Page 73 of Stronger Than Blood
“Aah, well, then you’ve baked before. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Despite living in his car, I could tell Arden was clean. So, I sent him to wash his hands, then gave him an apron and hairnet. Once I was convinced that he was prepared for work, I gave him a list of things to do for the cookies while I made the pies.
He never complained, and I didn’t have to repeat my instructions once. Of course, I expected to find the cookies a mess because of that, but to my surprise, everything was cooked to perfection. Almost as if I’d done them myself.
Which, considering we didn’t use a recipe, and I had just given directions, was a huge accomplishment. “Okay, now the cookiesare cooling. I need you to whisk the meringue for me. Have you done that before?” I asked.
“I have, yes,” he said, and after I poured the egg whites into the huge mixer we used, I left to deal with the items that were out of the oven long enough to go into the cooler. I couldn’t believe I was willing to leave him on his own. Normally, I’d have been terrified someone would ruin the meringue, and I’d have to start from scratch, wasting all those eggs. I hated waste, hated it with a passion.
But Dupris had said he was the right guy for the job, so I figured, why not toss him into the deep end of the pool and find out?
When I came back in, he was adding sugar, just as he should. I walked over to peek into the mixer and was pleased to find that the meringue was perfect, or would be in a couple more seconds.
He stopped the mixer just in time and lifted the bowl away, leaving perfect peaks. “Okay, so far, so good. Have you topped meringue pies before?”
He shook his head. “Um, no, but I’ve seen them in the supermarket. I think I know how.”
“Okay, show me then.”
Sure enough, he did an excellent job, and I showed him how to place the pies on a baking sheet, then slip them into the hot oven. “They just need to brown, which doesn’t take long. If you aren’t careful, they’ll burn quickly.”
I went back to the cookies and began to stack them in trays, so Stevie just had to replenish the displays when they ran out. I heard the oven open and looked up as Arden pulled the pies out and placed them on the cooling racks. The color of the meringue was perfect.
“Okay,” I whispered to myself. Maybe this would work after all.
I showed Arden where to put all the food and even had Stevie help us bring in the cooling inventory. “That should keep you busy, Stevie, at least until I get back on Friday. Arden, you’ve got the job if you want it, provided you’ve given Essie everything she needs. Can you start Friday morning? I like to be here around five in the morning. Does that work?”
He smiled. “Yes… yes, thank you,” I glanced at his clean but worn clothes and almost said something about making sure he came ready to work but decided against it. He couldn’t help if he was living in his car, but I could tell he was a naturally clean person. If nothing else, his constant cleaning up around himself proved that.
“Okay, that’s it for today. Check with Essie to see if she needs anything else. If not, I’ll see you Friday morning.”
For a moment, it looked like the poor guy might break down, but he quickly got himself together, then turned to go back into the kitchen to find Essie.
“He’s a looker,” Stevie said, and I gave her a cocked eyebrow.
“Don’t make me have to HR you, Stevie.”
She laughed. “Just making an observation, boss.”
I chuckled and sent her back to put the desserts in the appropriate places to help her get through the rest of the day and tomorrow.
When I got home, Dupris was smiling from ear to ear. I sat next to her on the loveseat and bumped her shoulder. “Thanks, I think he’s going to be a great fit.”
She winked at me. I guess having a psychic on duty really was a good asset. Maybe more small businesses needed to hire them.
I knew when she left to go home that weekend, I was going to miss her something terrible. How had I developed so many close relationships in such a short time span? For someone who didn’t have friends, or at least not many before Rory arrived andchanged my life, it was a bit overwhelming. Amazing, fulfilling, but still overwhelming.
Chapter forty-nine
Rory
Eddie’s Sprits did better than I think any of us, except maybe Kalinda, anticipated. It became a proper tourist attraction, with people coming in not just for the booze but to buy the merch Bev had cleverly displayed throughout the store.
Because we specialized in moonshine, that also caught a lot of attention, and with Uncle Eddie’s legacy as a distributor, the word got out, causing us to become a popular stop among those who “missed the good ol’ days.”
Our home life was also good. Okay, not just good. It was amazing. I loved being with Mick. My heart was his in every possible way. Even though we were all busy working at the microdistillery, Mick was often at his bakery and restaurant. By the summer, we’d all fallen into a happy routine and the seasons sped by.
Unfortunately, there hadn’t been enough time to put Ida’s beloved gardens in this year, but she seemed to understand. As it was, we barely had enough time just to mow her huge lot.
