Read Online Sweets Forgotten (Samantha Sweet Mysteries Book 10) by Connie Shelton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Connie Shelton
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it.”
Sam clarified a few details with
her and quoted almost double their normal rate. The job would require overtime
by everyone, plus there was just the bitch-factor. Sam didn’t like when pushy
people hassled her employees. “Rushes like this are cash in advance,” she said.
The customer’s expression told
Sam she wasn’t used to being treated this way, but hey. Sam accepted the
counted currency and gave a receipt with a smile.
“Noon tomorrow,” she reiterated
as Mrs. Salazar opened the door and headed toward a silver Mercedes.
“Thanks, Sam.” Jen’s stress level
had gone down about twelve notches, while Sam’s was just ramping up. Now that
she’d taken the money she had to produce this thing.
In the kitchen, Sam caught an air
of taut silence but ignored it and went straight to Julio.
“I need two eight-inch layers in
red velvet and two twelve-inchers in devil’s food.”
“Sam, I have plans tonight. I
need to leave in an hour. I got everything caught up so I could, remember?”
She didn’t remember but couldn’t
very well blame him for that. She’d had a lot on her mind. “If you can get the
batters made and pans into the oven, I’ll watch them and take them out.”
He nodded and set to work. Sam
made a quick call to let Zoë know she couldn’t possibly break away for tea now.
“Becky, I’ll need—” Sam stopped
in mid-sentence. She’d turned around just in time to catch a glare directed
toward Jane, who was sitting at one end of the worktable drizzling decorative
patterns over a tray of truffles.
“Becky? Something the matter?”
Her assistant shook her head.
“No. I’m fine. What were you saying?”
“For this rush order, I’ll need a
dozen full-blown roses and they have to be tinted this exact shade of purple.”
The fabric swatch seemed to be a big point with the customer. “I hate to say
this, but I need them before quitting time so they can set up in the fridge
overnight.”
Becky gave a slightly exaggerated
sigh but assured Sam she was nearly done with the birthday cake for a boy’s
soccer-themed party and could start right away on the roses. Sam was used to
her assistant’s ups and downs but had the feeling something about Jane had
triggered this one. If it didn’t blow over quickly, she supposed they would
need to have a talk.
She complimented Jane on the
truffles, wondering how to work up to the question of where she would go for
the night. The shelter again, Sam guessed. Meanwhile, she had more urgent
things on her mind.
For this cockeyed cake the
customer had okayed elements from two of Jen’s sketches. Sam had already told
her because of the tight deadline they would substitute a few pre-made items
because there was no time to form every single flower and bow from scratch. She
began pulling plastic bins of gadgetry from the storage shelf and stacked them
on her desk. None of the purple ribbons matched the given fabric sample but a couple
of them were decent complementary tones so she set them out on the worktable.
Yellow always made a nice accent
color with purple but the customer had been set on traditional pink, so Sam
scrounged up some whimsical butterflies and a string of beading that could be
tucked around the tiers to add elegance. She began to gain confidence about the
design as she set out the items and played with placement to see which
accessory looked best beside the other.
At one end of the long stainless
steel table, Jane had finished decorating the truffles and placed them on a
drying rack. She seemed a little at loose ends but Sam didn’t have a spare
brain cell to devote to worrying about keeping the uninvited visitor occupied.
The other end of the table had Becky deftly piping large roses onto squares of
waxed paper on a flower nail, sliding each finished one onto a baking tray in
readiness to go into the fridge for the night. Sam felt a current of tension in
the air between the two women even though nothing had been said since she
Sam clarified a few details with
her and quoted almost double their normal rate. The job would require overtime
by everyone, plus there was just the bitch-factor. Sam didn’t like when pushy
people hassled her employees. “Rushes like this are cash in advance,” she said.
The customer’s expression told
Sam she wasn’t used to being treated this way, but hey. Sam accepted the
counted currency and gave a receipt with a smile.
“Noon tomorrow,” she reiterated
as Mrs. Salazar opened the door and headed toward a silver Mercedes.
“Thanks, Sam.” Jen’s stress level
had gone down about twelve notches, while Sam’s was just ramping up. Now that
she’d taken the money she had to produce this thing.
In the kitchen, Sam caught an air
of taut silence but ignored it and went straight to Julio.
“I need two eight-inch layers in
red velvet and two twelve-inchers in devil’s food.”
“Sam, I have plans tonight. I
need to leave in an hour. I got everything caught up so I could, remember?”
She didn’t remember but couldn’t
very well blame him for that. She’d had a lot on her mind. “If you can get the
batters made and pans into the oven, I’ll watch them and take them out.”
He nodded and set to work. Sam
made a quick call to let Zoë know she couldn’t possibly break away for tea now.
“Becky, I’ll need—” Sam stopped
in mid-sentence. She’d turned around just in time to catch a glare directed
toward Jane, who was sitting at one end of the worktable drizzling decorative
patterns over a tray of truffles.
“Becky? Something the matter?”
Her assistant shook her head.
“No. I’m fine. What were you saying?”
“For this rush order, I’ll need a
dozen full-blown roses and they have to be tinted this exact shade of purple.”
The fabric swatch seemed to be a big point with the customer. “I hate to say
this, but I need them before quitting time so they can set up in the fridge
overnight.”
Becky gave a slightly exaggerated
sigh but assured Sam she was nearly done with the birthday cake for a boy’s
soccer-themed party and could start right away on the roses. Sam was used to
her assistant’s ups and downs but had the feeling something about Jane had
triggered this one. If it didn’t blow over quickly, she supposed they would
need to have a talk.
She complimented Jane on the
truffles, wondering how to work up to the question of where she would go for
the night. The shelter again, Sam guessed. Meanwhile, she had more urgent
things on her mind.
For this cockeyed cake the
customer had okayed elements from two of Jen’s sketches. Sam had already told
her because of the tight deadline they would substitute a few pre-made items
because there was no time to form every single flower and bow from scratch. She
began pulling plastic bins of gadgetry from the storage shelf and stacked them
on her desk. None of the purple ribbons matched the given fabric sample but a couple
of them were decent complementary tones so she set them out on the worktable.
Yellow always made a nice accent
color with purple but the customer had been set on traditional pink, so Sam
scrounged up some whimsical butterflies and a string of beading that could be
tucked around the tiers to add elegance. She began to gain confidence about the
design as she set out the items and played with placement to see which
accessory looked best beside the other.
At one end of the long stainless
steel table, Jane had finished decorating the truffles and placed them on a
drying rack. She seemed a little at loose ends but Sam didn’t have a spare
brain cell to devote to worrying about keeping the uninvited visitor occupied.
The other end of the table had Becky deftly piping large roses onto squares of
waxed paper on a flower nail, sliding each finished one onto a baking tray in
readiness to go into the fridge for the night. Sam felt a current of tension in
the air between the two women even though nothing had been said since she
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