Page 7 of How Sweet It Is

I pull the sugar cookie dough out of the fridge and let the bowlclunkon the counter. Was I trying to impress her? Why would I do that? She obviously hates me.

What a joke. I pull out the flour and dip my hand in it before scooping out a handful and sprinkling it on the countertop. The mess makes me smile. I chuckle as I spread the powder around, knowing Amelia will hate it. I toss some on the floor, just because I know she’ll glower at me when she sees it. It makes me laugh, and I toss some more for good measure.

Then I kick some of it to spread it more. It puffs out, making a satisfying spray of flour. That was fun, so I do it again, doing a little dance as I kick more flour around. I raise my hands up in the air and clap over my head, making white powder rain down on me.

I’m having too much fun to stop, so I keep dancing in the flour, watching it scatter and knowing Amelia is going to hate it. Suddenly, I’m Tevye, kicking up flour and shimmying with my hands in the air, “If I Were a Rich Man” playing in my head. It’s ironic, because Iama rich man now that I’ve gotten my fifty-million-dollar inheritance.

Amelia walks in and stops short, her mouth gaping open. “What are you doing?” she shrieks.

I freeze, my hands still in the air, heat creeping up my neck. “Making sugar cookies.”

“On the floor?”

I point at the bowl with my chilled dough. “No.”

A look that I can’t quite interpret comes over her face. She points toward the storefront. “Kiera wants to talk to you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

She eyes me as I dust the flour off my hands. Just to annoy her, I make sure it all goes on the floor. I tap the toes of my shoes on the tile a few times to get the flour off before heading into the storefront.

Kiera’s standing at the counter, and I smile at her. “Hey, what’s up?”

She gives me a funny look. “You’ve got a little…” She points at all of her face and hair.

I forgot that I clapped my hands and made flour rain down on me. I dust off my hair and run my hand down my face. “Better?”

She laughs, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. “No.”

I shrug, not really caring anymore. “I guess it’s the price I pay for my brilliance in the kitchen. What’s up?”

Kiera bites her lip. She lowers her gaze and toes the tile with her shoe. “Amelia said you might need help here, and I could use a job. I can work weekends and after school. I just turned seventeen, and I’m a hard worker.”

“Sure,” I blurt out before I can think about it. “I’ll hire you.”

She jerks her gaze to me and smiles. “You will?”

A part of me wonders if I’m going about this the wrong way. Shouldn’t I ask her some questions? I don’t know how to interview anyone. Maybe that’s why my new hire quit on the first day. I stink at being the boss.

I shove down my insecurities and nod. She’s Kiki’s sister. I’m sure she’ll be a good employee. “Of course. Do you want to start right now?”

“I’d love to,” Kiera says. “Do I need to fill out a form?”

Amelia comes out of the kitchen, and I point at Kiera. “I just hired a new employee. Can you get her information?”

“Sure.” Amelia motions for Kiera to walk around the counter. “Come with me. I’ll get you set up, then I can teach you how to run the register.”

They disappear into the back, and I stay at the counter in case any customers come in. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I don’t know quite what to think of Amelia. She’s hiding something for sure, and she has a way of getting under my skin that no other person has before. But when I’m in a pinch, it’s sure nice to have her around. She saved my butt today.

A group of women enter, and I smile at Ellie, who is in the back herding everyone in. She’s a sweet older woman who goes to our church, and I know she’s been sending people into my bakery all day. “Hello, Miss Ellie. How are you this afternoon?”

She grins at me. “I’m right as rain. What about you? Have you had a good opening day?”

I nod. “Yes, it’s been fantastic. I’ve had a fairly steady stream of customers.”

Ellie adjusts her hat and folds her arms. “Perfect.” She moves to the back of the line. I check people out, selling out of several items. After everyone else has gotten their orders, she steps up to the counter. “I’ll take two of everything.”

I gape at her. “Everything?”

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