The Icing on the Cake

by Rosemarie Naramore

  But to her surprise, his voice was rife with relief when he answered, “Would you, please? I have to admit, I’m having a tough time. I’m having to face the reality that my father is a mortal man and not a superhero. I can’t help but worry I might lose him.” His voice caught. “Er, anyway…”

  “I’ll be there, Joe. What time is his surgery?”

  “It’s scheduled for ten a.m. I hate for you to have to get up so early and…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m an early riser out of habit,” she said. “Where are you? I’ll be there.”

  He relayed the details to her, and the two signed off. She was smiling as she remembered the relief in his voice. He wanted her with him. She hadn’t stepped over any line of propriety or foisted herself on him. He was eager for her to come.

  With a relieved sigh, she went back inside the house and began cleaning up the kitchen. She tidied it up as good as new and then retrieved Gracie from her dog run. She gave her time to do her business, and then brought her inside. It was after dinner time and Gracie seemed determined to be fed. Kristine obliged and then let her out back after.

  She joined her in the back yard. She watched as Gracie walked around the lawn, exploring every inch of it. Once again, she took the time to sniff the flowers, which never failed to bring a smile to Kristine’s face.

  After while, Gracie came charging toward her with a ball in her mouth and dropped it at Kristine’s feet. She picked it up and threw it across the lawn. Gracie took off like a light, snatched up the ball, and returned. They played for awhile until Gracie suddenly stopped and perked her ears. She moved close to Kristine and pressed against her, as her eyes did a visual search for something amiss.

  Kristine hadn’t heard anything, but decided to go back inside. She’d no sooner stepped into the family room than she heard the sound of the doorbell.

  As she hurried to answer it, she glanced back at Gracie. The pitsky had climbed onto the couch and burrowed under a throw blanket. Her head and shoulders were covered, but her back side protruded conspicuously from underneath. Kristine shook her head with chagrin. “Some help you are,” she called to the terrified dog. “Afraid of a doorbell…”

  When she reached the door, she rose up on tippy toes and peered out the peep hole. Her eyes widened in shock.

  Her mother and sister stood on the front steps. Lori had never looked angrier.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kristine’s mother and sister remained at the door, waiting impatiently for her to answer. She considered ignoring the doorbell. She could pretend she wasn’t home. But unfortunately, her car was parked in the driveway.

  Stupid, stupid, she muttered. She should have pulled it into the garage. Joe wouldn’t have minded. It was too late for that, however.

  How did her mother and sister know she was here? Had they followed her? But it had been hours since she’d seen them at the cafe.

  Finally, with another deep breath, she pulled open the door. She attempted a smile, but couldn’t quite pull it off. “Hello,” she said, also trying to refrain from appearing guilty. She had lied to them about her whereabouts and she’d been caught in her deception. She didn’t like lying. It didn’t come easily and she felt remorseful for it now.

  “I knew you were lying to us earlier,” Lori accused, without preamble. “I went by Minnie’s and she said you weren’t there. She tried to tell me you were coming back, but I knew better.” She turned to her mother triumphantly. “I told you she’d be here. Once again, she’s an interloper, intent on destroying what Joe and I managed to build together in a short time. I … am … so … hurt!” she cried.

  “Oh, really. You told Mom I’d be here, huh?” Kristine said, surprising herself with her own audacity. “And exactly what have you and Joe managed to build in such a short time? Oh, and by the way, you have no idea what real pain is,” she cried. “Having a sister manipulate you, speak ill of you, turn your own mother against you… When that happens to you, I’ll understand your pain.” She felt tears spring to her eyes. “This is all so sad! We’re sisters, Lori! It’s wrong to be competitive with one another, to try to take away from the other’s happiness… ”

  “My point exactly,” Lori cut in smugly.

  Her mother nodded her head in agreement with Lori, as if she’d caught her youngest in the act of committing a crime. “Kristine,” she scolded, “how could you do this to your sister?”

  “How could I do what to Lori?” she demanded.

