Read Online To Catch a Treat by Linda O. Johnston - Free Book Online Page A

whatever photography commitments she had while vacationing here?
    If I hired her in my shops, that meant she’d stay in town a bit longer, perhaps get to know Neal better. Was that a good thing?
    And would I really get a better feel for what had gone on with Go?
    Although I had Frida and Vicky on staff now, I actually had been thinking about trying to recruit another part-timer. But did I know Janelle well enough to offer her a job?
    And how would Neal feel about it? I imagined he’d be delighted, since it would provide Janelle a tie to Knobcone Heights. Not that she couldn’t unravel it immediately, should she so choose.
    Even so, I impulsively decided to ask him about it. I didn’t know if Janelle could cook, let alone bake, but we tended to use many of the recipes over and over so I figured she could learn.
    â€œDinah, would you please give Janelle one of our apple scones? I need to go in the back and make a quick call.”
    â€œSure.” As my assistant opened the back of the display case, I slipped around the counter and through the door into the kitchen. There, I hurried to my tiny office at the rear of the Icing end of the kitchen, closed the door, and called Neal.
    â€œWhat’s up, Carrie?” he asked almost immediately. His voice was low, so I figured he was on duty behind the resort’s check-in desk.
    I told him, asking whether he had any idea if Janelle could handle a part-time job like this, once she was instructed on the basics.
    And whether he wanted me to offer it to her.
    â€œI knew there was a reason I love my big sis,” he exclaimed before I was done.
    Well, this, plus the fact I practically supported him. And I’d helped to raise him since our parents hadn’t done much.
    But I didn’t mention that.
    â€œI take that as a yes.”
    â€œYes!”
    I soon hung up and returned to Icing. The next thing was to smooth over Dinah’s feelings in advance. I told her there was something I needed to discuss with her and invited her to join me in the kitchen.
    â€œMeantime, you can just sit at one of the tables and eat your scone,” I told Janelle. Although Icing was laid out exactly as the Barkery was, the floor was patterned in pale gold and brown, not blue. I’d hoped, when I chose the decor in here, that it would entice people to buy the similarly hued pastries.
    When Janelle had taken a seat, I motioned for Dinah to follow me. I headed again to my tiny office and once more closed the door, this time behind my youthful, acne-faced and somewhat chubby—but absolutely wonderful—helper. I explained the situation to her, at least a bit, including that I didn’t know if Janelle would accept an offer if I gave it, nor how well she’d do helping at the stores. “But if all goes well, it could help Neal.” Or ruin any possible relationship for him if it flopped, I realized, but I didn’t mention that—either to Dinah or to Neal.
    â€œIt might be an interesting thing for me to base a story on,” Dinah mused. In addition to working for me, Dinah loved to write. I wasn’t sure whether she’d ever gotten anything published, or even published anything on her own. She’d never told me anything other than how much she loved to create stories.
    â€œMaybe,” I said. It might even get more interesting if I could figure out the Go situation. “So I’ll go ahead and make the offer to her?”
    â€œSure,” Dinah agreed.
    We both returned to Icing, and I invited Janelle to accompany me back into the Barkery, ostensibly so she could pick up Go and I could see my little Biscuit. I hadn’t heard the bell on the door ring, so I didn’t think we had any customers at the moment.
    â€œOkay, here’s the thing,” I said to Janelle after we got both dogs loose and sat down at one of the Barkery tables. “I could use some more part-time help at my stores, and you indicated you might