A fateful plateful, p.26
A Fateful Plateful, page 26
The atmosphere in the bakery deflated as everyone watched their prime target retreat and disappear out of reach of their barbs. Lorrie Sturm gave Erin a glare, understanding that Erin had intentionally removed Vic from the line of fire.
“It was so kind of you to go to Moose River with Vic,” Mary Lou commented. She took a sip of her tea. She had not taken any of the cookies, always mindful of her figure. “You are always looking for ways to help people.”
Erin’s face warmed at the compliment. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. It was true; she did the best she could to help those in need. But she was too modest to like having this brought to everyone else’s attention. She shrugged and looked away. “Thank you.”
+++
Conversations shifted and the focus moved away from Erin and Vic, since they would not indulge the women’s interests. After draining a cup or two of tea, the ladies started looking at their watches and excusing themselves. Bella hovered as her mother made movements toward the front door.
“Can I help you clean up, Erin? We can wait for a few minutes.”
“No, it’s okay,” Erin assured her. “There’s not much to do. I’ll see you next week.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. Take care. Thanks for coming, Cindy,” Erin raised her voice slightly to acknowledge Cindy’s departure as well. Not a “see you soon,” but more of a “don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”
Bella gave Erin a grin and scurried after her mother. Mary Lou was the last to leave, though usually she was one of the first, staying for just long enough to satisfy the others that she had made an effort.
“You can tell Vic that it’s safe to come out now,” Mary Lou said dryly. She patted her iron gray bob, though she didn’t have a hair out of place.
Erin acknowledged this with a smile. “Vic! All clear!”
Vic poked her head out the door and looked around. She nodded at Mary Lou. “Sorry about that,” she apologized, her cheeks growing pink. “It was a longer call than I expected.”
Erin gave an unladylike snort. “Hopefully, by next week, they’ll have moved on to other things. Or maybe you should give someone else the shift next week. They’re bound to have something else to gossip about in two whole weeks.”
“Maybe I will,” Vic agreed.
Mary Lou gazed at Vic for a moment in silence. “I do wish you the best with your family,” she said eventually. “I hope that... y’all will find some peace.”
“Thanks.” Vic blinked, her eyes swimming with tears. “I hope that too.”
Mary Lou nodded once, smoothed invisible wrinkles on her pants, and left the bakery. Erin flipped the sign to “closed” and locked the bolt on the door without a word, and they each moved quietly around each other to gather up the few things that needed to be put away.
“I swear, I thought things would be better this week,” Erin sighed. “I thought that giving them a couple of weeks would head off any problems.”
“Things must be too quiet in Bald Eagle Falls.” Vic swiped at the corners of her eyes when she thought Erin wasn’t looking. “We’ll have to stir up some trouble!”
Cut Out Cookie, #17 in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series by P.D. Workman can be purchased at pdworkman.com
ALSO BY P.D. WORKMAN
FIND MORE BOOKS AT PDWORKMAN.COM
* * *
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE:
* * *
Auntie Clem’s Bakery
Gluten-Free Murder
Dairy-Free Death
Allergen-Free Assignation
Witch-Free Halloween (Halloween Short)
Dog-Free Dinner (Christmas Short)
Stirring Up Murder
Brewing Death
Coup de Glace
Sour Cherry Turnover
Apple-achian Treasure
Vegan Baked Alaska
Muffins Masks Murder
Tai Chi and Chai Tea
Santa Shortbread
Cold as Ice Cream
Changing Fortune Cookies
Hot on the Trail Mix
Fateful Plateful
Cut Out Cookie (Coming Soon)
On the Slab Pie (Coming Soon)
Recipes from Auntie Clem's Bakery
* * *
Reg Rawlins, Psychic Detective
What the Cat Knew
A Psychic with Catitude
A Catastrophic Theft
Night of Nine Tails
Telepathy of Gardens
Delusions of the Past
Fairy Blade Unmade
Web of Nightmares
A Whisker's Breadth
Skunk Man Swamp
Magic Ain't A Game
Without Foresight
Careful of Thy Wishes
Time to Your Elf
Undiscovered Tomb
Missing Powers (Coming Soon)
Thrice Spared (Coming Soon)
* * *
Zachary Goldman Mysteries
She Wore Mourning
His Hands Were Quiet
She Was Dying Anyway
He Was Walking Alone
They Thought He was Safe
He Was Not There
Her Work Was Everything
She Told a Lie
He Never Forgot
She Was At Risk
He Drowned in Memory (Coming Soon)
Their Walls Were Empty (Coming Soon)
They Came for Him (Coming Soon)
* * *
Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thrillers
Unlawful Harvest
Doctored Death
Dosed to Death
Gentle Angel
* * *
Parks Pat Mysteries
Out with the Sunset
Long Climb to the Top
Dark Water Under the Bridge
Immersed in the View
Skimming Over the Lake
Hazard of the Hills
* * *
High-Tech Crime Solvers Series
Virtually Harmless
* * *
Cowritten with D. D. VanDyke
California Corwin P. I. Mystery Series
The Girl in the Morgue
* * *
Stand Alone Suspense Novels
Looking Over Your Shoulder
Lion Within
Pursued by the Past
In the Tick of Time
Loose the Dogs
* * *
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
* * *
Medical Kidnap Files:
Mito
EDS
Proxy
Toxo
Pain
Fail (Coming Soon)
* * *
Between the Cracks:
Ruby
June and Justin
Michelle
Chloe
Ronnie
June, Into the Light
* * *
Tamara’s Teardrops:
Tattooed Teardrops
Two Teardrops
Tortured Teardrops
Vanishing Teardrops
* * *
Breaking the Pattern:
Henry
Sandy
Bobby
* * *
Stand Alone YA novels
Stand Alone
Don’t Forget Steven
Those Who Believe
Cynthia has a Secret
Questing for a Dream
Darkness before the Dream (prequel story)
Once Brothers
Intersexion
Making Her Mark
Endless Change
Gem, Himself, Alone
* * *
AND MORE AT PDWORKMAN.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author P.D. (Pamela) Workman writes riveting mystery/suspense and young adult books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other real-life issues. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure and from a very young age she was trying to write her own books.
* * *
Workman wrote her first complete novel at the age of twelve and continued to write as a hobby for many years. She started publishing in 2013. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She currently has over 80 published titles and can be found at pdworkman.com.
* * *
Born and raised in Alberta, Workman has been married for over 25 years and has one son.
Please visit P.D. Workman at pdworkman.com to see what else she is working on, to join her mailing list, and to link to her social networks.
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P.D. Workman, A Fateful Plateful
