Cookies and Condolences

by Donna Doyle

  “Okay. Whatever.” Mr. Lowry hung up.

  Unfortunately, as Sammy tucked her phone back in her pocket, she realized that Mr. Lowry hadn’t been the only one yelling. Mr. Woodland and his late employee were having their own argument. It was on the other side of the room, and they were trying to be quiet, but their voices carried easily through the empty space. The way they leaned their bodies toward each other and curled their fists at their sides didn’t help disguise their feelings, either.

  “I can’t believe you’ve done this to me again, Garrett! I should fire you on the spot!” A vein popped out on Mr. Woodland’s neck as his skin slowly flushed red.

  The crewman was much calmer about the issue, his voice quietly threatening. “For what? Being a couple minutes late? You know my car isn’t reliable, and I’m lucky I got here at all.”

  “Sure. Like you don’t have any other excuses.”

  Now Garrett’s face grew darker. “Why do you have to keep bringing that up?”

  “Because I know you. I know the truth, and you can’t just keep blaming all your problems on car trouble. Now get to work.” Mr. Woodland pointed a quick finger to the other side of the room, where some of the men were beginning to carefully peel back the trim so they could get to the old paneling.

  “Yessir.”

  Sammy took her phone out again and pretended to send a text, not wanting her new contractor to know she’d been standing there watching the entire exchange. Maybe Mr. Woodland wasn’t as great of a guy as she’d originally thought. It bothered her, because in an ideal world she would only support businesses and people who shared her values. But this wasn’t an ideal world, and she had a contract with this man. The fact that he was a bit of a jerk to his employees didn’t mean he wouldn’t do a good job.

  She cleared her throat a few minutes later when she walked up to him. “Okay, I think I’m going to take off. You’ve got my number, though, so give me a call if you need anything.”

  Harold smiled, the angry part of him completely invisible now. “Will do! And I’ll be sure to lock up when I’m done.”

  Sammy left, trying to feel good about her decision. She pulled up the collar of her jacket against the rain as she trotted to her car, reminding herself that she had bigger problems to worry about than the personal issues of her contractor. She also had a full day of baking at Just Like Grandma’s.

  4

  A Dash of Surprise

  A few weeks later, Sammy stood in the center of the big room at the Stargazer. The space had been almost completely transformed. It had been a dark and gloomy space before, speaking of the ghosts of the past no matter how nice it was outside.

  That wasn’t the case at all now. The room had formerly been walled completely in, with no windows. Sonya wasn’t sure what it had been used for before her father had turned it into an illegal gambling hall, but the solid walls had served that purpose well. Now, several large windows had been installed on the long side of the room. They only looked out into the parking lot, but it was a good start that really made the space seem more inhabitable. Paired with freshly-painted drywall in a light blue and white vinyl floor, the room was much more open and inviting than Sammy imagined it had ever been. The wall sconces, gold behemoths that leaked only the slightest bit of yellow light into the room, had been replaced with overhead LED bulbs that lit up the work space.

  “Wow,” Sammy breathed as she walked in the door, noting that it, too, had been replaced. The old hunk of rusty metal that had kept the elements out was now a professional door with glass and a brand-new handle. “This is just amazing.”

  Mr. Woodland saw her as she walked in. He turned off the saw he’d been using and dusted his hand on the side of his pants. “Sammy! It’s good to see you today!”

  “You didn’t think I could keep myself away when you’re so close to being done, did you?” She could barely even look at him because she was so busy checking out the transformation. “It’s like it’s a completely different room!”

  “That’s the goal,” Harold said proudly. “We just have a few small things left to do, and then it’ll be complete. Oh, and your work tables arrived today. I told the delivery guy to go ahead and bring them in. We’d be happy to get them put together and set up for you. No charge.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I have to say, you’ve been one of the best people we’ve worked for in a while. You haven’t been in here breathing down our necks, and I think the guys really appreciate all the treats you bring in. It’s the least we can do.”

  Sammy pressed her hand to her mouth, so in awe over the way the room looked. If Mr. Herzog came wandering in, it might even change his mind as to whether or not they needed a new space. While it seemed that everyone had their misgivings about Mr. Woodland when she’d first hired him, the contractor had definitely proven himself to her. “Thank you. Thank you so much, for everything you’ve done.”

  “Oh, here.” Harold reached into his pocket and retrieved a set of keys. He took one key off the ring and held onto it. “These are for the new lock on the door. If you don’t mind, I’ll go ahead and keep one for a little longer. I’d like to get the rest of this mess cleaned up, especially since you said you wanted to have the opening on Monday.”

  She hadn’t been sure at one point that they would make that deadline, but Mr. Woodland had really come through. “You don’t have to clean up anything. I don’t mind sweeping up.”

  But the contractor held out his hand and shook his head. “No, no. We’re the ones that made the mess, and it’s my policy to leave it clean. Garrett!” He called over his shoulder to a crewman.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I want every speck of dust off this floor before you leave tonight. Get the guys to help you with the tables, and make sure they’re wiped down as well. Everything better be spotless, and if you leave before it is then I’ll know.”

