Chapter 14
“Well, I think I’ve baked enough to fill the display case for three days.” Adeline untied the apron from around her waist and hung it on the hook. “I’m hungry.”
“I could eat as well,” Princess Muffin Top said from the counter where she’d been watching Adeline bake for the last few hours.
Adeline glanced at the clock on the wall. “Wow, it’s almost five. I had no idea I’d been baking for that long.”
Princess Muffin Top sighed dramatically. “You just didn’t know I could be silent that long. Admit it.”
Adeline laughed. “I didn’t say that!” She sobered and reached over to scratch behind the cat’s ears. “But thank you for having my back today. You’re the best.”
Princess Muffin Top sat up straighter, her eyes gleaming. “I cannot wait to tell Emory tomorrow that you have finally admitted I am the best friend you’ve ever had.”
“Stop it! You know you’re both my best friends.”
“There can be only one. And I am it.”
Adeline shook her head and walked over to the display case.
She pulled out a Bad-Day Brownie and took a huge bite.
The chocolate was rich and dark, and the magic hit her almost immediately...
a warm, gentle wave that loosened the knot in her chest and shoulders and reminded her that bad days didn’t last forever.
Her kitchen witch magic had taken. Sometimes when she was too emotional, it made her magic unstable.
The brownies wouldn’t lift spirits, the scones wouldn’t soothe, the cinnamon rolls wouldn’t trigger memories.
But her latest batch of brownies were working.
“So what can I get you to eat?” Adeline asked.
“A can of that cheap tuna you keep on hand is fine,” Princess Muffin Top said, examining her front paw with exaggerated indifference.
Adeline laughed. “That is the most expensive tuna you can buy on the market!”
“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.”
Adeline set her brownie down, got out the tuna, and dumped it into a porcelain bowl before setting it on the counter. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”
“About what happened today?”
“No. I don’t want to go there right now.” She washed her hands and returned to her stool. “I’ve been thinking about the vandalism.”
Princess Muffin Top looked up from her tuna. “What about it?”
“It has to be someone who knows what’s going on. What we’re protesting, when we’re protesting, when the crew is scheduled to work. Someone close to the situation.”
“Okay. We pretty much figured that out already.”
“And it has to be someone with knowledge of machinery. Specifically bulldozers.” Adeline took another bite of her brownie. “Do you know how to disconnect a battery cable from a bulldozer?”
Princess Muffin Top snorted. “No. Although I feel I must point out that I am a brilliant and beautiful cat, so I’m sure I could figure it out if properly motivated.”
“I’m sure you could,” Adeline deadpanned. “But here’s the thing. Do you remember what Mrs. Abernathy said yesterday at the sit-in?”
Princess Muffin Top tilted her head. “She said a lot of things yesterday. She also sang half the Elvis catalog with me, which I appreciate.”
“She said something about the new-model Cats having the battery tucked up behind the hydraulic reservoir.”
“I don’t even know what those words mean.”
Adeline laughed. “Neither do I. Which proves my point.”
Princess Muffin Top looked up from her tuna and nodded. “Oh, I see now. How would a ninety-seven-year-old knitting witch know where the battery is on a modern bulldozer?”
“Exactly.”
Princess Muffin Top frowned. “Why would she do it? And why would she let you take the blame?”
“I don’t think she meant for me to take the blame.
I think she just...did what she thought was right and didn’t think about the consequences.
” Adeline rubbed her temples. “She’s been at every protest. She cares about the squish-squids.
She cares about the marsh. And she clearly knows more about heavy equipment machinery than a woman who knits tiny squid sweaters should. ”
“Only one way to know for sure,” Princess Muffin Top said. “Go ask her.”
Adeline reached for her cell phone. “Maybe I should tell Mason first.”
“Not until you know for sure,” Princess Muffin Top said firmly. “If you’re wrong, you’ve just accused a ninety-seven-year-old woman of vandalism. And if you’re right...” The cat paused. “Well, if you’re right, you’ll need to figure out what you want to do about it before the wolf gets involved.”
Adeline set the phone down. Princess Muffin Top was right. She needed to talk to Mrs. Abernathy first. Face to face. It was the right thing to do.
A knock on the bakery door made them both jump.
“Crap!” Adeline hissed. She could see Mason’s silhouette through the glass. “What do I do?”
“Answer the door,” Princess Muffin Top said calmly. “Act normal.” She snickered. “Normal for you. And then after he leaves, we’ll go talk to the Abernathy witch.”
“Be normal. Right.” Adeline brushed the brownie crumbs off her fingertips, touched her messy knot to make sure it was still secure, and walked to the door. She unlocked it and pulled it open.
Mason stood on the sidewalk in jeans and a dark short-sleeved shirt. “Hey. I was driving past and saw the lights on. Figured you’d at least take one day off.”
She stepped aside to let him in. “Normally I do, but I had an emotional afternoon. Baking helps.”
His eyes went wide as he took in the display case, now overflowing with every baked good she offered. “You weren’t kidding.”
“It was a very emotional afternoon,” she corrected.
He turned to face her, and the humor faded from his eyes. “You okay?”
Adeline wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. “Nothing new, to be honest. My grandmother summoned me for lunch. Three courses of lecture, followed by a dessert of disapproval.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He took a step closer. “I’ll ask again. You okay?”
She forced a smile. “Yes. I’ve learned to be okay.”
He frowned and tucked a flyaway behind her ear. “What does that mean?”
“There’s a lot to unpack with my parents’ death and growing up with a demanding grandmother. The pressure she puts on me for being a founding member of the town. Sometimes it gets to be too much, and I need to step back and bake.” She gestured at the overflowing cases. “Hence...all this.”
“I wasn’t aware both your parents were dead. I’m sorry.” He ran his finger gently down her cheek. “You’re an amazing woman, Adeline Beaumont. You really are.”
She winced internally, but did her best to make it look like a smile.
He had no idea she was wrestling with what to do about Mrs. Abernathy.
The guilt sat in her stomach like a stone.
Here he was, being kind, being present, being everything she wanted in a man...
and she was keeping something huge from him.
“Well,” she said, straightening up, “I think I’m done here for the day.”
“I should go myself.” He gave her a small smile. “I have some paperwork to see to. I’ve had a busy five days and have two arrest reports still to fill out.” He leaned in and gently brushed his lips across hers. “Take care of yourself, Adeline.”
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Princess Muffin Top demanded from the counter. “Do you not see me here, Wolf Boy? I’ve been providing your girl with emotional support all day, and I don’t even get a goodnight?”
Mason grinned. “Goodnight, Princess Muffin Top.”
“That’s better.” The cat sniffed and waved a paw through the air. “You may leave now.”
Mason laughed, gave Adeline one last look that made her chest ache, and headed for the door. The bell chimed as it closed behind him, and Adeline stood in the middle of her bakery, feeling pulled in two directions.
“Ready?” Princess Muffin Top asked.
Adeline grabbed her keys before she changed her mind. “Ready.”
“For the record,” Princess Muffin Top said as they headed for the door, “if Mrs. Abernathy really did all that glitter damage, she has excellent taste. That shade of pink was gorgeous.”
Adeline locked the bakery behind them and climbed into the Beetle Bus.
The weather was beautiful, and she could hear the call of the seagulls overhead.
But all Adeline could think about was the sweet old woman who knitted tiny sweaters for squish-squids, and who apparently knew her way around a bulldozer.
She put the Beetle in gear and headed for Seaside Rest and Care.