Lemon Pies and Little White Lies (14 page)

“Who knows what tomorrow will bring?” Reba took another licorice stick from her apron pocket. “Eat candy, smell the roses, and be romanced while ye may.”

And with that, she folded the licorice stick in half, popped it into her mouth, and went outside to sweep the front porch.

•   •   •

On Saturday, Aiden and Fiona loaded the Jeep with the mini pies and tarts for the wedding and then drove off to the
reception site to assemble the dessert buffet. Watching the Jeep pull out of the parking lot, Ella Mae sighed with satisfaction.

“Fiona seems to have The Charmed Pie Shoppe’s burgeoning catering business well under control,” she said while plating three lunch orders. It seemed like months had passed since Fiona Drever had lost her best friend. Neither Fiona nor Ella Mae mentioned Joyce Mercer, but sometimes she hung in the air between them like a ghost.

“Maybe she should join Jenny and me.” Reba scowled and jerked her finger toward the dining room. “Because things are totally nuts out on the other side of those doors.”

By the end of tea service, Jenny was echoing Reba’s complaint. “No amount of Red Bull could have prepared me for today. People are already in town for History in the Baking. I spoke with a lady from Michigan and a gentleman who came all the way from Oregon. He went into great detail about how Oregon produces most of the nation’s hazelnuts, and swears that he has a recipe for a chocolate hazelnut pie that can make women swoon.”

“They’re swoonin’ because he looks like Grizzly Adams,” Reba said with a cackle. “Did you hear the Michigan lady’s speech on cherries? If she can’t beat the other guest bakers with her cooking skills, she can just talk them to death.”

Jenny dropped onto a kitchen stool and polished off her second can of Mountain Dew. “Forget about bake-offs and long-winded ladies, what are you wearing tonight?”

As tired as she was, Ella Mae felt a thrill of anticipation over her dinner with Finn. “He said we wouldn’t be eating in a regular restaurant, so I won’t get too dressed up.”

“I bet he takes you on a picnic,” Jenny said. “He obviously likes the woods.”

A shadow of alarm surfaced in Reba’s eyes. “Don’t go
anywhere too isolated, Ella Mae. We still don’t know who threw that brick. Or what really happened to Joyce Mercer.”

“I won’t.” Ella Mae sighed, her merriment dimmed by the thought.

Jenny crumpled her soda can and frowned. “What about Fiona? Is it wise to trust her? I’ve spent plenty of time with her, and she keeps things close to the chest. If someone murdered Joyce Mercer in a case of mistaken identity like Fiona claims, then why hasn’t the killer gone after her? Why would the murderer just vanish?”

Ella Mae and Reba exchanged befuddled glances.

“Maybe the killer learned that Fiona’s gifts have been restored and she’s no longer vulnerable to attack,” Ella Mae said after a moment’s consideration. “Fiona said the magic in our grove is like nothing she’s ever experienced. Every blade of grass, flower petal, and tree leaf radiates power, and she’s stronger now than she was in her prime.”

“Thanks to you,” Jenny said.

“If only I could use magic to bring justice to Joyce Mercer,” Ella Mae murmured.

Jenny dropped her soda can in the recycling bin and smiled at Ella Mae. “You see yourself as an inept leader, but we all know that you’re constantly working behind the scenes to improve our lot.” She reached across the worktable and touched the clover-shaped burn scar on Ella Mae’s palm. “I see what you do for us on a daily basis, and the sacrifices you’ve made over the past few months are written all over your face. You’re worth following, Ella Mae. I know it, and they know it.”

Ella Mae was so humbled by Jenny’s words that she was afraid she might cry. Before she could say thank you, Jenny threw her arms around her shoulders and hugged her with all her strength. Not only was Jenny very strong, but she also possessed an extremely useful gift. When Ella Mae felt a
rush of warmth and heat flow through her body, she knew that Jenny was using magic on her—infusing her with energy.

“There’s your daily dose of skip-in-your-step,” Jenny said and released her.

Ella Mae felt like she’d slept for twelve hours. “Liquid sunshine. That’s what I call it.”

“I didn’t use it on any of my customers today. I figured you needed it more.” Jenny made a shooing motion at Ella Mae. “Get out of here. Reba and I will close up shop. You need to take a long bath and make yourself pretty.”

“When you’re with Finn tonight, forget about your responsibilities. Just enjoy a beautiful spring night with a beautiful man,” Reba added. “And I expect to hear all the details tomorrow.”

