Sinister Cinnamon Buns Read online

  Sinister Cinnamon Buns

  By

  J Lee Mitchell

  Sinister Cinnamon Buns

  By J Lee Mitchell

  First Edition

  Copyright 2018 by J Lee Mitchell

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To Bob. This book would never have been possible without all your love, support, and encouragement. Thank you for always being there for me. I love you more than you will ever know.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  Sinister Cinnamon Buns

  Simple Art of Simple Syrup

  About J Lee Mitchell

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  The screen door flew open with a thud, startling Rene and Evie as they huddled around a small TV watching Country Cooking With Macie. Liddy Lou Cormier stomped up to them, snatched the remote off the counter, and switched off the TV. She slammed the remote down on the counter so hard it cracked. Without saying a word, she stomped out the swinging doors leading to the Red Herring Inn’s dining room, letting them smack shut behind her.

  Q'Bita Block stood just inside the doorway of her cooking school, Culinary Forensics, which doubled as the kitchen for her family’s inn. Rene and Evie stared at her waiting for an explanation as to what had Liddy Lou so upset.

  Q’Bita’s hands were firmly planted on her slender hips, and her dark curls swayed as she spoke.

  "Seriously, you two? Did you really think it was a good idea to have Nana come home and catch you watching the show that started this whole mess in the first place?"

  Before she could continue, her brother-in-law, Rene, interrupted.

  "Great ghost of Greta Garbo, how bad was your meeting with the publishers? I've never seen Liddy Lou so ornery. Look at this," he said, picking up the ruined remote. "She cracked it like an egg."

  Q'Bita sighed as she sat down next to Evie. She reached for a cherry crumb bar and fought back tears as she tried to speak, her voice cracking as she mumbled, “… just not right. How am I going to fix this?”

  Q’Bita sighed again then squared her shoulders. Now was not the time to be weak.

  Evie put her arm around Q’Bita and gave her a tender squeeze.

  "Don't fret, Q'Bita. Liddy Lou’s just blowing off some steam. No matter how bad this seems, your nana has weathered far worse storms. This one will pass, same as the others, and she'll still be standing like the stubborn oak she's always been."

  Rene, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet since Liddy Lou's meltdown, couldn't contain himself a second longer.

  "Um, hello. Could you two put the kibosh on the Hallmark moment and please tell me what happened at your meeting? I need details, people."

  Q’Bita tried not to laugh as Evie swatted at Rene and shushed him while he feigned offense. Her brother’s husband might be a bit dramatic at times, but his flamboyance could always lift her out of a funk.

  "Okay. As I'm sure you've already guessed, the meeting didn't go well. The publishers received a cease-and-desist order from the law firm of Winston, Wheaton, and Wilbur on behalf of the Dixons. The order requires the publishers to stop all current and future production of Cooking The Cormier Way. The publishers are hesitant to engage in a protracted legal battle, so they've decided to shelf Nana’s book until further notice. They were, however, gracious enough to inform us that we are welcome to seek our own legal counsel if we want to challenge the Dixons.”

  Evie Newsome slapped the marble counter and stood up. "You have got to be kidding me. Who the hell do those Dixons think they are? Everyone in Castle Creek knows Macie Dixon is a fraud. The girl couldn't fry an egg on a hundred-degree sidewalk at high noon even if she had a damn frying pan and a spatula for hands."

  Rene snorted and rolled his eyes.

  "And people say I'm overly dramatic."

  Evie threw Rene a look like a rattlesnake about to strike then sat down taking Q'Bita's hand in hers.

  "I'm sorry, Q'Bita. As much as it pains me to admit Rene's right, maybe I'm a little too fired up. I know how hard it was for Liddy Lou to share those recipes and stories from the Cormier family wedding books and it breaks my heart that her book got shelved. I've spent my whole life here in Castle Creek watching the Dixons use their money to manipulate their way to the top. Isn't there anything we can do?"

  Q'Bita shook her head.

  "I'm afraid not. I'll talk to my parents and see if they’ve ever run into anything like this with one of their books, but for now it seems our only option is to take this whole mess to court. In the meantime, Macie Dixon is free to keep using the recipes she stole from us."

  “Speaking of recipes, do you think Liddy Lou will calm down in time to teach tonight’s class? I’m not sure we should let her near knives when she’s this worked up,” Evie said.

  “I think she’ll be fine. We just need to give her a few more hours.”

  “Well, I’m taking tonight’s class, so I’ll be there if things get out of hand and you need some muscle,” Rene said.

  “Oh, a lot of help you’d be. What are you going to do, Princess Rose Bowl, wave Liddy Lou into submission?”

  “My, my, Evie, aren’t we catty today? Words can wound you know?”

  Q’Bita and Evie both laughed as Rene picked the topping off another cherry crumb bar.

  “Oh, you big drama queen, you know I love you. I’m just pecking at you to lighten things up a little around here.

