miss fortune mystery (ff) - my sinful valentine (3 page)

“What on earth is Gertie wearing?” Ally asked.

“She seriously needs some glasses.” I answered as I pulled my Jeep into the driveway.

Ally nodded.

We gathered the bags of groceries and made our way up the steps, then into the house.

Ida Bell and Gertie were already in the kitchen getting a pot of coffee started when Ally and I entered and sat down the bags.

“So, what’s the game plan?” Ida Bell asked as she came to stand beside me and started to help unload the bags.

“Roast with vegetables, rolls, and red velvet cupcakes.” Ally answered with a smile.

“Well, that sounds simple enough.” Gertie said while mixing cream and sugar into her coffee. “I hope you remembered to get heart-shaped sprinkles.”

Ally cast me an I-told-you-so expression.

“We did.” Ally answered. “And I figured starting Fortune out with the slow cooker would probably be my best bet. I don’t know anyone who can’t use one.”

I didn’t even know what a slow cooker was, but I kept my mouth shut about that little tidbit. Instead I admitted, “I’m not even sure I have a slow cooker.”

“Yes you do.” Ally smiled and bent down to open the cabinet. “I saw it when you let me stay here a few days back when the fire happened at my place.”

Ally removed the slow cooker I didn’t even know I had, from under the cabinet and placed it on the counter.

“Now, all you have to do is follow my directions and this dinner will be done in no time. Speaking of time, what time is Carter supposed to be here this evening?”

“Around seven, I think. That’s the time he’d planned on picking me up before, thanks to Celia, I concocted this hair-brained scheme.”

“Good. That gives us plenty of time.”

I made my way to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup of Joe, took a drink, then set my mind to the task at hand. No way in the world was I going to let something as small as cooking a dinner scare me. I wasn’t afraid of anything.

Ida Bell and Gertie made themselves at home at the kitchen table to watch us.

“Don’t mind us.” Gertie grinned. “We’re just here for the show.”

I cocked a brow in her direction. “Thanks for the support.” I quipped.

Ida Bell laughed. “She’s just teasing. We’re here for you, girl. Now, get your Rachel Ray on.”

I sat my mug down and joined Ally where she was waiting for me at the opposite counter.

“The roast is fairly easy. For this we’ll need the small can of beef broth, potatoes, carrots, those spices there,” she pointed to the table, “and the roast.”

I gathered the ingredients and followed Ally’s instructions. I placed one cup of the broth, and the roast into the pot, then chopped the vegetables and placed them, along with the premeasured spices, in on top.

“Now, just put the lid on the pot and set it on low. It basically cooks itself and will be ready by the time Carter gets here tonight. You just made your first roast.” Ally beamed at me like I’d just cured some infectious disease or something. It was a small accomplishment, but I had to admit, I was pretty proud of myself.

“Let’s just hope Carter likes roast.”

“I’m sure he does.” Ida Bell replied. “But I’m sure he’d like whatever
you
put in front of him.” She grinned.

I rolled my eyes.

Ally laughed. “Now, on to the baking portion of this show”

Chapter Four

“Why couldn’t we have just bought those premade rolls and a boxed cake mix? Wouldn’t it have been much easier?” I asked as I tried to make sense of what Ally was telling me about yeast and rising dough and things I really didn’t have any interest in.

“Easier, yes. Tastier, no. You want to make something Carter will enjoy don’t you?”

I sighed and nodded. “I do, but that is the third batch of dough I’ve had to mix. Messing up the previous batches makes those premades look better and better. I just hope that batch rises this time.” I pointed at the bowl on the table.

“Working with yeast takes time to master.” Ida Bell said from her place at the counter.

“I think I’ve figured that out.”  I mumbled.

Because it was taking so long for me to master the art of baking bread, she and Gertie were premeasuring the ingredients for the cupcakes that way all I’d have to do was mix them together and pop them into the oven. At least, that’s how easy Ally had made it all sound.

I, of course, had my doubts.

Ally raised the corner of the towel covering the bowl holding the dough. “Well, you’re in luck. This dough looks great.”

“Finally.” I sighed.

“Grab that cookie sheet and grease it up.” She instructed.

I did as told and placed the sheet on the table.

“All you have to do now is pinch the dough off into balls, put them on the sheet, and then slip them into the oven. After that we can mix up the cupcakes and get them baking. If everything goes as planned we’ll have this meal finished with plenty of time to spare to get you all dolled up before Carter gets here.”

“Are you sure? This has taken longer than any of us expected. Do we still have time before Carter gets here?” Gertie asked as she cracked an egg into a small bowl.

“Sure. He’s not supposed to be here until seven, right Fortune?” Ally asked.

“That’s the plan.” I answered.

“That gives us a couple of hours. The roast smells fantastic, and all that’s left to be done the cupcakes and taking the rolls out of the oven.” Ida Bell said.

I finished balling up the dough, and slid the sheet into the oven. Then made my way back over to the table to clean up the mess made by preparing the rolls so I could mix the cupcakes without much clutter being around.

“Ida Bell, Gertie, will you help bring the cupcake ingredients to the table. I think Fortune is ready for them.” Ally asked as she picked up two bowls and started in my direction.

I was just musing over how well the day had been going when everything slid downhill.

As I turned to take one of the bowls from Ally I knocked the plastic butter dish off of the able. It hit the floor and butter splattered everywhere. Before I could warn everyone Gertie was already on her way toward me. Her foot hit a patch of butter and she started to fall. I stepped forward to try to catch her but that only made matters worse.

As Gertie went down her thumb hit the switch on the electric mixer she held in one hand. The beaters started spinning and before I could get away, they caught my hair and spun their way all the way up to my scalp. Gertie and I both went down in a flailing pile of arms and legs.

As we hit the floor, Gertie’s foot flew up and kicked the bowl of flour Ally was holding. Flour flew into the air in a burst of white that resembled a mushroom cloud and covered the three of us from head to toe.

Ida Bell saw what was happening, rushed forward to help and slid on the buttery surface. Ally reached out and steadied her before she fell on top of us, but as Ida Bell jerked to a stop in front of Ally, the bowl she held flew out of her hand and the eggs within landed squarely on Ally’s face and slid down her chest.

We all sat frozen, in a stunned daze unable to believe that our mostly eventless day had taken such a drastic turn in a split second.

Gertie was the first to pipe up.

“I knew this was all going too smoothly.”

We all nodded our agreement.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” I admitted.

Ally wiped her face with the hand towel draped across her shoulder.

“Look at this mess. My goodness, Fortune! Look at your hair!” she kneeled down and turned my head to get a better look at the mixer dangling from my hair.

“It’s all the way to the scalp.”

Ida Bell knelt next to Ally, grasped the mixer by the handle, and pressed the eject button. The beaters sprang out of the mixer, unrolled a little bit, and dangled down beside my face.

“We have to get this place, and you, cleaned up before Carter gets here.” Ida Bell said. “There’s still cupcakes to bake and getting these out of your hair is going to be one heck of a challenge.”

The deep sound of someone clearing their throat had the four of us jerking our heads up to find the source of the sound.

Carter stood in the kitchen doorway wearing an expression that one could only describe as concerned amusement. I looked at the four of us, covered in butter, flour, and eggs, beaters dangling from my hair, and felt a much unwanted, unfamiliar blush burning my cheeks.