Puffed, Stuffed, and Melted Murder Read online

  Audrey raised her brows at Amelia, clearly happy that someone agreed with her.

  “You’re all conspiring against me. I knew it!” Amelia grinned, just in time to catch Yvette putting a whole cookie in her mouth. “Oh, my gosh!” she squealed. “Audrey, did you just see that?”

  “See what?” Audrey asked turning around.

  “Yeah, see what?” Yvette mumbled, sticking her hands under the warm running water and chewing as fast as she could. “I’m just washing up a little. I wanted to make a call to work, but my hands were covered in powdered sugar. I couldn’t very well get that all over my phone, now could I?” She winked at her friend, and stuck out her tongue the minute Audrey looked away.

  The women all had different tasks on their to do lists in order to get all of the cookies made in time. Baking for over eight hours in a day sounded tedious, but the truth was, they’d had more fun every year that went by.

  “I still can’t believe Eddie chickened out,” Audrey said, sliding the pan of thumbprint cookies that Amelia had given up on, into the oven.

  Abigail laughed. “He swears it’s not because the thought of spending the day in a kitchen with four women is painful. He’s baking his own cookies for the bazaar, and claims he has a secret recipe that he refuses to share with us, so he has to stay home and bake them in the privacy of his own kitchen.”

  “Mmhmmm,” Audrey mumbled. “I’m sure that’s it.”

  “All I know is that I’m thankful to have his help. Eddie is a lifesaver. Ever since the two association branches merged, we’ve been busier than ever. I’m not sure I’d have been able to do it all on my own,” Abigail admitted.

  Just about two months before, Eddie’s wife, Janet, was murdered and Yvette happened to be there when the killer was revealed, with a little help from both her and Audrey’s son, Nate. Eddie had spent a better part of his life catering to Janet and her every need regarding the Downtown Neighborhood Association Branch that she was in charge of. After she passed, and Eddie grieved, he jumped right into his position as the co-chair of the newly merged associations with Abigail. So far, they’d made several changes to standing events and came up with so many new ideas and plans that Abigail could barely keep up.

  “Of course you would have, Mom. It’s not like this is brand new for you or anything. You’ve been the chair of the Cottage and Pine Branch for years,” Yvette reminded her.

  “I know. I just can’t help but feel like this is so much more work. I’m just so thankful that Molly agreed to bring in all of her own help for the pancake breakfast this year. Normally we offer her a crew to help but after Janet died, it was just hard to get things switched over and set up quickly enough.”

  “Now you sound like me.” Yvette grinned. “Gavin was just telling me this morning to stop worrying. You’re wonderful at this. Please, don’t forget all the successful events you’ve put on, and how much everyone in town has loved them over the years.”

  “Oh, my! I can’t believe that I’ve been so caught up in my own stuff that I forgot to ask you how it went at work. No wonder you’re worried, I keep forgetting you’re looking for a new employee,” Abigail gushed.

  Yvette didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that the reason she was worried had nothing to do with Sundae Afternoon, and everything to do with agreeing to work the pancake breakfast the following morning.

  “It went so well! Leslie was amazing. She didn’t even back down a bit when we had a rush in the early evening. Three school buses came through full of hungry kids after a field trip, and she didn’t bat an eye seeing about sixty screaming children come through the door. She took the orders, and even helped make the sundaes toward the end. She actually asked to come back once more before I made the decision to hire her or not, so she could learn a few more things,” Yvette boasted, proud of both Leslie, and herself, for choosing someone that was such a good fit for the job.

  “That’s such fantastic news!” Amelia exclaimed. “I knew you were counting on her being extra good since you preferred not to have to hire two more people. What did Stella say when you asked her to go full-time?”

  “I haven’t asked her yet. I wanted to see how things went with Leslie first. But, since I’m pretty sure I have my answer, I’ll probably ask her the next time I see her.” Yvette stood near the oven, waiting for the timer to go off so she could put her batch of crinkle cookies in next.

  “I really like Stella,” Abigail chimed in, nodding her head.

  “Me, too,” Yvette agreed “She’s got such a fun personality, and really knows how to handle customers. We try not to have anyone get upset at the shop, but it happens every now and then. Stella has this magic touch about her. She can somehow make anyone who had a bad experience happy and excited to come back again. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a great quality to have.”

  “You’ve really picked a great team to work under you,” Audrey pointed out.

  “I think so too. I figure if it doesn’t work out or I need extra help, I can just bribe you three with some ice cream and get you working too.” Yvette looked around at the women, with a smile on her face. Not only was she happy to have the staff that she did, but she was grateful to have such strong women in her corner. She knew she could rely on each of them for anything that she could ever possibly need.

  Chapter 4

  I thought you said your friend was coming?” Carrie snapped.

  “He’s supposed to be here already. I’m not sure what’s holding him up,” Yvette responded, hoping everything with Nate was okay.

