiring. I mean here she is at eighty-two, living it up. Meanwhile, I’m just sitting here grousing. There’s still plenty of night left; we should make the best of it,” Chloe suggested.
“That’s great in theory, but you know I can’t leave the shop unattended,” Shannon replied.
Instead of getting bummed out, Chloe instead got inspired. “Wait a minute, that’s it.”
Shannon was confused. “That’s what?”
“The answer to this Hope Callahan drama.”
“Would you care to fill me
in a little?”
“Hope hates her job at the club, and you’re always stuck working nights because you have no one else to close. You should hire Hope,” Chloe explained.
Shannon bit the corner of her lip. “It’s worth thinking about.”
“It’s more than that. I think this is the answer.”
“For the future, maybe. It doesn’t help us tonight.”
“True, but we do have something to help us tonight,” Chloe said.
“What’s that?” Shannon asked.
“More pie,” Chloe answered. “Then I’ll help you close up and we’ll go out.”
Shannon smiled. She could use some fun time.
“You got it,” she said.
Chapter Nine
Chloe awoke the next morning, all too ready to put the events of the night before behind her. The beauty of a new day was that a whole new set of possibilities was now in front of her. At the same time, not all those possibilities were good. It was important to keep a good attitude. Positive thinking could take her far.
She knew her corgi, Rufus, agreed. Rufus approached every day as an opportunity—to get a walk, at least. As Chloe looked at her stumpy little friend staring back at her with wide eyes and his tongue out, it was clear what Rufus wanted. There was no doubt he would get it, too.
“Is someone ready for a walk?” she asked.
Rufus wagged his tail with complete abandon. It was almost impossible to say no to a corgi. They were perpetually in good moods. The way their tongues hung out made them look like they were smiling. So even though it was a shade on the early side, Chloe didn’t mind getting up for Rufus.
“Who is a happy little doggy?” She petted him a few times. “That’s right, you are.”
Rufus barked at her, encouraging her to hurry up.
“All right, I hear you. I’m coming.”
That first step getting out of bed was always the hardest. It was always easier to stay cocooned in her bed sheets. At the same time, Chloe knew a walk would do her good. She could get some fresh air, straighten up her thoughts, and depending on the speed Rufus moved, she could possibly even burn off that slice of pie she polished off last night.
Rufus barked again.
“Someone is sure excited, aren’t they?” Chloe joked.
Chloe had owned a number of dogs in her life, but it never ceased to amaze her how jazzed they got to take a simple walk. They had the kind of enthusiasm that Chloe only reserved for taking a Hawaiian vacation.
To a dog, life truly was the little things. They basked in the simple joys. Humans could learn a lot from that.
Chloe had to remind herself of that fact when she took a step outside. She was given an icy and abrupt greeting by the brisk chill of winter. It was one of those deceptively cold days when snow was nowhere to be found, and the sun was hanging in the crystal clear sky, but the temperature refused to play nice. The forecast was enough to make Chloe grimace. It didn’t matter how beautiful of a day it was on the surface. Outdoors, it was parka season, and she wasn’t going to leave home without her favorite red winter coat on.
While Chloe daydreamed about making a cup of hot cocoa and hopping back into bed, little Rufus was unfazed by the cold. Then again, he had a built-in fur coat.
Rufus led the way to the park, bounding forward with stumpy exuberance. Chloe had to give her dog credit; the cold weather was no match for the allure of sniffing fire hydrants along the route to the park.
While Rufus was marking his territory and sniffing everything in sight, Chloe tried to reach her friend Hope on the phone. With the rocky way things went last night, Chloe wanted an update.
That was harder to come by than she thought.
She got no answer from her friend. Chloe didn’t like that. It was uncharacteristic of Hope not to have responded to a text message overnight. Chloe hoped nothing was wrong, but she didn’t feel good about the situation, especially as a pit began forming in her stomach. That was never a good sign. She’d have to follow up on these burgeoning bad feelings after her walk.
In the meantime, while Chloe was looking at her phone, she got startled by Rufus barking.
Chloe jumped back and clutched her chest. As she caught her breath, she thought about the irony of the situation. She’d made a habit of startling murder suspects in the past and had always wondered how someone could have such a lack of awareness of their surroundings. Now she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
Luckily, as she looked up from her phone, she realized Rufus was only barking because her father was approaching. Wait a minute, what was her dad doing in the park, in a jogging outfit? Something was seriously awry here. Her father had always been more couch potato than jock. Sometimes it seemed like he was allergic to calisthenics. So what was with the about face?
