noticed her chilly expression thawed a bit. "Is my granddaughter here this morning?"
"Not yet," Flo answered, "but I expect she'll meet Slim for breakfast."
As if on cue, Natalie strolled in and gave everyone a bright smile. "Good morning, everyone." But then she spotted her grandmother and her spine slumped. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?"
"Is that any way to greet your own flesh and blood?" Mrs. Mason replied. "I came here to speak to you, since you do not have the decency to return my calls."
"I thought Natalie lived with her grandma," I whispered to Flo.
"They had a fight, so she's been spending a lot of time with Slim," Flo replied.
Mrs. Mason said, "I'd like a cinnamon roll when you two are done gossiping."
"The cinnamon rolls aren't done yet," I told Flo. "What are we going to do?"
"Improvise," she said. And that's exactly what we did. I managed to keep Mrs. Mason happy by promising her a free cinnamon roll, once they came out of the oven.
About an hour later, I was in the kitchen, taking out the second batch of rolls, when I heard the back door open, and then Slim's cheerful whistling filled the kitchen.
"Daisy, you're a lifesaver," he said. "Could I trouble you for a cup of coffee from the front?"
I nearly dropped the pan. "Sure, Slim."
"I'll frost the rolls while you do that. Extra cream, please."
I hurried to the front, where Flo was manning the cash register.
"He's here," I said. "And he's whistling."Slim was not a whistler.
"Did he say anything?" she asked me as she handed change to the customer. We kept our eyes focused on his back as he exited the restaurant, but I knew we were both dying to stare in the direction of the kitchen. Invisible man or not, my curiosity was killing me. Where had Slim been and why was he so cheerful?
"Just thanks and that he'd like a cup of coffee."
"Slim's back?" That from Natalie.
Flo and I exchanged glances. Not to be shallow, but dating an invisible man was bound to be complicated. I waited until Natalie was out of earshot.
"What's going on with Slim?"
"He's doing some undercover work for the council. It must be going well, because he's in a better mood than I've seen him all month."
"Deep undercover, obviously." I giggled.
"Something about the doppelgangers," Flo said quietly, after a quick glance at Mrs. Mason, who seemed absorbed in her breakfast. "That's all I know. He's being secretive." She slammed the cash register drawer shut.
I paused. "I think someone may be on to him," I whispered. Then I told her about discovering Deputy Doppelganger in the diner earlier that morning.
"Maybe he just wanted some pie," Flo replied, eying the empty dessert display case.
"Maybe," I said. "But things looked out of place in the office and there were candy wrappers all over Slim's desk."
She frowned. "It's probably nothing," she finally said, "but you should mention it to Slim, just in case. But not in front of Natalie."
"Okay. I'd better get back there." I grabbed a couple of mugs and filled them with coffee before hurrying back to the kitchen.
I handed Slim his cup, then remembered. "I forgot your cream."
"Don't worry about it, Daisy. There's milk in the walk-in."
I remembered Flo's advice and gave Slim a quick rundown of what I'd observed that morning. I was too busy to dwell on Slim's extracurricular activities any longer, but I did notice that throughout the morning, nothing got to him. Not when I overcooked Mr. Bone's steak and scrambled instead of fried his eggs, not when Flo broke a half-dozen plates, and not even when the dishwasher called in sick. Slim just kept whistling.
It was kind of annoying, actually, especially when Natalie kept shooting him lovesick looks when she thought no one was watching.
After my shift was over, I found a message on my cell from Rose, telling me to hurry home.
When I walked into the living room, Grandma Giordano was there. My grandma was tall and thin, with deep-set brown eyes. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of
"Not yet," Flo answered, "but I expect she'll meet Slim for breakfast."
As if on cue, Natalie strolled in and gave everyone a bright smile. "Good morning, everyone." But then she spotted her grandmother and her spine slumped. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?"
"Is that any way to greet your own flesh and blood?" Mrs. Mason replied. "I came here to speak to you, since you do not have the decency to return my calls."
"I thought Natalie lived with her grandma," I whispered to Flo.
"They had a fight, so she's been spending a lot of time with Slim," Flo replied.
Mrs. Mason said, "I'd like a cinnamon roll when you two are done gossiping."
"The cinnamon rolls aren't done yet," I told Flo. "What are we going to do?"
"Improvise," she said. And that's exactly what we did. I managed to keep Mrs. Mason happy by promising her a free cinnamon roll, once they came out of the oven.
About an hour later, I was in the kitchen, taking out the second batch of rolls, when I heard the back door open, and then Slim's cheerful whistling filled the kitchen.
"Daisy, you're a lifesaver," he said. "Could I trouble you for a cup of coffee from the front?"
I nearly dropped the pan. "Sure, Slim."
"I'll frost the rolls while you do that. Extra cream, please."
I hurried to the front, where Flo was manning the cash register.
"He's here," I said. "And he's whistling."Slim was not a whistler.
"Did he say anything?" she asked me as she handed change to the customer. We kept our eyes focused on his back as he exited the restaurant, but I knew we were both dying to stare in the direction of the kitchen. Invisible man or not, my curiosity was killing me. Where had Slim been and why was he so cheerful?
"Just thanks and that he'd like a cup of coffee."
"Slim's back?" That from Natalie.
Flo and I exchanged glances. Not to be shallow, but dating an invisible man was bound to be complicated. I waited until Natalie was out of earshot.
"What's going on with Slim?"
"He's doing some undercover work for the council. It must be going well, because he's in a better mood than I've seen him all month."
"Deep undercover, obviously." I giggled.
"Something about the doppelgangers," Flo said quietly, after a quick glance at Mrs. Mason, who seemed absorbed in her breakfast. "That's all I know. He's being secretive." She slammed the cash register drawer shut.
I paused. "I think someone may be on to him," I whispered. Then I told her about discovering Deputy Doppelganger in the diner earlier that morning.
"Maybe he just wanted some pie," Flo replied, eying the empty dessert display case.
"Maybe," I said. "But things looked out of place in the office and there were candy wrappers all over Slim's desk."
She frowned. "It's probably nothing," she finally said, "but you should mention it to Slim, just in case. But not in front of Natalie."
"Okay. I'd better get back there." I grabbed a couple of mugs and filled them with coffee before hurrying back to the kitchen.
I handed Slim his cup, then remembered. "I forgot your cream."
"Don't worry about it, Daisy. There's milk in the walk-in."
I remembered Flo's advice and gave Slim a quick rundown of what I'd observed that morning. I was too busy to dwell on Slim's extracurricular activities any longer, but I did notice that throughout the morning, nothing got to him. Not when I overcooked Mr. Bone's steak and scrambled instead of fried his eggs, not when Flo broke a half-dozen plates, and not even when the dishwasher called in sick. Slim just kept whistling.
It was kind of annoying, actually, especially when Natalie kept shooting him lovesick looks when she thought no one was watching.
After my shift was over, I found a message on my cell from Rose, telling me to hurry home.
When I walked into the living room, Grandma Giordano was there. My grandma was tall and thin, with deep-set brown eyes. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of
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