Chapter Fourteen

When Sage pulled up in front of the bakery the next morning, she found Katie bent over with her shoulders shaking. It took her about two seconds to let Otis free and come to the aid of her friend.

She knelt beside her and expected to find red, puffy eyes and tears. Instead, she found Katie laughing hysterically.

“You told me to build it, and they would come.” She pointed to the recessed doorway and laughed some more.

Blocking the entrance to the bakery were bags of flour, sugar, tubs of butter, and crates of berries. Everything she’d need to bake her first batch of muffins sat right there in the doorway.

Tears reached Katie’s eyes, but they weren’t the kind created by sorrow. They were jumbo drops of happiness.

“You better get that sidewalk cleared off, or I’m going to have to ticket you for something,” came a deep voice from behind that Sage recognized as the sheriff’s.

They turned in unison to see he wore a bigger smile than Katie.

Sage rose and faced the man who, despite his smile, looked dangerous and foreboding. His dark eyes, dark hair, and sheer size could make a strong man tremble.

“Do you know who dropped this stuff off?” Sage glanced over her shoulder at the timely gift.

The sheriff shrugged. “Hard to tell in this town.” He walked forward to inspect the supplies. “Raspberries are my favorite.” His thick fingers plucked a red berry from the top basket and popped it into his mouth. “You need some help carrying this stuff inside?”

Katie nodded and opened the front door. “I can’t afford to turn down help.”

It took two trips to bring everything into the bakery. Katie washed a cupful of berries and handed them to the sheriff. “Once I get the place cleaned up, I’ll make you some muffins, Sheriff. You can be my official taste tester.”

He looked down at his belt. The man didn’t have an ounce of fat on his body. “I have a hole or two left in my belt. I’ll be happy to taste what you bake.” He looked between Sage and Katie. “You need anything else?”

Katie shook her head. “I’ve got it from here. Thank you for your help.” She went about putting the ingredients away.

“I’ll walk Sheriff Cooper out and get the cleaning supplies.” When Sage moved from the back room to the café area, she found Otis curled up in the corner. She didn’t understand how animals could sleep so much. Maybe it proved he had a truly good life.

The sheriff gave a single nod to the corner. “Saw him earlier. Is he yours?”

Sage nodded. “Yes. That’s Otis.”

“Nice looking hound.”

“He’s special.” She heard a happy hum come from the back room. “Speaking of special, it would be great to know who left the supplies, so Katie could thank them.” Sage gave the sheriff a please-tell-me look.

“The people in this town don’t need a thank you. They obviously need raspberry muffins.” He held the door open for her. “What about you, do you need anything?”

Sage chewed the inside of her cheek. “Um . . . I need the name of a real estate agent.” She walked outside and looked down the street at the abandoned storefronts. “There’s nothing here in Aspen Cove for me.”

He retained his affability, but there was a distinct hardening of his jaw. “Are you sure? You’ve been here all of two days.”

Sage had never been a quitter, but she’d never been stupid either. The best decision would be to cut her losses quickly and return to Denver. She could be miserable here among strangers, or miserable there among family. She leaned toward returning to the misery she knew. “I’m sure.”

“That’s disappointing.”

If Sheriff Cooper repeated Doc’s words about Bea being a good judge of character, she’d scream. She was a good person, but Aspen Cove hadn’t been good to her. She’d be feeling that welcome punch for days. “It’s disappointing for me, too.”

Part of her would regret her decision to leave, because she wanted Bea to be proud. Bea’s legacy would die because Sage wasn’t the right choice. Her old boss, Mr. Cross, was right. Everything died. People. Hopes. Dreams. Nothing was exempt from death. Maybe that was part of Sage’s problem. She wanted everyone and everything to live, but maybe the lesson was to find a healthy way to let them die.

“I’ll send someone over to the house tonight.”

Her heart ached. She’d only been at Bea’s for two days, but somehow the cabin on the lake had already filled up a tiny hole in her heart. It was a connection to a woman who gave more than she took. Sage hoped the person who took over B’s Bed and Breakfast would be worthy.

The sheriff walked away while she gathered the cleaning supplies from the back of her SUV. When she entered the front of the bakery, Katie was on her haunches, looking at Otis.

“So this is the infamous Otis.” The dog looked up at her as if to say, “Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, ma’am. This is the man in my life.” Sage set the supplies on a table and knelt down to rub Otis’s belly. “He’s missing a leg, but he makes up for it in heart.”

Katie rubbed the dog’s stump. “That’s a good trade. You can’t live without a heart.”

The two women decided to start in the kitchen, where the cooking would begin as soon as the equipment was cleaned.

“I’m grateful for your help,” Katie said while she filled a bucket with soap and water. “I wish I could pay you.”

“I’ll work for food. In fact, I have my first and only guest arriving Friday, and since it is a bed and breakfast, I’m at a bit of a disadvantage because I don’t cook. I’ll trade you cleaning for a few muffins to serve my newlyweds.”

Katie jumped up and down. The soapy water splashed from the bucket onto the white linoleum floor. “You have paying guests? Of course, I’ll make you muffins. No guarantee they’ll like them, but I’ll make them. And I bet they won’t be your only guests.”

Sage didn’t want to tell Katie she was leaving, but it wasn’t fair to lie. “I’m not staying. I’m only here this long because I like you and wanted to help.”

