For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames Page A

trust, and all will be well with the world.” He kissed my forehead and said, “Go to sleep.”
    At four A.M. Saturday morning, I roused a second time. I heard footsteps in the hallway, and again heard a door click open and closed. I drifted back to sleep.
    ***
    At dawn, the rooster crowed, and Jordan and I stirred. We dressed in casual clothes and took a brisk walk. At half past seven, we convened with the others in the breakfast room. The aroma of coffee and something sweet—pear-cheese Danish, I was pretty sure—permeated the air. I drew in a deep whiff. My stomach growled:
Feed me
.
    â€œLet’s sit over there.” Jordan pointed to an empty table.
    â€œNot feeling friendly?”
    He grinned. “I’m hungry and don’t want to share those pastries. We’ll get a full basket to ourselves.”
    â€œSmart man.”
    We nestled at the table and each nabbed a pastry. Heavenly.
    Kandice sat at the table beyond us, all by herself, reviewing a schedule.
    Shayna, looking fresh in a white lace–on-blue dress, was sitting with Ryan and Victor. Ryan was scarfing down a roll. Victor was typing furiously on his cell phone. Had he come downstairs without looking in the mirror? His hair was mussed, his polo-style shirt only partially tucked in.Erin bustled between tables. Her hair, which was braided with ribbon, swung to and fro.
    Shayna yelped. “You performed the rings, really?” She squeezed Ryan’s bicep.
    â€œIron cross and everything. No joke. There’s a picture on the bio page of my website. Check it out.”
    â€œI love watching the Olympics. Way back when, I had a crush on Bart Conner. When he won the bronze for the rings—”
    â€œThat was Mitch Gaylord,” Ryan said. “Conner won a gold for the parallel bars.”
    â€œCan you do those, too?”
    â€œYep.”
    Victor kidded that he would have guessed Ryan was the kind of guy who would jump through hoops.
    Ryan shot him a nasty look. “You’re the jerk who seems to vault from one romance to another.”
    Victor sat taller. “Did you just call me a jerk?” He muttered something rude in French.
    Ryan’s lip curled up.
    Jordan gazed at me. “I’m sensing tension between those two guys.”
    Erin slipped past us and whispered, “Surprise! Ryan’s youngest sister dated Victor for a nanosecond.”
    â€œSmall world,” I said.
    â€œFrom what I hear,” Erin went on, “he made a play for her after making a deal to sell her Udderly Delicious Manchego.”
    â€œHold on a sec,” I said. “Why would he want to peddle that cheese? It’s American.”
    Erin giggled. “Yep. Victor might not like to buy American, but he has customers who do. He only buys artisanal. Emerald Pasture Farm’s cheeses are included in his selections. Nothing large-scale.”
    Kandice’s cell phone rang. She pressed SEND and mouthed to everyone:
Sorry
. “Hey, what’s up? Are you kidding? Swell. When it rains it pours. Yes, all right, see you soon.” She ended the call and rose from the table. “Everyone, listen up. The shuttle from Lavender and Lace broke down.” Hervoice quavered; her
joie de vivre
seemed to be missing in action. “That was Quigley Pressman. He said they’ll be an hour late and to start without them.”
    How horrible for Kandice,
I thought. It is difficult enough to run an event under the best of circumstances. After last night’s fiasco with Lara and now this snafu, she had to feel miserable.
    While the waitresses served a feast of scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes, I whispered to Jordan, “I don’t see Lara. Do you think she’s too ashamed of her boorish behavior to show her face?”
    â€œI doubt it. She probably overslept.”
    â€œShould we check on her? Maybe she needs something for that headache.”
    â€œWho are you channeling today?” He