Page 32 of Toxic Apple Turnovers
“Did you answer? It would be immature of you not to have done so,” she scolds me sweetly, and I can’t help but smile.
“I did. I said no. Then he asked if later this week would work better, and that’s the text I didn’t respond to. I never claimed to be mature.”
“Oh heavens.” She rolls her eyes. “Go on. Get your day going. I’m not here to slow you down. In fact, let me help you.”
Nell dons an apron, and sure enough we crank out my morning inventory in half the time and all the while chatting up a storm about anything and everything.
“It’s almost time to open the doors.” I give her a wry smile. “Spill it, Nell. Tell me who those men are.”
“Have you looked into the clue that Max gave you?”
“About the string of robberies spanning from the bottom of the country on up? It seems like a daunting task.”
“It won’t be. Noah has already done it, and he’s figured out exactly who they are.” She lifts a glowing brow. “With a little elbow grease, you could easily catch up with Noah. Are you going to let him best you?”
I gasp at the thought. “Certainly not.” I glance to the clock. “It’s time to open up shop, but I can assure you, this day doesn’t end without me diving into the deep end of that mystery.”
The morning rush never lets up. In fact, it morphs right into the afternoon rush with Britney’s Swift Cycle castoffs—she sends her clients my way to gain back their calories, and I don’t mind one bit. Of course, this usually sends Britney herself and Cormack, her forever sidekick.
They come this way swinging their matching blonde ponytails, Britney’s left eye safely hidden from the world by a loose lock of hair.
“Did you hear the news?” Britney chortles as she says it.
Lily scuttles over. “News? What news?” Lily is a gossip in training, so I understand her need to know.
Britney looks to Cormack. “Go ahead and spill it, Mac and Cheese.”
I can’t help but feel a little vindicated when Britney gifts her the silly nickname. Neither of them has ever gotten my name right.
Cormack sniffs with pride. “It’s official. Noah and I have entered into couple’s counseling. After much research, Noah has decided on the exact counselor he and Britney saw to oversee the dissolution of their marriage.”
Britney grunts, “That wasn’t the point. But it will be for you.”
Cormack waves her away. “Don’t listen to her, girls”—she leans in—“bittergrapes. Noah and I have begun our journey to the altar. Everyone knows the church recommends a series of counseling sessions before you tie the knot. And next June will be here before you know it.”
I’m not sure how much more of this delusional soon-to-be jilted June bride I can take.
Carlotta and my aunt Becca all head in at once, and Nell zooms forward.
“Here are the girls I long to see,” Nell sings dreamily at the sight of them.
Lily takes Britney and Cormack’s orders while I wave them over.
Becca taps into her phone. “I’ve just texted Keelie.” She wrinkles her nose. Becca is Keelie and Naomi’s mother. She has amazing creamy blonde hair with crimson highlights and high cheekbones that would make any supermodel envious.
No sooner does she say those words than my best friend appears and wraps an arm around my shoulder.
“What’s going on, ladies?”
Nell purrs with delight. “What’s going on indeed?”
Keelie gasps as she looks around, “I could have sworn I just heard Grammy Nell!”
Both Nell and I exchange a horrifying glance, and she’s quick to make a zipping motion across her lips as if she were sealing them up. In all fairness, Keelie is touching me so that makes anything Nell says fair game.
Becca looks up at Carlotta from under her lashes. “That would be a bit serendipitous. And knowing our spunky mother, she would indeed be here if she could. We’ve got news on the will. My brother’s court date is next Thursday. We’re all invited to the Ashford Courthouse to see what the judge will decide.”
My body breaks out into a sweat all at once. When Nell passed away last January, she stipulated in her will that I get the lion’s share of her real estate empire. Of course, she gave each of her children enough to live comfortably on, but that wasn’t nearly enough for my new uncle William. A part of me can’t blame him. Nobody even knew I was related until that very moment.