Page 25 of A Spot of Tea
“It’s bad, but I can’t quit. I’ve gotten so far and…” Her voice trailed off.
“Don’t quit, then. Can you come and visit? The bottom bunk in my room is wide open.”
“Our sales numbers are down and I can’t take time off.”
“Oh, because it’ll hurthisnumbers foryournumbers to be down?”
“Yes,” Mackenzie said weakly.
“Okay, this ends now. You need to get out of there. You’re confused and you need a hug. I’ll make cupcakes and I’ll have Russell send the private jet.”
Mackenzie laughed. “Please don’t do that.”
“Remember when he flew you out for Christmas?”
She smiled. That was a happier time. As dramatic as it sounded, she felt like she’d never feel happy again. “I still dream about the French chocolates the flight attendant gave us.”
“Come on, just come out for a few days. Please?”
She hadn’t been able to get much done that week, insisting she was sick and working from home.
All she’d done was fall apart, walking from one room to the next. At least if she was with Eliza, she’d have someone to talk to. “Okay, fine. But I’ll fly out myself. Don’t call Russell.”
“Good, because I don’t think he has the money for a private jet and Mom would yell at him. Yay! I can’t wait to see you! Tell me when you’re coming—Granny will make a feast.”
It wasn’t just Eliza. There was Granny, of course. And Mom. Three whole people who would be happy to see her, who knew she hadn’t imagined the whole relationship. “I will.”
“Love you!”
Mackenzie smiled. “Love you, too.”
Ten
Flying people to and from the sea pen was honest work and Joey wasn’t going to complain about it. There was no one shooting at him. He didn’t have to wear three layers of pants to keep his blood from freezing in his veins, and not only did Russell pay him well, he also covered fuel for personal use and “training,” which was basically Joey flying around for fun.
At the same time, having to wait an entire week before he could take Eliza in the air for her first flight waskillinghim.
While he was busy making chitchat with contractors and veterinarians, Eliza was in the tea shop researching everything she could find about the previous robberies.
She managed to bake something new every day, too – macadamia nut cookies yesterday, birthday cake sugar cookie bars today.
Joey stopped in every day after work for her updates and new recipes. His favorite so far were the Earl Grey sugar cookies, which came on the same day Eliza had a breakthrough on the case.
“He’s getting bolder,” she said, spreading a stack of papers onto the table in front of him.
“Mm, yes,” Joey said, his mouth full of cookies. “Did you dust these with sugar?”
“Yes,” she said impatiently. “Look at this. His first robbery, they think, was in Tacoma. He robbed the tellers and only got away with a few thousand. Kept it quick.”
He took a sip of tea. “Yeah. Is this cinnamon, too?”
“Can you please focus?”
“Yes, of course. Focused.”
“Then he hit the branches in Olympia, Leavenworth, and Portland in the same way. They didn’t even realize the Portland one was him until recently. That was where he started to get creative.”
“Ah yes, Portland. That’s a fun place to land.”
