Page 13

C HAPTER 13

“W ait”—Mia set the pizza on the counter—“I want to hear Grans’s report before the meal starts.”

“Okay, so you both know I’ve been dating Robert Penny for a while now.” Grans looked over to check to see if Mr. Darcy was on the kitchen window seat. When she saw it was empty, she leaned forward. “He’s asked me to marry him. Can you believe it? I’m getting married.”

Mia hugged her grandmother. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Mary Alice Penny. It has a ring to it.”

“Now, I’m not taking his name, and we haven’t decided when or where.” Her grandmother patted her back, then hugged Abigail as well. “I’m assuming we’ll do it here at the school. I’ve got a project I need to finish and get out of my spare bedroom. We’ve talked about selling my house and me moving in with him. So, there are a lot of loose ends to tie up before anything can move forward.”

“His house is lovely. When his wife was alive, she used to host a book club there. I’m sure you’ll love living there and making it your own,” Abigail said as she moved the pizza to the table. “Okay, I’m amending our rules. Mary Alice can talk about her relationship.”

Grans laughed, and Mia saw how truly happy she was. Maybe that was why she hadn’t been around much lately. Robert had been sweeping her off her feet. Her grandmother deserved a joyful life. “So, we need to finish my training. That’s the loose end you’re talking about?”

Grans nodded, then watched as Mr. Darcy came into the kitchen and curled up on the window seat. “That and a few other things. My news is over. What else should we talk about?”

Surprised, Abigail looked up from putting slices of pizza on everyone’s plate and saw Mr. Darcy. Grans was being polite. Grans had been dating Dorian Alexander before his untimely death and then his consciousness being put into Mr. Darcy’s body. There was no reason to rub salt into Dorian’s wounds. Nodding her understanding, she passed out the plates and then set the spatula on the top of the box. “I’m pulling up my garden next week when this contest is finished, and I’ll be drying herbs if anyone wants some for their supplies.”

“That’s a kind offer. Mia needs a vial of everything.” Grans took a bite of her pizza. “We also need to set up one of the second-floor classrooms as a potion laboratory. The chemistry room would work best. We’ll need to get Trent and Levi to take out most of the student tables.”

“I was going to make the old chemistry lab a cooking skills classroom.” Mia thought about the rooms on the second floor. “I guess we could clear out the other science lab and set up cooking skills there.”

“I’m glad you see my logic.” Grans used her slice of pizza to point out the many reasons the chemistry room was the best choice for Mia’s potion lab. Including the fact that it was at the back of the second floor. If Mia was turning classrooms into usable space for the cooking school, she needed the magic part of her life out of the way of prying eyes.

As she talked, Mia wondered how she’d ever find the time to do all the spells and potions that Grans did daily. What was her time commitment as a kitchen witch? Five hours a week? A month? Or more? What did the job entail? Was there a to-do sheet? She really needed to talk to her grandmother about the logistics of this lifestyle she was taking on.

But that discussion wasn’t on the table for today. Mia made a mental note to come back to the topic when they were alone and focused on the conversation currently being examined. Right now, Abigail and Grans were deciding how to set up Mia’s witchy lab.

“This is kind of exciting. It’s like when I got my first wand.” Mia finished her first piece of pizza and went back for a second.

“Oh, having a potions lab is so much better. You don’t have to worry about a specific spell or pronunciation. It’s all in the mix. I think that’s why I love baking so much—you do it right, and it’s magic. Magic made out of flour, sugar, and other basic ingredients.” Abigail clapped her hands together. “I’ve got my old cauldron at the house. The boys aren’t interested, but maybe you might want it?”

Mia looked at her grandmother, who nodded. Even Mia knew that being gifted someone’s first cauldron was an honor, one that usually happened in families. She was sure that her grandmother had one to pass down as well, but it wouldn’t hurt to have two. Especially if Trent was going to become a part of her family. It would be a nice hand-me-down to any potential children they might have. With the thought of kids, Mia’s face heated, and she refocused on the here and now. “I would appreciate that. And if you change your mind, I’ll give it back, I promise.”

