Breakers Dozen by Emma Ainsley

Author:Emma Ainsley [Ainsley, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2023-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

The donut shop buzzed with activity the following morning. Maggie was grateful to return to her regular routine. She woke twenty minutes earlier than normal, dressed quickly, and let herself out of the bed and breakfast with as little noise as possible.

Ruby’s truck was parked behind the donut shop when she arrived. “You’re here early,” Maggie said when she came into the kitchen.

“I wanted to get here and prep the new donuts. I’m also trying something different for the boxed lunches today. I had the idea after dinner last night.”

“What is it?” Maggie asked.

“Flank steak salad with red onion, avocado, and fresh sweet corn.” Ruby beamed as she worked. Maggie smelled the rarely used grill going for the first time. “I topped the salad with a creamy basil dressing. It’s quite amazing if I do say so myself.”

“Look at us, a new boxed lunch and a coffee cream brioche at the same time,” she said.

“What in the world will our customers think?”

“There’s a lot they might think,” Orson said. He pushed the swinging kitchen door open and sauntered into the kitchen. “I’ve already been hearing some speculation from them about this. So, what is it that you want me to tell them when they bring it up?”

“You mean the flank steak salad or the brioche?” Maggie asked him, confused.

“No, no,” Orson said. He shook his head and stared at her. “I mean about the discovery in the basement of your house. What do you want me to tell folks when they start asking questions?”

“Orson,” Ruby said softly. “This might not be the right time to ask this.”

“Then you tell me what I’m supposed to say to them when they ask me if there is a body buried in this building, too,” he snapped.

“You can tell them that the minute I have any answers, they will have answers,” Maggie said. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was frustrated and annoyed at her own weak response. “You tell them to watch the newspapers because they might actually know a little more about it than I do right now, and after that, you can ask them how it would feel to live in a house not knowing that something like that was just one level below where they laid their heads down to go to sleep each night. You go on and you ask them how they think this feels?” She pushed past Orson and went toward her office.

“Maggie,” Orson said behind her. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Maggie said flatly. “I am not okay. My house is in shambles. Some poor, unfortunate soul was buried downstairs and now there are people wandering around asking questions because they want to hear the latest gossip.”

“I’m sorry,” Orson said. “You have to know that I was only telling you the questions I’ve been asked. I really wasn’t trying to cause you any distress.”

“Oh, Orson,” Maggie said. She dropped her shoulders and hung her head. “It’s just because there’s a lot going on in my head right now.

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