Read Online When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Virginia Lowell
Ads: Link
you’ve gotten blood on the rug.”
“There are cell phone cameras out there,” Olivia said.
“Ah. That’s unfortunate. So I guess we’ll be seeing this in Binnie Sloan’s blog?”
“Afraid so.”
Maddie made a face at the mangled steak. “That thing is gross.”
“The steak or Spunky?” Olivia struggled to her feet, holding the meat out of Spunky’s reach.
Maddie stood aside to let Olivia and Spunky enter the store. A dejected pooch straggled across the sales floor to his chair. He jumped up to the padded seat and curled in a ball. Maddie led the way to the kitchen, where Olivia disposed of the meat and gave her hands a thorough washing. With a dampened old dish towel, she wiped the stains off her clothes. More or less clean, she sank onto the chair at the little kitchen desk, where the day’s receipts lay in an untidy but healthy heap. No matter what Karen Evanson thought, it took time and attention to run a business.
“I won’t bother changing my clothes,” Olivia said. “Those receipts aren’t going to reconcile themselves.”
“Good,” Maddie said, “because I want company while I finish up these window scenes for the gingerbread houses. A little admiration would not be unwelcome, either.”
“Looks like we had a good day,” Olivia said as she picked up the receipts.
“An excellent day, which Bertha mostly handled.” Maddie pointed to a decorated rectangular gingerbread cookie resting on a rack. “Now, about that admiration?”
Olivia joined Maddie at the worktable to get a closer look at the design on the cookie. “Exquisite, as always,” she said. “Hey, is that the little boy in the mansion window, the one your aunt Sadie embroidered on an apron?”
“You got it in one,” Maddie said. “This is sad, lonely little Paine Chatterley staring out an upper window of Chatterley Mansion, which is where I’ll put this cookie scene—in a window of the gingerbread mansion. I wonder if anyone else will figure out who he is. Aunt Sadie said Paine’s hair lightened as he grew up.”
“I’m definitely keeping that apron, by the way,” Olivia said. “Maybe we should use this cookie in a contest. Whoever guesses the child’s identity gets to keep the gingerbread mansion after the weekend.”
“Aha! I knew it was only a matter of time before you created a mystery to be solved. You are so addicted. Except we’d have to eliminate Aunt Sadie from the competition, of course, and swear her to silence. Not that she talks much anyway. Your mom could be a problem, too. Ellie is likely to figure out that little boy’s identity in a matter of seconds because she’s…” Maddie’s forehead furrowed as she searched for the right word.
“From an alternate dimension?” Olivia suggested.
“I was reaching for ‘intuitive,’ but your theory has merit. Anyway, the contest idea sounds fun. I’ll talk to Aunt Sadie, and you make sure your mom is on board, okay? Then I’ll put together a flyer.” Maddie started gathering the dirty baking equipment.
“You can leave those,” Olivia said. “I’ll load them in the dishwasher as soon as I finish the receipts.”
“You are a true friend.” While she arranged decorated gingerbread cookies in single layers inside sheet-cake pans, Maddie said, “The icing is almost dry, and I’m getting antsy to see how the scenes look inside our gingerbread houses. As soon as I’ve got all these cookies packed, I’ll head over to the community center. Lucas is bringing corned beef sandwiches from the Chatterley Café. At leastwe’ll get to spend a little time together while I work on the exteriors of the houses.”
“How is Lucas? I imagine he’s still pretty upset about Paine Chatterley shutting down the renovation project and making those crazy demands?” Olivia decided to load the dishes and leave the receipts until Maddie had left. They’d both been so busy with preparations for the celebration, they’d had little time to catch up with each
“There are cell phone cameras out there,” Olivia said.
“Ah. That’s unfortunate. So I guess we’ll be seeing this in Binnie Sloan’s blog?”
“Afraid so.”
Maddie made a face at the mangled steak. “That thing is gross.”
“The steak or Spunky?” Olivia struggled to her feet, holding the meat out of Spunky’s reach.
Maddie stood aside to let Olivia and Spunky enter the store. A dejected pooch straggled across the sales floor to his chair. He jumped up to the padded seat and curled in a ball. Maddie led the way to the kitchen, where Olivia disposed of the meat and gave her hands a thorough washing. With a dampened old dish towel, she wiped the stains off her clothes. More or less clean, she sank onto the chair at the little kitchen desk, where the day’s receipts lay in an untidy but healthy heap. No matter what Karen Evanson thought, it took time and attention to run a business.
“I won’t bother changing my clothes,” Olivia said. “Those receipts aren’t going to reconcile themselves.”
“Good,” Maddie said, “because I want company while I finish up these window scenes for the gingerbread houses. A little admiration would not be unwelcome, either.”
“Looks like we had a good day,” Olivia said as she picked up the receipts.
“An excellent day, which Bertha mostly handled.” Maddie pointed to a decorated rectangular gingerbread cookie resting on a rack. “Now, about that admiration?”
Olivia joined Maddie at the worktable to get a closer look at the design on the cookie. “Exquisite, as always,” she said. “Hey, is that the little boy in the mansion window, the one your aunt Sadie embroidered on an apron?”
“You got it in one,” Maddie said. “This is sad, lonely little Paine Chatterley staring out an upper window of Chatterley Mansion, which is where I’ll put this cookie scene—in a window of the gingerbread mansion. I wonder if anyone else will figure out who he is. Aunt Sadie said Paine’s hair lightened as he grew up.”
“I’m definitely keeping that apron, by the way,” Olivia said. “Maybe we should use this cookie in a contest. Whoever guesses the child’s identity gets to keep the gingerbread mansion after the weekend.”
“Aha! I knew it was only a matter of time before you created a mystery to be solved. You are so addicted. Except we’d have to eliminate Aunt Sadie from the competition, of course, and swear her to silence. Not that she talks much anyway. Your mom could be a problem, too. Ellie is likely to figure out that little boy’s identity in a matter of seconds because she’s…” Maddie’s forehead furrowed as she searched for the right word.
“From an alternate dimension?” Olivia suggested.
“I was reaching for ‘intuitive,’ but your theory has merit. Anyway, the contest idea sounds fun. I’ll talk to Aunt Sadie, and you make sure your mom is on board, okay? Then I’ll put together a flyer.” Maddie started gathering the dirty baking equipment.
“You can leave those,” Olivia said. “I’ll load them in the dishwasher as soon as I finish the receipts.”
“You are a true friend.” While she arranged decorated gingerbread cookies in single layers inside sheet-cake pans, Maddie said, “The icing is almost dry, and I’m getting antsy to see how the scenes look inside our gingerbread houses. As soon as I’ve got all these cookies packed, I’ll head over to the community center. Lucas is bringing corned beef sandwiches from the Chatterley Café. At leastwe’ll get to spend a little time together while I work on the exteriors of the houses.”
“How is Lucas? I imagine he’s still pretty upset about Paine Chatterley shutting down the renovation project and making those crazy demands?” Olivia decided to load the dishes and leave the receipts until Maddie had left. They’d both been so busy with preparations for the celebration, they’d had little time to catch up with each
Similar Books
