All the kids seemed to be pretty goal-oriented in their professional lives. Well, except for maybe Grant. Grant seemed immune to the family trait, probably because he didnât give a damn what Daddy thought.
She ignored Blakeâs retort and continued. âI would put an ad in the newspaper, but I donât have time to wait for someone to respond. I need someone to start as soon as possible.â
Blake dropped his pen and a wicked smile spread across his face. âYeah, I heard someoneâs going to be scrubbing dick graffiti off the walls to pay for their crimes against the city.â
Maddie winced at her brotherâs crude attempt at humor. âDo you really have to be so coarse? Iâm doing community service, yes, and I need someone to watch the shop in the afternoons and on weekends when I have to serve.â
Blake sat back in his chair and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a minute. âIâm not sure Iâm going to be much help, Maddie. All my boys are at football practice after school and even if they werenât, you couldnât pay me to eat something they baked.â
âWhat about your students? Do you have someone in your health or PE classes? Or someone I can talk to? Do they even have a home economics class anymore?â
âThey have one, although now I believe itâs called family and consumer sciences. Youâre in luck, though. I think Mrs. Nelson is teaching that class right now. Letâs walk down there and see if sheâs got any shining stars.â
Blake pushed up from his chair and Maddie followed him down the corridors of the high school. It hadnât been that long since sheâd roamed these halls like she owned them. Sheâd been popular; sheâd had a lot of friends; classes werenât too hard. The only downside was that high school was a poor preparation for the real world. Reality wasnât so great once she got out into it.
They stopped at a classroom near the school cafeteria. Blake spied in the window for a moment, waving when he caught Mrs. Nelsonâs eye. She gestured for them to come into the room. There were about twenty-five students in the class, each of them busily working in pairs around stand mixers. Big bowls of flour, sugar, and other ingredients lined the front of the room, from where theyâd taken their measured portions back to their mixers. From the looks of it, they were making chocolate chip cookies.
âCoach!â Mrs. Nelson greeted Maddieâs brother with a slight blush rising to her nearly fifty-year-old cheeks. All the men in the family had that effect on women. Well, all but Simon. He seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to the Chamberlain sex appeal.
âYouâve picked the perfect day to stop by. The class is making chocolate chip cookies for the football team.â
âThatâs great. I know the boys will love it.â Blake smiled and waved to the kids as they baked. âBrenda,â he said quieter, âthis is my sister Madelyn. She owns the bakery downtown.â
Brenda Nelson broke into a big grin when she looked at Maddie. She hadnât been teaching here when Maddie roamed the halls. âOh, yes. Your cream puffs with raspberries are almost a religious experience. Itâs lovely to meet you.â
Maddie beamed at the praise. At her French culinary school, sheâd been number one in her class when it came to puff pastries. âThank you. Iâm glad you like them.â
âBrenda, Maddie came by today to ask if I knew of any teenagers who might be interested in helping her at the shop. I figured if there was anyone who would know the right kid, itâd be you.â
Brendaâs blush deepened, and Maddie tried not to roll her eyes. Her brother certainly laid it on thick.
âIâm looking for someone to come in after school for a couple of hours. Maybe some hours on Saturday if they can. I wouldnât
Kate Carlisle
Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Shelly King
Unknown
Lawrence Sanders, Vincent Lardo
J. D. Robb
Christopher Farnsworth
D.M. Barnham
Wendy Brenner
Kirsten Osbourne