Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 05 - Smashed Potatoes and Gravy (3 page)

“Kori, thank you so much for everything you did to make this go off without a hitch,” Jenna’s mom, Darla, gushed after the last of the guests had disappeared.

“Of course. It’s just nice to finally put a face to all the people I’ve talked
with over the phone to coordinate this. And all I really did was cook and open the café up for everyone,” Kori said, downplaying how much work she’d really done. In her mind it wasn’t work because she loved it.

“Well, it certainly wouldn’t have been as relaxing for me if you hadn’t been here. You’re a real doll.”

Kori laughed. It had been a while since she’d been called a doll—probably since she was a kid.

“We’ll get all this packed up into my car and get out of your hair,” Darla added and then loaded her arms with boxes of diapers, bottles, toys and baby clothes. Kori followed suit and picked up as many bags as she could.

Darla’s car was already nearly full with gifts but they found space for the final few before she drove off with a hand waving out the window. “How are you getting home?” Kori asked Jenna. Her house was just off of Main Street and she could easily walk, but with how pregnant she was, Kori wasn’t sure she’d want to.

Jenna laughed. “Hopefully she realizes that she forgot me and comes back after she unloads.”

“Well let’s go sit down while we wait. Can I get you anything?” Kori held the door open and Jenna waddled through it. Kori mentally slapped herself for thinking of Jenna’s movements as those of a duck.

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Jenna sat at the nearest booth and Kori sat across from her. It was just the two of them left in the café, with Ibis. Kiera had left halfway through the shower and Kori hoped the quotes for merchandise had been left on her desk. She really wanted to get everything ordered before Thanksgiving, only three days away.

In the peace and quiet of the post shower lull, Kori’s mind went back to the morning and she suddenly remembered that Jenna had been late and she couldn’t stop herself from asking her about it. “So what happened this morning?” Jenna blanched at the question and Kori clarified, “With Lou?”

“Oh right. That.” Jenna seemed to calm down, which Kori thought was strange since finding a dead body
couldn’t be an easy thing. What had Jenna thought she was asking about? “I went out to the land I own on the lake and was walking around on it. And I came across Lou McKay’s body. That’s really it.”

Kori felt like she was oversimplifying things. “What was he doing out there?”

Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s been pestering me for years to sell the land. He kept telling me it was prime real estate and Kyle and I could retire once we sold it. Which was tempting, especially with a baby on the way. But that’s one of the only pieces of land on the south side of the lake that’s been left untouched.” Jenna looked up at Kori. “It goes back six generations.”

“Wow. That’s gotta be
over a hundred years.”

Jenna nodded. “So you can understand why I was reluctant to sell. And who wants an eyesore of condos on the lake? There are already plenty of places to stay in and around Hermit Cove. Sure, lake front property would be even better, but there are plenty of public beaches. And private coves if you’re willing to do a little searching.”

“If you aren’t planning to ever sell it or develop it, what
is
your plan with it?” Kori asked.

“Conservation. We’ve been trying to get it into a land trust for years but things keep falling apart. Kyle and I can barely afford the taxes on it but we’ve made it a priority to make sure it stays undeveloped.”

“How did you end up being the owner of it? Did your parents give it to you?”

Jenna shook her head. “My dad’s parents owned it and left it to me and my sister Judy when they died. Judy wanted to develop it so I bought her out. That’s also part of why we’ve been so financially stretched; I’m paying off that debt, and the mortgage on our house.”

“Now I see why Kyle got another job over the summer.” In August, Kyle had played a key role in helping Kori lead the police to a murderer who was holding Nora hostage. Kori had been helping her investigate a murder after a body had been found on Nora’s farm, and the killer hadn’t liked Nora snooping around so much. Kyle had quietly gotten a second job and was unknowingly working for the murderer. At the time, Kori hadn’t realized just how strapped for cash he and Jenna were, but it was all making more and more sense. “Has he gotten another job since Seeds ‘n More closed?”

