Page 4 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)

I stare at Amelia, in shock that she could be so cruel. She just stands there, her mouth flapping open and closed but no words coming out. She looks like a codfish in business attire. Hurt and anger rise in me. “Why did you throw it away? Do you hate sugar that much?”

What I want to ask is if she hates me that much. The cupcake in the trash certainly implies it.

She shakes her head. “No. That one wasn’t the one you gave me. I ate that one. It was delicious.”

I don’t understand. “What are you talking about?”

She points at the display case, where the last two of my chocolate-cherry cupcakes sit. “A customer came in and wanted to see one up close. But she sneezed on it, so I had to toss it.”

That’s absurd. She’s obviously lying. But I can’t understand why she would lie like that. It makes no sense. I shoot her a why-are-you-lying look. “Really?”

“Yes. Why? Would you have sold it after that? With sneeze germs on it?” She looks at me with crazy eyes, like I’m the monster when she’s the one throwing out perfectly good cupcakes.

I clear my throat, suddenly tired of this game. “No. I guess not.”

“Exactly.” She folds her arms as if that proves she’s sane.

I huff and go back into the kitchen. I toss the tray that held the passion fruit croissants onto the counter and huff again. Why is that woman so infuriating?

I look around my spotless kitchen, the one I cleaned while I worked. What was I thinking? That she’d come in here and praise me like I was five?

I pull the sugar cookie dough out of the fridge and let the bowl clunk on the counter. Was I trying to impress her? Why would I do that? She obviously hates me.

What a joke. I pull out the flour and dip my hand in it before scooping out a handful and sprinkling it on the countertop.

The mess makes me smile. I chuckle as I spread the powder around, knowing Amelia will hate it.

I toss some on the floor, just because I know she’ll glower at me when she sees it.

It makes me laugh, and I toss some more for good measure.

Then I kick some of it to spread it more. It puffs out, making a satisfying spray of flour. That was fun, so I do it again, doing a little dance as I kick more flour around. I raise my hands up in the air and clap over my head, making white powder rain down on me.

I’m having too much fun to stop, so I keep dancing in the flour, watching it scatter and knowing Amelia is going to hate it.

Suddenly, I’m Tevye, kicking up flour and shimmying with my hands in the air, “If I Were a Rich Man” playing in my head.

It’s ironic, because I am a rich man now that I’ve gotten my fifty-million-dollar inheritance.

Amelia walks in and stops short, her mouth gaping open. “What are you doing?” she shrieks.

I freeze, my hands still in the air, heat creeping up my neck. “Making sugar cookies.”

“On the floor?”

I point at the bowl with my chilled dough. “No.”

A look that I can’t quite interpret comes over her face. She points toward the storefront. “Kiera wants to talk to you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

She eyes me as I dust the flour off my hands. Just to annoy her, I make sure it all goes on the floor. I tap the toes of my shoes on the tile a few times to get the flour off before heading into the storefront.

Kiera’s standing at the counter, and I smile at her. “Hey, what’s up?”

She gives me a funny look. “You’ve got a little…” She points at all of her face and hair.

I forgot that I clapped my hands and made flour rain down on me. I dust off my hair and run my hand down my face. “Better?”

She laughs, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. “No.”

I shrug, not really caring anymore. “I guess it’s the price I pay for my brilliance in the kitchen. What’s up?”

Kiera bites her lip. She lowers her gaze and toes the tile with her shoe. “Amelia said you might need help here, and I could use a job. I can work weekends and after school. I just turned seventeen, and I’m a hard worker.”

“Sure,” I blurt out before I can think about it. “I’ll hire you.”

She jerks her gaze to me and smiles. “You will?”

A part of me wonders if I’m going about this the wrong way. Shouldn’t I ask her some questions? I don’t know how to interview anyone. Maybe that’s why my new hire quit on the first day. I stink at being the boss.

I shove down my insecurities and nod. She’s Kiki’s sister. I’m sure she’ll be a good employee. “Of course. Do you want to start right now?”

“I’d love to,” Kiera says. “Do I need to fill out a form?”