  Garrett grumbled something under his breath.

  “What was that?” Harold snapped.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Sammy knew she shouldn’t feel guilty, but she did. “Really, I can clean it up. You’ve already done so much work.”

  “And you’re paying us for that work,” Mr. Woodland reminded her. “I’ve heard of contractors who leave sawdust all over the floor, and that’s just not the way things should be. There are only a couple pieces of trim left, and I have to wait for the stain to dry on them before I can put them up. I’ll come by first thing on Monday morning to put them up, if that’s all right.”

  “Not a problem at all! Will there be any issue if I start bringing in some of our supplies over the weekend?” Sammy knew she had a lot of work ahead of her if she was going to get this place opened on time. Rob would help with some of it, but she wanted to be as involved as possible. That would include not only getting their office area set up, but also planning for a big party on Monday night.

  “I don’t see why it would be. All the paint is dry and the lighting is wired up. I can’t wait to see how it looks when you’re done!” He smiled at her.

  Sammy grinned, as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. “Great! Thank you again for everything you’ve done. This is better than I ever could’ve imagined.”

  * * *

  As she anticipated, the weekend was a busy one. There was plenty of work to be done at the diner, even though Helen tried to tell her to take the time off. “Go and get your new place set up. You’ve worked hard for this, and you deserve the time to enjoy it.”

  “And leave you high and dry without a waitress on a weekend? That doesn’t seem fair.” Sammy wiped down a table and set down new silverware. “Just Like Grandma’s is my first obligation.”

  “But it’s certainly not the biggest one. If you want some time, then take it. If you don’t, well don’t blame me.” Helen smiled as she stepped behind the counter to take a payment.

  In between customers and orders for the diner, Sammy baked her heart out. She invited Austin to come by after h
ours to help, and they churned out enough cookies to make a massive tray to bring to the opening party. “You’re going to love this, Austin. Sunny Cove Services will be a way for you to almost always have work, whenever you want it. And there will be different kinds of work to do, too, so you won’t get bored.”

  He carefully rolled balls of cookie dough and set them on a baking sheet. “I won’t get to work with you?”

  “You will,” she assured him, “but just not all the time. There will be other people to help, too. That way you can still work even if I’m not available.”

  He stopped his work, letting his dough-covered hands drop to his sides. “But I like working with you.”

  Her heart broke at those words. “Oh, Austin. I like working with you, too. And I still will, every time I get the chance. But you know how there hasn’t been much snow to shovel over the winter?”

  Austin nodded, still wearing a sad look on his face.

  “Well, you won’t have to wait around for snow, and we won’t have to go from house to house or around to businesses to find jobs. People will come to you when they need something done, and there will be things you can do indoors, too.” While most of the grant money had been used up with the renovations and the rent deposit, Rob had donated an industrial paper shredder.

  “Really?” Some of the spark was coming back to Austin’s bright green eyes.

  “Yeah. And it won’t just be you working, either. There are other people out there just like you who need jobs. It’ll be a great chance for you to make new friends.”

  His eyes roved around in his head as he processed this. “That sounds like fun!”

  “I think it will be. And we’re going to have a big party to celebrate. Do you need me to come pick you up on Monday night, or is Uncle Mitch going to bring you?”

  Austin placed the last ball of dough on the sheet. “He said he would bring me. Uncle Mitch wants to see it.”

  “Wonderful.” The older man had been a bit skeptical when Sammy had first begun helping Austin find employment, but he was beginning to see how much it benefitted his nephew.

  When they were finished with the cookies, Sammy dropped Austin off at his place and ran over to the Stargazer. It was a Sunday afternoon, but they only had so much time to get things done before they opened. Rob’s car was already in the parking lot, and she found him standing in the middle of the work room. Seeing the awe and joy on his face made her realize just how happy she must’ve looked when she first saw it.

  “Wow. Just wow. I admit I had my doubts. I mean, I know I picked out the location, but I didn’t realize it could go through this kind of transformation.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair as he turned in a slow circle.

  “Isn’t it amazing? And to think, everyone was so concerned about the contractor I hired. Even Andrew Herzog came over here to tell me I shouldn’t use him.”

  Rob flapped one hand in the air. “That’s just because Mr. Woodland won’t work with Andrew. He doesn’t like his designs, and he’d rather do simple, classy stuff than all those sleek, modern schemes. I think there might be more to the equation, but I’m not sure. At any rate, this looks fantastic.”

  Sonya McTavish walked in from the door that led into the theater. “I agree,” she purred, smiling. “My father would have an absolute fit if he could see how modern this looks compared to that crumbling old room. I love it!”

  Rob took off his overcoat and laid it on a nearby chair. “I’ve already brought in the filing cabinets. Shall we got get things arranged in the office?”

  “Ready whenever you are!” Sammy should have been tired from the work she’d already done baking, but her excitement overwhelmed all that. She’d even gotten up early to make sure she got to church on time, and she knew she wouldn’t go to bed until it was late, but in the end she knew it was all worth it. She and Rob spent a lot of time arranging, talking, and planning, and when they were finally ready to shut the lights off at the end of the night she took a big sigh of happiness.