“There are no takebacks allowed in this sort of thing. Believe me, the boys are getting a lot of stuff. Probably more than they’d ever want or need. I want you to have this. You’ve been a lifesaver this year with the job and your trust in me. I appreciate you.” Abigail reached over and squeezed Mia’s hand. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I consider you and Christina, daughters. No matter what my sons do in the future.”

Mia thought a lot about Abigail’s cauldron and the meaning behind the gift later that night as she tried to fall asleep. Finally, she picked up her phone and texted Christina to see how the wedding had gone.

No answer.

Mia set the phone down, curled up next to Cerby, and quickly fell into dreams of open fields surrounding a castle and fire-eating dragons circling overhead.

When she awoke, she rubbed Cerby’s tummy. “Were those your dragons in my dream?”

Cerby barked and jumped off the bed, running to the door to bark some more.

“Okay, you want to go outside. I promise you there are no dragons here, only birds and maybe squirrels.” Mia pulled on her robe and slippers. Cerby didn’t look convinced.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She opened the door and followed the dog into the hallway. Trent met her in the kitchen.

“I’ll take him. I was waiting for you to wake up before I grabbed him to run downstairs.” Trent leaned in and kissed her.

“You’re welcome to have him. He dreamed of dragons last night and was kind enough to share the dream.” Mia rubbed her neck. “Does he usually share with you?”

“Yeah, I should have warned you. Dragons have been his go-to dream for the last week. Not sure what it’s symbolizing, but there you go. That’s my life.” Trent handed her a cup of coffee. “Here, go get ready, and we’ll be out here waiting for you.”

“Sounds good.” Mia turned back around and headed to her bedroom to shower and get ready for the day. She hadn’t had a puppy around for a long time. Muffy had been potty trained for years. And Mr. Darcy, well, he had a box, but lately, he’d been going outside with Dorian. Mia needed to tell Dorian that he was stuck inside her cat. Or maybe everyone except her and Mr. Darcy had known how the story was going to end.

She watched as Mr. Darcy came out of Christina’s room and hurried after Cerby and Trent. Then Grans’s door opened, and Muffy ran out to come along. The information grapevine shared by the animals was working fine this morning.

Mia thought about her day. More cooking. Jeani and her sister would be here to finish the prep room and decorate the foyer for Monday’s event. And by midafternoon, Christina and Levi should be back. Mia checked her phone before getting in the shower. No text response from Christina. Maybe she and Levi had been busy making up. And now they would be at the going-away brunch for Isaac and his new wife. A new Mrs. Adams. She wondered how Mother Adams was taking the competition.

When she came back into the kitchen, Grans, Abigail, and Trent were all eating. There was a breakfast casserole on the stove, and Mia put a serving on her plate and sat next to Trent. Muffy, Cerby, and Mr. Darcy were all lined up by the stove, watching the humans eat.

Mia refilled her coffee cup and then started to eat. “This is really good. Is there polenta in the layering?”

“Good eye—or maybe good palate.” Abigail sipped her coffee as she watched Mia eat. “Should we rewrite our to-do lists for today?”

“We will as soon as we get downstairs. I think we’re actually going to make it. Of course, tomorrow night’s going to be busy with the hot apps. Do we have enough servers?”

“I used the list you sent me and hired a server group from the Catered Cow in Twin. They were happy to get the hours.” Abigail glanced at her. “I thought I mentioned this in our last weekly meeting.”

“We didn’t have one this week. Last week, you were still debating on asking James. It’s probably good you didn’t. I think Frank is one step away from having a coronary and firing me right now.” Mia took another bite. “We really should put this on the delivery menu. Does it freeze well?”

“Like a champ.” Abigail beamed as Mia praised her recipe.

