Around the Way Girls 8

by Tina Brooks McKinney

  “Someone tried to break in the house. The police are on the way. I’m headed to the house.”

  “I’m going with you,” he replied.

  Chapter 17

  “Nothing appears to be out of order or out of place,” I commented to the police officer. Once Greg knew I was in good hands, I convinced him to go to work.

  “Of course there isn’t. The burglar only had a two-minute window before the police were dispatched.”

  “I don’t understand why anyone would want to break in my house. I don’t have anything,” I added.

  “Home burglaries are on the rise, especially during the day. I’m going to get my men to start driving through this neighborhood a little bit more. A crowd is beginning to brew outside. Call me if you have any questions,” he pointed out.

  “Thank you.” I nodded and took his business card.

  “Ms. Montague, there is one other thing,” he replied.

  “Yes?” I remarked.

  “Please, make sure all your doors and windows are locked whether you’re in the house or not,” he urged.

  “Will do.” I nodded again.

  Chapter 18

  Michelle and I wasted no time getting the food handler’s license. Once we went back to Mr. Emery, we set up a Web site called gabbybrownies.com with our slogan, contact information, and endless pictures of the infamous brownies. The profits from this business venture would be split down the middle. I was the CFO, the chief financial officer. Let’s face it, I was good at numbers. I definitely knew how to spend money, but making money would be a new challenge for me. When I was employed at Colstice, I would sit in on the sales meetings to hear other people come up with different marketing strategies for the weightloss pill. Their goal was to touch the young to the old who were overweight and they did. Besides getting on in the copier room with Greg, I had to admit, I did learn a lot working at Colstice.

  Michelle was going to be the baker and perfect these recipes.

  “How much more is this going to cost? It’s all ready been another month,” she complained.

  “Don’t worry about money. For now, I have it covered. Listen, I believe in this. Do you?” I asked.

  “Yes, I do. I just don’t want this to flop. You’ll lose your money and I’ll lose my home,” she confessed.

  “Michelle, you have to be patient. We have to go through the steps of getting the proper documents, permits, and licenses. The last thing I want is for the city or the health department citing us, or handing us hefty fines because we didn’t do what we were supposed to. The last thing on the list is to open a business account at BANFIRST,” I explained, crossing it off on the notebook.

  “All right, I apologize. I’m so nervous and want things to go right. All my life, I’ve had to struggle for everything. Plus, Jackie, I’ve never had a friend like you who truly cared about me and my well-being,” she said.

  “Girl, I feel the same way about you,” I giggled.

  “I need to be positive and do what I do best: make those brownies.”

  “I agree. The fact that we’re actually doing this is an accomplishment in itself,” I declared.

  “You’re right.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” I pointed out.

  Chapter 19

  “How may I be of assistance to you ladies?” Ms. Pilom asked after coming up to us.

  “Hello. We would like to open a business account,” I answered.

  “Well, come right into my office so we can get started,” she agreed and we followed behind her.

  “It’s a good thing you came in. We’re running a special on business checking,” she mentioned.

  “What kind of special?” Michelle inquired.

  “Well, once we get the business account opened, you’ll get a hundred dollars.”

  “Wow, that could help us stock up on supplies,” Michelle expressed, smiling.

  “Ladies, every little bit helps,” Ms. Pilom pointed out.

  “It sure does,” I agreed.

  “Especially, with this economy, five dollars goes a long way. Now, what kind of business is this?”

  “It’s a brownie business. The recipes came from my grandmother. Here are a few samples,” Michelle responded, pulling ten out of her bag and handing them to her. She and I decided no matter who we meet, we wanted people to start buzzing about these brownies. Getting them to taste these scrumptious delights was easy. It was almost noon, which meant lunchtime, so I knew Ms. Pilom wouldn’t turn us down.

  “Thank you so much,” she commented.

  “Please give some to other coworkers. We would love to have feedback on the brownies,” I added, giving her a few business cards with our contact information.

  “These are good. Plus, I love walnuts,” she replied after taking a bite out of it.

  Michelle and I were all smiles.

  “Getting back to business, how would like the checking account to be set up?” she questioned.

  “We would like for the account to be set up as a LLC,” I replied.

  “Do you have the documents?”

  “Yes.” I nodded and handed her the necessary paperwork.

  “All right, I will need to see your identification and we can get this set up.”

  “Great,” I mentioned, handing her my driver’s license while Michelle handed hers over as well.

  “Will you be needing checks and business check cards?” she inquired.

  “Let’s start off with two hundred checks. Yes, those business check cards will come in handy,” I expressed.

  “They sure will. Not to mention, when making purchases you can earn rewards points. Those points will surely add up. How much will you ladies be starting the account with?”

  “Five hundred dollars cash,” I replied, taking the money out of my wallet.

  “Okay, everything is set up. I need to sign these papers. I ordered your checks and you should receive the business check cards within five to seven days in the mail. Do you have anymore more questions for me?”

  “No. I think that’s all for the business account. Would this be a good time to share those brownies with your coworkers?” I asked.

