Cathy arrived at Karen Wanke’s house to the sound of a yapping dog and ice forming on the front steps. With one hand on the white wooden railing, leading to the Cape Cod style house, she carefully climbed up to the periwinkle front door.
“Willy! Down, boy.” Karen opened the door and a hyperactive Russell Terrier with brown ears and gray spots ran out to sniff Cathy’s boots.
“His name’s Willy?” Cathy asked. “Willy Wanke? As in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?”
“Yep.” Karen lifted the small dog and tucked him into her side, probably so she didn’t get dog hair on her Cupcake Lady apron. “Come on in.”
Cathy hadn’t been inside Karen’s home in years. Yet it hadn’t changed much with its eclectic style. It was adorable and felt lived-in. “Thank you so much for meeting with me.”
“No worries, but as I said, I’ll need to chat in the kitchen. I’m working.” She set Willy on the floor then patted toward the kitchen at the back of the house.
The smell of fresh vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate, and everything else yummy swirled to her nose, testing her willpower. “They all smell so delicious. Who are these for?”
“They’re for the seniors. I promised Trianna I’d drop them by the recreation center around noon tomorrow when they have their bingo tournament.”
“Not right now, but that’s awful nice of you. Do they pay you for that?”
Karen shook her head and pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Oh, these few won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Besides, I like to visit with Frank and the rest of the old dogs.” She chuckled. “That’s what they’ve branded themselves. It’s also a tasting for Trianna and Sheriff Mason since I’ll be handling their wedding in a few days.”
Cathy thought back to the conversations she’d had with the couple over their wedding plans and didn’t recall approving cupcakes. She opened her mouth to protest, but noticed a cupcake with perfect white frosting and beading on top, next to a chocolate one with a tuxedo strawberry. It looked adorable. Besides, she had too many other things to worry about right now. “I think that’s lovely.”
Karen picked up a piping bag and started squeezing frosting that appeared to have crushed Oreos in it onto a cupcake. “Really? You’re not going to tell me how it’s a huge mistake for them to serve cupcakes at their wedding? Are you feeling okay?”
“Don’t be silly.” Cathy waved at her dismissively. “Listen, I need to ask you for a favor.”
Karen set the bag on the counter and sprinkled more crushed cookies on top. “Sure. Shoot.”
“Well, since you work as secretary at the church, I thought you’d be able to help me organize a fundraiser and bone marrow matching program.” At Karen’s stunned look, she hurried to continue. “You see, little Amelia is sick. She has Leukemia. I read up on it and it looks like she might have to do chemo and a bone marrow transplant.”
Karen rested her hands against the counter and leaned over. “I’m so sorry. That’s horrible news, but isn’t Amelia too young for a bone marrow transplant?”
“No. It’s hard to find a donor, though. The best match is usually a sibling, but that might be hard to locate. I’m going to try to contact that awful Mark from New York to see if I can find any of his offspring, but I doubt he’ll cooperate.”
“Based on his behavior when Lisa was in the hospital, I’d say that’ll be an impossible task. Besides, didn’t he want her to get an abortion?”
Cathy nodded. “Yeah. He made it clear he didn’t want kids, but even if there’s a slim chance, I’ve got to try. That’s why I need your help with a fundraiser I want to hold during the Final Day of Shopping event on December 23rd. Everyone from several towns over will be here. I’m also going to call the girls from the Red Hat Society, my friend at the mayor’s office, and see if Sheriff Mason can get the police, fire and rescue to help. You know everyone loves Judy Benjamin. I’m sure the entire town will pull together if they know what’s going on.”
Karen cocked an eyebrow. “Does Judy know you’re going to tell the entire town about Amelia? Do Lisa and Eric know?”
Cathy huffed. “This is about saving a little girl’s life.”
Karen sighed, moved around the kitchen island to stand next to Cathy, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you’re not trying to save the day to make up for all those years you kept that secret from Judy about James being alive?”
Cathy stepped back and narrowed her gaze. “Don’t be silly. That’s water under the bridge.”
The oven beeped, drawing Karen’s attention. “I can set up something at the church and circulate an email chain. There has to be a match somewhere in this town, but we’ll get the word out to all of Tennessee just in case. Besides, treatment can be expensive and they’ll need all the help they can get. I’m pretty sure we can raise some good money for Amelia.”
“I think so, too.” Cathy smiled then glanced longingly at the cupcake. “Hey, does your offer for a cupcake still stand?”
“Sure. I was afraid I was losing my touch. You’re looking awful skinny these days, though.”
“It’s not for me. Devon’s watching the shop and I thought I’d take him a cupcake as a thank you.”
