by Mary Maxwell
“Yeah, I don’t think they put a high priority on expensive Egyptian cotton here.”
She laughed again. “Probably not.”
“Do you want me to help you sit up?” I asked.
She stopped shifting in the bed and glared at me. “I’m not helpless, Katie. I had a little bump on my head. And the bullet only grazed my thigh.”
I waited while she finished moving into a better position. Then I asked how Trent and the others from the police department had treated her.
“Are you kidding me? They’ve amazing! Amanda’s so nice. And Trent…what an incredibly nice guy.”
I smiled. “He can be.”
“I know they’re coming back to ask me more questions,” she said. “But I don’t think there’s much more I can tell them.”
“About Kyle and Clark Gallagher?”
At the mention of their names, Tipper’s face went flat. Her eyes looked glassy and her mouth was a lifeless straight line.
“Tipper?”
She glanced up. “Sorry, Katie. I think maybe I’m…I don’t know, maybe I’m in shock or something.”
“Oh, there’s no maybe about it,” I agreed. “You’ve been subjected to trauma and nonstop adrenaline and fear and…” I could tell she didn’t want me to go on, so I stopped and patted her arm again. “It’ll be okay,” I continued. “Nobody can tell you when. And they can’t tell you exactly how. But you’ll get through this.”
She sighed loudly. “I don’t know how.”
Her voice had grown faint and her eyes were closed. I reached over, squeezed her hand again and got up from the chair.
“Get some sleep,” I said softly. “I’ll see you again soon.”
CHAPTER 42
Olivia and I were in the Sky High kitchen. It was around eleven that night. She’d arrived a half hour earlier, sputtering vulgarities about the traffic and other drivers and how much she disliked a particular country singer.
“I mean, she’s pretty and everything,” my sister said, pouring more of Nana Reed’s Caramel Cinnamon Crème Sauce onto the mound of vanilla ice cream in her bowl. “But her voice sounds like somebody being fed into a wood chipper.”
I cringed. “Um, thanks for that unfortunate image, Liv. Can we maybe not talk about anything being ground to a pulp? I’m exhausted from the day.”
She pushed the jar of gooey sweet condiment across the counter toward me. “Sorry, sis. Have some of the sauce. It’ll cure every ailment, whether physical, psychological or—”
A cavernous yawn interrupted her endorsement for our grandmother’s famous dessert sauce. “I just wish it would heal the blisters on my feet,” she continued. “I wore a new pair of heels at the client dinner last night. You should see the gunk that’s oozing from—”
I waved my hand. “Liv! Please! We’re trying to enjoy a decadent late night treat, not hear about body parts in a wood chipper or the sores on your feet.”
She spooned some ice cream into her mouth, humming contentedly while it melted. “How’s Tipper doing?” she asked after the spoonful disappeared. “I can’t imagine being involved in such a horrific nightmare.”
“She’ll be in the hospital for a couple of days,” I answered. “Before they transfer her to the county jail. I sat with her earlier until she fell asleep.”
While Liv enjoyed more ice cream, I thought about Tipper’s face as I left the hospital room. She’d looked pale and gaunt, with bruises on her forehead and a series of red welts on her neck. I didn’t want to guess who had caused them, but I knew it would take a long time for her to recover from the ordeal.
“Are you going to see her tomorrow?”
My sister’s question cleaved the thoughts in my mind. “If I can. That’ll probably depend on how things go when Trent and Dina question her.”
“I can’t believe she got messed up in something like this,” Liv said. “The Tipper that I remember was always strong and resilient. Like the time she broke her leg skiing! Do you remember that? It was right before prom and she managed to get out on the dance floor with her crutches and cast.”
I chuckled at the memory. “Wasn’t that a fun night? Arlo and his brother helped Tipper up to the stage after she was named prom queen?”
Olivia lifted her chin. “Remember? That image is seared on my brain, Katie. I had such a crush on Arlo that year.”
“Isn’t he married now?”
