Page 8 of Gumdrops and Garland
I hated that nickname growing up, but now that Lance is the only one who calls me it, I’m learning to love it.
She snorted and almost choked on the cake. “Where did you come up with the recipe? Just a pound cake with the gumdrops added?”
“Essentially, but the recipe is slightly different. Also, the gumdrops are special ones that have to be chopped and then coated in flour, so they don’t sink or melt during baking.”
“Sounds like all good skills for the kids to learn. I like the glaze. Cherry?”
“Yep,” I agreed, “but you can use any fruit. Orange or strawberry would be good too. I was thinking about bringing it to the meeting in a couple of days and letting Ivy test it out. If she gives us the go ahead, should we make it our holiday cake for the year?”
“Let’s see.” She tapped her chin twice. “Yes!” she exclaimed with laughter. “The kids working here will love making it, and the kids of Bells Pass will love eating it. I know it will be a bestseller. I can’t wait to tell Holly that you made a cake with gumdrops. She still talks about the time you went to the candy store and came back with every kind of fruit snack they sold just so the two of you could taste them all.”
I snickered and gave her the palms out. “What can I say? I love me some gumdrops. I grew up on them. Fruit and spiced. I can’t figure out how to make a spiced cake that will go with the flavor of a spiced gumdrop, but give me time and I will.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” she agreed, pulling bread from the oven and transferring in new pans. I helped her get the hot pans on the cooling rack and then pointed behind me. “I have some work to do in the office. Do you just want to yell if you need me?”
“Sure thing,” she agreed, starting to clean up the flour from the bench. “I’m just waiting for the bread to finish and then I will wait for Katrina to get here to help her with the donuts.”
“Great, I was hoping to get done a little early today so I can get Michelle’s craft room cleaned out.”
Her head cocked. “You’re cleaning out Michelle’s craft room?”
“It’s also the guest room, and Lance hasn’t had time to do it, so I offered. I could tell it was more like he couldn’t bring himself to do it. I was right, and he took me up on the offer immediately. I don’t want to wait too long to get it done.”
“That makes sense,” she agreed, her head bobbing. “I’m sure it’s hard for him to have to go through all of the things she loved and try to decide what to get rid of and what to keep.”
I shrugged and untied my apron. “I think it’s more the idea that once he does it all, he has to admit that her death is final.” I noticed the look on her face, and held up my hand. “I mean, he knows her death is final, but getting rid of her favorite things makes it real. He’s not trying to rid her from the house entirely. He just doesn’t want to look at her personal effects that she will never use again. Does that make sense?”
“When you put it that way, yes. You’re a good friend for helping him with it. Go on and I’ll holler if I need anything.” I reached for the cake, and she slapped my hand playfully. “That stays.”
I chuckled and held up both hands, backing away slowly. “It’s all yours. Take some home to Holly and please, record her reaction. I know it will be priceless.”
“You got it,” she said, laughing with me.
I jogged to the office and closed the door. After I brewed a cup of coffee in my personal brewer, I sat down at my desk and pulled the calendar and my notepad over by me.
It was interesting that Mel mentioned the change in my attitude since I’d moved in with Lance. Getting consistent sleep over the last week had helped my mental health more than I realized it would. Knowing I had a safe place to go home to every night without driving down a dark highway alone was comforting. I got my work done faster and found it easier to smile and engage with the customers and other employees.
It was so unfortunate that there was such limited low-income or single person apartments in the town. Most of the properties were single family homes and the few apartments scattered about were either rented or unfit for human occupancy. Everyone thinks living in a small town is idyllically romantic, but there are always parts of those small towns that are problematic. For Bells Pass, it’s affordable housing. Cameron was working with the city to clean up the uninhabitable properties and make them habitable again besides his work with the nursing home renovations. He won the literal lottery and has used his winnings to better the community. Last year, his now fiancé Becca, was living in a condemned shack on the outskirts of town, unbeknownst to everyone. He’s made it his mission since to make sure no one else suffers the same fate. Unfortunately, those things take time, so when I found myself without a place, I was still out of luck.
Until Lance came along as my knight in shining armor. Okay, so maybe his armor was a little dull right now, but one day he’d get his shine back.
I shook my head and forced myself to concentrate on the pad of paper in front of me. I only had today and tomorrow to finalize my plans and get them ready to present to Ivy at the meeting on Wednesday. I wanted to knock her socks off with the idea, so I had better do it right.
Chapter Four
After a week of having Indigo in my house, I decided that it might be easier living alone than living with her. Not that she was hard to live with, or that I even saw her that much. It was just that her essence was everywhere in my house, and I could never get away from it. Like when the scent of her vanilla body wash fills the hallways of the house and eventually drifts into my bedroom where I lay awake, trying not to think about her.
The way she’s made the guest bedroom, the room that was only ever used for my mom’s crafts, into her space. She brought little with her, yet, somehow, she had made it her own. She had a handmade quilt over the bed now, and when it laid across her tiny figure, she looked no bigger than a child. Sometimes, when I came home from work and she was asleep with her door open, I’d steal a few minutes to gaze at her. She really was a perfect ten in a small-town beauty kind of way. When her face relaxed in sleep, I noticed how her long lashes brushed her cheeks. I couldn’t help but notice that her rounded, dainty nose was dwarfed by her thick, succulent, and curvy lips. For someone as tiny as she was, she sure wore a pair of lips to rival anyone’s.
For those reasons, and many more, I was sure that living alone would be easier. I laughed at myself.Nice try, Lance.You love having her there, even when it tortures you.My inner voice was right. I did love having her at the house, and not because she made everything feel less lonely. Eventually, I would have to get used to living alone. Having her at the house reminded me of the old days when we were kids and she was hanging out with me all the time. She brought back all those memories of my mom that I’d forgotten about over the years.
Her car was parked in the driveway as I walked up the sidewalk and a smile turned my lips upward. She was off tomorrow, so that meant she’d be awake when I walked through those doors. It was only four o’clock, so I was hoping she’d let me cook a meal to share before taking a walk in the park. It was already November tenth, so there wouldn’t be much time to do that before snow blanketed the streets and sidewalk.
I turned the handle on the door and wasn’t surprised when it pushed open. I closed it behind me, kicked off my shoes, and patted the table as a silent hello to my mother. I hated how quiet the house was when I came home. I could picture a dog running to greet me with his tail wagging. Maybe after Indigo left, I’d think about a pet. Mom always said we didn’t have time for one. She was probably right. Then and now. It wouldn’t be fair to leave a dog home alone for sixteen hours a day. Maybe I should start with a cat.
I chuckled at myself and walked into the house, taking the stairs two at a time and calling out from the end of the hallway. “I’m home, Indigo.” I never wanted to scare her or make her think someone had broken in, so I always announced myself. When I reached her room, she sat on her bed, craft supplies strewn around her, and a book in her hand.
“Hi,” she said without looking up. “How was your day.”