“How are Jack and Drew?” I asked. Gladys had an unconventional hobby, a form of wood carving, only she carved faces into trees. Jack and Drew were two palm trees in her backyard she had taken to conversing with when bored.
“Growing every day. Thank you for asking, Piper.”
“Here you are,” Sam sat a steaming mug of coffee and a pitcher of cream in front of Gladys.
“And what about a Cranberry Orange Muffin this morning?” I offered.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Gladys accepted the plate. “Now, what did I miss?”
“What do you mean?”
“All the juicy details, of course. Griff drove you home, did he not?”
“You haven’t missed a thing,” Sam told her. “Piper wouldn’t tell me anything this morning. But look, now we have a nice break, and she can go ahead and fill us in.”
I stuck my tongue out at my friend. She pulled out a chair at the table and patted it for me to sit down, taking the seat beside it. I knew she had the tenacity to wait me out, so I sat. May as well tell them both together before I had to say anything twice.
“Fine. Last night, while Griff and I were talking, Landon showed up at my apartment.”
“Who’s Landon?” Gladys interrupted around a bite of her muffin, crumbs sprinkling her napkin.
“Whoops.” Sam shrugged. “Maybe you missed just a little bit.” She held her finger and thumb close together, indicating it was just a small amount.
“Let me start at the beginning,” I huffed with a shake of my head. “Griff did drive me home. I invited him in because he said he needed to talk to me. I assumed that with all of the drama in the news about my kidnapping and rumors it had to do with a catfight over the most eligible bachelor—him—that he wanted to make it clear that we were just friends.”
“This girl is clueless, isn’t she?” Gladys rolled her eyes and shared an exasperated look with Sam who nodded.
I didn’t tell them I had also assumed that Deidra, Griff and Sam’s mother, had put him up to speaking with me. That woman hated me; she thought I was a terrible influence on her daughter by roping her into a bakery and away from the life of poise and politics that Deidra envisioned for her. To have it rumored I might now be involved with Griff—well, I would expect it to send Deidra into conniptions.
“Anyway,” I continued, ignoring the peanut gallery, “I invited Griff inside and changed into pajamas while I tried to get my thoughts straight. I apologized to him and let him know I was sorry about the mess and that I would, somehow, let everyone know that he just looked out for me as a friend, that we weren’t involved.” I rolled my eyes and admitted the rest. “As you apparently may have guessed, I had it all wrong. Griff told me he didn’t think of me as a friend. That he thought I was amazing and talented and all kinds of things. He told me that when I went missing, his biggest fear was that he would never get to tell me how he felt.”
Sam and Gladys leaned forward, waiting.
“And then?” Sam demanded.
“Then someone knocked on the door.” I caught them up on the whole awkward doorstep situation.
Gladys was intrigued by the mention of Landon. “Why did he come to see you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why didn’t you ask him last night?” Sam wanted to know.
I chuckled. “I didn’t get to. Your brother didn’t give me a chance. Griff nearly escorted Landon from the door. Told him I needed rest. He even offered to take him to a hotel.” I started laughing, thinking back on the scene, but sobered when I realized now both Griff and Landon were gone and I hadn’t finished the important conversations with either of them.
“Landon got called back to work for a meeting. I don’t even know where he works,” I realized aloud as I filled Gladys and Sam in. “Then Griff came in this morning and told Sam and me that he was working out of town for a few days.”
“He didn’t say where exactly he was going either,” Sam threw in.
“So, you and Griff didn’t finish talking?” Gladys looked disappointed.
“And she never got to speak with Landon about whatever reason he came here,” Sam pointed out.
“Right,” I leaned back in my chair and massaged my fingers through my hair. “They’re both a mystery, but especially Landon. It’s been at least six years since I’ve seen him. See now why I’m tired and confused? Who knows when I’ll get to speak with either of them again?”