After making the arrest, Seeds ‘n More had been forced to shut down
when its owner went to prison for murder. And its only other employee was also arrested for conspiring.

“Yeah. He’s helping out at the Hermit Cove Market. Teddi seems to be slowing down a little bit more every day. And since Derek at the auto body isn’t about to retire, Kyle is hoping he’ll be able to move up the ranks faster with Teddi.”

“That’s great. What’s your plan for your daycare once you have this baby?” Kori asked, trying to get the conversation back to safer and lighter topics rather than murders, past and present.

Jenna shrugged. “I’ll have to close it for a while. But once I can open it again, I’ll just have one fewer spot for other kids.”
Kori knew Jenna’s in-home daycare was every parents’ dream and someone would be very upset to be cut.

Kori heard a car horn outside and thought it must be Darla coming back to pick
up Jenna. “Is that your mom’s car?” she asked.

Jenna struggled to turn around and look out the window
at the lime green beetle without getting up. “Yup. Thanks again for everything you did today, and the days leading up to this. It was so great to have all my family and friends here. And most of them are here all week so we’re planning to have a big Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. It was perfect timing.”

Kori stood and hugged Jenna. “Of course. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I hope I’ll see you this week for breakfast sometime.”

Jenna nodded and waved goodbye. Kori breathed a huge sigh of relief when the door closed and she thought her day was finally finished. It was already almost four and she didn’t want to think about what she’d cook tomorrow. She wanted to go upstairs, sit on the couch with her feet up and watch reruns of
Scrubs
.

But Gale had different plans and almost as soon as the door shut with Jenna leaving, it opened again with Gale entering. “You didn’t forget about our wedding planning, did you?” she asked, taking a seat where Jenna had just been. “I brought the recipe I want. What do you think?”

Kori sat back down before answering. She ignored her mother’s first question because she didn’t want to admit that she had in fact forgotten she was going to come by. Kori picked up the recipe card for a raspberry swirl cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. Her mouth started watering thinking of the finished product.

“You said twenty guests?” Kori asked.

Gale nodded. “I was hoping for cupcakes.”

“I think that’ll be doable. What else are you feeding them? And where is it going to be?” Kori realized she might be getting roped into more than she wanted on such short notice.

“Don’t worry about those things. It’ll just be at my house. Close friends and you and Jay. Lucas doesn’t have any kids or siblings still living. But I’ll invite Jan and her family and of course Teddi. I know they’re all in town this week.”

“Great,” Kori interrupted her. If she was only responsible for the desserts, she didn’t want to overcrowd her brain with other details. “I’ll make enough for thirty just in case.”

“Perfect. I’ve gotta run. I’m printing the invitations and I’m going to hand deliver them so everyone gets them in time. They should have them tomorrow morning so you can start telling anyone you want. It won’t be hush hush anymore.”

Kori waved as Gale walked out the door and then lay her forehead on the table in front of her. The recipe card was still in her hand and she let it fall to the table too. Ibis must have noticed the change in energy in the café with no one else around and made her way out from the office, laying her head on Kori’s lap.

“You need to go out again?” she asked. “Let’s go for a short walk and then get some dinner at Zach’s house.”

Remembering that she had dinner plans with the one she loved gave her an extra burst of energy. After a quick walk for Ibis to relieve herself, Kori even managed to take a shower and put on clean clothes that weren’t covered in flour dust and
bits of dried egg. Then they loaded into her Subaru and headed across town. Her stomach growled on the way and she hoped Zach had made something delicious.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to make it,” Zach said, apron on and spoon in his hand. He kissed Kori’s cheek as she entered and then closed the door behind her.

“Why wouldn’t I make it?” Ibis had already found her favorite spot in front of a big window facing the woods. She’d let out a bark every now and then at a passing squirrel or bird but Kori and Zach had learned to ignore her.

“You had a busy day with Jenna’s shower.”

Kori sat at the table where two place settings were already setup and watched Zach return to the stove. “And you were busy with a murder but you’re still finding time to cook me dinner.”

