Ginger walked over to the reduced price rack. Obviously, Navy Newcomb had already come by to pick up the three-day-old cakes for the nursing home.
She gave a twenty-five percent discount on day-old cakes, and a fifty-percent discount on two-day olds. Even after three days, the cakes were still perfectly good, but she just couldn’t bring herself to reduce the price further, so she gave them away to the Coreyville Country Home. The cafeteria would cut them into slices to serve with lunch. The residents loved them.
Ginger walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Addie. How’s it going?”
Addie was busy removing freshly baked cakes from their pans. She stopped and turned around. “Good morning. It’s going fine.”
As usual, Addie had smudges of flour all over her. Ginger nearly giggled when she noticed the perfectly round white circle on each of Addie’s dark cheeks. It looked like the work of a powder puff in the hands of a color-blind Avon lady.
“How many three-day-olds went out today?”
She thought for a moment. “About twenty.”
“Where’s Lacey?”
“She went out for a smoke break. Second one this morning.”
Ginger shook her head. Lacey Greendale was a beautiful five-foot-ten twenty-one year old with blue eyes and long dark hair. Her ivory skin was silky smooth. She was a sweet young lady, but very naive. And you could break her heart just by looking at her with disappointed eyes.
Lacey opened the back door and walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Mrs. Lightley.”
“Please—call me ‘Ginger.’”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry.”
She walked over and put her arm around Lacey, who towered over her. Ginger looked up at her and pointed to her own mouth. “Reason Five to stop smoking?”
Lacey cover her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t worry about me. But what about boys? I mean, men?”
“Well—“
“—I know. If the guy’s a smoker, he doesn’t even smell it on you. But do you really want to get involved with a smoker? First thing you know, you’ll marry him and start having kids. And then your kids will have to live in all that smoke. Surely you don’t want that.”
Lacey was embarrassed. “Oh, no. Of course not.”
“Good.” Ginger released her and smiled at her. She was proud of Lacey. She was beginning to take her little speeches to heart. “Okay. Danny’s running late, so you’d better go out front and help Cheryl until he gets here.”
Lacey seemed slightly annoyed. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Ginger was surprised by her attitude. Lacey usually did whatever she was told with a smile.
After she walked out, Ginger turned to Addie. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. She’s been acting kinda funny this morning.”
“I’ll talk to her later.”
Addie noticed something on the counter. “Uh-oh.”
“What is it?” Please don’t let it be a roach.
“The recipe book. It’s gone.”
“Was it there this morning when you came in?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure, Addie?”
“Yes. I always check. It was definitely sitting right there.”
“So, you think Lacey took it?”
“Had to be her.”
“No, I can’t believe she would steal from me.”
“It’s worth thousands of dollars.”
Ginger shook her head. “I guess I shouldn’t have tempted her.”
“Why are you going easy on her? Nobody else who’s ever worked here has stolen it. And don’t you think they were tempted?”
“I guess so. But now I wish I’d never started leaving it out like that. Are you absolutely sure that it couldn’t have been somebody else?”
“Like who?” Then Addie’s expression changed in a flash.
“What?”
“Navy. He waited here in the kitchen while I went out front to make sure Lacey had picked up all the three- day-olds.”
“Where was Lacey?”
“She went out back for a smoke break right when he came in. I asked her to check out front for me before she took her break, but she ignored me and went out anyway. So, I had to do it myself.”
“So, Navy could have grabbed the recipe book while he was in here alone.”
“He could have. It was either him or Lacey. One of them stole it.”
Ginger knew that Navy Newcomb had blown his trust fund, and that he was flat broke. The whole town knew it. But she didn’t think he would stoop
And if he did steal it, who would he sell it to?
Chapter 3
Lacey stuck her head in the kitchen and said, “Brother Bideman is here.”
Ginger was still in deep thought, trying to come to terms with the fact that either Lacey or Navy had stolen her recipe book. “Oh. He’s a little early this morning.”
She went out to the dining area and spotted him sitting at their usual table. All the locals knew better than to take the table in the back corner. She and the reverend had their morning coffee together at that table every day— except on Sundays, of course.
Coreyville Coffee Cakes was closed on the Sabbath. But Ginger still got to see him. Elijah Bideman was the pastor of Corey Acres Baptist Church. On any given Sunday, she could be found in her favorite pew, listening to Elijah’s sermon.
There were whisperings around town that Ginger and the good reverend were much more than just friends. After all, Ginger’s husband, Lester, had died two years earlier, and Elijah’s wife had left him four years ago. Many folks figured it was about time the two admitted they were in love.
But Ginger was not in love with Elijah. She would not
She picked up two ceramic coffee cups and filled them. Elijah took his coffee black, and so did she.
He was scanning the front page of the local newspaper,
The Sweet Ginger Cake sitting in front him had not been touched. He knew his breakfast partner would be arriving at any moment.
“Would you like some coffee to go with that cake, Sir?”
He looked at Ginger and smiled broadly. A salesman could only wish to have such a smile. His dimples alone could make a woman dizzy. “Why, yes, I would, Ma’am.” He folded the newspaper and set it on the back edge of the table, against the wall.
Ginger placed the two cups on the small table and sat down across from him. “Got your sermon all ready to go?”
Elijah was notorious for waiting until the last minute.
