Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) (18 page)

The applause was
thunderous as Brandon stepped onto the stage. He waited a moment for the crowd
to become quiet and then began. A pin drop silence settled over the audience as
everyone prepared to listen to what he was going to say. The rapt audience knew
about the events of the last two weeks, or at least most of those events.

“Thank you ladies and
gentlemen and fellow graduates. I would be remiss if I didn’t dedicate this
address to a young woman we all loved and looked up to – Amber Cook. As I’m
sure you know, she was very close to me and I will miss her every day for the rest
of my life. I honestly believe she’s looking down on us at this moment, wanting
us to remember her, but most of all, wanting us to move on with our lives.”

Kelly leaned over and
whispered to Mike. “I am so glad that Brandon doesn’t know the truth about
Amber.”

“Me too,” he said.     

Sniffles were heard
throughout the auditorium and many people in the audience reached into their
pocket or purse to get a Kleenex or handkerchief. All of them knew how hard
this must be for Brandon.

He continued, “What the events
of the last two weeks have taught me is how precious every moment of our lives
is. We never know when tragedy or unforeseen events will change our lives. The
coming years will bring tremendous changes to each of the lives of the
graduates who are here today. Some of us are going to college, some of us are
starting careers, and some of us are getting married and beginning our
families. Changes. Some will be good, some won’t. We must cherish the good
moments and find something good in the bad moments. Only by doing that can we
live our lives fully. Only by doing that, cherishing each moment, can we keep
some type of control over our lives.

“I hope when we return for
our ten year reunion, each one of you will come up to me and say, “Brandon,
there were times I didn’t think I could go on, times when I hated my life,
times when I was so down I didn’t think I could ever get up again, but I
remembered the words you said at our graduation, ‘cherish the moment,’ and I
knew I could get through it. My friends and fellow graduates, cherishing the
moment and fully living it, is far more important than the score on a football
scoreboard or the results of an exam. If you remember nothing from this
graduation day, but ‘cherish the moment,’ all the pain I’ve been through these
last few days will be worth it. So I say to you, believe in yourself and
cherish the moment! Thank you.”

As he walked off the
stage, the audience rose as one, clapping and yelling. In seconds the
auditorium erupted into a chant, “Brandon, Brandon.” In that seminal moment,
the little town of Cedar Bay healed as they cherished one of their own.

Dr. Ricketts stepped back
to the podium and spent five minutes to no avail trying to quiet the crowd.
When it became clear that the crowd was never going to become quiet, he yelled,
“Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our graduation ceremony. Graduates, you
may toss your caps in the air and begin your new lives.”

Caps filled the air above
the heads of the graduates. The seniors of Cedar Bay High School were now
alumni, fully ready to face and take on the world.

*****

“Mike, wasn’t that about the best
graduation ceremony you’ve ever attended? I feel cleansed, like this horrible
thing is over and because of Brandon, I really had the sense that everyone else
did too. You mentioned that you thought Derek’s attorney would cut a deal with
the prosecutor and plead guilty to a lesser charge so there wouldn’t be a
trial. I hope he does. I really don’t want anyone to know the truth about
Amber, particularly Brandon, Ginger, and Bob.”

“I have a feeling he will.
The evidence against him is pretty solid and there’s a good chance the jury
would find him guilty and give him the death penalty. Not that it wouldn’t be
fitting in his case. Anyway, Brandon’s an amazing young man. I don’t know many
people who could do what he did this afternoon. I imagine we’ll hear a lot
about him in the future, and given his speech today, I’m sure it will all be
positive.”

“Mike, I want to apologize
again about the Chris and Derek thing. I was wrong. I should have called you. I
guess you didn’t even need to come here and stay at my house to protect me,
although I’m glad you did. Obviously at that time Derek wasn’t a threat to me,
nor was Chris.”

“Well, Kelly,” he said
standing up and walking over to where she was seated on the deck, looking out
at the bay. “It made something perfectly clear to me. I realized I couldn’t
stand for anything to happen to you. I may not have shown it, but I don’t think
I’ve ever been so scared in my life.” He got down on one knee. “I know it’s
kind of hokey, but would you marry me?” He took a small box out of the pocket
of his pants and held it up to her. She opened it. Inside was a beautiful
emerald cut diamond. “Kelly, if you agree to marry me I don’t think Julia or Cash
would object if I moved in permanently. I called both of them to ask their
permission to marry you and they seemed absolutely fine with it. Matter of
fact, they were kind of enthusiastic, so what do you say?”

“Oh Mike. It’s beautiful
and the answer is, yes, yes, yes.” He slipped the ring on her finger and stood
up, pulling her to him.

