by Holly Plum
As Joy sleepily made breakfast, she couldn't stop thinking about what Edith had said the day before. Were there plenty of people who had a motive to murder Sean, the man who had been found on the beach? Was Maple innocent in all of this? Joy poured pancake batter into a frying pan in three perfect circles. She popped three blueberries into each pancake and one extra into her mouth. As she bit into the skin of the plump berry, its juices filled her mouth with a pleasant blueberry flavor. Cheesecake rubbed his face against her leg. She looked down and saw that his coat looked worse than ever. It seemed that he'd tried rubbing up against the house plants to comb his fur. Now Cheesecake had clumps of dirt stuck to his side.
“Cheesecake,” Joy scolded him. "You know what this means, don't you? You're overdue for a trip to the groomers." Joy had been delaying it because Cheesecake did not behave well outside of the house.
Joy got herself ready and placed Cheesecake in his carrier for a quick trip to the local groomer. Cheesecake did not like Joy's idea. The moment they got into the groomers, he knew what was in store for him. The last time he'd been there, Delilah had used a fragrance on his fur that had taken him a week to lick out. Cheesecake hadn't been a fan of spring blossom.
“Come back here,” Joy hissed as Cheesecake attempted to escape upon arriving at the shop. She picked him up and carried him to the front desk.
“Is Delilah here today?” Joy asked the receptionist.
The receptionist was a small girl with a big pout, and she pursed her lips as she looked Joy up and down. She looked at the appointment book, shaking her head.
Probably not a cat person, Joy thought, observing the necklace around her neck with a dog-shaped charm.
“Oh my, it's Cheesecake. I haven't seen him a long time." Delilah appeared from the grooming room.
The receptionist grunted and went back to fiddling with the computer.
“Hi, Delilah.” Joy smiled.
“Hi there, pumpkin.” Delilah spoke directly to Cheesecake, scratching him under the chin. “Look at the mess you've got yourself into. What a silly boy you are. Shall I give you a special look today? Something distinguished?”
Cheesecake purred, and Delilah took him from Joy's arms. But Cheesecake suddenly remembered what he was in for and tried to kick his way free. Joy bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“Silly, Cheesecake,” Delilah commented.
“Do you want me to come back with you?” Joy suggested. "I can't promise he'll behave, but it might help if he can see me?"
“Of course, you can, Joy." Delilah guided her to the back room and wasted no time.
Almost a full hour had passed before Delilah said a word to Joy. She'd spent the whole time brushing Cheesecake, petting Cheesecake, talking to Cheesecake, and bribing Cheesecake. Joy had felt invisible and stood there with her arms crossed. Cheesecake hadn't exactly been happy either. He'd glared at Joy as Delilah massaged shampoo into the fur on his head, and hissed when the clippers came out.
Delilah hadn't seemed to mind. She'd kept talking to Cheesecake about his fur and eventually got around to talking about herself. It was as though she were a hairdresser chatting with her favorite customer.
“I can't believe it was only yesterday that...” Delilah stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm sure you're curious to know about my wedding. Hunter and I are discussing a new date since yesterday didn't work out. Of course, I don't expect a refund for the cake or anything."
Delilah began snipping the edges of Cheesecake's fur as she talked. Joy listened, happy that she wouldn't have to argue with Delilah about a cake that had already been consumed by most of the canines in town.
"You seem to be taking all of this pretty well," Joy commented.
“Life must go on, right?" Delilah said. "Hunter wants to wait to get married until after Sean's funeral, but I think we should do it before all of our guests leave town. Sean's funeral is important, of course. I won't deny that, but don't you think we should focus on celebrating life?”
Joy opened her mouth to reply until she realized that Delilah had been directing all of her concerns toward Cheesecake. She felt more comfortable confiding in a cat than Joy. It was almost as though Delilah had completely forgotten that Joy was in the room. Joy worried that if she said anything, Delilah might stop talking. Cheesecake had resigned to his fate and was crouching as low on the bench as he could manage.
“Anyway,” Delilah continued, “We have everything ready to proceed with the wedding at any moment – all the decorations and chairs are ours for as long as we need them. So we could do it tomorrow, and that would give us plenty of time before Sean's funeral. That's not disrespectful, is it? Obviously, we'll need to organize catering again, which won't take long. And the cake, of course.”
