Untitled (33 page)

   "I'm going to try," he said, glancing at her with fondness, seeing past her temporary ugliness to the beautiful soul beyond.

   "Would you like a muffin?" Angelica said, proffering the plate.

   Kimberly shook her head.

   "For now, she can only drink room temperature liquids," Hamilton explained.

   "An -oy, am I -ungry," she said, laughing.

   "I have some good news for you, too, Ms. Miles."

   "For me?" Tricia said.

   He shook his head, then turned to look at Angelica. "I read your manuscript yesterday. It's well done. There's a market out there for time-stressed working women who want to feed their families healthy foods. I think I could sell it—at least, I'd like to try."

   "Well, of course you would," Angelica said, her smile as wide as Tricia had ever seen it, and she gave her sister an "I told you so" glance.

   "We'll need to talk more about it, and you'll need to do some rewriting before I can start rounding it to publishers. But it doesn't have to happen today. I'll give you a call early next week."

   "You have my number," Angelica said brightly.

   "I've got a question," Russ said, directing his gaze to Kimberly. "The night you were attacked, you said the word 'stone' to Tricia. Did Steve Fenton tell you that was the name of the author of the Jess and Addie books, or were you talking about the desecrated statue?"

   "Boph," she said. "He hur- me—hittin- me. Saying I wou- pay for wha- happen to Fayfe Thone."

   "The thing is," Hamilton said, "Kimberly didn't have a clue who Fenton was talking about."

   "I'm so sorry he put you through that," Fiona said.

   "I sorry my aun- -tole you wok. Fo- a lon- time, I din know."

   "Everyone thought you were dead," Hamilton added.

   "That doesn't make it right, but I do understand," Fiona said.

   Ginny brought over a tray of Haven't Got a Clue paper coffee cups, the carafe, sugar, and cream, setting it all down on the nook's table. She picked up a cup, raising it into the air. "Why don't we all cheer up?" she suggested. "We've got a lot to celebrate this morning."

   "I sure do," Angelica said.

   The door opened yet again, this time admitting Frannie Armstrong. "Come on, boss, we've got a store to open," she said, her smile so wide it showed off most of her teeth.

   "Boss?" Tricia asked, in awe.

   Frannie entered the store, closing the door behind her.

   "In a minute," Angelica told Frannie. She picked up the carafe, poured coffee into all the cups. "Bob and I had a long discussion last night after we left the hospital." She shook her head. "Sometimes I don't know what I see in that man."

   
Amen
, Tricia felt like echoing; instead, she bit her tongue.

   "When I found out what he was actually paying Frannie, I knew I could do better, and even give her benefits. I called her last night the minute I got home. Woke her from a sound sleep, too."

"But that was one call I was glad to take," Frannie said.

   "What about the Chamber?" Russ asked. "Who'll be manning the reception desk?"

   "I offered to give Bob two weeks' notice, but he seemed in rather a big hurry to get rid of me. So much for a decade of dedicated service." Frannie shrugged. "I start today at the Cookery." She glanced at her watch. "We're supposed to open in twelve minutes, Angelica. Don't you think we ought to be going?"

   Before Angelica could answer, the door opened once again. "It worked, Tricia, it worked!" Bob called, his voice jubilant. Then he caught sight of his former employee standing in the middle of the crowd, and his face fell. "What's going on?"

   "Just a gathering of friends," Angelica answered. "And what worked?"

   Bob tore his gaze from Frannie, focusing his attention on Tricia. "Wow, you look terrible."

   "Thanks, Bob."

   "I just stopped by to tell you your suggestion about introducing swans to the geese worked. When I couldn't come up with a live swan, I bought four or five decoys. Yesterday afternoon I installed them around the pond in the park. I haven't seen a goose since. I've called the Stoneham Golf Course and the Board of Selectmen. They're going to install swan decoys at every place the geese gather. That ought to fix them. And it's a happy ending for everybody."

   Except that the geese would just move to other wetlands. Oh, well. That wasn't Stoneham's problem.

   Ginny raised her cup once again. "We've all got something to celebrate this morning. I want to propose a toast." She turned and faced her boss. "To Tricia."

   "Me? What for?"

   "For solving a murder," Ginny said.

   Fiona raised her cup, gazing fondly at Nikki. "For reuniting a mother and daughter."

   Angelica handed her new employee a cup. "For helping me get a new job," Frannie said.

   "And me a new employee," Angelica said. "Not to mention my new literary agent."

   "For giving me an exclusive," Russ said.

   "For not firing me," Mr. Everett said.

   "For brin-ee Ar-ie to me," Kimberly said.

   "And making me realize how much I cared for Kimberly," Hamilton confirmed.

   "For telling us how to get rid of the geese," Bob said.

   Tricia took in the smiling faces of all her friends, a lump rising in her throat. "Oh, well," she stammered. "If that's all, then." She raised her own cup. "I'll drink to that."

Rinse shrimp and set aside. (If they're frozen, defrost them first.) Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 or 2 minutes or until softened; do not brown. Add shrimp, green onions, wine, and lemon juice. Cook until shrimp are pink, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with parsley and salt and pepper.

Serve over linguini or your favorite pasta.

Serves 4.

Pour chicken stock in a large saucepan, and add the chili. Bring to a boil. Add the whole chicken breasts, then lower the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool a little.

Shred the chicken into small pieces and set it aside.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with grated cheese. If desired, top with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Thaw pastry at room temperature for 30–40 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper if desired. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter; add chicken and cook until browned. Remove chicken from skillet. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

Unfold pastry and place it on a lightly floured board; roll it out until it is 1 inch wider and longer. Cut pastry in half and layer 1 slice each of cheese, chicken, and ham, and second slice of cheese. Fold over top half and press the sides closed with your fingers. Repeat the process, making a total of 4 pieces. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in 400° oven 20 minutes, until pastry is puffed and golden.

Rub potatoes with oil if desired; pierce with a fork. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell. Place pulp in a large bowl and mash it. In a small skillet, sauté onions in
¹
⁄4 cup butter until tender. Stir into potato pulp along with half-and-half, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Fold in cheese.

Spoon mixture into potato shells. Place on a baking sheet. Melt remaining butter; drizzle it over the potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350° for 20–30 minutes, or until heated through.

Potatoes may be stuffed ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. Allow additional time for reheating.

Feel free to add other toppings, such as chopped chives, chopped mushrooms, or crumbled bacon to the mix.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and eggs, stir well. Gradually add to flour mixture. Add morsels and nuts, stirring well. (Batter will be stiff.) Spread batter in a lightly greased 13" × 9" × 2" pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Makes approximately 30 brownies.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles. Drain well. Combine sausage, flour, and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.

Combine milk, oil, and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Spoon batter into greased (or paper cuplined) muffin pans, filling 2 ⁄3 f

                            ull. Bake for 20–22 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

In a saucepan heat the cream and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat. Place white chocolate chips in a large bowl and pour hot cream into the bowl. Let sit for 1 minute or so, then whisk until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool, stirring occasionally.

When mixture is cold and thickened, beat with an electric mixer into soft peaks, then beat the last few strokes by hand with a whisk until thick and firm. Do not overwhisk, or mixture will become grainy.

For flavored ganache, use 1 ounce less of cream (or 2 tablespoons) and add 1
¹
⁄2 ounces (3 tablespoons) of rum or your favorite liqueur. Or add
¹
⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract, or other flavoring.