Magic in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Christmas River Cozy Book 7) by Meg Muldoon Page B
Authors: Meg Muldoon
Ads: Link
related to me.
“You there, Cin?” Warren said, the line cracking slightly.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, walking slowly to the porch railing. “I’m, uh, just… this is just kind of a shock.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s strange, you finding that ring of his in your pie shop, I mean…”
He trailed off, not finishing the thought.
“What is it, Grandpa?” I finally said.
“Well, you see, back then, the pie shop used to be—”
Warren’s voice suddenly cut out.
“Grandpa?” I said, pressing the phone closer to my ear. “Can you hear me?”
But if he could, it didn’t matter – I couldn’t hear him.
The line was silent.
“ Damn it ,” I muttered angrily.
He must have hit another pocket of bad reception at the coast. And right when it seemed like he was going to say something important.
I started calling his number again, hoping that I could get through.
But just before hitting the send button, something stopped me.
A smell.
A bitter, acrid aroma that assaulted my senses.
An unmistakable odor that I knew could only signify bad things.
I turned around to see Tiana opening the left oven, a billow of black smoke escaping from it.
Oh no.
Chapter 24
“Oh, Cin. I don’t know what else to say. I am so, so sorry.”
A few sooty tears spilled down Tiana’s red cheeks as she gazed at the cookie sheets lined with the burnt remains of what had once been the Chocolate Hazelnut pies.
I didn’t say anything for a long moment, gauging the damage myself.
A film of smoke lingered in the air, even though I had opened all the windows and doors. And though I had turned the smoke alarm off in time before the sprinklers turned on, the high-pitched piercing sound was still echoing in my ears.
“You told me to take those pies out,” Tiana continued, berating herself more than anybody else ever could. “I just… I just plain forgot about them.”
She smacked a hand up to her forehead, and the color of her cheeks deepened with embarrassment.
“I mean, I must be losing my mind to do something this stupid.”
I didn’t believe that Tiana was losing her mind. Lately, she’d just been a bit forgetful. Nothing to this degree, but small things. Like forgetting to reset the oven to a certain temperature, or forgetting to lock the windows when we were closing up for the night.
I wagered that the absentmindedness had less to do with Tiana’s mental health, and more to do with the high-flying status of her emotions lately.
Tiana was in love. And I knew from personal experience that that kind of volatile emotion could even make you forget your own name.
A few more tears popped over the rims of her eyes. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.
I couldn’t take seeing her beat herself up anymore.
I went over to where she was standing and gently put an arm around her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”
I felt a creepy crawly feeling travel up the back of my spine when I said the last word: accident .
It wasn’t lost on me that this one, despite being relatively harmless, came in as the third such one in just a few short days.
“No, it is my fault,” she said. “I’ve just been spacy lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I pat her shoulder some.
“Look, it could have been a lot worse. We got to it before it got out of hand, and other than some burnt pies, a smoky kitchen, and a roomful of spooked customers out in the front, everything turned out okay.”
I wasn’t just trying to make Tiana feel better – everything had turned out all right. Although some folks out in the dining room had acted quite dramatic about the whole situation, as if they hadn’t heard a smoke detector alarm go off before in their lives.
Tiana nodded, biting her lower lip, clearly trying to fight back some more tears.
“And you know what else?”
“What?” she said.
“Because of this, I don’t think we’ll have to make
“You there, Cin?” Warren said, the line cracking slightly.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, walking slowly to the porch railing. “I’m, uh, just… this is just kind of a shock.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s strange, you finding that ring of his in your pie shop, I mean…”
He trailed off, not finishing the thought.
“What is it, Grandpa?” I finally said.
“Well, you see, back then, the pie shop used to be—”
Warren’s voice suddenly cut out.
“Grandpa?” I said, pressing the phone closer to my ear. “Can you hear me?”
But if he could, it didn’t matter – I couldn’t hear him.
The line was silent.
“ Damn it ,” I muttered angrily.
He must have hit another pocket of bad reception at the coast. And right when it seemed like he was going to say something important.
I started calling his number again, hoping that I could get through.
But just before hitting the send button, something stopped me.
A smell.
A bitter, acrid aroma that assaulted my senses.
An unmistakable odor that I knew could only signify bad things.
I turned around to see Tiana opening the left oven, a billow of black smoke escaping from it.
Oh no.
Chapter 24
“Oh, Cin. I don’t know what else to say. I am so, so sorry.”
A few sooty tears spilled down Tiana’s red cheeks as she gazed at the cookie sheets lined with the burnt remains of what had once been the Chocolate Hazelnut pies.
I didn’t say anything for a long moment, gauging the damage myself.
A film of smoke lingered in the air, even though I had opened all the windows and doors. And though I had turned the smoke alarm off in time before the sprinklers turned on, the high-pitched piercing sound was still echoing in my ears.
“You told me to take those pies out,” Tiana continued, berating herself more than anybody else ever could. “I just… I just plain forgot about them.”
She smacked a hand up to her forehead, and the color of her cheeks deepened with embarrassment.
“I mean, I must be losing my mind to do something this stupid.”
I didn’t believe that Tiana was losing her mind. Lately, she’d just been a bit forgetful. Nothing to this degree, but small things. Like forgetting to reset the oven to a certain temperature, or forgetting to lock the windows when we were closing up for the night.
I wagered that the absentmindedness had less to do with Tiana’s mental health, and more to do with the high-flying status of her emotions lately.
Tiana was in love. And I knew from personal experience that that kind of volatile emotion could even make you forget your own name.
A few more tears popped over the rims of her eyes. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.
I couldn’t take seeing her beat herself up anymore.
I went over to where she was standing and gently put an arm around her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”
I felt a creepy crawly feeling travel up the back of my spine when I said the last word: accident .
It wasn’t lost on me that this one, despite being relatively harmless, came in as the third such one in just a few short days.
“No, it is my fault,” she said. “I’ve just been spacy lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I pat her shoulder some.
“Look, it could have been a lot worse. We got to it before it got out of hand, and other than some burnt pies, a smoky kitchen, and a roomful of spooked customers out in the front, everything turned out okay.”
I wasn’t just trying to make Tiana feel better – everything had turned out all right. Although some folks out in the dining room had acted quite dramatic about the whole situation, as if they hadn’t heard a smoke detector alarm go off before in their lives.
Tiana nodded, biting her lower lip, clearly trying to fight back some more tears.
“And you know what else?”
“What?” she said.
“Because of this, I don’t think we’ll have to make
Similar Books