Delilah finally looked at Joy.
“Yes,” Joy replied. “What about the cake?”
“Everyone loved it. All the dogs loved it, and Petunia and Jacques were particularly impressed.”
"That's great news considering it was my first dog-friendly display," Joy replied.
“I'll be sure to order another one just like it for our second wedding attempt.” Delilah paused. "Let's hope things go smoothly."
“Thanks so much,” Joy responded. “Just make sure you give me some advanced notice."
“I would ask you for cakes for the bachelorette and bachelor parties, but we've already had them," Delilah continued. "Mom and the bridesmaids took me to Candy Nails, and Hunter and the guys went out on the boat. I'm not sure what they did, but it probably involved way too much liquor.”
“A boat?” Joy tilted her head, remembering Edith's comments about a group of noisy men at the docks the night before the wedding.
“Yeah, a big party boat. I mean, I assume it was. I was in bed early that night, but Hunter got home really late which usually means it was a good night, right?” Delilah was talking to Cheesecake again. He hissed as she fastened a plaid bow to the fur on the top of his head.
“I guess so,” Joy chimed in. “So I guess that was Hunter's last night with his best man? I'm assuming the best man was at the party."
“Yeah, I guess it was.” Delilah sighed. She held up a mirror to Cheesecake to show him the look she had created for him.
Cheesecake immediately began purring, and Joy smiled. She had no idea he would approve of the fancy bow on his head. But Cheesecake's look of satisfaction was short-lived when Delilah spritzed him with that awful fragrance. Spring blossom.
CHAPTER FIVE
As Joy loaded the newly groomed Cheesecake into her car, she received a panicked text message from Sara Beth asking Joy to get to the bake shop as soon as possible.
“Looks like you're coming to work with me,” Joy said to Cheesecake. He purred and licked his paw in agreement. Joy hoped that he would behave at the bake shop. Cheesecake was the sort of cat who played by his own rules.
Joy and Cheesecake walked into Patty Cakes Bake Shop to find all of the windows open and Sara Beth glued to a fan she had set up next to the register. Old Joe and another regular customer named Patsy were at their usual tables. Joe waved a newspaper over the top of his sticky Danish, trying to keep a persistent fly from landing on it.
“You can't leave all the windows open in a bakery,” Joy scolded Sara Beth, rushing around and closing the windows. "Too many bugs. This is Florida, Sara Beth."
Cheesecake sat beside Sara Beth and let the strong air from the fan blow the fur back from his face. He looked as if he was in a kitty commercial.
“Sorry,” Sara Beth responded as she took a sip of sweet tea. She'd added lots of extra ice to her cup. “It's just been too dang hot in here. I think our air conditioning is completely dead.”
“It's a real scorcher today, Joy,” Old Joe piped in.
“Let's give Sam Sparks a call and hope that he'll take a batch of cupcakes as payment.” Joy wiped her forehead.
“I already did,” Sara Beth answered.
Cheesecake paced the bake shop s
izing up the usual customers. He eyes a piece of croissant on Patsy's plate, but Patsy hardly noticed.
“Here I am.” Sam Sparks pushed open the front doors. "Broken again, huh?"
“Good to see you, Sam.” Joy put her hands on her hips. “Although I wish we didn't have to see you so often.”
“I get it. You want me here, but you don't want me back. It's like a visit with the in-laws, am I right?" Sam grinned. "I'm used to that sort of welcoming."
“I just hope you can fix the air conditioning again," Joy replied. "I don't want to have to buy a brand new unit."
“Well, let's have a look." Sam got to work right away.
“I don't know how long I can stand the heat, honey.” Patsy fanned herself with a magazine. Joy was nervous that she would begin losing customers to Maple at The Sugar Room, regardless of the fact that she cooked with expired raisins.
“Ice cream cake, anyone?” Sara Beth reached into the freezer and took out a small chocolate ice cream cake that Joy had made with leftover cookie crumbles. It had been an experimental menu item that Joy had yet to try and market to her customers. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
“I would love a piece, but it might melt the second I bite into it.” Patsy shook her head. "Not to mention, isn't it a bit early for ice cream cake?"
