Sinister Sprinkles (25 page)

“I just bet you will,” I said. “Good night, Momma. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She kissed my cheek softly. “Good night, Suzanne. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

*   *   *

After a quick sandwich and a glass of milk, I headed off to bed. It was barely seven, but I was exhausted, and I knew I needed my sleep if I was going to cope with things tomorrow.

I don’t know how long I’d slept when my cell phone rang. It startled me, since I’d docked it in its charger before I’d eaten and then promptly forgotten all about it. I almost always turn the ringer off when I go to bed, since my schedule is not like anyone else’s I knew except Emma.

“Hello,” I said, barely able to keep the yawn out of my voice as I spoke. I looked blearily at the clock and saw that it was nearly one
AM
.

“Suzanne, I woke you up.”

It was Grace, and I was suddenly wide awake.

“That’s okay, I have to get up in a few minutes anyway. I’ve been hoping you’d call.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” She sounded happy, something I doubted she’d be able to do if her boss had just fired her.

“Don’t keep me in suspense. What happened today?”

“It turns out I was all wrong. It looks like I’ve got a good shot at a promotion,” she said, almost squealing into the phone. “They’ve had their eyes on me for a while, so when a supervisor’s position came open, my name was mentioned. I had a dinner interview this evening, and my final interview’s tomorrow morning.”

“They don’t waste any time, do they? Congratulations.”

“I haven’t got the job yet,” she said, and I could hear a hitch in her voice. “There’s something else, though.”

“Isn’t there always?” Suddenly, something struck me. “You’re not moving to Charlotte, are you?” Charlotte was almost two hours away from April Springs, and if Grace moved there, she might as well be moving across the country.

“No, it’s not in Charlotte.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. “I’d hate it if you were so far away.”

“The position that’s open is in San Francisco,” she said, and I felt my hands go numb. “That’s where I am right now.”

“You’re all the way across the country?”

“The woman who’ll be my new boss is going on vacation in two days, and they want to fill the position before she’s gone.”

When I didn’t say anything in response, Grace said, “Suzanne, are you still there?”

“I’m here,” I said. “It sounds wonderful. I’m really happy for you.”

Grace said almost apologetically, “I’m not sure I’m going to get the final offer, and even if I do, I might not take it.”

“Nonsense,” I said, trying to pump my voice up with false bravado. “They’ll offer you the job, and you can’t turn it down, can you? You’ve been complaining for years about not moving up. This is your chance.”

“I know it is, and don’t think I’m not tempted,” she said. “I’m just not sure I can leave April Springs.”

“You have to at least try, don’t you think? You’ll never be able to forgive yourself if you turn this down. Grace, you have to take it if they offer you the job.” It broke my heart to give her that particular advice, but she was my friend, and I wanted what was best for her, not for me.

There was a pause, and then she said in a meek voice, “Funny, I was kind of hoping you’d talk me out of it.”

“I’d love to, believe me, but I can’t. This is what you’ve been waiting for. I’ll miss you more than anything in the world, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. Besides, planes fly all the time, don’t they? And we can talk on the phone every day.”

“You really think I should do this?” she asked.

“I do, if it’s what you really want. The only thing in the world I want is what’s best for you.”

There was a long pause, then Grace said, “But how do I know what that is?”

“Trust me, you’ll know. Now get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow, and you need to be at your best.”

“Yes, you’re right. Good night, Suzanne. And thanks for understanding.”

“What are friends for? Call me tomorrow, no matter what time it is.”

She laughed. “As if our chatting schedule wasn’t mixed up enough as it is, I’m throwing time zones into the mix.” Grace paused, then said, “Oh no. It’s one in the morning there, isn’t it?”

“Almost time to wake up,” I said, trying to sound as cheerful as I could.

“I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that. Do you forgive me?”

“You’re a lot of trouble, but you’re worth it.”

“So are you,” she said, then hung up.

