Page 36 of Stronger Than Blood

Chapter thirty-four

Mick

Ilaughed out loud at Rory and Kalinda’s faces. The store was absolutely packed with townspeople. They'd told me they were going to invite the mayor and the town’s attorney, Jonah, and they’d be bringing a few people over for a discreet conversation about their microdistillery.

I knew—maybe I was psychic or more likely I knew my hometown—that if word got out, there would be a rush on the place. Even if the town wasn’t in favor, there was absolutely no way people were going to resist being in the middle of a decision that impacted us all.

I'd baked a ton of pretzels using one of my favorite recipes I’d found online a few years ago, and luckily, I had the sense to make a couple hundred of them on Thursday night.

Brenda had given her blessing for me to use the restaurant, and I’d given her a few hundred bucks to cover the supplies.

I loved that she trusted me with the restaurant already.

What surprised me over the opening was the number of people who showed up with their own hooch. “Is that legal?” Rory had asked Jonah, who shrugged and laughed.

“Probably not, or at least it’s a gray area, but since the mayor and sheriff showed up with their own jugs, I doubt anyone is going to cause a fuss.”

I chuckled and leaned into Rory as he shook his head in disbelief.

It was a true party, and I regretted having to slip away early to take a nap before I had to be at the restaurant to bake Sunday’s orders. Having the place to myself gave me the space I needed to get everything done before they opened the next day.

Luckily, I had not had another encounter with the dreaded ghost of Preston Garrison in Granny’s house. The bright-red X still adorned my window, and I placed my little crystal under it when I went to bed every night. No reason not to do everything I could to boost the energy.

Things had been spinning since we’d gotten back from Memphis.

Kalinda had hired the mayor’s son to fix up and paint Uncle Eddie’s old apartment.

The party had been fairly easy since none of us thought it was going to be the party of the season, so we hadn’t really made much effort to decorate or have food prepared.

Regardless, I hadn’t had any alone time with Rory, and that sucked because I’d already decided I was going to ignore the going-slow agreement.

Rory said he wanted me. If he really meant it, I couldn’t see why I shouldn’t speed things along.

I figured, if he wasn’t keen on the idea, he’d let me know.

Everything felt right with him. Not just our relationship, but Kalinda and him moving to town, them helping get the store ready, Kalinda moving into the apartment, them going in with us to make the microdistillery. If that wasn’t right, nothing would be.

The next morning, as I finished pulling out the last of the pies, I heard Brenda come in, making me smile at my perfect timing.

I had begun making five pies every Saturday morning, just for the hotel, and the rest we stored at the restaurant.

That saved us both considerable time, especially since orders had increased after those first few days.

When I glanced up and saw a beautiful Black woman standing next to Brenda, I burst out laughing. “How on all the green earth did Brenda get the famous Rebecca Kennedy up this early in the morning?” I asked, only to get a scowl from Rebecca.

“How did she get you baking pies in her restaurant before the rooster crows, is the real question?” Rebecca asked before laughing and pulling me into a hug.

Rebecca was about five years older than me and had already graduated high school when I moved to town.

She had come and gone since then, but I’d happened upon her once when her fancy car had stalled on the side of the road, and I’d rescued her.

We’d become instant friends and chatted often on social media. Of course, that was before her dad had married my cousin, which had just brought us closer.

“For real, what are you here so early for?” I asked and turned as the door opened again—another beautiful Black woman, this one at least a decade older than Rebecca, came in.

I didn’t recognize her, but when Brenda rushed over and hugged her, I felt in my gut that something important was about to happen.

Brenda immediately pulled the woman over and introduced me. “Mick, this is Rebecca’s first cousin, Esmerelda Jenkins.”

“Nice to meet you, Mick. You can call me Essie. That’s what everyone except Mrs. Kennedy calls me anyway.”

“Young lady, I practically raised you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper, so don’t you start with me.”

Essie laughed and kissed Brenda on the cheek. I was perplexed. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember meeting the woman, much less remembering Brenda knowing her.

“Essie’s mother,” Brenda said, side-eyeing her, “used to work for me many years ago, then Essie started working for me when she was sixteen. Of course, she took what she learned and went on to work at a fancy restaurant in St. Louis. I still say I got the short end of that stick.”