  “Well, it’d be nice if he’d show up sometime soon. I’m getting tired of having to run in the kitchen and help Julie.” Carrie crossed her arms and glared at Yvette.

  Carrie Hilton was the manager at Molly’s Diner and clearly felt that anything other than supervising was beneath her. That was something Yvette couldn’t understand. As the manager of Sundae Afternoon, she was a firm believer of not asking her staff to do anything she’d not do herself. Yvette despised washing dishes, but she’d do them if she had to and certainly wouldn’t complain about it in front of strangers in a volunteer type situation.

  “I know. I’m sorry he’s not here yet. I can help out in the kitchen if it would make things easier,” Yvette offered.

  “It really would. I’m about sick and tired of listening to Julie moan about being scheduled for too many hours at the diner. I’m doing her a favor, but she doesn’t see it that way yet. Know what I mean? Of course you do,” Carrie rambled. “You’re the manager of a restaurant too. You must know exactly how I feel with all your staff begging for this or complaining about that.”

  Before Yvette even had the chance to respond, Carrie had already torn off her apron and begun to rearrange the tables that Yvette had just finished setting. All she kept thinking about was how relieved Leslie seemed to be that she was no longer working at Molly’s Diner. Yvette didn’t find it hard to believe that Carrie was one of the reasons why.

  Yvette made sure her hair was tied up tightly, washed her hands and put on an apron of her own before entering the kitchen. It was a large commercial sized kitchen with a grill big enough to make several pancakes at a time, and plenty of room to spare for bacon, sausage, and eggs. Looking around she noticed a woman with her head in the freezer.

  “Are you okay?” Yvette asked, walking closer.

  Taking a few steps back, the woman became visible. It was Julie Stillwell. “I’m fine. It’s just a little hot in here and I’m feeling off.”

  “It is a bit warm,” Yvette agreed. “Is there anything I can help with? Carrie and I traded places, so I’ll be in here for a while until Nate Briggs takes over.”

  “Thank goodness. I’ve had about enough of her this morning. The bacon and sausage have been precooked, so all we’ll need to do is warm them up to serve when people begin arriving. I expect it to get busy rather quickly though, so we may need to cook more. Right now, I think we should get started on some pancakes and eggs for the volunteers. We s
till have enough time to cook and eat before the breakfast actually begins. We gotta stay fueled up, ya know?”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll try my hand at some pancakes. How many do you think we need?” Yvette asked.

  “I think two per volunteer so,” Julie said, counting on her fingers. “I guess we should have about twenty. If you happen to make a couple extra, I’m sure it won’t cause any harm.”

  “Right? I’m sure no one will complain if they have to eat an extra pancake,” Yvette laughed.

  “If you don’t mind getting started on your own, I think I’m going to dash outside really quick. I think the cold air will set me straight, then I can get back to work.” Julie stepped out the door that led to the back side of the town hall.

  “No problem. I think I can manage,” Yvette said, watching the woman leave.

  After she’d poured out enough batter for five pancakes, Yvette got started on scrambling some eggs. She knew that Julie hadn’t told her to do that, but she wanted to be helpful. Yvette flipped the pancakes, and turned around to find a bowl to put the eggs in.

  “Oh! You scared me. I didn’t even hear you come in.” Yvette put her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

  “It’s just me,” Serena giggled. “I didn’t mean to scare you. We’ve all been coming in and out to help Julie, so I just came to see if she needed anything, but apparently I’m out of the loop.” She looked around the empty kitchen.

  “She went outside to get some air, so I’m on my own for a few minutes. I’d love some help, though. I have the bacon and sausage warming on the grill. I’ve got the pancakes going already too, and I was just about to start scrambling some eggs.”

  “You sure have your work cut out for you,” Serena observed. “Are you going to be cooking all morning?”

  “Me? Definitely not.” Yvette laughed. “I’d never survive. My friend Nate is supposed to be doing that, but he’s not here yet. I need to try and call him, actually.”

  “You want to do that now? I can probably handle scrambling some eggs until Julie gets back,” Serena offered.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind? I’ll just be a second.”

  “Go right ahead.” Serena nodded and pulled a bowl from the shelf.

  “Thanks. I’ll be back in just a second.” Yvette took her phone from her pocket and stepped out of the kitchen to call Nate. She was starting to worry. Being late wasn’t typical of him, so she could only hope that something bad hadn’t happened causing him to be held up.

  Yvette barely made it out of the dining area where all the tables were set up when she nearly walked right into Nate.

  “There you are! I was just about to call you,” Yvette said.

  “I know. I’m really sorry. I ran into Carmichael Brewster and he had to tell me all about the new coffee flavors he has at the coffeeshop.” Nate removed his coat and looked around for a place to store it.

  “Here, darling. Let me take that for you,” Carrie said, suddenly appearing next to them.

  “Great, thanks.” Nate smiled and passed his coat to the woman.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us, Yvette?” Carrie asked, not taking her eyes off Nate.

