The next morning, Ava came in while Grandma and I were having more cake and tea.
“I want some cake,” she said, grabbing a plate and helping herself. She was wearing neon green tights and a paisley long shirt. Anyone would have seen her coming a mile away.
“And good morning to you too. I didn’t even hear you come in,” I snickered.
“I told her we should knock,” Delilah said, standing at the door. She was more subdued in brown corduroy pants and a teal sweater.
“No worries, come on in and grab some cake and tea. Sorry you have to see us in our PJs,” I said as Delilah came over and hugged me, then my grandma.
Ava and I had keys to each other’s places and were next-door neighbors. We typically rode into work together daily; Ava drove, and I kept my bike at the shop, so I could ride around the village on errands when there was time.
Ava reached around Grandma’s shoulder and gave her a sturdy squeeze and kissed her on her head. “How are you doing, Mama Opal?” Ava had called my grandma this as long as she could talk. Delilah beamed with pride watching Ava in a tender moment.
“I’m here, baby girl,” Grandma said softly, putting her hand on Ava’s cheek. Bobbi Jo popped up on the table in between them and reached her paw out to tap Ava.
“What the . . .” Ava bellowed. Bobbi Jo and Ava had a long history of squabbles. It was rather entertaining to watch. “Girl, you better check yourself.” Ava jerked her head back while Bobbi continued to reach for her. Ava gave in and picked her up reluctantly as Bobbi squirmed to be set free.
The kitchen door burst open and Aunt Fern and my mom, Patty, came bustling in, setting their large handbags on the counter and bickering about Aunt Fern’s driving. Delilah moved back toward the corner of the kitchen. Very smart.
“You nearly killed us,” my mom exclaimed wild-eyed.
“Overdramatic as always. Mom, do you remember when we were kids, and she used to cry when we rode our tricycles, and I’d bump into her?” Aunt Fern asked, facing Grandma Opal.
“Girls, you are too old to behave like children,” Grandma scolded.
“Who made pineapple upside down cake?” Aunt Fern asked.
“Fernie, I’m cutting you and Patty a piece now; grab some tea,” Ava said, winking at Delilah while hollering over the noise as Bobbi Jo finally freed herself and Ava turned to wash her hands.
“I want milk and sugar in mine,” Aunt Fern said, directing her comment to my mom. I caught a throbbing vein in mom’s neck. She grinned at me.
At this point, Lenny Lee, D.J. Lynn, and Sammy Jr. came strutting into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. Sammy Jr. was the wariest of the four cats, so he hid under the table as he observed my family reunion. I wanted to be under the table with him right now. I understood Delilah’s move to the corner.
Aunt Fern went nuts for Lenny Lee. She had four dogs, so she loved that Lenny had dog tendencies. Lenny was mistaken for a dog when found in a dumpster. The lady thought his paws looked like a puppy’s so she called the dog pound. Aunt Fern had gone to the pound to pick out a new dog and saw Lenny. She fell in love and brought him to my house, demanding I take him.
She grabbed his toy mouse and threw it; he ran, retrieved it, and brought it right back to her as she said, “Good boy, that’s Fernie’s good boy.”
Meanwhile, I caught my mom pulling Grandma into my living room. I’m sure she was checking on her after the shock of losing Ellie.
Ava took a sip of her tea and looked at me. “So, what are we going to do this week since the restaurant will be closed?”
“I was just thinking about that.”
Aunt Fern had heard and turned around. “Why don’t you run your business out of your kitchen, Jolie? Several of us will be working on the Best Paws Campaign for the adoption coming up in a few weeks. We will all be at the community center. I can talk to the mayor to see if we can order lunch and snacks for everyone from you.”
“That would be wonderful, and I’m sure the mayor will agree if you ask him,” I said, waggling my eyebrows at her.
Ava gave her ornery grin and mimicked Aunt Fern. “Oh, Mr. Mayor, I would be eternally grateful if you’d help out my poor dear niece, Jolie, this week.” Then she winked with her hands held up to her heart. Delilah giggled.
Aunt Fern got that stubborn bulldog look and shook her finger at us. “Just forget about it now. Try to do something nice for someone, and this is what you get!”
“Now, Fern, you behave and make sure you ask the mayor. Your family needs your help,” Grandma Opal said, walking back to her stool and grabbing a forkful of cake. She paused before taking a bite and, with a twinkle in her eye, added, “And make sure you wear blue, since that’s his favorite color.”
Aunt Fern crossed her arms and changed the subject, asking, “Has anyone visited Betsy? How is she doing?”
“Ava and I saw her yesterday; she came running through the crime scene trying to get to Ellie, but Teddy caught her. It was horrible. I feel so bad for her. I don’t know what to say,” I said.
“Yeah, Keith showed up, and he took her home. That new detective wanted to keep her there for questioning, but she wasn’t at the scene of the crime. That man has no manners,” Ava said.
“New detective?” Aunt Fern questioned.
“Detective Meiser, he’s from Tri-City; I’m guessing he’s in town for a few weeks—hopefully,” I said.
“Why do you say that?” Aunt Fern asked.
“Like Ava said, he’s rude. Doesn’t talk much.”
“Your stepdad was reserved too,” Mom said.
I jerked my head back like I’d been slapped. I didn’t like comparing the detective to my stepdad, who I held on a pedestal.
“Wait, is he tall, with thick wavy brown hair, and big brown eyes, square, strong jaw?” Grandma Opal asked as Ava, Mom, Aunt Fern, and I stood mouths open, looking at her.
“Um ...yeah, Mama Opal, how’d you know?” Ava asked.
“I saw him at the credit union the other day; he was in front of me in line,” she said.
“Well, I guess I should have known you are a stickler for details in a man’s appearance since you seem to know the mayor’s favorite color is blue,” Aunt Fern said in payback to Grandma’s dig at her and the mayor.
“He did have nice hair,” I said, “unusually thick.”
“Hmmm ...so, no more crush on Keith?” Ava asked.
“Oh shush, I just happen to notice anyone with thick hair. It’s called hair envy,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get some volume.
“Keith has nice hair too,” Grandma said. She’s always rooted for us. Ellie, on the other hand, never seemed to think Keith was good enough for me. Ellie told me once that Keith reminded her of my biological father—this was one possible reason why I feared relationships, not to mention messed up any chance I ever had with Keith.
“So, Aunt Fern, you are going to talk to the mayor about us cooking for the Best Paws volunteers this week, right?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of it.” “Great, thanks,” I said, then added as an afterthought, “Grandma, did you ever tell Ellie where I kept the family recipes?”
“She knew you kept them in the kitchen of your shop, but I never told her about the tile. Why?”
“I don’t know exactly. It’s just strange that the recipes went missing and then Ellie was found behind our restaurant.”
“What are you thinking?” Ava asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I plan to visit Betsy this afternoon to see how she is doing.” I intended to see if she could help me shed some light on this.