“You need chocolate,” Sam decided, getting up. She foraged through the display case and came back with an Almond Dark Chocolate Drizzle, two actually, one for me and one for Gladys. “Relax for a little bit. I’m going to go put some more cookies into the oven.”
Poised to bite into the ooey-gooey deliciousness in front of me, I stopped with my hand halfway to my mouth as the bell jingled, announcing another customer. Stifling a sigh, I put the cookie down and started to stand, but Gladys reached a hand out to stop me.
“I can take an order or two. You deserve a break, Piper,” she admonished. “Most people wouldn’t have come to work today. Most people probably wouldn’t even come to work the rest of this week for that matter.”
“Thank you.” I accepted her offer of help and sat back down. I wanted to argue, but I knew she was right. A fifteen-minute break might be just the trick, and if not, then surely the cookie would help.
I ate my cookie and watched as Gladys took the order of a young woman who was running late to work. Gladys complimented her style and shoes as she made change from the register. The woman left smiling, happier and less harried than when she arrived.
Next came a man looking to buy something special for his wife. He mentioned it was for a birthday surprise.
Gladys told him you could never go wrong with chocolate. “Unless she has an allergy. Does she have any allergies?” she asked him. When he said no, Gladys reached into the display case and emerged with a square of the day’s special—a Cookie Sandwich Brownie—and an extra-large Chocolate Chunk Cookie.
I ate Gladys’s cookie too as I continued to watch her work her magic. For Grandpa Rex, an elderly gentleman who stopped in a few times a week to buy cookies for his grandkids, she talked him into adding a Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie for himself to his order.
“You’re a natural,” I told Gladys when she finally rejoined me at the small table. “I might just hire you the next time I want to go on vacation.”
Sam came through the swinging doors then and laughed.
“What is this? Piper talking about vacation? Yeah, right. And purple pigs make golden bacon,” she teased. “You never take vacations.”
“I went to the spa,” I pointed out, crossing my arms.
“Only because we won, and I practically had to drag you,” she argued.
The bakery phone rang, ceasing our debate. Sam answered on the second ring.
“Piper, I need you to come here, please,” she requested after speaking to the caller for a moment.
Getting up from the table, I tossed my napkin in the trash before joining Sam behind the counter.
“Piper, the customer on the phone wants to know if we cater,” she whispered as she covered the mouthpiece.
“I’m sure one of us can handle delivery while the other watches the store. We catered for your mother, and that went well.” It surprised me a little that she was even asking.
“No, they want to know if we will cater the dessert bar at a two-day event and remain in residence to make sure it is stocked for the whole weekend.”
“Oh.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I don’t know…” After a moment’s thought, I finally said, “Ask them when they need an answer and tell them we will let them know.” I didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity; however, after being gone four days last week, I feared how much business shutting down another weekend would lose us.
“I asked them to send an email with the details. They need an answer tomorrow,” Sam told me as she hung up the phone.
“What event is it anyway?”
<
br /> “You won’t believe me when I tell you.”
Chapter 4
“Breaking Chains?” I repeated in surprise.
“That’s right.” Sam nodded. “Breaking Chains has a corporate wellness retreat coming up only one town away, in Lion’s Cove. Since we are so close and raised so much money for the fundraiser, they thought we might be interested in catering the event.”
“Wow! That’s incredible. I wonder how they knew we were nearby though? I thought all of the fundraiser money was sent through Sandy Shores Evangelical Church to the Breaking Chains organization?”
“I don’t know. Still, I’m not sure we can leave the bakery for another two days. Customers might resent the inconvenience.”
“And on a weekend, one of our busiest times,” I agreed.
“Yeah. About that.” Sam bit her bottom lip, a sign that she really didn’t want to tell me something.
“What is it?”
“We really need the weekend business. Funneling so many of our own profits into the fundraiser last week really depleted our accounts. I counted on this weekend to put us back on track.”
“How bad?”
“If we aren’t open this weekend, I’m afraid we’ll come up short on the electric bill,” she admitted.