  “What about those pieces of trim over there by the bathroom door?” Rob asked as they took one last survey of the room.

  “Mr. Woodland said he was waiting for the stain to dry, but he’ll come in first thing tomorrow morning and get them put up. Everything should be fine.”

  Rob looked at her, the pride clear on his face. “Are we ready to do this?”

  “Definitely.”

  * * *

  Sammy could hardly sleep that night. When she did doze off, she only dreamed of the new business and what she hoped would happen there. She envisioned all the people who would be gainfully employed, and the self-worth they would come to feel as a result. It was so thrilling she could barely take it, and every time she woke up she had a smile on her face.

  When her alarm finally went off, Sammy jumped up out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible before running down the stairs to the diner. Helen wasn’t in yet, and she didn’t have to be at Sunny Cove Services yet, but Sammy couldn’t wait any longer. She loaded the boxes of baked goods in the back of her SUV and ran back into the diner for jugs of tea and milk as well as a coffee carafe. The party wasn’t until the evening, when her friends and anyone associated with helping to get this business off the ground could get off work to attend, but Sammy wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

  Driving through town, she wished she’d thought to pick up some balloons and crepe paper to really make the place look festive. SCS—as she was starting to think of it—looked great, but there was nothing wrong with giving it that special touch for the opening. Maybe she could run to the party supply store once it opened and get that taken care of.

  Harold’s van was parked outside the door, Woodland Contracting written in vinyl lettering across the white paint. Sammy had gotten used to seeing it there, and a renewed rush of gratitude spread through her for all that the contractor had done. He’d been a little hard on his workers, and there were a few days when he’d seemed too busy to talk to her, but in the end he’d done an excellent job. She couldn’t argue with the price, either, considering some of the other contractors had asked for more money than they’d gotten with the grant. Sammy decided she would write him a personal thank you note so he knew just how much she appreciated him.

  Parking next to the van, Sammy retrieved the boxes from the back of her car. She would be a little embarrassed when Harold saw how early she’d arrived, but at least the door would be unlocked. That would make it a lot easier to get all these packages inside.

  But when Sammy pushed her shoulder against the door, it didn’t budge. She paused, staring at the door for a moment. Glancing through the glass, she could see that the lights were on in the building. Maybe Harold had gone in, but he’d locked the door behind him for safety’s sake. It was a small town, the kind of place where people rarely even locked their doors and windows at night, but she could see why he would want to be extra careful. He probably had a lot of expensive tools to protect.

  Juggling the boxes in her right hand she carefully fished out the key with her left hand. Sammy nearly dropped the boxes as they tipped over in her grasp, threatening to go spilling across the wet asphalt and letting all of her hard work go to waste. Sammy dove to the side to catch them, bracing them against the doorway as she unlocked the building.

  “That was close,” Sammy whispered to herself as she shakily put the key in the lock. She pushed her way into the building with both hands on the boxes now so that she wouldn't drop them before she made it to the big table at the back of the room where they were going to set up all of the party food. The space seemed awfully quiet without even the radio that the crewmen usually listened to while they worked. Sammy shrugged, figuring that Harold probably preferred peace and quiet first thing in the morning and began setting up.

  She arranged the boxes of cookies on the table. Next to the chocolate chip and iced sugar cookies, she placed the snickerdoodles that she and Austin had so carefully made. He had truly enjoyed rolling the little balls
of dough in the cinnamon and sugar, and Sammy knew that the other folks she would be helping out at Sunny Cove Services would probably feel the same way once they got a chance to have their baking lessons with her as well. Next, she laid out oatmeal raisin cookies, red velvet cookies that she normally only made at Christmas time, and a large assortment of sprinkled cookies that Austin had personally decorated. It looked good even with the treats still in the boxes, and it would look even better when she laid them out for the party.

  The coffee carafe went on the table next to the cookies, although she wouldn’t be able to make the coffee until closer to time for the party. Sammy arranged stacks of plates, cups, and napkins before stepping into the small break area to put the jugs of milk and tea in the fridge.

  It was as she came back into the main part of the room that she realized she hadn’t seen Harold at all. He should be here, especially considering that those little pieces of trim had yet to be put up. “Harold? Are you here?” She knocked on the bathroom door, and when she got no answer she dared to open it. The lights came on automatically when they detected movement—something that seemed like a good idea to save energy even though the sensors cost a little extra money—but they only revealed a clean, newly remodeled bathroom.

  “Huh.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. If he’d forgotten something and had to run back to his place for a tool, then his van wouldn’t still be here. Realizing he might still be in his van, Sammy trotted to the door and peeked outside. She could see right into the windshield of the big vehicle, but there was still no sign of the contractor.

  Walking back through the main part of the room between the work tables, Sammy pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Harold’s number. She waited patiently as it started to ring, but she soon realized that she wasn’t just hearing the ring in the receiver. The tiny beeping tune was coming from the room she was in. Harold was here somewhere.