While Chloe was puzzled by her dad’s sudden interest in fitness, Robert Cook seemed more interested in talking about how absorbed his daughter was with her phone.
“It’s a beautiful day. It would be a shame to miss it,” Robert Cook said.
“You’re right. It would be a shame to miss seeing you in that outfit. I didn’t know you owned a matching sweat suit,” Chloe replied.
“Don’t try to make this about me. It’s about your generation being dangerously addicted to your phones--”
Just then, at the most ironic possible time, the sound of a phone ringing could be heard. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Chloe’s phone. It was a shame too because Chloe was hoping Hope Callahan might be calling.
Instead, it was Chloe’s father’s phone. The conversation got abruptly quiet. Robert Cook had a soft spot for steel drum music, and couldn’t resist using a Caribbean steel drum song as his ringtone.
Robert looked at the caller ID screen on his phone, then turned to his daughter. “Hold on, I have to take this.”
Chloe was nearly in hysterics. Oh, the wonderful irony of her father getting distracted by a phone call during a lecture about phone overdependence.
Chloe giggled. “This is classic.”
Robert felt the need to explain himself before taking the call. “It’s your mother. If I don’t answer it, she’ll just keep calling until I do.”
Chloe knew that all too well. Her mother went out of her way to never leave voicemails. She’d been known to call three or four times in a row in hopes of getting a live voice rather than just leaving one, simple voice mail. It had been this way for years, and she wasn’t about to change anytime soon.
That being said, Chloe wasn’t about to let the irony of the situation go unmentioned.
“Don’t worry. Your lecture about phone dependence can wait until after you take your call,” Chloe joked.
Robert gave his daughter a stink eye, then took the call. “Hi, honey. Yes, I picked up the maple syrup…And the fresh-squeezed orange juice too…Look, I have to go…Well, because I’m lecturing our daughter on cell phone dependency…Love you. Bye.”
Robert then hung up his phone.
Chloe raised her eyebrow at her father. “You were saying?”
Robert tried to talk his way out of this. “I’m a great example of what not to do.”
“Nice try.”
Robert looked embarrassed.
Chloe continued. “Now, do you want to explain what’s going on with the whole jogging suit?”
“I thought this little number had been dropped off at the thrift store years ago. Instead, it was just waiting for me in the basement. You’d be amazed what’s hiding down there.”
Chloe grimaced. “That’s why I try to stay out of the basement at all costs. Fashion faux pas aside, why are you jogging?”
Robert folded his arms. “Don’t act so surprised.”
“This is more than surprise. It’s complete shock. I didn’t know jogging was even in your vocabulary.”
“There are a lot of words in my vocabulary that you may not know about.” Robert stopped himself. “Wait a minute, that didn’t come out right.” He switched gears. “Look, the way I see it, th
is fitness transformation has been long overdue.”
All of a sudden, it all came together in Chloe’s mind. It was one of those light bulb moments. She finally understood why her father seemed to be acting so strange.
“Mom put you up to this, didn’t she?” she asked.
Robert got a baffled look on his face. “How did you know?”
“Dad, I’ve solved two murder cases. This mysterious behavior of yours was small peanuts in comparison. Plus, you gave yourself away.”
Robert became curious. “How?”
“Actually, your vocabulary gave you away. You don’t use words like transformation. Jargon like that usually comes out of mom’s mouth. She’s always talking about things like initiatives.”
Robert chuckled. “You’re one smart cookie. Mmm, I could really go for a cookie right now.”
“Let me guess, jogging in the cold is one of mom’s new initiatives.”
“Oh yeah. Your mother and I are gearing up for the season of the shrinking waistline.”
Chloe smiled. “That sounds exactly like mom. By the way, why isn’t she out here with you?”
“She woke up on the grumpy side of the bed. Her transformation isn’t going to start until tomorrow after a nice pancake breakfast.”
“And your transformation?”
“Apparently, it was a little more urgent.”
“What a bummer.”
“Your mother insists that I’ll be thanking her for this later,” Robert said.
“And in the meantime?” Chloe wondered.
“I have to find a way to put on a good face.”
“Don’t forget, a happy wife means a happy life.”
“Your mother keeps reminding me of that too,” Robert said.
Chloe chuckled. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer. A person can only be so patient when waiting for a pancake breakfast.”
Chapter Ten
What an odd start to the day. In the past, Chloe’s mornings were filled with nothing but routines. Not today. Things were shaping up quite differently than she expected. It wasn’t often a day took on a life of its own like this. Even more, it was still early. Who knew what would happen next?
Chloe Cook Cozy Mystery Bundle Page 20