I had such little time before my alarm clock was due to go off that there was no reason to try to go back to sleep, even if I could; Grace’s news had jolted me awake. Everything I’d told her had been true. She deserved a chance to spread her wings, and I was behind her all the way. My friend was about to start a new chapter in her life, one without me in it. The selfish part of me wanted her to blow that interview, but fortunately, it was a tiny part.

She was moving on, and I realized that, in a very real way, so was I. Earlier that day, Max had been genuinely shocked when I told him we were through, and I wasn’t really certain until that moment that it was true myself, but as I lay there in bed, I realized that it was as honest as I’d ever been with him. I wasn’t sure what my own future held, but wherever it led me, I knew it wouldn’t be with Max.

I knew where I’d thought I’d wanted it to go, but that wasn’t an option anymore. I could see myself falling in love with Jake Bishop, but unfortunately, it appeared that there wasn’t enough room in his heart for me and his late wife. It stung when I realized that he didn’t want me.

I wasn’t about to let that keep me from living, though. If I grew old and died running a donut shop and living at home with my mother, it would be my choice, and not someone else’s.

And honestly, what more could I ask of life?

*   *   *

At three the next morning, Emma said, “Let’s turn on the radio. I want to hear the weather forecast.”

“I can save you the trouble,” I said as I mixed the dough for the yeast donuts in the big floor-stand mixer. “Cold today, cold tonight, and cold tomorrow.”

“I heard we might be getting more snow,” she said.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. It’s three days from Christmas, and I’m guessing we’ve already had our big snowstorm for the season. It will probably be February before we even see another flurry.” That seemed to be the pattern for our part of North Carolina. We either had one big snow in December, or a spattering of smaller snowfalls spread out after Valentine’s Day. The exception was one year when I’d been growing up, where it had snowed every Tuesday for a month, and we missed school for that long, too. The downside to all that white was that we had to go to school on Saturdays until we made up the days we’d missed, which was pure misery.

“I’m still going to check. Hang on a second,” Emma said as she walked out of the kitchen to the front.

I didn’t need her for that stage of the donut making, but I did like the company.

She came back thirty seconds later. “You should see this.”

“What is it?” I said as I measured out the flour. I’d made a mistake once at this stage and had been forced to start over, so I was always particularly careful so it didn’t happen again. I prided myself on rarely making the same mistake twice, but I’d still found new, creative ways to mess up over the last few years.

“I’m not saying a word, so take your time,” she said. “You have to see this for yourself.”

I finished adding the flour, turned the mixer on and set the timer, tucked the portable alarm into my apron pocket, then said, “What’s so important?”

“Follow me.”

As I walked out into the front section of the shop, I could see heavy snow coming down outside, visible in the light from our place where it underwent a mysterious transformation from gray to bright white as the light hit it.

Emma grinned at me. “Now, what were you saying about the weather forecast?”

I laughed. “I said I thought it was going to snow a bunch, and soon, too.”

“It looks like you were right, then,” she said.

“Don’t get too excited,” I said. “It will probably all be over by the time we open in a few hours.”

“And you’re so good at predicting the weather, I should believe you, right?”

“I don’t see why not,” I said with a smile. “You could at least pretend to think I’m right.”

“What fun would that be? We’re still taking our break outside, aren’t we? It’s really beautiful.”

I looked through the window at the swirling mass of white. “You can go outside if you’d like to, but the way the wind’s blowing and the snow’s coming down, I think I’ll have my coffee on the couch and watch where it’s warm.”

She shook her head. “You can stay inside if you’d like, but I’m going out.”

“Have fun,” I said, as the timer in my pocket went off. “But we have work to do before you get your break.”

“Spoilsport,” she said with a smile.

“That’s me, one big killjoy,” I said.

After the yeast dough was finished mixing, I turned the machine off, pulled out the dough hook, and covered the big bowl with a towel, and it was the official beginning of our early-morning break.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come outside with me?” Emma asked as she started to bundle up in her heavy coat and mittens.

“I’m positive. You have fun, though.”

