Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
She could do this, right? Twenty-four pies—how hard could it be? She’d made a dozen last year for the county fair. Doubling her output? Certainly doable.
Melinda piled another five pounds of flour and ten pounds of sugar onto the counter, along with a large jar of vanilla extract and a bottle of Karo Syrup. She added two containers of cocoa powder, her movements brisk and efficient.
“There you go, sweet pea. Have at it.” Melinda squeezed Tisha’s shoulder, her smile warm. “I’m so glad you’re doing this. A pie walk? What a great idea!”
“I hope so,” Tisha said. “I might’ve overcommitted.”
“You’re going to pull this off,” Melinda said. “And Tom and I are happy to donate the ingredients. Feel free to commit to making more than twelve pies if you’d like.”
Tisha gave her a look. “Did Chloe put you up to that?”
Melinda shrugged, her eyes gleaming. “Maybe.”
“Then I’m going to tell Chloe that I—that we—will donate twenty-four pies.”
“Perfect.” Melinda clapped her hands. “I’ll be right back with eggs and butter.”
Just then, Charlie walked in, twisting her hair into a bun. “Is all that for you?”
“Sure is.” Tisha tied her apron around her waist, then fished her phone out of her back pocket. “I committed to baking twelve pies, but Chloe seems to think twenty-four would be even better.”
“Wow. Somebody is going to be busy,” Charlie said.
Tisha quickly swiped through her social-media notifications.
Cami, her youngest sister, had commented on the photos Tisha had posted—her first post in ages.
The first photo featured her snow-angel selfie with Sadie outside the resort, smiling, and the second one was of her and Sadie’s mugs of cocoa, topped with giant dollops of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
“You sure are smiling this morning for a girl who has to make eleventy billion pies.” Charlie plated the last slice of coconut custard.
“Not eleventy billion,” Tisha said, her fingers tapping on the screen. She felt a flutter of guilt—was she really enjoying this too much? She added a comment to Cami’s.
Tisha
We snowshoed for the first time. Seven out of ten stars. But the hot cocoa? For sure a ten out of ten.
Cami must’ve read her comment in real time, because she quickly replied.
Cami
I’m so glad you’re getting settled and having fun. Love you!
Tisha’s heart warmed, and she typed, “Love you too,” and added a pink heart emoji before putting her phone away.
“Why are you extra happy these days?” Charlie asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. “I mean, I have nothing against happiness, of course.”
“Well, I guess because I’m feeling a little more settled here.
” Tisha hesitated, then pulled out her phone and showed Charlie the pictures.
“Not that everything’s perfect, by any means.
Sadie and her classmate Brody are supposed to collaborate, demonstrate some team-building skills, and work on communicating their feelings instead of getting angry.
So far, we’ve tried puzzles, snowshoeing, snuggled with some puppies, and enjoyed hot cocoa. ”
Charlie flashed her an amused look. “And how are you and the pilot getting along?”
“Fine. Why?”
“Well, he’s here.” Charlie gestured toward the counter. “I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you took his order and not me.”
“Oh!” She tucked her phone away, clearing her throat. She glanced at her purse hanging on the peg by the back door. Why did she suddenly feel the urge to refresh her lipstick?
Easy, there. Don’t get in over your head.
“Hey.” Charlie blocked her path, studying her face. “You look beautiful. He’s already so into you. I see you eyeing your purse. Don’t.” She gently turned Tisha back around. “Go be you. You’re awesome at it.”
“Aw. Thanks.” Tisha managed a smile, then brushed past Charlie and went out the swinging doors into the café.
Ethan sat at the counter, shrugging off his coat. Oh man. Suddenly, she realized she had a thing for waffle-print Henleys. Today’s version was slate blue, and he hadn’t shaved. The scruff along his jawline made her heart skip.
“Good morning,” she said, forcing her tone to be light.
“Hi.” Ethan leaned his elbows on the counter, his eyes searching her face. Warmth heated her skin.
He’s so into you.
Charlie’s comment echoed in her head as she reached for her pen and order pad. “What can I get you?”
“Well, I’ve got a quick trip up into the backcountry ahead of me, so why don’t we start this day with pie?” he replied, a playful glint in his eyes.
She peeked out the window. Snowflakes danced in the air, swirling in a soft white blanket. “You’re going to fly?” She pointed her pen toward the storm brewing outside, her mind racing with worry. “In this?”
He glanced over his shoulder, then back at her, his expression quizzical. “I’ve got to. We have clients up there. I’m scheduled to pick them up in an hour. Flying through snow is nothing new in Alaska.”