“Let’s put it on the menu coming up, then.” Mia stood and took a second helping. “So, we’re all about the cooking. Trent, what are you doing?”

“Finishing up the last walkway so by the time Levi shows up, we should be okay to stain. I don’t like the way one of them is settling. The girls need to stay off the walkways tonight if they’re coming by.” Trent got a second helping of his mom’s casserole as well.

“I think Bambi nixed the idea of tonight’s visit.” Abigail wrote something down. “I’ll call her and check in. I wanted to go over tomorrow’s judge reception too, but I was hoping they’d have at least one new judge to announce. Your father is still being stubborn.”

Trent snorted. “And that’s something new?”

* * *

Mia was making rolls when Christina came in the door. She hugged her and Abigail. “I was never so glad to leave Boise. The wedding was a train wreck, and the brunch this morning was vicious.”

“So, Levi got to see the Adams family in action?” Mia remembered her first visit, where the gloves were off. She had been scared to death and questioned her relationship with Isaac. She should have walked away from the relationship then.

“That and more. Of course, the guy Mom was trying to set me up with was a client, so Dad was furious that Levi came to the wedding. I’m so tired of being used as a client perk. Anyway, that’s done, and now Mom can lean on Jessica for her shopping trips and society teas. She loves them.” Christina poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Of course, she does.” Mia just hadn’t fit in as a potential wife for Isaac. Now, Abigail was a whole different type of in-law. She’d get Trent and Mia married tomorrow if she could. Now that Mia knew about Grans’s pending nuptials, she chalked up her meddling and the bad dreams to the I’m happy, you should be too category. Mia was too focused on this week’s event to even think about the future. Unless it was the future of her business. “If you’re ready to work, we could use the extra hands.”

“I’m all yours.” Christina went over to the sink, where she got an apron and washed her hands. “Do you have a list for me?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? I have a different list for you if you arrived here at ten, at noon, or by three.” Mia pushed the three pieces toward her friend. “Which one do you want?”

“I’ll take the ten. It’s not that late, and I’m faster than you think.” Christina glanced down at the prep list and her tasks. “We need to write down all the things that would have made this event better, so we don’t make the same errors next year.”

“Who said we were taking the event next year?” Mia portioned out another roll from the bread dough.

Christina laughed. “That’s what you say now, but when it’s time to put in a bid, you’ll forget what a pain this year was, and we’ll be behind the eight ball again.”

“You’re probably right.” Mia pointed to Christina’s list. “You’d better get busy, or you’ll be here late. Trent is grilling pork ribs tonight, and Grans is making a potato salad for the side.”

“Yum.” Christina moved toward her working station and started setting things out for the first recipe. “Oh, hey, Mom said she knew a girl who had won this contest years ago. She mentored her through the contest.”

“Really? Who did she work with?” Mia hadn’t expected that. Of course, Mother Adams had her finger in a lot of pies.

“A girl named Sherry Sellers. Mom said she even came down to visit her once after the contest. She was college shopping and came to visit Boise State and C of I.” Christina was measuring out ingredients.

“Oh.” Mia wasn’t listening, but then the name “Sherry” made her pay attention.

“Mom said she brought her boyfriend to the meeting. So unprofessional . I guess Mom read her the riot act about not only letting him drive her to the appointment, but she also brought him inside and introduced him.” Christina was pulling spices and dry ingredients from the spice cabinet. “Mom used it as a sidebar to explain why Levi showing up, unannounced, was being unpolite.”

“Did she tell you who Sherry’s boyfriend was?” Now Mia was interested.

Christina put the spice bottles on a tray and took them over to her workstation. She looked over at Mia. “No, but I can ask her. Can it wait a few days? She’s in a mood.”

“Sure.” Mia figured that Melody hadn’t known her father’s name for years. A few more days wouldn’t hurt. And just because this guy drove Sherry to an appointment, it didn’t mean he had fathered Melody. But it was a start.

