Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder

Author:Eve Calder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter 35

In the bakery kitchen, Maxi lounged against the counter while Kate leaned in and examined the shiny stainless-steel cart her friend had just wheeled through the back door. It was about three feet high with two shelves—the top one padded with a black rubber mat.

“OK, that is more than slightly brilliant,” Kate said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, I kinda thought so my own self,” the florist said.

“And it will actually fit,” Kate said, looking back at the doghouse in question. “I don’t believe it. How on earth did you come up with this?”

“I use it when I’m putting together some of the really big flower orders. Sometimes for deliveries, too, if they’re close enough to walk. Best of all, it means we don’t have to wrestle your cookie casa in and out of the Jeep. I even wiped it down good so it would be shiny and super clean.”

“I love this,” Kate said. “Where can I get one for the bakery?”

“Hey, I can hook you up with my supplier. He’ll be happy to sell you one.”

“I’m going to take you up on that,” Kate said, marveling at the contraption. “So why didn’t you tell me the resorts were cutting back on their orders?”

Maxi frowned. “Corizon, it’s just a little blip. Business goes up, and sometimes it goes down. You’re already helping me with Alvin. And so is Ben. And Manny. But the flower shop? That’s my thing. It’s like my garden. I may have to water and weed and plant. But if I care for it—watch over it—it’ll blossom again. It won’t always be perfect all the time. But I’ll have a super beautiful garden.”

Kate paused, torn. She wanted to help. But she didn’t want to push.

“OK, that’s fair,” she said finally. “So tell me about Pirate Night Dinners.”

Maxi shook her head. “Ay, to me, the best part of the festival. Although the parade is pretty good, too.”

“I heard you were supposed to host this year.”

Maxi smiled ruefully. “I know it sounds kinda silly now. Especially with Alvin and everything. But I was really looking forward to it.”

“Well, Sam and I wanted to know if you’d like to borrow the Cookie House?”

Maxi looked up hopefully. “It’s a lot of work. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“So show me,” Kate said, smiling. “It’s my first festival. Besides, you’re hosting. I’m just helping. And don’t forget, I used to work in restaurants.”

Maxi’s face bloomed. “Except for a few feet and a fence, it’s almost the same location. All of the advantages without any of the Alvin problems.”

“Actually, this might be better,” Kate said. “It’ll be a lot less work with the two of us than it would be for you alone. And if we have a big group of people over here, we can kind of keep an eye on your place, too.”

“The best part is the hosting business brings dinner and does all the cleaning up,” Maxi said excitedly. “And we all take turns. Everyone does a different night.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.