“It's never too early.” Sara Beth humored her and cut a slice of ice cream cake anyway. "If it melts then we have straws. You can think of it as a chocolate cake milkshake." She placed the slice of cake in a bowl and handed it to Patsy along with a fork, spoon, and straw.
“How can I say no to that?" Patsy accepted the cake and took a bite. She nodded, satisfied with her choice.
“Watch it with the freebies," Joy whispered. "I just might be dipping into all of my savings to buy a new air conditioner very soon. We need all the profits we can get right now."
“Patsy buys more than enough product,” Sara Beth argued. "She's in here every morning."
"Yes, I know. Just don't make it a habit." Joy dabbed at the sweat on her forehead with a napkin. She didn't like being greedy when it came to money, but she wasn't sure how she was going to cover all of her expenses for the month if Sam couldn't fix the air conditioning. No air conditioning meant very few customers.
“Oh, my,” Sara Beth sighed. “This heat is making me as snappy as a Gator.”
“Me too," Joy agreed. "You're right. Our regulars are our highest priority.”
Meanwhile, Patsy raved about how good the ice cream cake tasted. The edges were melting, but the insides were still firm and creamy. The inside of the cake was layered with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. The cookie crumbles on top gave it a nice crunch.
Sam emerged from inspecting the air conditioning. He frowned when he saw Cheesecake trotting up and down the front of the shop.
“Joy, you've got to keep your cat away from the air conditioner,” Sam said. Joy glanced at Cheesecake who was studying the various pastries in the display case.
“I usually leave him at home," Joy responded. "He didn't mingle well with the customers." Cheesecake looked up at Joy and Joy shrugged. "What? It's true."
“I like him,” Old Joe called Cheesecake over. The white trotted over to him, and old Joe offered the cat a spoon of cream.
“Don't spoil him, Joe." Joy shook her head.
“Too late for that, I'd say,” Old Joe commented, pointing to the plaid bow on Cheesecake's head. Joy had to admit that Cheesecake looked like a very pretty and very spoiled pet.
Cheesecake purred loudly as he licked up the cream. He liked Old Joe.
“So is it just cat fur in there that's messing up the wiring?” Sara Beth guessed. She eagerly waited for good news.
“No, nothing like that," Sam answered. "You're wiring is all messed up, and there are spots that look like they've been chewed at. Or cut, I suppose. I can show you if you like?"
“And that's bad?” Sara Beth frowned.
“Darn,” Joy whispered. It sounded more and more likely that a new air conditioning unit was needed.
“You tell me, Sara Beth. Bad wiring equals a broken air conditioner. Sorry for the bad news, folks.” Sam scratched his head. "But I will say that it is a bit odd that the wiring looked just fine last time I looked at it. I can't imagine why it broke again so quickly."
“Oh, really? That's very interesting.” Sara Beth looked at Joy.
“It's not my fault,” Sam defended himself. "I did nothing to cause this, I swear. I know some folks around here think I sabotage for the sake of getting more business, but those rumors are all false."
“We're not accusing you, Sam?” Joy had a couple of ideas as to how the air conditioner might have broken. "Tell me, in your professional opinion, what do think happened?"
“Well, nothing is burned or melted," Sam answered. "I guess I have a few theories. First, you have a very, very old air conditioning unit that needed replacing years ago. Second, that little cat of yours got into the wiring. And third … well, I guess it's always possible that the unit was tampered with on purpose. Though I don't know who in their right mind would take the time to do that.”
Joy and Sara Beth glanced at each other. Joy's intuition was bucking at her chest like a wild bronco. She wanted to go and give Maple McWayne a piece of her mind. Only Maple would have taken the time to do such a thing.
“Don't even think about it,” Sara Beth held up a finger, reading Joy's mind.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Joy crossed her arms.
“Oh yes you do,” Sara Beth argued. "You're thinking about leaving me here in this jungle of a bakery while you march on over to The Sugar Room to give Maple a piece of your mind."
"I'll certainly give her a piece of something," Joy confessed.
CONTINUE READING …
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