I cringed. Not good. I had no idea finances had gotten so low. Sam handled the accounting side of things because she excelled at math and business. Me, the only math I like is when you add up a bunch of ingredients and the result is multiplying cookies.
“You can do it,” Gladys put two thumbs up from across the room. “You can do the catering and keep the bakery open. You were about to hire an assistant, remember?” she asked with a wink and a flourish of hands indicating herself. “I can watch the bakery.”
I mulled it over. Sam shrugged her shoulders.
Tempting indeed, but I knew Gladys couldn’t handle all of the baking and manage the counter at the same time, no matter how impressive her customer service might be. It required at least two people. We had a really big dilemma and not a lot of time to figure it out.
“Girls, this is up to you, but I really would love to help out if you decide to take the job,” Gladys insisted from her seat, making no apologies for listening. “I had so much fun this morning behind the counter,” she added with a sincere smile.
The bell jingled over the door. I glanced at the clock. Ten forty-five a.m. The lunch crowd was about to hit, and yes, just as many people choose to eat cookies and pastries for lunch as choose to eat fast food. Personally, I commend them for their good taste.
“We will have to discuss this later.” I moved to the counter to help the customer.
“Okay. I’m going to head on home now,” Gladys informed us. “Why don’t you girls come over for supper and let me know your decision?”
“Sounds excellent!” Sam agreed wholeheartedly. Her excitement came from the thought of a home-cooked meal more than a solution to our current problem. Beyond baking, my friend wasn’t much of a cook. Before we were roommates in college, I’m pretty sure she was living on burnt toast or dining out at posh restaurants.
“That will be great,” I thanked Gladys. “We’ll see you around seven thirty.”
~
“Piper,” Sam called a few hours later. “It looks like we are almost out of Spectacular Sprinkle Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.”
“Wow!” I took a peek in the display case. Sam was right. “You know, I noticed we had more kids in here today, with parents or babysitters. I guess they’re looking for little treats now that summer has arrived. I’ll go make some more dough to bake if you want to watch the counter for a bit?”
“I’ve got it, go ahead,” Sam agreed.
I inhaled deeply as I stepped into our kitchen. White and blue marbled countertops gleamed, their colors mimicking the ocean and bringing an immediate sense of happiness. Tan cabinets lined every wall, and the deep walk-in freezer near the back sent a thrill through me. I took a moment to bask in how blessed I was—owning my dream bakery with my best friend in the world, bringing little bites of pleasure to our customers who were fast becoming friends, living in this beautiful beachside town. Thank you for this amazing life, I said a quick prayer in my head as I gathered up an armful of mixing bowls, spoons, and measuring cups.
“Now, where is that recipe book?” I muttered. I hunted through a few more cabinets. Chocolate Chip Cookies I knew by heart; they would be baking in no time, but Spectacular Sprinkle Cookies were new, and I wanted to double-check a few things.
“Gotcha!” I shouted at last, finding it tucked away in a drawer.
“Are you yelling for me?” Sam asked, popping her head through the swinging door.
“No, just talking to myself,” I admitted. After discovering Gladys conversed with palm trees, I didn’t feel the least bit silly for talking to myself.
“Okay then.” Sam rolled her eyes and left me to my continued mutterings.
Scanning through the recipe, I found what I needed to know. Similar to a brown sugar cookie, these Spectacular Sprinkle Cookies called for almond extract as the secret ingredient. Just a drop though, it’s strong stuff. Pulling together the last items I would need onto the countertop, I preheated the oven to three hundred fifty degrees and got started. I always prefer to melt the butter first because it makes combining it with the sugar much easier. After mixing those together, I added the egg and the almond extract. Flour and baking soda were next, mixing them in slow turns to form a soft dough. One drop of blue and red food coloring stirred in with a light hand, just enough to create swirls without coloring the whole dough. Forming the dough into balls, I rolled each ball in a bowl of sprinkles then placed them on the parchment paper-covered cookie sheet and pressed them down slightly with the bottom of a glass. Voila! These colorful, crunchy masterpieces were ready to bake.