  “Only the ones I like will be getting a sample. I’ll be right back with the deposit receipt,” she laughed, walking out of the office.

  “Thank you for everything,” Michelle expressed to Ms. Pilom while she handed her the receipt.

  “You’re most certainly welcome. It was a pleasure meeting you ladies. Please come back and see me. Once the profits start rolling in, you may want to consider opening up a business savings account. We offer credit cards too.”

  “We don’t need any credit cards. It got me in a lot of trouble,” Michelle admitted, laughing.

  “By the way, I gave each one on the teller team a brownie. They loved them and had the nerve to ask when you’re bringing more back here.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be stopping by to make deposits and get change,” I assured her.

  “Tonight, when I get home, I’m going to call my sister. She’s addicted to brownies. I want to order of box of walnut brownies for me and a box of double chocolate chip brownies for her. How much will that be?” Ms. Pilom asked, pulling out her wallet.

  “It’s fifteen dollars a box so your total will be thirty dollars,” I answered.

  “Okay, how many brownies come in a box?”

  “Twelve,” I answered.

  “Would you prefer we drop them off here or have them delivered to your home?” Michelle asked, excited about our very first order.

  “You can drop them off here, that’s fine. I’ll lock them in my desk drawer so no one will steal them,” she convinced us with a huge grin on her face, handing Michelle the money.

  “I’ll drop them tomorrow afternoon,” Michelle confirmed.

  “In the meantime, I’m going to the store on my lunch break to get a bottle of whipped cream. Brownies taste even better with whipped cream on them.”

  Ms. Pilom agreed to take a pi
cture with us. This was a huge moment for Michelle and me. It was our first sale. Ms. Pilom took an extra step and asked if anyone else wanted to order brownies. We got four more orders. Michelle and I had a lot of baking to do. It’s a good thing she decided to use vacation time for two weeks to get the business started.

  Michelle urged me to take a six-week baking class. I had tried to bake the brownies myself, but I continued to burn them. We didn’t need to be wasting supplies. I had to admit if the phone rang or there was something on TV I wanted to watch, I became distracted.

  Chapter 20

  To celebrate our sales, Greg and Miguel took us out to dinner at Ruth’s Chris. We had double-dated before. However, this time was extra-special. While the guys talked about sports, Michelle and I looked at our Web site. I had downloaded the pictures of Ms. Pilom, Michelle, and me on it. I had never seen Michelle so happy.

  “I finally broke down and told my parents what we have been doing,” she revealed.

  “And what happened?”

  “They were so happy and proud of me. When my grandmother died five years ago, Pop took it extremely hard. Now he’s honored to know I’m keeping her memory alive,” she expressed.

  “That’s wonderful,” I commented.

  Greg had been really supportive about my new business venture. He ordered fifty boxes to give away to his colleagues, friends, and family members.

  “Yesterday, I went online and found a reasonably priced printing company in Norfolk. Flyers would come in handy. We could pass them out and leave them on people’s car windows at the grocery store and shopping centers,” she suggested.

  “That’s a great idea. Let me know how much it is and we’ll send a check out,” I agreed.

  The restaurant was packed. Even with a reservation, we had to wait thirty minutes just to be seated. I was starving. Later in the day, Michelle and I opened up a membership at Sam’s Club and didn’t hesitate racking up on supplies for the brownies. Each one of us had spare bedroom so that’s where we stored the supplies.

  I dug into my medium-well-done steak and succulent lobster tail. This day was also special because I hadn’t cried over the loss of my parents.

  Later that night, Greg and I had sex on the kitchen bar. He was the only man that knew how to touch me. One of the things I loved about him was when his huge hands wrapped around my body.

  Chapter 21

  I managed to get a booth in the middle of the food court of both Lynnhaven and McArthur malls. We could us the heavy traffic. Michelle and I had the proper permits. In return, the general manager was hoping we would open shop in one of the many empty storefronts. Right now, it wasn’t an option. The commercial monthly rent was quite expensive.

  “Do you think people will like the new flavor?” Michelle asked nervously. Her hands were shaking.

  “Yeah, people cherish peanut butter. It’s an American staple,” I assured her. A week ago, she and I made the decision to add peanut butter for the fourth option.

  “Hello, would you care for a sample?” I asked a woman with a stroller with a newborn and two toddlers clinging to her legs.

  “Sure, I’ll try one,” she agreed.

  “We have double chocolate chip, peanut butter, marshmallow, and walnut. Which one would you like to try?” I inquired, smiling.

  “I’ll try the marshmallow one,” she confirmed.

  “Here you go,” I replied, handing it to her.

  “Wow, this is really good. Are you in the grocery stores?” she asked.

  “Not yet, but we’re working on it,” I responded before her son started running toward the carousel. I quickly ran after him and brought him back. She seemed to be at ease with all these little ones. It would stress me out.

  “Thank you,” she expressed, letting out a sigh.

  “You’re welcome,” I answered.

  “Would it be all right to give the kids a brownie?” Michelle inquired.

  “It’s okay. Give them the peanut butter. If I let them, those two would eat peanut butter by itself.”

  “All right,” Michelle said.

