Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck

office and put it in a place where she’d be out of the line of fire while Emma and I went through our morning routine.
    I flipped the fryer on, checked for messages, and wasn’t surprised to find that we didn’t have any. Not a legitimate one, anyway. There was one on the machine, but it consisted of thirty seconds of breathing, and then a hang-up. That happened more than I cared to think about.
    I heard voices in the kitchen, so I poked my head out of my office and saw that Emma had arrived.
    She looked at me steadily as she said, “I didn’t realize we’d have someone with us today.”
    “I came to watch you two work,” Grace said. “I think it’s fascinating.”
    “Okay,” Emma said, “if you say so.”
    As we started to prepare our cake donut mixes, Grace kept up a constant chatter. I didn’t mind it, but it was pretty clear that Emma wasn’t all that happy about us having company. That was just tough. Donut Hearts was still mine, and as long as it was, my friends would be welcome. I fried the old-fashioned donuts, Emma added the glaze, and Grace kept up a running commentary, bombarding us with questions as we worked. I added plain cake batter to the donut dropper, a metal contraption that resembled a large steel funnel. A spring-operated piece dropped a perfect ring of batter into the oil every time, but it was a dangerous tool to use around other people.
    “You need to go out into the front area for a few minutes,” I instructed Grace.
    “I’m sorry. Am I being too chatty?”
    I thought I saw Emma nod, but I didn’t think Grace caught it. “No, I have to swing this around to get the batter to drop, and I don’t want to take any chances that it might slip out of my hand.”
    She looked surprised by my confession. “Does that happen often?”
    Before I could answer, Emma pointed to a spot on the wall just on the other side of Grace’s head. “That’s where she threw it the last time it slipped, so I’d take her advice and leave.”
    Seeing the gash in the drywall was all that Grace needed. “I’ll be in front if you need me.”
    After she was gone, I put the donut dropper on the counter and looked hard at Emma. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
    “What?” she asked. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
    “It happened the third day the shop was open,” I said. “And that’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
    Emma pretended to wipe down the counter beside the glazing area, though I’d seen her clean it twice already. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
    “Your attitude. Why are you being so distant with Grace?”
    Emma frowned, then said, “What should I do, welcome her with open arms?”
    “That would be nice,” I said.
    “No, thanks. If you want to train somebody to take my place, fine. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”
    I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud.
    Emma misinterpreted it, though. “You think it’s funny?”
    “Emma, dear, sweet Emma, Grace has no interest in taking your job, and even if she did, I wouldn’t hire her. Your place here is yours as long as you want it.”
    She looked at me carefully, then asked softly, “Is that the truth, or are you just trying to save my feelings?”
    “Believe me, it’s the complete and utter truth.”
    Emma frowned at me, then looked toward the front. “Then why is she here?”
    “She stayed all night with me, and she’s been threatening to come in since I opened this place. Trust me, Grace has no interest in replacing either one of us.” I didn’t mention that my best friend made more in a few days than I cleared in a month, and she didn’t work a tenth as much as I did.
    She’d be insane to quit her job to come work for me.
    “I guess I owe her an apology, then,” Emma said.
    “It wouldn’t be out of order,” I said. She really hadn’t been openly rude to Grace, but I didn’t want there to be bad blood between them.
    “I’ll take care of it right