“You bake up nice and soft now,” I told the cookies as I closed the oven door on them.
Chocolate Chip Cookies took even less time to mix up. I made two batches and added crushed almonds to one bowl. I looked forward to tasting the Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookies. They had been a specific request by a customer and something that inspired my Almond Dark Chocolate Drizzle recipe when we were out of walnuts.
“How’s it going?” I asked as I popped back into the front of the store to see if Sam needed anything. I found her waving out the last customer, leaving the two of us alone again.
“Great.” Sam smiled. “Piper, we’ve had two birthday party orders for next week. They both want two dozen Spectacular Sprinkle Cookies.”
“Wow!”
“Do you think we should take dessert to Gladys’s house tonight?”
“Good idea. What do you think we should take though?” I stooped to look through the display case, searching for inspiration.
“I have an idea, but it isn’t really a summer dessert.”
“Dessert is dessert and desserts are good, at least that’s my philosophy,” I told her as I stood back up.
“Okay.” Sam laughed. “I’ve been wanting to try Pecan Pie Cookies with chocolate drizzled over them. I think they could be a hit if I make them right.”
“They sound delicious! I love pecan pie, especially chocolate pecan pie.”
“Thanks, I found a recipe online the other day,” Sam admitted. “I have tons of pecans left in my freezer and wanted to get rid of them.”
“After I get the cookies out of the oven in a few minutes, we can switch places, and you can run home to collect your pecans for baking cookies while I watch the counter.”
“Perfect, thanks, Piper!”
The timer buzzed. I retrieved the cookies from the oven and set them on racks to cool, helping myself to a sample of course. “Mmmm.” Chocolate oozed from every bite, and there was just the right crunch from the almonds. The cookies were complete ooey-gooey goodness, just like our name promised.
The rest of the afternoon flew by. Baking might be my passion, but I also enjoy chatting with our custo
mers. Around five p.m., two teenage girls came in. Ordering tea and a plate of Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, they sat down with a newspaper and used a red pen to circle things in the classifieds section.
“These are delish,” the blonde girl licked her lips. She wore a flamboyant orange and pink striped top, long and flowy, over tan leggings.
“Yeah. I bet they would be incredible with peanut butter chips added, too,” the second girl chimed in. She was a bit shorter, with long brown hair. She wore skinny jeans and a pale-yellow tee. I watched as she continued to chew thoughtfully on the cookie before she spoke again. “Or even peanut butter in the cookie itself. I wonder how good that would be?”
Not a bad idea, I thought to myself. Wandering over to their table, I offered to get them more tea.
“That would be great, thanks.” The blonde smiled.
“I’m Piper,” I introduced myself to the girls as I returned with their glasses of tea.
“I’m Millie,” the blonde placed a hand on her chest before waving it at the dark-haired girl with the cookie ideas. “This is Victoria.” Victoria smiled and continued to comb the newspaper.
“Victoria,” I began, “I couldn’t help but hear your thoughts about the cookies.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as embarrassment bloomed in her cheeks. “Your cookies are delicious, don’t pay any attention to me.”
“No, I loved your ideas!” I assured her. “Actually, I couldn’t help noticing you were searching the paper. Any chance you’re looking for work this summer?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded. “Millie and I both need jobs. We want to earn money to buy electric scooters.”
“Please, call me Piper, not ma’am. Can you bake?” I crossed my fingers behind my back, waiting for the pivotal answer to this half-baked idea of mine.
“Victoria can,” Millie smiled. Then frowned. “I’m…not so good in the kitchen.”
“I see.” I nodded and chewed thoughtfully on my lip. “I need to talk with my partner for a moment. Do you girls think you could wait here at least ten more minutes?”
Ooey Gooey Bakery Mystery Box Set Page 17