Read Online Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joanne Fluke
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don’t mind eating day-olds.”
“I don’t mind,” Kyle assured her. “I’ve never been in here myself, being from Elk River and all, but a lot of people say you’ve got the best cookies. When the Lake Eden Gulls played the Elks last Friday night, your coach brought our coach a bag of your Walnuttoes.”
“I didn’t know that!” Hannah was pleased and she made a mental note to thank Jordan High’s new head coach, Drew Vavra, the next time he came into The Cookie Jar. “Do you like strawberries, Kyle?”
“They’re my favorite fruit.”
“Good,” Hannah said and headed for the walk-in cooler. “We made Strawberry Blips yesterday. Let’s see how you like them.”
The light coating of powdered sugar had melted into the cookie during the refrigeration process, and Hannah dusted the cookies a second time. It made them a little sweeter, but Kyle looked as if he had a sweet tooth. Then she carried the plate to the table and waited for Kyle to taste them.
“Mmm, good!” Kyle said after his first bite. “These look like the strawberry tarts my mother used to bake, but they’re smaller and they taste a lot better.”
“Better not let your mother hear you say that!” Hannah warned him, prompting a discussion of how mothers always wanted their children to like their cooking best.
Kyle had a second cup of coffee and ate another three cookies as time ticked away. Hannah knew she had to get to work soon. Once the peach cobbler was baked, she had to run out to the Lake Eden Inn to deliver the wedding cakes and consult with Sally about when to frost them.
“Would you like to take the rest of these cookies with you for the road?” Hannah asked him in an effort to nudge him out the door.
“You bet!” Kyle took the hint and stood up while Hannah packaged the cookies. “I’d better get a move on or the truck’ll cool off and the rest of my flowers will freeze. That bakery across the street is open, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ve got a delivery for the lady that owns it.”
Hannah almost stopped in her tracks as an extremely unpalatable possibility occurred to her. She’d have to be careful how she phrased her question so that Kyle didn’t realize he was telling tales out of school, but suspicious minds needed to know.
“It’s a good thing he got flowers for Shawna Lee this year.” Hannah put on a big smile for show. “Last Valentine’s Day all he did was send a card and she wouldn’t speak to him for at least a week.”
“Yeah, the ladies expect more than a card. And let me tell you, a dozen roses don’t come cheap this time of year, especially when they’re a color we don’t normally stock. Kingston wanted yellow, because they’re her favorites. And they’re twice as expensive as your red ones.”
Hannah gritted her teeth and managed to hold on to her smile until Kyle had left. If she’d known he was carrying a bouquet for Shawna Lee in his truck, she would have kept him talking until her rival’s expensive yellow roses turned into ice cubes. She had half a notion to dump the bouquet Mike had sent to her in the trash, but that was a waste of good flowers.
Even though she was upset, Hannah found a vase for her roses. They were beautiful, and their lovely scent wafted out to permeate the whole kitchen. Perhaps Mike hadn’t known that Shawna Lee’s flowers would be more expensive than hers. He’d probably just rattled off his credit card number and assumed that all roses were equal, even in the off-season. But why had he sent Shawna Lee roses in the first place? Was it merely a friendly gesture toward the woman who’d once been his secretary? Or did it mean more than that?
Hannah reached for the little white envelope that had come with her bouquet. She pulled out the card read the message, and immediately felt a whole lot better. The card was a pre-printed one that proclaimed Happy Valentine’s Day in flowing red script, but Mike had dictated a note on the back that
“I don’t mind,” Kyle assured her. “I’ve never been in here myself, being from Elk River and all, but a lot of people say you’ve got the best cookies. When the Lake Eden Gulls played the Elks last Friday night, your coach brought our coach a bag of your Walnuttoes.”
“I didn’t know that!” Hannah was pleased and she made a mental note to thank Jordan High’s new head coach, Drew Vavra, the next time he came into The Cookie Jar. “Do you like strawberries, Kyle?”
“They’re my favorite fruit.”
“Good,” Hannah said and headed for the walk-in cooler. “We made Strawberry Blips yesterday. Let’s see how you like them.”
The light coating of powdered sugar had melted into the cookie during the refrigeration process, and Hannah dusted the cookies a second time. It made them a little sweeter, but Kyle looked as if he had a sweet tooth. Then she carried the plate to the table and waited for Kyle to taste them.
“Mmm, good!” Kyle said after his first bite. “These look like the strawberry tarts my mother used to bake, but they’re smaller and they taste a lot better.”
“Better not let your mother hear you say that!” Hannah warned him, prompting a discussion of how mothers always wanted their children to like their cooking best.
Kyle had a second cup of coffee and ate another three cookies as time ticked away. Hannah knew she had to get to work soon. Once the peach cobbler was baked, she had to run out to the Lake Eden Inn to deliver the wedding cakes and consult with Sally about when to frost them.
“Would you like to take the rest of these cookies with you for the road?” Hannah asked him in an effort to nudge him out the door.
“You bet!” Kyle took the hint and stood up while Hannah packaged the cookies. “I’d better get a move on or the truck’ll cool off and the rest of my flowers will freeze. That bakery across the street is open, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ve got a delivery for the lady that owns it.”
Hannah almost stopped in her tracks as an extremely unpalatable possibility occurred to her. She’d have to be careful how she phrased her question so that Kyle didn’t realize he was telling tales out of school, but suspicious minds needed to know.
“It’s a good thing he got flowers for Shawna Lee this year.” Hannah put on a big smile for show. “Last Valentine’s Day all he did was send a card and she wouldn’t speak to him for at least a week.”
“Yeah, the ladies expect more than a card. And let me tell you, a dozen roses don’t come cheap this time of year, especially when they’re a color we don’t normally stock. Kingston wanted yellow, because they’re her favorites. And they’re twice as expensive as your red ones.”
Hannah gritted her teeth and managed to hold on to her smile until Kyle had left. If she’d known he was carrying a bouquet for Shawna Lee in his truck, she would have kept him talking until her rival’s expensive yellow roses turned into ice cubes. She had half a notion to dump the bouquet Mike had sent to her in the trash, but that was a waste of good flowers.
Even though she was upset, Hannah found a vase for her roses. They were beautiful, and their lovely scent wafted out to permeate the whole kitchen. Perhaps Mike hadn’t known that Shawna Lee’s flowers would be more expensive than hers. He’d probably just rattled off his credit card number and assumed that all roses were equal, even in the off-season. But why had he sent Shawna Lee roses in the first place? Was it merely a friendly gesture toward the woman who’d once been his secretary? Or did it mean more than that?
Hannah reached for the little white envelope that had come with her bouquet. She pulled out the card read the message, and immediately felt a whole lot better. The card was a pre-printed one that proclaimed Happy Valentine’s Day in flowing red script, but Mike had dictated a note on the back that
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