“Touché.”
Zach waved the spoon in Kori’s direction and some sauce splattered on the floor, making them both laugh before Kori realized it looked like a blood spatter. “I guess you heard about that then.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of the splatter but neither of them made a move to clean it up.

“Yeah. Jenna was late,” Kori told him, still staring at the same place as Zach. “Is she gonna be okay? She told me she had to give a statement.”

“I’m not sure yet.” Zach finally looked up and made eye contact with Kori. She read his expression and knew he was pleading with her not to ask him any more questions. He couldn’t tell her anything but always had a hard time keeping information from her, too. Especially given her track record with previous murder cases.

“What was she doing out at her property?” Kori pressed, unable to stop herself.

Zach turned back to the stove and paused for a long enough moment that Kori thought he’d decided to not answer. But then he said, “I don’t know. She couldn’t give us a real answer that provided a witness to corroborate her story, so that was strange.”

“But you don’t think she would have killed Lou?”

Zach shrugged, his back still to Kori, before he changed the subject. “How about a drink? To celebrate your mom’s engagement.”

Kori laughed despite herself. “I guess she might become Mrs. Wright.”

“That’d only be fair. Mr. Wright can’t not be married to Mrs. Wright.”

Kori filled two glasses with red wine while Zach added spices to whatever he was working on. She still hadn’t figured it out but knew it would be delicious. As the scents filled her nose, she heard her stomach growl and wished she’d thought to bring an appetizer.

“Hungry?” he asked, taking the offered glass.

Kori nodded. “Hey, do me a favor?”

“Feeding you isn’t enough?” he teased.

Kori ignored his jab and said, “Come with me as my date to Mom’s wedding.” She didn’t so much as ask as tell him.

“On Saturday?”

Kori nodded.

“I’ll be there.”

Rather than clinking their glasses together, they shared a kiss and Kori could taste the upcoming meal on his lips
. It tasted like plenty of garlic was involved and her stomach growled again in anticipation.

***

Tuesday morning came much quicker than Kori would have preferred. As her eyelids slowly fluttered open, she immediately knew something wasn’t right. Ibis wasn’t on the bed. And as she opened her eyes, she realized she wasn’t even in her bed.

When reality dawned on her, she panicked at the thought that she’d overslept. But Ibis wouldn’t have let that happen and had stuck her nose in Kori’s face just before four.

Kori turned and looked at the sleeping body on the other side of the bed. Deciding to let him sleep and not disturb him, she didn’t give Zach’s cheek the kiss she was contemplating. Instead, she slid out of bed, the cold wood floorboards of his old house making her jump when her feet hit them.

She felt stirring next to her and looked to see Zach rolling over, his eyes still closed. “Come on, Ibis,” she whispered as she gathered up her clothes from last night. She tiptoed into the hallway before putting them on, the tags on Ibis’ collar sounding like
clanging church bells in the early morning quiet.

Back at home, Kori took Ibis for a shorter walk than usual, promising she’d bring her to Nora’s house later where she could play with her two best dog friends, Milo and Otis. Then she quickly brushed her teeth and headed to work, Ibis curling up under Kori’s desk.

Kori considered her menu and decided to make it more seasonal than it had been recently. She took out another couple bags of pumpkin muffins from the freezer and turned the oven on low to defrost them slowly. Then she whipped up a batch of cranberry muffins, followed by just as many cranberry nut muffins. She didn’t like nuts in her muffins and suspected she’d have plenty of customers who didn’t either.

Next, she started boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes that she would fry for each order. Crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside couldn’t be more delicious. And as a side for eggs, they’d be perfect.

Finally, Kori decided to make only one more item. She anticipated a smaller crowd than yesterday, with families more likely to stay home to eat together. The third item on her menu would be apple pie French toast. Instead of maple syrup on the French toast, she would caramelize apples with cinnamon, butter, sugar and apple pie spice and smother each order with that syrup.