Amelia comes out of the kitchen, and I point at Kiera. “I just hired a new employee. Can you get her information?”

“Sure.” Amelia motions for Kiera to walk around the counter. “Come with me. I’ll get you set up, then I can teach you how to run the register.”

They disappear into the back, and I stay at the counter in case any customers come in.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

I don’t know quite what to think of Amelia.

She’s hiding something for sure, and she has a way of getting under my skin that no other person has before.

But when I’m in a pinch, it’s sure nice to have her around. She saved my butt today.

A group of women enter, and I smile at Ellie, who is in the back herding everyone in. She’s a sweet older woman who goes to our church, and I know she’s been sending people into my bakery all day. “Hello, Miss Ellie. How are you this afternoon?”

She grins at me. “I’m right as rain. What about you? Have you had a good opening day?”

I nod. “Yes, it’s been fantastic. I’ve had a fairly steady stream of customers.”

Ellie adjusts her hat and folds her arms. “Perfect.” She moves to the back of the line. I check people out, selling out of several items. After everyone else has gotten their orders, she steps up to the counter. “I’ll take two of everything.”

I gape at her. “Everything?”

“Yes. Josephine and I are having a wine tasting event tonight at the gallery, and I’d like to serve your pastries.” She digs into her oversized purse and rummages through it.

“Okay.” I grab a box and start filling it, my heart in my throat.

Ellie has been supportive of my family ever since my parents died.

She and Josephine have brought food to us, invited us over, and they even babysat me and my brothers when Tobias needed to go somewhere. She’s like the grandmother I never had.

Amelia comes back into the storefront, and Ellie brightens. “Oh, hello. I don’t think we’ve met.”

Amelia smiles. “I’m new on the island. I’m Amelia.”

“I’m Ellie Marie Brown, but everyone just calls me Ellie.”

“Nice to meet you, Ellie.”

She goes back to walking my display case. “I’m happy to see you’re out of some things,” Ellie says, poking the glass.

“We’ve been very busy,” Amelia says.

“I’m really curious about your Murder in the Frost Degree.” Her eyebrows rise at the name.

“They were very popular today,” I say. “I’ll definitely be making more of them.” Amelia smiles, and I wonder why she’s pleased with that. Maybe she really did eat it and thought it was delicious.

“Wonderful.” Ellie pays for her boxes, and I stack them.

The pile is quite tall, and I pick them up and carry them around the counter. “I’ll take them out to your car for you.”

She pats my arm. “Thank you, Levi.”

We go outside, and the heat of the afternoon hits me. “Be sure to put these in your refrigerator when you get them to the gallery.”

Ellie opens the passenger door and nods. “Of course, dear.”

I set them on the seat, worried about the heat from the August sun in her car. I don’t want my buttercream to melt before she can get the pastries indoors. “Don’t stop anywhere on the way.”

Ellie grins at me. “I won’t, dear.” She grabs the top of the car door and leans against it. “Who are you dating right now, Levi?”

Lisa’s image flashes through my mind, and I shove it away as a stab of pain rips through me. She broke up with me. I’m not dating her anymore. “No one.”

Ellie’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “Really?”

I tug on my shirt collar, trying to tamp down my emotions. I don’t know why I’m still hung up on Lisa. She made it clear when she dumped me that she thought I was a loser and she was moving on with some guy name Rick. “I had a bad breakup this summer. I’m still trying to get past it.”

Ellie frowns. “Oh, dear.”

I can see her wheels turning, and I know how Ellie and Josephine are with playing matchmaker, so I wave my hands about. “But don’t worry. I’ve got things under control.”

A knowing look crosses Ellie’s features as her gaze bounces between me and my bakery behind me. Her grin widens. “Ah. I see.”

I’m confused, but Ellie slams her passenger door and makes her way to the driver’s side of her car. “Have a good afternoon,” she calls as she slides into her seat.

I watch her take off, still confused about why she was smiling in that way, like she knew who I was interested in. I turn around to see Amelia standing behind me.

Oh, great. That’s why. Now Ellie, one of the biggest gossips on Willow Shade Island, thinks I’m going after Miss Spreadsheet.