•   •   •

In the hours leading up to Finn’s arrival, Ella Mae and Chewy strolled through the gardens behind Partridge Hill. Jenny let Miss Lulu out to play, and the two dogs raced over the lawn and down to the lake’s edge where they splashed about in the shallows and played tug-of-war with sticks.

Ella Mae left them to their games and meandered around the rose garden. Ever since her mother’s return, the roses grew in riotous mounds of color and scent, forming walls of flowers and thorns that reminded Ella Mae of the illustrations from her
Sleeping Beauty
storybook. Taking a seat on a stone bench, she held out her hand and smiled in delight when a zebra swallowtail butterfly landed on her palm. The black-and-white butterflies were uncommon, and Ella Mae knew this one had found her for a reason.

“Show me,” she whispered, and shut her eyes.

Suddenly, she was flying through a mass of dense gray clouds. She could feel the sting of a sharp wind and hear a
deafening roar. Below her, she saw a large ship. A freighter, perhaps. Women in white dresses tied with braided belts of red and gold stood in a semicircle on the deck. Their attention was fixed on the woman at the bow. She wore a floor-length crimson dress secured by a belt made of gold scales. The buckle was shaped like a serpent’s head and the snake’s mouth was open. It was swallowing its own tail.

Ella Mae recognized the ancient symbol. It signified the eternal repetition of cycles and served as a reminder that the life force of certain living things could never truly be extinguished.

She wears red, the color of magic
, Ella Mae thought.
And her belt is a constant reminder of her ancient title, Lady of the Lake. And of her authority.

At that moment, the woman lifted her face to the sky. Her eyes were swirling gray storm clouds, and locks of her long, red hair writhed around her head like Medusa’s snakes. Her beauty was both wondrous and terrible. Her mouth curved into a chilling smile, and she raised her hand in the air, as if in greeting.

In a flash, the vision disappeared. Ella Mae opened her eyes and looked down at the butterfly in her palm. It was dead.

“Are you all right?” Ella Mae’s mother was suddenly at her side. She slid an arm around her daughter’s waist. “You’ve gone very pale.”

“I saw Nimue,” Ella Mae whispered hoarsely. “And she saw me.”

Her mother took the butterfly and carried it away. She returned a moment later and drew Ella Mae in close, like she did when Ella Mae was a child. She then stroked Ella Mae’s hair and hummed the strange, haunting tune she hummed whenever she was tending the plants.

“I can sense her too,” her mother said after a while.
“She’s just like water—changeable and fickle. A woman with a frozen heart. Something must have happened to her to make her so numb. Find out what happened and you may discover her weakness.”

Ella Mae raised her head and stared at her mother. “I deliberately sought numbness, so maybe I’m not so different from her.”

“You are different, because you are loved. Where there is love, there is hope. These emotions are greater than any magic. Most of us don’t live for power or fame or wealth. We live for one another. For friends and family. Husbands and wives and children. Sisters and daughters.” She pressed her forehead against Ella Mae’s, and Ella Mae smelled roses and moonlight.

Ella Mae thought of Loralyn and her desire for love. What lengths would she go to in order to be loved? Or at least valued?

Lifting her head, Ella Mae gently pinched a new rosebud between her fingers. Her mother put a hand over her daughter’s and the bud began to swell. Ella Mae pulled her hand away and the rose slowly unfolded. Petal upon petal spread outward until the flower was the size of a salad plate.

“That’s amazing,” Ella Mae whispered.

Her mother touched the center of her chest. “Everyone has a heart as magical as that rose. Hearts can be changed. Healed. Restored. Remember that.”

Just then, Ella Mae heard the sound of a car approaching. This was followed by a chorus of excited barking by Chewy and Miss Lulu. After giving her mother a quick hug, Ella Mae hurried out to the driveway to meet Finn.

“So, where are we going?” she asked once they’d left Partridge Hill behind.

“A place in town,” he replied, a smile playing around the
corners of his mouth. “It’s not known for its ambiance, but the food’s good. And if not good, at least it’ll be hot.”

Ella Mae laughed. “What a ringing endorsement.”

As Finn drove, he told Ella Mae how he’d spent the day cleaning out the house and bringing his mother’s clothing to the church thrift store.

“That must have made you sad,” Ella Mae said sympathetically.