His mouth twitched, and he added, “You’re not worried about me, are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. Not at all.” But inside, doubt gnawed at her. “Tell me what you wanted to order again.”
“I need pie.”
“For breakfast?” She angled her head, trying to maintain her composure.
“You of all people should not be discouraging me from trying pie.”
“I’m just pleasantly surprised, is all.”
His gaze shifted to the wall over her shoulder, probably checking out the chalkboard menu. “What would you recommend?”
She tapped her pen against her cheek. “You know what? I’ve got just the thing. But it goes best with a glass of cold milk.”
“Really?” His tone was teasing, and she didn’t quite know what to do when his eyes lingered on her face a second too long.
“Trust me.” She turned and headed back into the kitchen, her thoughts a whirlwind.
Owen stepped away from the refrigerator, the door squeaking as he pushed it shut. “Lot of eggs in there, pie lady. What are you up to?”
“I have a lot of pies to make and bake, Owen. But there’s more than enough eggs to go around.”
“Indeed. Let me know if I can help.”
“I think I’m going to bake the crusts and freeze them ahead of time. It’s the only way. So if it’s all right with you, I’ll need some freezer space.”
“You got it. Plenty of room in there.”
“Thanks.” She felt the tension ease just a bit.
On the cooling rack sat her latest concoction, a funny cake.
Flaky pie crust, a chocolate fudge layer, with yellow cake on top and a swirl of chocolate mixed in.
Hopefully Ethan would love it. She poured a glass of milk, plated the pie-shaped cake while it was still warm, and carried the order out to him.
“Ta-da! Funny cake with a side of milk.” She set them both on the Formica countertop, her hands trembling slightly.
“Funny cake, huh? Never heard of it. And I thought I ordered pie.”
“My roommate at a pageant once was from Pennsylvania. Her mom had packed funny cakes for us—they’re a fairly common treat, I guess.
Anyway, carbs are so not allowed during a competition, but the other girls heard we had this dessert and flocked to our room.
It was amazing! Of course, when my mama found out, she was irate and told me McDowells didn’t do things like this… ”
Wincing, she trailed off. “Sorry, I’m oversharing, aren’t I?”
Lines at the corners of Ethan’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “I don’t mind if you overshare. Tell me what’s funny about this pie-slash-cake combo.”
“Funny in the sense that it’s odd. As opposed to humorous. It’s a pie with a crust, obviously, but there’s also a cake in the middle. And the best part? There’s a layer of gooey chocolate on the bottom.”
“Whoa, I’m in.”
She handed him a fork and a napkin, her heart racing as he took a bite. She stared, arms crossed, waiting. He closed his eyes, and as he chewed slowly, a smile spread across his face.
“That’s good stuff right there, pie lady.”
“Thank you.” She longed to stand there and chat longer, but more customers filed into the café.
A man sitting a few stools down from Ethan gave a polite wave. “Excuse me, can we place an order?”
“I’ll be right back,” she said, grabbing her notepad and the coffee carafe and scooting down the counter where a couple who’d only been in once waited to be served.
“I was gonna ask if you had any cinnamon rolls or coffee cake, but I think I’d like to try what he’s having.”
“Absolutely!” Tisha made a note on her pad. “And for you, ma’am?”
“I’ll have the same, please, but we both like coffee—extra cream and sugar.”
“You got it.”
After she brought them their servings of funny cake and poured two cups of coffee, she conveniently wandered back to where Ethan sat scrolling through his phone.
“Have you heard any more from your friend in Florida?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“No, not yet, and she’s gone radio silent. I’m sure she’s aggravated that I keep ignoring her calls.” He checked the time. “Thanks for the funny cake. It was awesome, and the milk as well. I’ve got to meet Luke in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” she said, her heart sinking. “Stay safe out there.”
“You bet.” He shrugged into his coat, his casual demeanor making her heart race. “And hey,” he added. “Don’t worry. I know we have a meeting today. I won’t miss it.”
“All right, see you then.”
He took his order slip to the cash register, paid, and with a wave, he was gone.
Charlie sidled up beside her. “Don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re staring.”
“Oh, I’m not—I’m not!” Tisha blurted, her cheeks heating. Again.
She turned and went back to the kitchen and measured out ingredients to start her next pie.
But thoughts of Ethan kept intruding. That smile could really make a girl think hard about her future, but that scared her to death.
Sure, they’d ended up having a good time together on Sunday, but a couple of outings in the snow did not a future make.