  “Are you living with Joe now?” her mother asked, and appeared to brace for her answer. She shuddered and folded her arms across her chest. She began tapping her foot impatiently.

  “No, I’m not living with Joe.”

  “You’re in his house,” Lori cried, her eyes sending daggers in Kristine’s direction. “Where is Joe, by the way? I need to see him. Right now.”

  “Oh, I thought you knew where Joe was,” Kristine said, growing bolder by the second. “You did have breakfast with him, didn’t you?”

  Lori was caught off guard by the question. Even her mother glanced her way and watched her curiously. “Lori…?” Ruth prompted.

  “Y…yes,” she stammered, her uncertainty a rare crack in her veneer of confidence. She recovered quickly, giving herself a shake and slipping right back into her poised and polished self. “Yes, I did,” she insisted. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Mom. You know that.”

  Kristine had had enough. It was time Lori was exposed for the liar, she, in fact, was. “Mom, Joe is in Norton. He’s been there for several days. His dad is in the hospital. He asked me to stay here and take care of his dog. Since you and Lori apparently hate me,” she said, with a resigned lift of her shoulders, “I agreed to help him out, and in turn, help myself out with a place to stay.”

  Her mother had the good graces to look guilty. She turned to Lori. “Lori…” She shook her head. “Why would you lie about that?”

  “Because lying comes easily to her,” Kristine said angrily, suddenly remembering all the times over the years that Lori had created turmoil for others with her lies. She somehow always seemed to come out smelling like a rose, but the collateral damage of her deceptive ways had undone the lives of many who had had the misfortune to cross her.

  Kristine remembered Lori’s lies as they came to her like a movie on a reel. They played out before her, overwhelming her as she realized how easily Lori could weave a tale. Did she have a conscience?

  Kristine blew out an angry breath. “You know what? I’m done. Mom, you just go on believing everything Lori tells you. You can continue keeping your head in the sand,” she said with a brittle laugh. “When she destroys Chad, or cheats on him, or…”

  “Shut up!” Lori cried. “Mom, are you going to let her talk to me like that?”

  Kristine shook her head, so disappointed in her sister. “Lori,” she said evenly, “I’ve always looked up to you, and I’ve always, always loved you despite your… Well, let’s just say it—despite your wicked ways. I always, always gave you the benefit of the doubt. I always stood by you, even when my conscience told me that I was making a mistake.” She shook her head again and sought her sister’s eyes. “No more.”

  Her mother looked from Kristine to Lori. “Lori…” she said, and to Kristine’s surprise asked, “did you, or did you not, have breakfast with Joe this morning?”

  “Kristine, you, you…” Lori sputtered.

  “Lori,” her mother said sharply. “Tell me the truth.”

  “I had breakfast with Chad, okay?” She smiled winningly and took a hold of her mother’s arm. She gave it a gentle squeeze. “I should have told you, Mom.”

  “Yes, you should have,” she said, pulling her arm away and watching her daughter as if seeing her through eyes that had suddenly been opened wide. “If you saw Chad this morning, why did you need Kristine to watch Devon this afternoon? Did you really have a meeting with Chad in the afternoon too?”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  “So, this morning, you didn
’t bother telling him about Joe, but decided rather to tell him later.”

  “Exactly.” Lori smiled at her mother and cocked her head, maintaining practiced eye contact and an earnest expression on her face. “You do understand.”

  “I don’t believe you,” her mother announced, sounding surprised by her own admission. “What did you do this afternoon, Lori? Or should I ask, who did you see this afternoon?”

  “Chad.”

  “No, no you didn’t,” she said, emitting a beleaguered breath. “No, you didn’t. Who did you see?”

  Lori finally relented. “Mom, okay, you’re right. I didn’t see Chad. I met this new guy…”

  “A new guy! I thought ‘Joe’ was your new guy.” She watched her, mouth agape. “I watched Devon for you,” she cried finally. “I canceled an appointment to help you out.”

  “Isn’t that what a mother does?” Lori said softly, in a soothing tone.

