Page 22 of Already Home

She checked the cookies, then eyed the class schedule on thewall. The big dry-erase board was filled with offerings from organic food forbabies and toddlers during the late morning to a singles cooking class on Fridaynight. Her perfect kitchen would be invaded by people who had no idea what theywere doing, and she was actually sort of okay with that.

Even more surprising, she was trying something new. The organicfood for babies and toddlers was completely out of her comfort zone. She’dnearly vomited when she’d agreed to the class, but she was going to do it. Shefigured an eighteen-month-old wouldn’t be as critical as Aaron.

Giving up control was a good thing, she reminded herself. Atleast it would be when she got used to it and stopped hyperventilating at thethought. Trying to keep control of everything had become a habit in recentyears. Maybe it had been a way not to notice how out of control her marriage hadbecome.

She returned to the oven and pulled open the door. The timerdinged just as she drew out the tray and set it on the waiting cooling rack.

Across the room, Violet groaned. “What are those? They smellamazing.”

“A brownie-cookie with a melted chocolate center.”

“I’m going to gain weight working here, aren’t I?”

“If I’m doing my job right.”

Violet grinned. “Tell me when they’re cooled. I want to tasteone and make sure they’re okay. For marketing purposes.”

Jenna laughed. “Thanks. We wouldn’t want to risk serving ourcustomers anything that wasn’t good.”

“Exactly.”

Jenna slipped the second batch into the oven and shut the door.Precisely two minutes after the cookies had come out of the oven, Jenna used aspatula to transfer them from the cookie sheet to a second cooling rack. Sheglanced at the clock. They were less than five minutes to the grandreopening.

What if nobody came? What if all the changes didn’t make adifference? What if she failed?

The swirling thoughts made her want to pound her head againstthe wall. Instead she forced herself to breathe slowly. Everything was going tobe fine, she reminded herself. Her new plan was in place and it was based onmaking customers happy, rather than being everything she wanted the store to be.Even as she hovered, twenty dozen sugar cookies waited to be decorated fortoday’s class on decorating with spring flowers.

The table by the register held fifty brightly coloredlunch-size paper bags Violet had bought at the dollar store. Inside some werethe nonperishable ingredients for the sugar cookies. The others held the samefor the brownie-cookies. Recipe cards were attached. Everything was premeasuredin sealed plastic bags. All that was required were eggs and butter.

Next to the bags, stacks of mixing bowls, cookie sheets andcooling racks partially blocked printed schedules of the cooking classes for thenext two weeks. Later in the week there would be a ribbon-cutting ceremony withmembers of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce stopping by.

They’d done what they could do, she reminded herself. Whathappened now was up to the good people of Georgetown.

“It’s time,” Violet said as she walked toward the door.“Oh.”

“What?”

“There are people waiting outside. I hadn’t noticed.”

People waiting, as in customers? Jenna walked toward the front.Sure enough, there were five or six women standing on the sidewalk. As soon asViolet unlocked the glass front doors, they walked in.

Several of them held flyers or coupons in their hands. Theylooked around eagerly. A couple inhaled, then groaned.

“What are you baking?” one older woman asked. “It smellswonderful.”

Jenna smiled. “A brownie-cookie. I just pulled some out of theoven. Have a taste.”

She handed out the samples.

“Do you have the recipe?” another woman asked. “I came in forthe sugar cookie class, but these are delicious.”

“We have recipe cards,” Jenna said, pointing to the front ofthe store even as she wondered if she recognized the woman. She might have beena retired teacher from her elementary school.

“We also have the ingredients ready if you want to buy thoseand make them at home yourself,” Jenna added. “You’ll need eggs and butter, butwe’ve taken care of everything else.”

Violet walked over with a few of the bags in her hand.

“How clever,” a customer said. “I want one of each.”

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