Her lower lip quivered slightly. “So?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t know if you’d heard that he got married.”
The slight pout vanished. “It won’t last,” she said. “Did you know they live in Denver?”
I shook my head.
“And did you know that he flirted with the bartender at their wedding reception?”
“No, I hadn’t heard the—”
“And the bartender’s a friend of my coworker’s sister’s daughter,” she went on. “And she told her mother that Arlo propositioned her outside the service entrance at the hotel where they were having the party.”
“Maybe he was drunk,” I said.
She sighed. “Is that an excuse?”
“No, of course not. But it could explain why he behaved like a caveman.”
I watched her consider the suggestion. Then she got up from the counter, carried her empty bowl to the sink and rinsed it out.
“I don’t accept that,” she said. “If you truly love someone, it should be strong enough to stop you from doing those kinds of stupid things.” She dowsed a sponge with dish soap and scrubbed the bowl. “Especially on your wedding day, right? I mean, too many people rush into relationships before they even really know the other person.”
“Mom and dad got married six weeks after they met,” I said, walking over to the sink.
“So?”
“I’m just saying that every couple is different. How long had Arlo known his wife before they got hitched?”
She grabbed a dish towel from where it hung on a cabinet handle. “Eight months,” she said. “At least, that’s what I heard.”
I flashed a mischievous grin. “From the friend of your coworker’s sister’s daughter?”
Olivia smirked. “Don’t go there, Katie.”
“What? I’m just saying you should consider the source. Maybe the rumor about him flirting with the bartender isn’t true.”
“But maybe it is,” she said defiantly.
I studied the look on her face. “Is it possible that there’s a teeny, tiny piece of you still pining for Arlo?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning that maybe the embers of some long ago teenage crush are still smoldering in your heart.”
She groaned again. “Oh, give me a break! I’m not infatuated with Arlo Cunningham.”
“I didn’t say that. I said that you might be upset about a rumor that you heard because—”
Her hand flew up and covered my mouth. “Not another word! I need to get to bed so I can get up early and drive home.”
“Your fingers smell like cigarettes,” I mumbled. “Did you smoke on the trip to Salt Lake City?”
She glowered at me. “Jeez, Katie!”
“It’s none of my business,” I said. “But it took you such a long time to quit, so…”
Her eyes welled with tears. “I’m sorry,” she said in a hushed voice. “I was with some people last night. One of the other women went outside to have a cigarette, and I…” She brushed the tears away. “It was a moment of weakness, that’s all. No big deal. I’m fine.”
I pulled her into a tight embrace. “I just want you to be healthy,” I said. “Which is totally a selfish thing, I suppose. Because if you’re healthy, you’ll be around when we’re both old and gray.”
The comment earned a muffled laugh. “And then what?” she said. “We’ll be running Sky High Pies with our grandchildren tearing through the kitchen?”
I relaxed the hug so I could see her face. “Would that be so bad?”
She shook h
er head.
“Did you buy a pack of smokes for the drive?” I asked.
She answered with a sullen nod. “I had four,” she confessed. “Then I threw them away.”
I hugged her again. “It’s okay, sis. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Okay,” she said as we separated.
“And don’t be so hard on Arlo Cunningham.”
She giggled. “His wife’s actually a really sweet girl. We’ve had lunch a couple of times.”
“See? You’ve made a new friend. And she’s the wife of your high school crush.”
“One of them,” my sister said with a wink.
“One of what? Arlo’s wives?”
“No, one of my crushes from back then. I was also madly in love with Andy.”
My heart skidded. “Arlo’s brother?”
Olivia grinned. “Yes! They were both so cute that I couldn’t quite decide.”
“Does Andy know?”
She shook her head. “Not a chance. I never told anyone until just this second.”
I tweaked her chin between one finger and thumb. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’d say you got the best deal possible.”
She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Uh, your husband,” I said. “Did you forget about him?”