“I was okay until one of Mom’s purses fell out of a box I was handing to a volunteer. I picked up the purse and just stood there holding it. It was very manly. Me, clutching a pink leopard-print handbag and thinking of all the crazy stuff my mom wore. Yep. Very manly indeed.”

“Everyone looks good in leopard print,” Ella Mae assured him. “And I’m glad you brought her things to that thrift store. A few months ago, we had an influx of people from a small town in Tennessee. Most of these folks were let go when the town’s biggest company suddenly decided to downsize, so they came to Havenwood to start over. Because it took a while for many of them to find jobs, they couldn’t afford new clothes and household goods, but they
were
able to buy lots of nice stuff from the thrift shop.”

Finn brightened. “That’s what the volunteer told me. She said that not only would other women treasure my mother’s things, but the proceeds from the sales would also be divided among several local charities, including the animal shelter. Mom would have loved that. Coco has to be the most spoiled dog in all of Georgia. And she’s not helping my manly-man image either.”

Ella Mae laughed again. “I think you should start carrying her around in a purse. Maybe a Chanel knock-off?”

“You’re killing me.” Finn mimed being stabbed in the heart. “If I ever get a second dog, I can see that it’ll have to
be a rottweiler or a bullmastiff. I’ll get him a camo collar and we’ll ride around town in a commercial grade pickup with a gun rack. No one will mistake me for a sissy after that.”

“You’re built like a lumberjack,” Ella Mae pointed out. “I doubt anyone would dare to call you a sissy.”

“That’s high praise, considering that your deliveryman looks like Hercules. Where did you find that guy? At a strongman competition or a cage-fighting match?”

Ella Mae smiled, but she felt a familiar pang of regret that she’d never be able to tell Finn the truth about her employees, her family, or herself. To change the subject, she described Aiden’s abhorrence of driving around town in a pink Jeep.

“Coco and I need to hang out with that guy,” Finn said, pulling into the empty parking lot of a warehouse building. “I can bring the leopard-skin purse.”

“Isn’t this your new place?” Ella Mae asked when she was done laughing.

Finn’s eyes sparkled with pride. “Welcome to Mercer’s Furniture Design Studio. At least, that’s what I went by in Baltimore, but I want the store to have a hipper name. I was hoping we could bat a few ideas around while we ate.”

“Sure.” Ella Mae glanced in the backseat. “Do you need me to carry anything?”

“Nope, I’m all set,” he said, jumping out of the car and racing around to the passenger side to open Ella Mae’s door. “Milady.” He offered her his arm.

They walked to the front door, where Finn released her because he needed both hands to unfasten the padlock and open the heavy door. He then took two steps into the cavernous space and turned to Ella Mae. “The ambiance calls to mind a haunted airplane hanger.” Picking up a battery-powered lantern near the door, he switched it on. “I’ll hold
the light. You follow the rope.” He indicated a thin piece of rope disappearing into the gloom.

Ella Mae hesitated. Reba wouldn’t approve of her stumbling around in the dark with someone she didn’t know, but then again, Ella Mae had her revolver in her purse. She slid her right hand into the bag, touched the gun’s cold reassuring metal, and used her left hand to grasp the rope. “This is very mysterious,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“That’s me. Finn Mercer. International man of mystery and owner of a pocket dog.”

Ella Mae walked slowly, her body tense and her senses on high alert, but the second she saw what was at the end of the line, she relaxed.

“This was the best I could do without my full workshop,” Finn said, hurrying forward with the lantern. “I thought you could use it as a staff table. Maybe put it out back behind the kitchen.”

“This is way too wonderful to be tucked between the shop, the parking lot, and the Dumpster!” Ella Mae declared, running her hand over the café table. Finn had carved four plates into the circular top. Each plate held a slice of pie, and each slice looked incredibly lifelike, right down to the lattice crust and dollop of whipped cream. “I could put it on the front porch in between those gliders I’d like you to make for me.” She stared at the table. “But I can’t accept this as a gift. It’s too much, Finn. I insist on paying for it.”

Finn waved off the idea. “Not a chance. Trust me, you’ll have earned it by the end of the evening. I have a whole list of questions for you.” He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. “Ah, that should be our pies!” When Ella Mae raised her brows in question, Finn grinned. “Pizza pies. Nothing tastes better in an empty warehouse than pizza and cheap wine. Have a seat. I’ll be back in a sec.”