“What do you mean, you’re not staying?” Katie pulled a sponge from the bucket and started cleaning the stainless steel table. “This place is magical. Yesterday, I was in the same boat as you. In fact, I’d packed up my bags last night and set them by the door. I was going to meet you outside and tell you goodbye, but look at what happened. You were right. I’m going to trust Bea. I never met her, but she’s given me a chance at a new life. I’m not turning my back on her generosity. You shouldn’t either.”

Sage dipped a dry, lifeless sponge inside the bucket and watched it grow. The same thing had happened to Katie. Just yesterday she was empty like the sponge, and today she was filled with hope.

“Let’s get this place clean. I’m craving a raspberry muffin.” Sage wiped down the wire storage racks and tossed the muffin tins into the sink of sudsy water.

“Nice try, but I’m not letting you go until you give this place an honest chance. Maybe tomorrow you’ll wake up to a porch full of paying guests.”

“Bite your tongue. That is my worst nightmare.” Sage threw her sponge at Katie, which started a water fight. By the time they were finished, both women were soaked. There was more water on the floor than in the sink.

“Oh. My. God. Look at us.” Katie’s once-perfect hair hung damp over her shoulders. Her mascara slid down her face in dark streaks, but she still looked radiant. “That was so much fun.” She picked up her sponge and flung it at Sage, hitting her smack dab in the center of her face. “I’m so sorry.” Katie gasped, running forward to help.

Sage laughed. “Actually, it didn’t really hurt. Yesterday, it hurt worse than it looked. Today, it’s the opposite.” Sage found a mop in the corner and sopped up the spilled water while Katie cleaned the big mixer and pulled out her recipe cards and ingredients.

The mixer whirred while Sage worked out front. There was nothing a little elbow grease and glass cleaner couldn’t take care of.

Behind her, the ovens hummed and the heat spread throughout the room. The display case sparkled under the overhead lights, waiting to show off Katie’s first treat. Sage found coffee and set the pot to brew. She cleaned the soda machine and flipped the compressor on. She plugged in the ice machine and listened to it whine before it settled into a soft vibration.

“Here goes nothing,” Katie said as she put the first dozen muffins into the preheated oven.

Sage opened her arms and gave her new friend a hug. She pointed to the two muffin tins baking on the center rack. “That right there is everything.”

The two women grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at one of the tables and waited for the treats like they were waiting for the birth of a child.

“What made you drop everything and come to Aspen Cove?” Sage sipped her coffee and waited for Katie to answer.

“I can’t explain it, but it felt right.”

“What did you do in Dallas?”

Katie frowned. “Data entry for an insurance company.”

“Ugh. That sounds awful. I would have dropped everything as well.”

“You did. Why is that?” Otis lumbered over and lay across Katie’s feet. He groaned and settled his head down for another nap.

“It’s a long story.”

Katie looked at the timer she’d set on her phone. “We’ve got eleven minutes.”

Sage took in the surrounding bakery. It was amazing how fast things could change. Just a few hours ago, this place was a dusty abandoned business. The air had smelled like despair, and now it smelled like muffins and hope.

“I was put on administrative leave the day Bea died.”

Katie’s eyes grew large. “Oh my. That sounds serious.”

She knew by Katie’s expression that she thought she’d done something wrong. “My only crime was caring too much. If that’s wrong, I’m guilty.” By being honest with herself, she’d be honest with Katie. “It’s hard for me to let people go. I fall apart.”

Katie laid her hand on top of Sage’s. “Oh honey, compassion is never a bad trait.”

“I never did get that Nurse Ratched persona down. It’s not in my nature.”

“Thank the good lord for that, mean nurses are a dime a dozen.” Katie said it like she had some experience. “You’re a softie like me.”

“Speaking of soft-hearted people, did you open your envelope from Bea?”

Katie’s smile faltered and then beamed. “Yes, she sent more recipes and a note.”

Sage wondered if she got the only letter meant for someone else. Last night before she climbed into bed, she’d opened Bea’s last correspondence, hoping it would give her wise counsel, but inside was another envelope that said, “Give to Katie on her darkest day.”

“You got one too, right?”

The buzzer rang. Katie rose from her chair and walked to the oven to remove the first of what Sage hoped were many muffins.

“Yes, I got a note as well.” That was the truth. Not personal to Sage, but personal to Katie. The biggest problem now was trying to figure out how she’d know about Katie’s darkest day if Sage left.

They both stared at the perfectly baked muffins. “You ready to be my guinea pig?”

“A girl can only eat so much tuna casserole,” Sage teased. She filled up their coffee cups and waited for Katie.

They sat across from each other, picked up their muffins and brought them to their mouths. “On three. And if they’re awful, just lie and say they’re good, okay?”

“One thing I’ll never do is lie.” Sage readied her muffin and counted. “One. Two. Three.” She bit into the warm treat and let her eyes drift closed as the flavors danced across her tongue. Sweet. Salty. Sour. A perfect combination.

“It tastes like . . .” She didn’t want to say perfect, because it was so much more than that. This woman’s future rode on a raspberry confection. And in truth, it wasn’t the muffin at all, but the love of a town. “It tastes like . . . success.”

Katie let out a sigh of relief. “It’s pretty good, huh?”

Sage finished hers and emptied her coffee cup. “It’s more than good, but don’t take my word for it. Go ask the sheriff. They’re his favorite, and you promised he could be your personal taste tester.”

Katie rose from her chair when Sage did. Otis lifted himself up onto his three legs. She looked around at the peeling paper and damaged floor. “It will take some time to get this place renewed, but I can do it.”

Sage believed she could. Katie had heart, and that beat money or ambition any day.