“You got half my hide before I moved away, Auntie Brenda,” she said, emphasizing the Auntie.

I had to guess it had become a recent thing since Essie’s uncle had married her.

Of course, the comment just got a laugh out of Brenda.

I had to imagine the woman was right. Brenda was fair and an all-around wonderful person, but if you worked in her restaurant, you worked hard.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get these pies over to the hotel,” I said, just about to hug Rebecca again before I left.

“Um, Mick, can you wait a moment?” Brenda asked.

“Of course, what’s wrong?” I asked, feeling concerned.

“Let’s go sit in the dining room. I have something I need to discuss with you and Essie.”

I glanced at the woman who had cocked her eyebrow, giving Rebecca a look. Rebecca just shrugged.

We all sat at the big round table on the right side of the dining room, and Brenda clasped her hands in front of her.

“So, I know this is going to come as a surprise, but… well, Elias and I have decided we are ready to retire.” Even Rebecca seemed surprised.

“Anyway, I need someone to take over the restaurant, and of course, Mick, you are family. You should be in line to inherit it from me since it’s been in our family since it began over a century ago.

However, you aren’t a cook. Even your great-grandmother told me that wasn’t your specialty.

Which is why I’ve asked you to join me this morning, Esmeralda, um, Essie. ”

Essie’s eyes grew large as she studied Brenda. “You… you want me to take over the restaurant?” she asked.

Brenda nodded. “I’m asking you to, yes. I’ve thought a lot about it over the years and was given a sign not long ago by…

well, let’s just say someone with a lot of knowledge of such things.

” I instantly knew she meant the medium—now known as Kalinda.

“Then when Rebecca said you were coming home with her, and… well, that you had lost your job after the restaurant was closed down in St. Louis”—Brenda looked at Essie without losing eye contact—“well, it seemed like providence.”

“But I live in… well, I don’t know where I live.”

Rebecca side-bumped her and smiled. “Lucinda will go with you wherever you are. You know that,” she said, and Essie nodded.

“Can I ask her to give up her life in the big city to move to the backwoods of Tennessee?”

“It can’t hurt to ask.” Rebecca immediately countered.

“And I’d have my own restaurant?” she asked.

Brenda put her hand over Essie’s. “I’ll want to be involved, like your silent partner.

I’m just not ready to give it all up yet, but yes.

You’ll be in charge, especially if Elias gets his way and pulls me out of town and onto his many trips he has planned for us.

I swear that man even wants to spend the winters in Arizona.

Can you imagine? Anyway,” she said, looking at both of us in the eye, then back to Essie before finishing, “I know this is a lot, and I’m not going to walk out the door tomorrow, but I want enough time to train my replacement and for you to get to know Mick better.

Especially if he agrees to be your partner. ”

“Partner? Um, Brenda, this is a lot.”

“I know, sweet boy, but you can’t have a better person to work with than our Esm… um, sorry, Essie. Honey, that’s gonna take me a minute to get used to.”

Essie just laughed. “It’s all good. It took me a while to start calling you auntie, remember?”

“I do, but I just love hearing you call me that.” The women smiled at each other.

“If you can give me time to think, I’d appreciate it, but Brenda is right—I can’t cook to save my life, much to the disappointment of my dear granny. I can bake as well as the next guy, though, and I’m dependable. If you decide to take this on, I promise to be there for you, if that helps.”

Brenda stood up and hugged me before I left to deliver the pies.

Rebecca gave me a look that said we’d get together later and discuss the craziness of all this, which, honestly, thank God, ’cause I was going to need help thinking it through.

Unfortunately, Granny would be absolutely no help as she would be pushing me to say yes.

I also needed to consider what Rory and Kalinda wanted.

They’d asked me to go into business with them as well.

I… Hell, how had it come to this? One moment, I was fired from a hellish job, thinking I would never achieve my goal of owning my own bakery, and now I had two offers to start my own business.

No, neither was a bakery, but I loved the idea of carrying on my crazy uncle’s legacy, especially after yesterday’s turnout.

I also loved, and I mean absolutely loved, baking in the restaurant and knowing that all I had to do was stick my cakes and pies in the coolers, then I could disappear out the back door while others divvied everything up to the appreciative public.