by Jessica Beck
I handed her the donuts, and as she went up front, I decided to give her a hand in back. Sometimes washing dishes could be soothing, and I’ve managed to come up with some pretty good ideas while I’ve been doing it over the years. I’d read somewhere that Agatha Christie had claimed the same thing, and if it was good enough for her, I am certainly not one to contradict the patron saint of the traditional mystery.
Emma came back a few minutes later, and in that time, I’d managed to finish up her dishes. “Suzanne, I feel bad. You didn’t have to do that,” she said.
“I didn’t mind,” I answered. “How’s Emily doing?”
“She’s still pretty rattled about disappearing like that and alarming everyone in town,” Emma said. “Evidently her mother is driving her crazy. She has to check in if she goes to the post office or the grocery store, or even down the driveway to get the newspaper. I guess that’s just one of the perils of living at home.”
“We can both relate to that, can’t we?”
She bit her lip, and then said, “In a way, but at least Emily went to college. At the rate I’m going, I may never get away from April Springs.” She must have realized how that sounded, because she quickly added, “Not that I don’t love working here, but you know I want to see the world.”
“I know,” I said. “At least you’re taking some classes at the community college. That will help when you transfer to a university.”
“That’s something, I guess,” she said.
I knew, better than most, the wanderlust my employee and friend felt. “Just not the bright lights of the big city, right?”
“Right,” she said. “I knew you’d understand.”
I nodded as I said, “I might get it, but I don’t agree with it. The lights in April Springs are just fine with me, Emma.”
She started drying dishes as she said, “I know you feel that way. It’s just something that I don’t get about you.”
I laughed as I said, “Give it a few years and then we’ll talk again. I’d better get back up front. We’re heading down the home stretch,” I said.
As I was about to walk back out front, I asked casually, “Emma, do you think your mother might remember some of my recipes? She’s helped you out here a few times in the past, and I can’t afford to ignore any help I can get.”
“I don’t know,” Emma answered. “Should I ask her?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be great. Do you have any plans for this afternoon?”
She frowned, and then said, “Nothing I can’t cancel. Why? What did you have in mind?”
I hated to intrude on her personal life, but I really was in trouble. “I’m going to have to start re-creating my recipes, and I was hoping you’d be able to stick around and help. I’ll pay you double time if you do.”
Emma laughed. “Suzanne, you don’t have to bribe me to help.”
“But you won’t say no to it, either, will you?”
“I’m not exactly in a position to turn it down,” she answered. “Don’t worry; we’ll make it fun.”
I couldn’t imagine what we were about to do could be entertaining in any sense of the word, but if she felt that way, it was fine with me. “I’m glad you’re willing to stay. Thanks, Emma.”
“Glad to help out whenever I can, boss.”
* * *
It was nearly closing time, and the dishes were clean and put away, the donuts were nearly gone, and ordinarily I’d start thinking about what I was going to do with the rest of my day.
But unfortunately, not today.
I had a recipe book to re-create, and I was dreading it. Not that I had any choice in the matter. I could skate by on my basic fare just so long before my customers began to complain, or worse yet, stopped coming in, but as much as I loved donuts, there could be too much of a good thing, and I’d already had my fill of donut-making for one day.
Just as I was about to evict the last few customers and close up shop, I was startled to see Angelica DeAngelis coming toward Donut Hearts.
From the look on her face, it appeared that we had something to talk about.
“Angelica, how are you?”
“The truth?” the older, but still quite attractive, brunette asked. “I’m devastated. How could Timothy do this to me?” She sounded as though she was about to cry, but I didn’t want her to do it in front of an audience. “Give me one second and then we can chat, okay?”
“Fine,” she said as she dabbed lightly at her soulful brown eyes.
“We’re closing shop a little early today,” I announced to the three customers still there.
“Hey, we’ve still got nine minutes,” said a young man who was typing something on a laptop computer.
“Sorry. Would a free donut make it up to you?” He’d been milking a coffee for the last hour, and had bought a pair of donut holes to go with it, but I’d seen him eyeing the case more than once.
“Two might,” he said with a grin.
I could live with that. “Two it is. Would the rest of you like them as well?”
It’s been my experience that no one already in a donut shop will pass up two more free treats, no matter what the circumstances. After all, these were my kind of people.
After they were gone, Angelica said, “I didn’t mean to cost you money. Let me pay for those donuts you just gave away.”
“I was just going to toss them anyway, so we’re good,” I said. “Angelica, how can I help you?”
“I don’t want any donuts today, but thank you for asking.”
I smiled gently at her. “I wasn’t taking your order. I want to be your friend and help in any way that I can.”
“If only you could,” she said, dabbing at her eyes again.
“There’s something I’ve been dying to ask you. Did Tim lie to you?” I asked softly.
She looked at me, a startled expression on her face. “What do you mean?”
“Did he ever say or imply that you two were in an exclusive relationship?” I needed to know, for my own sake, whether Tim had been playing the women, or just playing the field.