  Evie and Rene kept up their back-and-forth until Liddy Lou reappeared.

  “Q’Bita, darling, I hate to spring this on you at the last minute but I’m really not feeling up to dealing with people right now. Would you and Evie mind terribly if I didn’t teach tonight?”

  “It won’t be the same without you, Nana, but Evie and I don’t mind holding down the fort for a night.”

  “Thank you, girls. I think some alone time will do me good.”

  Liddy Lou gave them a half smile and left without saying goodbye.

  Chapter 2

  Most nights Q’Bita loved teaching, but tonight her heart wasn’t in it. She watched the last of the participants shuffle in and take their seats as Evie made her way to the front of the room to join her.

  Q’Bita took a deep breath, flipped on her mic, and began the first class she’d held without her nana sinc
e they’d opened Culinary Forensics. She just hoped she didn’t start crying before she finished the announcements.

  “Hello, everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Q’Bita Block, and this is my lovely and talented co-instructor, Evie Newsome. We want to welcome you all to the Red Herring Inn and Culinary Forensics, where our goal is to take some of the mystery out of cooking by teaching you the science behind food in order to prevent culinary crimes.”

  As usual, a little bit of laughter and a few groans at her corniness rippled through the crowd, and Q’Bita started to feel a better.

  “Unfortunately, my nana cannot be with us tonight, but we are very excited that my brother-in-law, Rene, has graciously agreed to step in and help out.”

  Rene grabbed the corners of his fake-fur, ruffled, leopard skin-print apron, curtsied, then gave the class his best prom court wave.

  Q’Bita finished the rest of the announcements and got class started. Things were going well until they took the cookies out of the oven and discovered that not everyone had been successful.

  Max Bower and Rene were in a huddle having a serious-looking discussion as Q’Bita approached them.

  “Hi, fellas. How’d the cookies turn out?”

  “I guess that depends on whether or not you like the taste of soap,” Max replied.

  Q’Bita picked up a cookie, took a nibble, and knew in an instant what had happened.

  “Max, you didn’t measure everything according to the recipe. There’s too much baking soda in these.”

  Max gave her a surprised look.

  “How did you know?”

  “Max, how many times do I have to tell you? I have super powers, you can’t fool me. I have a Master’s Degree in Food Science and graduated top of my class from culinary school. You’re going to have to try a lot harder to pull one over on me. Too much baking soda and not enough acid produces a metallic, or soapy, taste that can be rather off-putting in a cookie.”

  Max laughed and said to Rene, “She’s good. I try to get her every class, and every class, she figures me out.”

  “Wait. You did this on purpose? What in the name of Betty Crocker where you thinking, Max? Q’Bita, when do we serve the wine? My palate needs to be cleansed before it’s permanently damaged by these dreadful soap wafers.”

  “Sorry, Rene, we don’t serve wine with this class.”

  “What, no wine? You could have told me before I agreed to help. This constitutes a hostile work environment and I resign, effective immediately.”

  Max laughed as Rene marched off to sulk in the corner.

  “Boy, he’s an excitable fella, that one. I hope he’s not too upset. I come to these classes just to try and stump you. I’ve never met anyone who knows as much about cooking and how it works as you, Q’Bita. If you ever decide to settle down, I could use a wife who can cook.”

  Q’Bita blushed and wagged her finger at Max, who may not have been able to make a cookie, but he never failed to make a pass at Q’Bita, or her nana.

  She made her way around the rest of the class sampling cookies and giving advice on how to fix any of the mishaps. Most people had done a great job and enjoyed the class, which made her wish all the more that her nana had been there to enjoy it with them.

  Chapter 3

  Hadleigh Banks glanced over the top of her iPad, watching the day’s carnage unfold in its usual fashion. Macie was standing behind the stove screeching at the food stylist, barking orders at the camera crew, and teetering on the edge of her next explosion while production people scurried everywhere like scared little rats nervously waiting to see whom Macie would fire next.

  Being the personal assistant to a spoiled, clueless egomaniac was far from Hadleigh’s idea of a dream job. Working for Macie Dixon and trying to keep her own agenda a secret was exhausting and hadn’t gotten her any closer to what she really wanted. A loud crash and the sound of broken glass jarred Hadleigh out of her introspection.

  “Which one of you imbeciles thought it would be appropriate to stage this segment with cheap-ass, mismatched dessert plates? I am trying to launch a freaking lifestyle brand here, not champion some junk-shop, bohemian aesthetic. Clean this mess up and restage this segment with pieces from the Macie Dixon Line. I will be in my dressing room and I do not want to be disturbed until you people pull your heads out of your asses.”

  Everyone was frozen, staring at Macie, until she marched off the set bellowing for Hadleigh.

  “I am over here, Macie. What do you need?”

  Macie lurched to a stop and rounded on Hadleigh.

  “Why does this level of incompetence continue to happen daily? I pay you to attend to details. I do not have time for incessant ridiculousness. I need to keep myself in tune with my creative harmonics and be free and open to my muse.”