Karen took out a small cardboard box and folded it into a square. “Who’s Devon? I don’t recall anyone by that name being in town.”
“He’s new here. I just thought I should give him something as thanks for helping out while I came here to talk to you.”
Karen gestured to the completed cupcakes on the counter and Cathy pointed to the cookie one she’d been working on.
“Based on that look on your face, this Devon’s a lucky man.”
“What?” Cathy slapped her hand to her chest. “Don’t be absurd.”
Karen handed her the box, the cupcake tucked safely inside. “If you say so.”
Cathy huffed then turned on her heel. “Let me know when you send the email and I’ll do research on how to do the bone marrow matching.”
“Sounds good. Maybe I’ll stop by and meet this Devon tomorrow on my way to the rec center. My husband’s still up in Canada for work, so I have plenty of time. I’d like to meet our newcomer and see what’s got Cathy Mitchell in such a state.” She smirked as she ushered Cathy out the door while keeping one foot in front of Willy. “Talk to you tomorrow.” She shut the door before Cathy could object.
“How rude,” Cathy muttered as she made her way down the damp street. Luckily, the ice hadn’t gotten any worse. It had taken her awhile to go home, make her calls then get to Karen’s. The sky was darker now. She glanced down at her watch, shocked to find she’d been gone for three hours.
She hopped into Judy’s car and barreled down the street back toward Main. The crowds had all but disappeared from town, and with the icy weather, they likely wouldn’t be back. She’d go ahead and close up shop then head to dinner with Devon. He’d been so kind all day. The least she could do was oblige him.
A part of her wanted to believe that Becca was just a problem child who’d run away from home without just cause. But she didn’t know either of them well enough yet to decide who was lying and who was telling the truth. Perhaps the entire thing was a misunderstanding. If so, she’d do what she could to bring those two back together.
Devon certainly had his moments, but when he let go of his arrogant player persona, she found him sweet, sincere, and handsome. The orchid he’d bought for her was exquisite, and how many men would remember it was her favorite flower, or pay that much for it?
She cringed at the thought of how much it must have cost. In her financial situation, it would have been better for him to pay the property taxes on her house than given her a flower. But for once, frugality didn’t win out and her heart warmed at the thought of the gesture. Perhaps she’d judged him too harshly. After all, her late husband had never bought her flowers. Of course, he’d invested all their money in high risk stocks and lost almost all of it before his death, leaving her with little income. She’d hated him for it for a while, then she let the anger go and realized they’d had a good life. He’d provided for her until the end. Perhaps if he was still alive they could’ve worked out their money problems somehow.
As desperate as she was, she couldn’t bear to tell anyone. It was too embarrassing. Her and her husband had always been well off and she couldn’t stand to face the pitying gazes when folks discovered her house was on the market for owing back taxes on the property. The thought of losing her home made her sad, but she reminded herself that things could be worse and concentrated on something she could control.
Amelia would get that transplant and they’d raise enough money to ease the financial burden Lisa and Eric would soon be faced with. But first, she wanted to give Devon his cupcake. It wasn’t much, but it was her own way of telling him she’d stop judging him so harshly and give him a chance.
Sheriff Mason drove down Main Street toward her and rolled to a stop, his hand rotating to indicate she should open her window.
She stopped beside his car and put her window down. “What’s going on, sheriff?”
“Just wanted to tell you to get off the road. The county doesn’t have salt or sand yet, so the icy conditions are going to be a problem. You’ll need to park your car here and walk. There’s black ice at the end of the street. I was just about to rope it off.”
“I need to get back to J & L Antiques first,” Cathy said, pointing in the direction of the shop.
“I’ve already told all the shop owners, diner and coffee house to shut down until the sun’s up in the morning. School’s been canceled for tomorrow, too. More rain is heading this way and with this temperature it won’t take long for the roads to be a mess.”
“Understood. I’ll just lock up and head home. Good luck tonight. If you get stuck out here or need something, my door’s always open.”
“Thanks, Cathy. I appreciate that. You’ve always been my number one deputy.” He smiled before pulling away.
Cathy liked that man. He was honest and hardworking. It broke her heart when his first wife left him. But Trianna would make a great wife. A challenge for sure, but a great wife.
With the town deserted, she had her pick of parking spaces. Getting out of the car, she spotted the front door to the antique shop ajar. Her heart stuttered at the sight. With a tentative step, she snuck up to the side of the building and peeked through the window.
Devon sat with his head in his hands at the table. She rushed inside, with her pepper spray key chain in hand, and glanced around. “Everything okay in here?”
Devon lifted his head, a look of desperation on his face. “I’m going to lose her. Again.”