“No, he never came out and said it in those exact words, but he cared for me. Anyone could see it.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, and I mean that with all of my heart, but you can’t let yourself keep feeling like the wronged woman, or you’ll never be able to get past this. It’s not good for you, and I suspect it’s not fair to Tim’s memory. I could never date three people at once, but some folks seem to enjoy a variety of loves in their lives. We both know there are lots of women who do it. So why was it so wrong for Tim? Were you happy when you were together?”
She didn’t even hesitate to answer that one. “Very much so.”
“Then you had something special,” I said.
“I thought so.”
She hadn’t said it with much warmth, but I decided to accept it at face value and ignore the implied sarcasm. “Then you should be thankful you could find some joy in life, and sad that Tim’s gone, but you shouldn’t feel betrayed. At least that’s how I feel.”
It was touch and go for a few moments, and I could see Angelica start to say something, and then bite it down again. She must have reached some kind of conclusion, either from my words or the emotions they had sparked in her. Suddenly Angelica started crying, and I offered her a hug for comfort. After nearly a minute, she pulled away. As she did, she took my face in her hands. “Suzanne, how did you become so smart in the ways of love?”
I had to laugh. “Are you serious? I’ve made just about every mistake in the book. I’m no expert; trust me.”
“And yet what you say makes perfect sense,” Angelica said. “I’ve been a real fool, haven’t I?”
I wasn’t about to respond directly to that, but I knew how to answer her. “Can anyone be anything else when it comes to love?”
Angelica took my hands in hers. “You must come to my restaurant tonight. We are going to reopen, I’m sure much to my daughters’ surprise, and you and
Jake will be my honored guests. He is in town, isn’t he?”
I nodded. “He is, but I didn’t realize anyone knew it.”
“Trust me, my sources keep me informed. So, you’ll come?”
How in the world was I going to get out of this invitation graciously? “I really appreciate the offer, but I have a thousand things going on in my life right now.”
She jutted out her chin, and I knew that this conversation wasn’t over. “Suzanne, protest all you want to, but I won’t accept no for an answer. You may think your life is busy right now, but there is always room for a little handmade pasta and a touch of romance, am I right?”
“Right,” I said. She knew my weakness, and how to strike home to get what she wanted. “I can see I don’t have a chance arguing with you. We’ll see you at six.”
“Six? That’s too late for you. Make it five.”
“See you this evening,” I said.
“Thank you, Suzanne.”
“I didn’t do anything special.”
“You were my friend when I needed one, you told me a truth no one else would, no matter how much pain it might have caused, because you care about me, and that’s the most special gift I could ever receive.”
I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I had to ask her something else about Tim. “Angelica, Tim was a friend of mine, too, though not as special as he was to you, and you’re probably aware that I’m looking into what happened to him. I know it might be painful for you, but I have to ask so I can tell the police they can cross you off their list.” It was a stretch thinking that Chief Martin cared about what I thought on any topic, but I couldn’t let that stop me.
“Go ahead,” she said, and I could see her steel herself. “I’m ready.”
“Where were you the night Tim was killed?”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “Oh, I already told this to your Chief Martin. I was in the kitchen with my girls. We were filled to capacity, and I didn’t leave the kitchen from five until ten that night.”
“That’s all I need to know. I’m sorry that I had to ask.”
“Find the person who took Timothy out of my life so he can be brought to justice,” she said as she clasped both of my hands in hers.
“We’re all doing our best,” I promised.
After she left, I locked the door behind her, and then told Emma, “That’s it. We’re shut down. Are you ready to start making donuts?”
If Emma felt any reluctance to start our day all over again, she didn’t show it. “Let’s get busy.”
* * *
Jake called sometime around three, but I had my hands full of dough, so I let Emma answer it.
After a few moments listening to him, she put a hand over the telephone and said to me, “He wants to know how long you’ll be.”
“Tell him to pick me up at four-thirty at the cottage. We’re going to dinner at Napoli’s, but I can’t talk right now.”
She relayed my message, and then grinned. “Okay, I’ll tell her.” After Emma hung up, she said, “He wanted you to know that you could be as mysterious as you want to be, but if you keep him in the dark, you’re paying tonight.”
“I can live with that,” I answered. “Now, do we add three tablespoons of orange extract to the orange cake donuts, or is it three teaspoons?”
“I don’t have a clue, but if you ask me, I thought it was two,” Emma said.
“You may be right. Let’s divide the dough into two equal parts and try it with each.”
“But won’t they all be too strong, then?” she asked.
“Not if we scale them back by half,” I answered.
“This is going to take a while,” she said as we started adding the proper amounts of extract to the dough.
“And that’s the best-case scenario. I’m worried we won’t get the book back and we won’t be able to duplicate the recipes we’ve been using at all.”
“What will we do if that happens?” Emma asked, the concern clear on her face.