  “Of course, where are my manners?” Yvette tried hard not to roll her eyes, knowing just how over the top Carrie could be. “Nate, this is Carrie Hilton, she’s the manager over at Molly’s Diner. Carrie, this is Nate Briggs.”

  “That’s right. I’m the manager there. Yvette said you did a little cooking over at that new steakhouse?” Carrie linked arms with Nate.

  “A little cooking, yes, I suppose you could say that. I’m the head chef,” Nate said.

  “Isn’t that lovely? I’d just adore picking your brain someday. If you ask me, the diner isn’t nearly classy enough. I think you’d be just a wealth of information for someone like me.” Carrie led Nate to a nearby table. “Have a seat, sweetie. I’ll sit right next to you.”

  Yvette stood back and watched Carrie push Nate down in the chair. He turned toward her with a look on his face that was no doubt a cry for help. Laughing, Yvette met them at the table.

  “Hey, Carrie. Don’t you think Nate should get into the kitchen to start cooking? It won’t be long before everyone gets here,” Yvette asked, discreetly nudging Nate.

  “Nonsense! This man is a professional chef. Are you telling me you don’t have enough confidence in his skills to believe that he can work his magic inside that kitchen? He has plenty of time to eat. However, I do believe you were working in the kitchen just a few moments ago. Perhaps you should go check on things,” Carrie said, turning her gaze back to Nate.

  Yvette let out a breath. Not sure if she was angry or just annoyed enough by Carrie to actually want to get back to the kitchen. Deciding it wasn’t worth arguing over, and knowing that Nate could handle himself, Yvette nodded politely and made her way back to the kitchen. Surely Julie would be back by now. Between the two of them and Serena, the food for the volunteers would be ready in no time.

  Chapter 5

  I wish I got to try some of that colored cream cheese icing on my pancakes,” Molly said. “How clever was it to dye it green for Christmas? We could have colored the pancakes too… Maybe next year,” she shrugged.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get to try any, too,” Yvette added.

  “I don’t think anyone did.” Molly shook her head.

  “I’m pretty sure Carrie did, but I could be wrong,” Serena said. “I know how much she loves it, so I brought it to her table first, and she took a big serving of it. The guy sitting with her said he didn’t really like cream cheese, so she ordered me to take it away immediately.”

  “Let me guess? She insisted on it being removed so he wouldn’t have to smell it?” Yvette laughed, recalling just how much Nate disliked cream cheese.

  “She said something similar, yes. But instead, he got up and left the table saying he needed to get to the kitchen.” Serena made a face. “That’s when… well, that’s when I accidentally spilled it. I didn’t know he was getting up, so I backed away quickly with the bowl in my hand. I also didn’t know that Julie was right behind me so when I turned around, there it went, all over her. She must be so mad at me. Our relationship is already really rocky so with my luck, she’ll be on my case all day.”

  “Don’t worry about her,” Molly said. “I’ll take care of it. I refuse to have my staff concerned with anything but making sure this breakfast goes off without a hitch. Well, without another hitch, of course,” she said, teasing Serena.

  Molly scanned the room before leaving Yvette and Serena standing alone.

  “I’m sure she knows it was an accident. Listen to Molly. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just serve these people and have a great morning!” Yvette said, pointing to the people that had begun to enter the dining area.

  “If you say so,” Serena mumbled before plastering an obviously fake smile on her face and marching toward the entryway to greet everyone that had arrived.

  Yvette didn’t know how it was possible that these people had so much drama. She couldn’t imagine working in a place where everyone disliked everyone else or seemed to be in competition with one another. The only thing she had to do was get through the morning, so she could do some shopping at the Jingle Bell Bazaar. Normally she would sit in on the pancake breakfast as a guest, and then head over to the local churches and the senior center to do some Christmas shopping. This year may have been different, but she was still excited to carry on with her yearly tradition.

  “How’s it going out there?” Nate asked when Yvette entered the kitchen for more maple syrup.

  “Pretty well. Everyone seems happy and like they’re enjoying their breakfast. I guess the head chef knows what he’s doing after all.” Yvette waggled her eyebrows, egging him on.

  “I really am pretty great, huh?” he joked. “Speaking of that, have you seen Carrie lately?”

  “Not in a while, why? And where is Julie? I thought she was helping you cook?”

  “Juli
e just went out to one of the tables. She said her parents were here. I’m surprised you didn’t pass her on your way here. Carrie came in a few minutes ago, acting pretty strange, though,” Nate responded, flipping another round of pancakes.

  “More so than usual you mean?”

  “I don’t know. She walked in, said she wasn’t feeling well, bumped into the wall, then walked right back out, and I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Hard telling, not knowing. She’s probably somewhere yelling at someone about something,” Yvette said, brushing it off. “Although, Julie told me she wasn’t feeling well earlier too. I’d say it was my cooking, but she said that before she ate my food.” She laughed and grabbed another three pourers full of maple syrup.