And this was one mystery Mia wanted to solve.

* * *

The next day, Mia got a text from James. Check your email. The staff meeting has been canceled.

She opened her laptop, and there was an email to her and the other department heads. Frank had been called in to corporate and wouldn’t be back until the next Monday. A list of tasks was attached to the email, including the food trucks for Saturday and Sunday’s festival with Mia’s name and cell number listed.

She responded to all, reminding Frank and the others that she was on vacation this week, but if there was an emergency, they were welcome to call her. She added James’s name and work number for the food truck contact. She didn’t want to not be a team player, but she couldn’t cover Frank’s impromptu absence as well as this contest. There were only twenty-four hours in a day, and she needed some sleep.

Before she signed off, she got several responses back from other department heads wishing her a restful vacation and confirming that they had remembered she wasn’t going to be at work this week. They all cc’d Frank on the response. Mia was thankful for the solidarity but hoped the emails wouldn’t put them on Frank’s target list. Working for him was exhausting. Frank didn’t reply to any of the emails.

She logged off and put the laptop back on her kitchen desk. Then she grabbed another cup of coffee and took it downstairs. Pausing on the second floor, she saw the door to the prep room was open. She stepped inside and took a breath. It looked like a movie set. Each station had a name written in glitter on the mirror along with that girl’s picture. A table was set up with coffee, water, and room for snacks. And hanging on each of the clothes racks were three T-shirts with Harvest Queen Contestant lettered on the front. A note was pinned to the red shirt. Mia read it aloud: “Monday—business casual dress. Tuesday—red T-shirt and jeans. Wednesday—blue T-shirt and jeans unless you need an outfit for your talent presentation. Thursday—yellow T-shirt and jeans and change into full glamour with your dress during the evening gown section. Finally, on Friday, please wear a short dress (must be no more than two inches above the knee) for the event and then your evening gown. You may wear a (washed) red T-shirt and jeans to get ready for the event. Outfit questions are answered by Bambi Perry only.”

“You’re probably going to get an appropriate outfit list from Bambi too.” Melody Sellers stood in the doorway, watching her.

“Hey, Melody, what are you doing here?” Mia glanced at her watch. “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”

“Grandma asked me to come get my T-shirts and outfit list so I don’t have to deal with it tonight. She doesn’t like driving when it’s dark, so as soon as the meet and greet is over, we’re out of here. And I had a free period.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got ten minutes to get back before English.”

Mia pointed to Melody’s station. “You’re over there. How are you feeling? Nervous?”

Melody went over and put the T-shirts and notes into a large bag. “A little. If I win, my college will be paid for as part of the prize. At least I’ll get a partial scholarship for participating. That’s what keeps me here, knowing going through with this charade helps pay my way out of this town.”

“College is expensive.” Mia followed her out and to the front door. “Especially the ones you’re looking at.”

“Those are dream colleges. With this scholarship, I should at least get out of state, but it’s probably going to be Oregon or Utah. Not back East.” She paused at the door. “I guess I’ll see you tonight?”

“I’ll be the one looking anxious and getting everyone drinks.” Mia smiled as Melody turned back to look at her. “What?”

“You’re just not what I expected. I mean, we heard things from the coven about the new kitchen witch, but you’re really nice and approachable.” Melody climbed on her bike.

“I try to be.” Mia waved as Melody took off down the driveway and turned onto the street that led to town and the high school. She wondered what exactly the coven had been saying about her.

As she came inside, Abigail was standing in the foyer, watching her. “Good morning.”

“And to you. Melody Sellers paid us another visit? The girl must be lonely.” Abigail glanced up the stairs, toward the prep room.

“She was just picking up the T-shirts and detailed clothes list from Bambi.” Mia shut and locked the door. Trent was back at work, but she’d agreed to babysit Cerby so he wouldn’t set Trent’s house on fire. The dog loved his dragon play.