She unlocked the door and walked outside, while I poured myself a nice mug of coffee and settled in on our best sofa where I could watch the snow falling in steady waves of white. The town had added a streetlight across the way a month ago—part of the mayor’s new downtown revitalization plan—and I’d had mixed emotions about it. It did make me feel safer having nearby illumination, particularly given my odd nocturnal hours, but it also killed one of the things I liked about working so early in the donut shop every morning. Before, it had felt like we were up before the rest of the world, toiling to make other people’s days a little better. The light killed part of that feeling, but I had to admit that as I watched the snow swirling down into the cone of light under the lamp and jumping to life, it was a pretty spectacular sight.

Emma came in three minutes later, covered in snow.

“That didn’t last very long, did it?” I said, then sipped more coffee.

“It’s coming down hard,” she said as she shook her jacket off before hanging it up.

I stood and got some newspapers we’d been saving, just in case we got more snow. “Put your boots on these,” I said as I handed the stack to her.

“Wow, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it snow this hard. Do you think anybody will be able to get to us this morning?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem today,” I said. “The snow’s not that hard to drive on. It’s ice that will kill us.”

“Then let’s hope it keeps snowing,” Emma said.

I watched it cover the parking area in front of the shop. “I don’t know if I’m going to wish for that, either.”

Emma grabbed a mug of coffee, and took a seat beside me. After taking a healthy swallow, she said, “This is so good.”

“It’s nice,” I agreed.

She looked at me carefully, then asked, “Suzanne, is there something on your mind? You seem kind of distant today.”

I hadn’t said a word about Grace or Max, but it was foolish thinking Emma wouldn’t notice. We worked too closely together for there to be many secrets.

“I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning.”

“If you want to talk about it, I’m a good listener.”

I stood, then patted her shoulder. “I know you are. I just have to digest it all before I’m ready to talk about it. Thanks for offering, though.”

“I’m here if you need me,” she said.

That’s when the timer went off, ending our break.

“Time to make the donuts,” I said, grinning at her, emulating the old donut commercial I’d loved as a kid.

“Suzanne, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this business, it’s always time to make the donuts.”

We got back to work, and by the time we opened at five-thirty, we had display cases full of donuts, but from the way the snow was still pelting down outside, nobody was going to be able to make it in to eat any.

Or so I thought.

As I looked out the window, I heard a rumbling coming down Springs Drive, and I looked outside to see a plow lumbering up the road.

It appeared that my two favorite plowmen were back.

Bob and Earl came in, shook the snow from their hats, then walked up to the counter together.

Bob, the big, gregarious one of the two, said, “Man alive, it’s coming down out there. We had trouble getting our plow out of the garage this morning, didn’t we, Earl?”

His slightly-built partner merely nodded, which was his preferred method of communication. Working so closely with Bob, Earl probably found it an easy habit to acquire, since Bob enjoyed talking so much, whether he had anything in particular to say or not.

“Let’s see,” he said as he rubbed his hands together. “What looks good? You know what? It all looks great. What do you think, Earl?”

His coworker smiled. “Hmm.”

I got them two coffees, then grabbed a tray for their orders. “Another dozen donuts this morning, gentlemen?”

Bob patted his expanding waistline. “I’d better start with five. My overalls are getting a little snug.”

He slapped his partner on the back, and I half-expected the happy blow to send Earl to his knees, but he didn’t even rock from the impact. It was pretty clear that Earl was stronger than he looked.

He held up three fingers, and said, “Pumpkin.”

I got his donuts, then turned to Bob. “And you?”

“Surprise me,” he said.

As I grabbed some of my best donuts, I asked, “Is it as bad as it looks out there?”

He shook his head. “No, not yet, but the National Weather Service is saying that this one’s going to get worse before it gets better. By noon, we’re supposed to have eight inches, and then it’s really going to start cranking up. They’re saying we could have two feet by nightfall.”

“You’re kidding,” I said. We hadn’t had two feet of snow since I’d been a little girl, and that was long ago.

“No, ma’am, I never joke about snow accumulations, not in my line of work.” He looked outside at the falling snow, then added, “We’re going to get these to go, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”