Deep Green Envy by Ribar Joy Ann

Author:Ribar, Joy Ann [Ribar, Joy Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TEN16 Press
Published: 2024-01-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of cares.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yowling cat noises woke Frankie ahead of her Saturday alarm. Her open bedroom windows offered more than fresh air: A conclave of tomcats were hissing at each other in the backyard by the stream. But, that wasn’t all. Sundae was serenading the toms and Frankie from inside Violet’s room, sounding like a caged animal.

Frankie opened Violet’s shut door and saw the dark outline of an arched back. The feline pawed at the window screen, advertising herself. The tortie wasn’t happy to see Frankie, nor to be pried away from the window and her waiting suitors.

“I’m doubly unimpressed, Sundae. You should never have been shut up in here in the first place, and why haven’t you been spayed? I’m calling Sadie later to find out.” Sundae responded with a hiss and tried to claw Frankie’s arm as she vaulted off of the window sill and streaked out the door. Frankie yelled at the toms, shut the apartment windows, and pushed start on the coffee maker before seeking the lost kitty.

Sundae was hunched at the bottom of the stairway that led to the Bubble and Bake kitchen, pawing and meowing at the door. “Out you go Sundae. See you later, kitty.” Frankie slammed the door a little too loud before traipsing back up the steps.

The coffee was just the remedy she needed to organize her day and the early start was a blessing in disguise. She was hard at work making orange cinnamon rolls in the shop kitchen when Tess arrived.

“Look at you, already hard at it this morning,” Tess smiled cheerfully with her whole face, and she was dressed like a summer picnic, red and white checkered cotton shirt and a paisley bandana that matched.

One long finger trailed down the agenda board as she hummed a tune. Tess often hummed or sang Ethiopian tunes she’d learned from her mother and aunts. Most days, Bubble and Bake’s kitchen was filled with chatter or songs, and Frankie insisted the baked goods turned out better for it.

She skipped over and handed Tess a mug of her favorite tea, a black blend with cinnamon and cardamom that Frankie purchased in bulk after she discovered Tess’s penchant for it. She would do anything she could to remind her star baker just how much she mattered.

Tess smiled her thanks, made a mark by the scone varieties she’d be preparing, and headed to a station.

“I want you to know that my brother James is coming by Monday to look at the upstairs space over Rachel’s store. I’ve been considering remodeling it into a small apartment, and I think now might be the right time to get that going.” Frankie hoped the news would brighten Tess’s worry of being displaced in August.

“You mean it might be a place for me to live?” She perked up when Frankie nodded.

“I’ll keep you posted, Tess.”

After Tia Pepita and Carmen breezed in the back door, the kitchen took on an array of chit-chat and music.

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