Her face erupted with a sparkling grin. “Oh, I get it,” she said, stifling a yawn. “I should probably give him a quick call to let him know that I got here okay.”
“Ready to go upstairs?”
She yawned again. “More than ready. How about you?”
“Why don’t you go on up? I want to check the front door again and make sure everything’s set for the morning.”
“Okay, sis. See you up there.”
I watched her go out the backdoor before turning and walking into the dining room. It was hushed and orderly; a silent span of tidy tables, restocked supplies and clean countertops. Harper, our impeccable dining room majordomo, never left for the day until the place was spotless and arranged to her satisfaction.
“How did I get so lucky?” I said softly as I walked to the entrance.
The front door was locked, the CLOSED sign was in place and the benches gleamed with a fresh coat of furniture polish. I’d just turned back to walk into the dining room when my phone rang in my pocket. I quickly pulled it out and saw my sister’s name on the display.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She sighed. “Can you do me a huge favor?”
“Anything.”
“Can you bring up a cupcake or two?” she said. “I was going to grab one to eat before bed, but I forgot.”
The request sent me back down Memory Lane. When we were kids, Olivia almost always asked our grandmother for the same treat whenever we spent the night at her house.
“I can do that,” I said, walking past the rows of tables. “Anything else?”
“Maybe some milk?” my sister said.
“Warm or cold?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she answered. “I’d hate to be any trouble, Katie.”
I laughed. “As if you could, sis. As if you could!”
Nana Reed’s Sky High Recipes
Sunshine Citrus Pound Cake
Ingredients
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Place oven rack in middle position.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C).
3. Coat 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
4. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Cream sugar and butter until thoroughly combined.
6. Stir orange and lemon zests into the sugar-butter mixture.
7. Add eggs—one at a time—before juices and vanilla.
8. Slowly add flour into mixing bowl until all ingredients are blended thoroughly.
9. Pour batter into pan.
10. Bake 60 to 85 minutes until golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
11. Cool pan on wire rack for 30 minutes.
12. Remove cake and allow to rest on rack while making glaze.
Nana Reed’s Glossy Citrus Glaze
Ingredients
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions
1. Combine confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest and juice.
2. Mix ingredients thoroughly; consistency should be midway between stiff and liquid.
3. Place bundt cake on serving dish.
4. Pour glaze evenly around the top of the cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides and into the middle.
5. Dust lightly with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Lemon Love Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
2. Prepare baking sheet with non-stick spray, parchment paper or silicone mat.
3. Combine flour, salt baking soda and zest.
4. Cream butter and sugar before adding egg, vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
6. Slowly add flour into mixing bowl until all ingredients are blended thoroughly.
7. Place dough by the spoonful onto the prepared cookie sheet.
8. Bake until light golden on edges, approximately 14 minutes.
9. Remove from oven.
10. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
11. Once thoroughly cooled, coat cookies with Nana Reed’s Glossy Citrus Glaze.
Nana Reed’s Glossy Citrus Glaze
Ingredients
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions
1. Combine confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest and juice.
2. Mix ingredients thoroughly; consistency should be midway between stiff and liquid.
3. Place bundt cake on serving dish.
4. Pour glaze evenly around the top of the cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides and into the middle.
5. Dust lightly with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Orange Cinnamon Scones
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Prepare two baking sheet with non-stick spray, parchment paper or silicone mats.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Blend cubed butter into dry ingredients with fork until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
5. Combine eggs, cream and vanilla.
6. Add wet to dry ingredi
ents; hold aside 2 tablespoons of the egg, cream and vanilla mixture.
7. Fold in orange zest and mix until all ingredients are combined.
8. On a floured surface, shape the dough into a circle (8- to 9-inches in diameter).
9. Brush top of dough with remaining wet mixture.
10. Divide the dough into 14 scones with cutter or knife.
11. Arrange scones evenly on prepared pans.
12. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Cool on wire rack briefly before serving warm with butter, jam, cream cheese or other favorite condiments.