  “No, Lori,” she exclaimed, “it’s what a grandmother does when her daughter has a legitimate reason for leaving her child at home. But you didn’t. You chose some guy over time with your child, which you routinely do, and without any regard for the fact that you put me out. I had a doctor’s appointment, Lori, as you well know.”

  “Oh, Mom. Don’t be dramatic. It was a routine checkup,” she said, without apology.

  “Heaven help me,” Ruth said, watching her daughter as if she were seeing her for the first time. “It’s my fault,” she said, as if to herself. “I’ve indulged her. I’ve spoiled her.”

  “I’m right here, Mom,” Lori said crossly, sounding like a belligerent teenager, rather than a woman of thirty-two. “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.”

  She shook her head. She felt utterly betrayed. She now understood how Kristine felt. She turned to her. “Kristine, I’m…”

  “Oh, stop it,” Lori interrupted, sounding furious. “Kristine stole Joe from me. None of this changes that.”

  Ruth began shaking her head. Finally, she said, “Kristine, I’m sorry.” She spun on her heel and hurried to the car.

  Lori watched after her, but turned to Kristine. Her eyes regarded her angrily, but she suddenly perked up. “I’ll work my magic on Mom,” she declared with absolute confidence. “I’ll have her eating out of my hand by dusk.” She smiled triumphantly. “You’ll see.”

  Kristine watched after her mother and sister, as Lori backed her car down Joe’s driveway. Even from a distance, she could see her mother’s posture was rigid and that she had her arms folded across her chest, a tell-tale sign that she was furious.

  Kristine couldn’t deny feeling mild relief her mother’s anger was directed at Lori rather than her. Having her mother suddenly gain some clarity about her oldest child while standing on Joe’s front stoop now felt surreal to her.

  And where was Gracie when the confrontation happened? She hadn’t even ventured to the doorway. Was that normal behavior for a dog? Most dogs were yappy, regardless of size, when someone came to the door.

  Kristine was suddenly overcome with a cautious alarm. “Gracie,” she called softly, and hurried to the family room. She gasped when she saw the dog, leaning against the sectional and gnawing on the arm rest. She had eaten away the fabric and the foam beneath, and had reached wood.

  “Oh, no! Oh, no!” she cried. “Gracie, how could you?” She glared at the dog, who continued chewing. “Gracie! Stop!”

  Gracie had the good graces to step back, but was watching her as if to say, “What did I do?”

  Kristine felt like crying. Seeing that Gracie had torn apart Joe’s beautiful and very expensive couch was the icing on the cake, and certainly not in a good way. Overcome by the emotion of what had transpired between her and her mother and sister, coupled with the destruction of Joe’s sectional … Kristine began to cry. She reached for one of the pillows on the couch and to her horror, found it was soaking wet.

  She grasped it between two fingers and searched it for damage. It too was ruined. Not only was it soaking wet, the stuffing was protruding from the torn seams.

  “Gracie, why?” she cried. “Why would you do this?”

  She glanced around, searching for additional damage. Thankfully, there was none. She did, however, spot Joe’s slipper on Gracie’s doggie bed. She had managed to retrieve it from the mantle.

  Wasn’t that slipper enough? Couldn’t Gracie have simply chewed it up? Kristine could afford to replace a slipper, but Joe’s gorgeous couch?

  With a shuddering breath, she began to cry. The tears flowed, drenching her face and dropping onto her top and onto her pant legs. She allowed them to flow, as she grieved for all the loss and pain in her life of late. She glanced heavenward, wondering, was her Dad watching her? Was he aware of the rift in the family? If only her father were here…

  The thought brought a renewed flood of tears. She cried until she was cried out. She tipped to her side and lay on the couch. She stared ahead, unseeing, until Gracie whimpered and began kissing her face.

  “Gracie, no,” she said sadly. “There’s no undoing this mess.”

  Kristine suddenly wondered, could things get any worse?