She set to work coring and slicing apples while the ovens preheated to bake the muffins, and then mixed up plenty of French toast batter. When Kiera arrived at five, Kori was ready to show her the plan and then she retreated into her office to take a quick look at what Kiera had printed that she
just didn’t have the energy to look at yesterday afternoon.

“This looks perfect,” Kori said, walking back out only moments later. Kiera had quoted orders of t-shirts, aprons, napkins and mugs and the total had come out well below Kori’s budget. “How did you get this discount?”

Kiera shrugged. “I just called and asked for it. The worst they could have told me was no, but it must have been a good day for whoever I talked to because they agreed to twenty percent off.”

“Good job.” Kori went back to her office and wrote herself a note to give Kiera an extra day off and a hefty bonus at the end of the year.
Then she got online and placed the orders, with an expected delivery date not until the first week of December. She’d finally be wearing a branded Early Bird Café t-shirt and apron by the end of the year. Only two and a half years after she’d opened. Oh well, she thought, she had to pick her battles and this had not been a high priority.

At five thirty, Kori turned the sign on the front door to open and almost immediately Jay walked in.

“Hey. I didn’t expect to see you so early. What’s up?” Kori asked her brother.

“Mom. Can you believe what she’s doing?” he asked, clearly annoyed but Kori wasn’t sure why.

“Well, it is her life so she gets to make the decision about who she marries even if we don’t know the guy.”

“It’s not that. But that’s weird too.”

Jay didn’t continue so Kori pressed, “Then what is it?” She picked up two mugs and poured them to the brim with coffee, knowing her brother didn’t take his with cream or sugar.

“She’s trying to set me up with someone to bring to the wedding. She’s worried people will think I’m gay.
Who
will think I’m gay? I’ll know everyone there it sounds like.”

Kori couldn’t help but laugh. “So tell her about your online dating.”

“Hah. And let her tear me apart for that. She barely knows how to use Facebook. She’ll think I’m the devil reincarnated or something.”

Jay’s comments did nothing to help Kori control her laughter. She nearly spilled coffee down her front and had to set the mug down before she did. “She’ll get over it. Who’s she even trying to set you up with?”

Jay rolled his eyes. “One of Jenna’s cousins or something. I don’t know. It sounds like there were plenty of them for her to pick from.”

Kori nodded. “Yeah. It was a zoo yesterday.”

“And then you’re hosting a town wide Thanksgiving dinner?”

“Not town wide,” Kori corrected him. “I invited forty people
for two different two hour meals. I figured I only have to cook once really and then I can relax with them. You’re coming aren’t you?”

“Yeah. With Mom. I’m not really looking forward to it.”

Kori smirked. “Thanks.”

“Not because of your food, don’t get me wrong. But sitting at a table with Mom. And now Lucas. I can just see her spending the whole meal listing women I should date.”

This brought the laughter back to Kori and she felt slightly bad for her older brother. If he’d just loosen up and share his dating methods with their mom she’d likely lay off. Well, probably not likely. Gale did like to meddle.

“Thanks for your support,” he said not unkindly before he turned to leave.

“I’ll sit at your table as often as I can,” she called to his retreating back but she wasn’t sure he heard.

By six, the café was full and Kori and Kiera were both busy tag teaming taking orders and cooking
breakfasts. Kori was in the kitchen when she heard the door open and a male voice start calling her name, completely unaware of the commotion he was causing. Kiera came into the kitchen and gave Kori a quick warning, “It’s Kyle. He seems really upset.”

Kori’s heart sank. She hoped nothing had developed with Lou McKay’s murder, but in the back of her mind she knew that was exactly what he was panicking about. She walked as quickly as she could to find Kyle back outside, which she was thankful about. The last thing she needed was
for him to share any details about Lou with her customers.

“What’s going on?” she asked him as the door closed behind her and she wiped her hands dry on the towel she was holding. Those aprons would be perfect when they finally arrived.

“It’s Jenna. She was arrested this morning.”