It wasn’t time to panic yet. At least that was the message I wanted to convey to her. “Don’t worry. We’ll manage somehow. Were you ever able to get hold of your mother and ask her what she remembered?”
“Sorry, she’s shopping in Hickory,” Emma said, “but I expect her home by six-thirty. Should I call you after I speak with her about it?”
I thought about it, and then decided against it. “No, with any luck, I’ll still be having dinner with Jake. It will wait until tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“As I can be.” I looked at the array of donuts that we’d already made, and realized that over three-quarters of them were not even good enough to give away, let alone sell in our shop. “I think we need to stop and call it a night as soon as we test that orange donut recipe. I’m going to try to grab a twenty-minute nap before my date with Jake. Let’s just toss all of these,” I said as I pointed to the donut discards.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“You can take them home with you if you want to, but just don’t give any away to anyone. I don’t want our reputation tarnished with second-class donuts.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she said reluctantly. I wasn’t that eager to do it either, but we really had no choice. Emma looked around the kitchen, and then added, “Tell you what. We’re nearly finished here. Why don’t you go home, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“I can’t do that to you,” I said, looking around at the dirty dishes and the piles of bad donuts we had on hand.
“Trust me, I can handle it,” she said. “Besides, you clearly need a nap. I don’t know how to tell you this, but you look exhausted.”
I tried to muster a smile. “I’ve heard better compliments, but I’m going to take you up on your offer, if you’re sure. I really do hate to saddle you with this, though.”
She grinned at me. “Hey, at least one of us has a love life at the moment.”
“I thought you were seeing someone new,” I said.
“He didn’t work out, and to be honest with you, I think I need a little break from men for a while. Now go and enjoy yourself, and Suzanne, for one night, forget about murder, recipe books, and most importantly of all, donuts.”
“I don’t know if I can keep from thinking about any one of those things,” I replied honestly, “let alone all of them.”
“You never know unless you try. Now scoot, before I change my mind.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. “I’ll drop the deposit off on the way home. It’s the least I can do. See you in the morning.” Before I made it out the door, I added, “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow? That way I won’t feel so guilty tonight.”
“Really? Do you mean it?” I knew how much Emma cherished the mornings she got to sleep in instead of coming to the donut shop in total darkness.
“Sure, why not? Don’t come in until three-thirty.”
She laughed. “Wow, you’re a real sport.”
Emma had a point. I thought about it, and then said, “You know what? I’ve got a better idea. Take the day off, with pay, for your hard work these past few days. I can handle things here by myself tomorrow.”
“I don’t have the heart to do that to you,” she said. “But I will sleep in.”
“It’s your call, either way. And Emma?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome,” she said.
As I drove home to catch a quick nap, I realized yet again how lucky I was to have Emma in my life, both as an employee and a friend. I wasn’t sure I could run Donut Hearts on a full-time basis without her, and not just for the help she gave me in the kitchen. It was wonderful having a friend working side by side with me, and if she ever broke free and went off to college as she’d long threatened, I knew I’d miss her more than I could even imagine.
* * *
It felt as though I couldn’t have been asleep on the couch in our cottage for more than ten minutes when Momma cam
e in. “Suzanne? Are you here?”
“Right here, Momma,” I said as I waved a hand in the air.
“I woke you, didn’t I?” she asked as she walked around the couch to face me.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “It’s fine. It was nearly time for me to get up anyway.” I looked her over, and then added, “Wow, you look nice. Don’t tell me you’re already set for your date tonight?”
“And why not? You know I hate leaving things until the last second.”
“What are you going to do for the next three hours until he gets here?” I asked.
“It’s not going to be that long.”
“What time is it?” I asked as I stared blearily at the clock.
“It’s nearly four-thirty,” she said.
“No! I’ve got to get ready. When Jake shows up, stall him.”
“When is he coming?” Momma asked.
There was a knock at the door. “Unless I miss my guess, he’s already here.” I ran up the stairs two at a time, not even waiting for Momma to greet him.
In nine minutes, I’d taken a shower and gotten dressed, but my hair was less than ideal. At least I’d had a chance to put a little makeup on. I’d needed every second of that nap, but Jake was going to have to deal with a less-than-perfect me.
At least it wasn’t our first, or even our second, date.
* * *
“You look great,” Jake said as I walked down the stairs. “I don’t even mind waiting when that’s the result I get.”
I stopped where I was. “Maybe I should have made you wait a little longer, then,” I said with a smile. I was wearing that rarity for me, a real dress. Jake was in his best suit, and I was glad we were going to a place as special as Napoli’s.
“I called the restaurant while you were in the shower,” Jake explained. “They said it wasn’t a problem if we showed up a little late. Angelica herself got on the line. She said they had our table reserved, so we should take our time. What happened today?”
“We can talk about it in the car on the way,” I said.
As we headed out the door, I called out, “Momma, I’m leaving now.”
She came out of the bedroom, and I was relieved to see that she was still dressed up. Knowing her, I wouldn’t have put it past her to chicken out already.