  Unfortunately, she learned a moment later, they certainly could.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kristine lay on Joe’s tattered couch, wishing she could go back in time. If only she had put Gracie in her dog run when her family had paid their unexpected visit, or brought her to the door with her. If only…

  When her cell phone trilled, she contemplated ignoring it. But fearing it might be Joe, she checked the screen. It was the fire marshal calling.

  Kristine abruptly sat up and attempted to pull herself together. “Hello,” she said, sounding nasally, and hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  “Is this Kristine Branton?” he asked. “One of the owners of Branton’s Bakery?”

  “Yes,” she said, wiping her eyes with her hands. “Have you determined the cause of the fire?”

  “Er, yes. One thing, you weren’t at the bakery that day, were you? If memory serves…”

  “No, I didn’t work that day. Why do you ask?”

  He paused, and then breathed out. “Listen, we determined that your bakery had a grease fire that originated in your deep fryer.”

  “I see.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. A freak accident had caused the destruction of her beloved bakery. It was hard to fathom the extent of the loss, but there was no turning back the clock. She had to deal with it. “Thank you so much for letting me know.”

  “Er, it seems a couple factors contributed to starting the fire…”

  She waited for him to continue and he took her silence as cue to continue.

  “I understand you use your deep fryer on a daily basis,” he said.

  “Yes. We’re known for our apple and cherry fritters. We try to have them on hand every morning.”

  “Mmmm. So you all have a good deal of experience with the appliance.”

  It was a statement, not a question. She answered anyway. “Yes.”

  “You are always cognizant of keeping the temperature within a safe range and assuring water is never introduced into the oil.”

  “Of course,” she said, and suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She sensed he knew something impactful to the situation and she stiffened fearfully.

  “Listen, we’ve discerned the grease in your fryer heated to a temperature far above the point of combustion. As you know, as oil heats up, it begins to smoke…”

  “Which is why the fryer should never be left unattended,” she said.

  “Mmmm. It’s also a good policy to assure that the area around the fryer is clear and that nothing can potentially fall into the heated oil.”

  “Yes. I would never put anything on a shelf above it that could fall in—nor would any of my employees.”

  “Mmmm,” he said again, as if taking notes. “I’m afraid we determined a water bottle—probably nearly empty but containing a small amount of water—fell into the hot
oil. The introduction of the plastic and the water into the already too-hot oil, and the subsequent steam from the water—well, it created an explosion of hot grease onto the surrounding area… ”

  Kristine gasped. “How could that have happened? No one would have left a water bottle where it could potentially fall into the deep fryer.”

  “But I’m afraid, someone did.” He was silent for the moment that followed, and she heard him rifling through paperwork.

  Had Kristine detected a reproving tone in his voice? Did he suspect foul play?

  Oh, dear God, Kristine thought. Was Lori so hard up for cash, she tried to burn down the bakery in order to receive a settlement?

  “Miss Branton,” the fire marshal said. “I’ll be sending my findings to your insurance adjustor.”

  “Okay. What happens after that?”

  “You’ll have to ask them.”

  She had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what would happen after that. The insurance company would fight their claim, and would try to prove that her sister or mother had deliberately caused the blaze.

  Her eyes widened fearfully as a thought too horrible to contemplate came to mind. What if the Fire Marshal sent his report to the local law enforcement? What if they did suspect foul play and referred the incident to the prosecutor’s office for prosecution?

  After the fire marshal hung up, Kristine sank back into the couch. Her eyes lit on the damaged arm rest, and then the pillow, and then Joe’s slippers… She suddenly saw her horribly burned and smoke-damaged bakery in her mind’s eyes. She remembered that her relationship with her mother and sister was in tatters… And then she imagined Joe, at the hospital, terrified he might lose his father.

  It was all too much. She began to cry again. She was still crying when her cell phone rang yet again. This time, it was her mother.

  As much as she hated to answer, her mother needed to know what was happening with the bakery. She needed to know that thanks to the actions of either her or Lori, they would likely have to defend themselves against some terribly serious accusations.