“I think I know an even
better way to celebrate than kissing on the deck. Come on,” he said.

She smiled and followed
Mike into the house. Rebel sensed that this would be a good time for him to
stay on the deck. He knew Mike would protect her and he could rest for a little
while.

JANE’S SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

12
slices of sourdough bread, cut into 2” cubes

1
½ pounds Jimmy Dean mild sausage

1
7 ounce can of chopped green chilies

3
cups cheddar cheese, grated

2
½ cups milk

4
eggs

1
can golden mushroom soup mixed with ¼ cup milk (to be prepared next day)

1
teaspoon dry mustard

Salt
and pepper to taste

Grease
a 9 x 13 Pyrex glass dish and place the bread cubes in the bottom. Brown and
drain the sausage. Add chilies, cheese, and sausage to the bread. Stir lightly.
Mix eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper together and pour over the mixture in
the glass dish. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The
next day, remove the dish from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 325
degrees. Prepare the mushroom mixture and pour it over casserole.

Bake
for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncovered. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Don’t over bake! It will firm up during the 10 minute cooling time.

DECADENT BACON CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

2
½ cups flour

1
teaspoon baking soda

¼
teaspoon baking powder

¾
teaspoon salt

1
cup unsalted butter, softened

¾
cup granulated sugar

¾
cup packed light brown sugar

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

12
ounces chocolate chips

12
ounces bacon

Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.

Fry
the bacon and drain it on a paper towel. When the bacon is cool, break it into
small pieces or put the pieces in a large plastic bag and use a rolling pin to
break them up.

Combine
the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Mix the
butter, sugars, and vanilla until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. When combined,
stir in the chocolate chips and bacon pieces. Drop rounded teaspoons of the
cookie dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes
or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes and remove to a wire rack to
cool completely.

MAMA DEE’S BARBECUED BRISKET

5-6
pound brisket

3
ounces liquid smoke

5
tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Onion
salt

Salt
and pepper

Place
the brisket in a glass baking dish. Add the liquid smoke, 3 tablespoons of
worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cover with tin foil and refrigerate
overnight.

Preheat
the oven to 275 degrees. When ready to bake, drain off the seasonings. Sprinkle
with the remaining Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cover with foil and
bake for 5 hours. Let cool. Can be made up to a day in advance. Sauce can be
made in advance as well. (I often double the sauce recipe to keep a good
barbecue sauce on hand.)

BARBECUE SAUCE

1
cup catsup

½
cup lemon juice

1
cup water

½
cup worcestershire sauce

1
teaspoon each of chili powder, salt, and celery seed.

Bring
all to a boil and simmer until thickened.

One
hour before serving, slice the brisket against the grain and pour some of the
sauce between and on top of the slices. Bake one more hour at 275 degrees.
Serve with the balance of the sauce on the side.

Leftovers
are great slightly warmed and in sandwiches.

START MY DAY APPLE STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

12
slices Italian bread

½
cup butter, cubed

1
cup packed light brown sugar

2
tablespoons light corn syrup

2
large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1
cup chopped pecans

6
eggs

1
½ cups milk

1
½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼
teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼
teaspoon salt

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

In
a small saucepan combine the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook over
medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into a greased
9 x 13 baking dish. Top with half of the pecans, a single layer of bread, and
then the other half of the pecans. Arrange the apples and remaining bread over
the top.

In
a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla
together. Pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
overnight.

When
ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for 35 – 40
minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand for five minutes and invert. While
baking, make the sauce.

CARAMEL SAUCE

½
cup light brown sugar

¼
cup unsalted butter, cubed

1
tablespoon light corn syrup

Combine
the sauce ingredients and stir over medium heat until thickened. Serve with the
French toast.

Enjoy!

KELLY’S CHEESECAKE

CRUST

¼
cup sugar

6
tablespoons melted butter

1
¼ cups chocolate wafers, crushed (a food processor works well for this)

Combine
and press into 8” spring form pan with removable bottom.

FILLING

½
cup heavy cream

24
oz. cream cheese

4
eggs

1
cup granulated sugar

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. When the cream cheese, eggs, and cream are at room temperature,
add the sugar and vanilla, mixing until there are no lumps of cream cheese.
Pour into the crust and bake for approximately 70 minutes or when the center no
longer jiggles. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.

TOPPING

1
jar hot fudge topping

1
jar caramel topping

1
cup chopped pecans (optional)

Spoon
the hot fudge around the border of the cheesecake. Make an interior circle with
the caramel topping. If using pecans, scatter them over the top. Refrigerate
until served. When ready to serve, remove sides of spring form pan. 

Enjoy!

*****

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