  Hadleigh was barely able to refrain from blurting out a sarcastic reply. Instead, she stood still and counted to ten in her mind. She cast a glace in the direction of the crew as they scrambled to clean up the stack of plates Macie had tossed to the floor. She momentarily locked eyes with Macie’s food stylist, Patti Becker, and mouthed a silent, “Sorry.”

  It was times like this Hadleigh questioned how she and Macie shared a parent. Not that anyone but Hadleigh knew that at this point, and she wasn’t ready to share this secret just yet. For now, she would just have to bite the bullet and let her half-sister treat her like the hired help, which, technically, she was.

  “Hadleigh!”

  Macie’s voice could chew through your neck skin and burrow itself all the way to your bone marrow. Hadleigh steeled herself, slapped on her faux-obedient look, and set off behind Macie muttering to herself, “Stay calm, Hadleigh. You need this job.”

  Chapter 4

  Q’Bita popped a tray of rosemary cheddar biscuits into the oven and set the timer. The kitchen was soon filled with the scent of warm, buttery dough, which made it hard for her to stay focused on writing recipe descriptions for next month’s cooking classes. She was just about to make herself a cup of blueberry rooibos tea from her special stash when Jamie Gross arrived for his shift.

  Jamie wasn’t blood, but he had been fostered by Liddy Lou, and the Blocks considered him family. In the two years since Q’Bita had moved from Spain to Castle Creek she and Jamie had become inseparable. Jamie had a way about him that made her smile even when her heart was hurting. After their meeting with the publisher yesterday, things around the Red Herring Inn had been anything but upbeat, and Q’Bita was happy to see him. She gave Jamie a huge hug, and he hit her with his usual greeting.

  “What’s shaking, Q’B-doll?”

  Q’Bita was trying to decide if she should spill the details of their meeting or let Rene give Jamie the full dramatic retelling when Liddy Lou came in from the garden.

  Jamie laid a big, sloppy kiss on Liddy Lou, and she suggested he save all that mess for the ladies before extracting herself from his embrace.

  Jamie took a step back, crossed his arms over his body, and asked, “Okay, what did I miss? I’m sensing some hostility.”

  Liddy Lou made a face like she’d smelled something gone bad and waved her hands around in front of herself trying to ignore Jamie’s question.

  “Nothing for you to worry yourself about. Besides, I’m sure Rene is busting at the seams to tell you all about it.”

  “Not so fast, little Mama. If something is troubling you, then it’s better I hear it from you. You know if I hear it from Rene it will be blown so far out of proportion I’ll be ready to knee-cap someone before he even finishes his story.”

  Liddy Lou let out a half-hearted chuckle. “Now y’all know that I seldom condone violence, but today I just might hand you the bat and look the other way.”

  Jamie shifted his gaze from Liddy Lou to Q’Bita, his face tight with concern.

  “Okay. Seriously, ladies, what happened?”

  Liddy Lou shook her head and started towards the swinging doors leading to the dining room. “Maybe it’s best if Q’Bita fills you i
n. I’ve finally gotten my blood pressure just under the stroke zone, and if it goes back up again I just might do something I can’t undo.”

  The buzz of the oven timer was just the distraction Liddy Lou needed to make a speedy exit from the kitchen.

  Jamie turned to Q’Bita. “What the hell was that all about?”

  Q’Bita sat the golden, buttery biscuits on the counter and closed the oven door.

  “We had a meeting with the publishers yesterday, and the Dixons have decided to take legal action against us. Long story short, Cooking The Cormier Way has been placed on indefinite hold.”

  “Can they actually do that? I thought Liddy Lou had a contract.”

  “She does, but the contract states that the recipes in the book will be original, unpublished recipes, and the legal team at the publishing house is afraid that publishing any of the recipes Macie has already used on her show might become fodder for a future legal battle with the Dixons.”

  Jamie grabbed one of the steaming hot biscuits from the tray and stuffed it in his mouth.

  “I still don’t understand,” he mumbled through a wad of half-chewed biscuit. “Isn’t the book a compilation of recipes handed down through your family from their wedding books? If the recipes are already in the wedding books, isn’t that enough to prove they originated with your family and not Macie Dixon?”

  “Hold that thought,” Q’Bita said as she grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with ice, blackberry tea, and a shot of rosemary simple syrup. She sat the glasses down on the counter and moved the tray of biscuits closer to the iced tea.

  “Come on, sit down with me and have a snack. I already checked the reservations this morning and we don’t have anyone checking in until later this evening, so we have plenty of time, and it will make me feel better to talk this all out with you.”

  Jamie and Q’Bita were just settling in when Q’Bita’s parents entered the kitchen. Kari Block greeted each of them with a hug and double kiss, one for each cheek. Tom Block waved a quick hello and, as usual, went directly for the still warm biscuits.