  “Well, right now, I’m on maternity leave. I work for a consultant firm that recommends new products to grocery chains. My name is Valerie. Do you have a card? I may know of a store that could be interested in your product.”

  “I sure do,” I replied, handing her six cards on purpose. The clock struck 11:15. The mall only opened up an hour ago. A crowd was beginning to form around our table. I wasn’t worried because we had plenty to go around.

  Michelle was all smiles when more and more people were coming up to us. Also, she was happy, because last night, I fixed my first batch of brownies that weren’t burnt.

  Chapter 22

  “Excuse me, are you Jackie Montague?” a man’s voice asked from behind. I was in Starbucks sprinkling sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in my pumpkin spice latte.

  “Yes, I am,” I answered after turning around with a cup of coffee in my hand. I accidentally dropped my car keys.

  “Let me get those for you,” he offered, kneeling down to pick them up. He was a man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, bald, round belly, and huge waist. I had to admit he still had a boyish look in the face.

  “Who are you?” I inquired.

  “My name is Alex Lucas. I was a friend of your mother’s. I’ve been away on business for the last nine months. I would have attended the funeral. I just received the news of her death along with your father. I wanted to give you my condolences,” he explained.

  “Yes, I appreciate it,” I responded.

  “Could you tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t remember Mom ever mentioning you,” I said, changing the subject and noticing the tone of his voice. I wondered if he was just a friend to Mom.

  “She always mentioned you. Your mother and I went to high school together. I loved your mother. This may be a bad time; however, you need to know the truth. We had a brief affair, but I still kept in contact with her.”

  “That’s a damn lie,” I spat back, throwing my hot cup of coffee on him.

  “Your mother wouldn’t leave your father because she loved him instead of me. Jackie, I need closure. Please tell me what happened to your mother,” he pleaded.

  “So you’re the one who has been putting fresh gardenias on her grave.”

  “I see you’ve taken notice,” he replied getting a stack of napkins to wipe himself with. Brown spots were saturated all through this suit. By now, people had started to stare at us.

  “I go to the grave site at least three times a week. Stay the hell away from me. For all I know, you could have killed my mom and dad,” I ranted and walked out of the door.

  While driving back home, I couldn’t but wonder if that was true. Last month, I attempted to rummage through the items in the storage unit. I stumbled upon a picture of Mom and him together where they appeared to be out at a park. Was Mom leading a double life? I figured Dad and her were happy. Growing up, I did notice he was spending countless hours at the laboratory. Mom would get grumpy if Dad didn’t make it home for dinner. My mind started thinking to see if had missed any clues or signals of Mom having an affair. She was a very private person.

  During their marriage, was it possible that Dad could have had an affair? I wanted to doubt it because his nose was always stuck in a book, his eyes were glued to a computer doing research, or he was on the golf course.

  I began to feel even more guilty for not being there for Mom. We didn’t really have an open relationship. All I ever did was continue to take and demand things from them. Tears started streaming down my face.

  Despite my emotional state, it was a scheduled night to make brownies. Tonight, we had fifteen orders to fill.

  “Hey,” I greeted Michelle after she walked in the door.

  “Sorry about being late. The fry guy didn’t show up and I had to step in.”

  “When we make it big, do you think you’ll quit Chick-fil-A?” I asked her.

  “I’m not sur
e. It’s a great company to work for. They truly care about their employees. Thanks for getting things started. If we work hard and stay on schedule, you can be back home watching your favorite show, Criminal Minds,” she expressed, changing the subject.

  This month, we made an agreement to take Ms. Pilom up on her offer and open up a business savings account and deposit two hundred dollars a month.

  “Are you all right?” Michelle asked, noticing my sour mood.

  “Well, it’s my parents. This guy came up to me in Starbucks claiming that he went to high school with Mom and they had a brief affair,” I revealed.

  “How does it make you feel?”

  “A big part of me thinks he’s a liar. The other part wonders. My mother and I were never that close. I was more of a daddy’s girl. Besides, if she was having an affair, she probably wouldn’t have told me. I guess my frustration grows every day not knowing who killed them. I wonder why did they have to die at all and so viciously? Who could have hated and despised them so much as to shoot them in the back of the head, execution-style?”

  “Have you talked to Detective Snyder lately?” she asked.

  “No, he’s been on vacation,” I replied, shaking my head.

  “Jackie, I don’t know what to say. Marriages have their ups and downs. During my childhood, my parents were at each other’s throats. Eventually, things calmed down,” she explained.

  “There’s so many gray areas in this thing we call life. I wouldn’t think my mother was capable of cheating. She was my mother, for God’s sake. Mom wasn’t supposed to be doing those kinds of things,” I responded while cracking the eggs.

  “Did the guy have any proof to show you?” she inquired while stirring the brownie mixture and popping three walnuts into her mouth.

  “Of course he didn’t, although I did find a picture of Mom and him together,” I confirmed.

  “By the way, I forgot to tell you the owner of the storage facility wants to break the contract. No one is renting units since my parents were found dead there. It’s bad for business, he explained to me in a nice tone.”