Treacherous Tart by Ellie Grant Page B

she enjoyed them. “What about calling the cat Fantine? The young woman in Les Misérables ?”
    Aunt Clara thought about it. They’d gone througha box of tissues while watching the movie a month before.
    â€œI suppose it would suit her, wouldn’t it? We could call her Fanny for short. That way maybe she won’t meet that poor woman’s fate.”
    â€œIt seems to me that she’s already met that fate, and now we’re saving her.” Maggie hugged her aunt. “We’re cat rescuers.”
    Aunt Clara fed Fanny while Maggie rummaged in the refrigerator for dinner. She found and removed the pie-making implements she’d left in the freezer the previous night, before she’d started chasing the cat.
    Even though Maggie had learned to make pies since she’d come home, she still wasn’t much of a cook. She was better with microwave and frozen dinners than anything else. It had occurred to her that she could probably learn to make food from scratch, if she wanted to. If she could make piecrust, she could do anything.
    Her phone rang. It was Ryan offering to bring dinner if he could eat with them. That made Maggie’s quest for food easier. Aunt Clara was thrilled that he was bringing fried rice from her favorite Chinese restaurant.
    While they waited for him, Clara watched Maggie make piecrust. “I think you’re putting a little too much oomph into it, dear. It doesn’t take hands of steel. You need a light touch so the crust doesn’t gettough. Also, I think you’re adding a little too much flour for the rolling process. It can be tough if it’s too dry.”
    Aunt Clara demonstrated, her supple hands gently rolling the dough into the right size.
    Maggie tried another piecrust, using her aunt’s motions. “You’re right. I’m definitely using too much oomph .”
    Aunt Clara laughed. “Don’t think of it as crust. Think of it as silk. Push it around and it will flow.”
    Maggie completed a piecrust with a little less oomph and put it into a pan. “I hope we have something to go in it. I’d hate to have to throw the crust away.”
    Aunt Clara grinned. “Not a problem. There’s always something we can use for filling.”
    Maggie’s aunt wouldn’t freeze piecrust to use at the shop, but she would freeze fruit and other fillings. She pulled out some leftover peach filling. “This should do it.”
    Of course, that meant a lattice for the top. Maggie had hoped for crumb topping. They were out of brown sugar.
    â€œRemember, gentle hands.” Aunt Clara let Fanny outside again. “It’s so cold out there, I can’t think why she’d want to go out at all.”
    â€œWe don’t have a litter box,” Maggie reminded her. “Maybe she’s just being considerate. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
    The pie was baking in the oven when Ryan arrived. The aroma of the peaches, sugar, and crust filled the house.
    â€œWhat a mess out there tonight. It makes me glad that I don’t own a daily newspaper. This way, all I have to do is mention the rotten weather in the next paper. Otherwise, I’d have to cover every accident and stranded driver on the interstate.”
    He left his shoes and jacket in the front hall and followed Maggie back to the kitchen, after a quick cuddle in the hall.
    â€œWhat smells so good?” He sniffed, his arms around her. “I suppose it must be pie.”
    â€œHow did you ever guess?”
    He sniffed her and kissed her neck. “I don’t know. It could be you!”
    â€œI’m glad you’re here safely, Ryan.” Aunt Clara came downstairs and joined them. “It can be treacherous out there once the sun goes down and everything freezes. Maggie said you have fried rice for dinner.”
    Ryan produced two large containers of fried rice. “They were closing down when I was there, so they gave me extra