Whoopie Pie Betrayal - Book 2 (The Whoopie Pie Juggler: An Amish of Lancaster County Saga series) by Price Rebecca

Author:Price, Rebecca [Price, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Global Grafx Press
Published: 2013-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

Old Vincenzo says, “You must excuse my grandson, he’s young and raised in a city, not like the lovely country environment you enjoy.”

“Not at all, sir. If I only knew what you’re asking of me...?”

Vincenzo smiles, almost too broadly. “We...I’m just a simple businessman, and my wife, I know she would love these cakes. But, I can’t make them for her, I can’t make this trip to buy from you. I’m hoping you’ll allow me access to...the secrets of how you make these wondrous pastries, so that I can provide them for my family and friends.”

“And, if we should turn it to a business angle,” Paulie says, “well, that’d be part of the deal.”

“Of course, you’re free to do as you wish,” Vincenzo says. “I am grateful just for the opportunity to make you this humble offer. And, of course, I’m not asking you to walk away from the table...unhappy, or uncared for.”

Okay, Hannah, I say to myself, take it easy. If this man is what he seems, then you’ve just been propositioned by the New Jersey mafia. Organized crime. They’re moving in on the Whoopie pies! And you know how these things go. First they offer to buy you out, and if you don’t go along with it, they have...more effective ways of asserting their influence.

My mind races with horrible images I can barely stand to describe, houses burning, guns firing.

Worse.

And I’ve brought this terrible influence into the community, I realize, at least that’s the way everyone will see it. But what does it matter how they see things when a crime spree is tearing Lancaster apart?

Okay, I tell myself, just get through this carefully and you might walk away without a scratch.

I say, “With all respect, I really couldn’t. I’m sorry.”

“And why is that?” Paulie asks, “if you don’t mind me axin’.”

“Well, it’s just that...”

I don’t say, To do business with organized crime would comprise my integrity, do untold damage to the community, setting us back hundreds of years and going against everything we believe in, ethically and morally and religiously?

Instead I say, “Because to sell it would be wrong, no matter who the buyer is.”

“It’s a family secret,” Vincenzo suggests.

“No, I actually just invented it myself,” I have to add, unwilling to lie or at least unable to do it both quickly and effectively.

And because I don’t know what you’ll wind up using the proceeds for, and I shudder to think what those things might be.

“And it’s really quite simple anyway...”

Well, you can’t copyright a butter glaze, can you? I have to ask myself. And you certainly can’t do business with these men.

“I’d feel badly,” I go on, “...dishonest...selling it to you or anyone.”

But what harm can there be in just...giving it to them? That’s not selling them anything, that’s not doing business, just a little chat and that’s all there will be to it.

“When I can just tell you how to do it yourselves.”

Vincenzo and Paulie look at me skeptically, eyebrows wriggling, jowls giggling. They share a few muttered words in Italian, and Paulie asks me, “You mean, just .

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