Page 14 of Tacos & Toboggans
“That’s only because you haven’t had schnitzel and potato salad from the Nightingale Diner. It’s the special today,” she added as I followed her to the bakery door. She unlocked it and held it for me, so I walked through and waited for her to re-lock it.
“You left all the lights on,” I said, pointing behind me.
“That’s okay. I'll need to return and clean up my mess before the bakers arrive at midnight. But I need a break, so why not have dinner with a new friend?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said as we strolled the few blocks to the diner. “I love how close everything is on the main street. It’s an extremely efficient way to get errands done so you can pop into the diner for a piece of pie. How did Ivy come to own both the diner and the bakery?”
We walked into the diner, which was relatively empty this evening. A server was busy with a customer, but she waved us to the booth in the back. It was the booth without windows, which was fast becoming my favorite. I didn’t mind not being on display while eating. Especially alone. I wouldn’t mind if people saw me eating with a beautiful woman, though.
“Ivy didn’t always own the diner,” she explained as she sat. “Lucille Bevvywetter was the previous nightingale, and she left it to Ivy when she passed away about ten years ago. You see, the Nightingale Diner is never sold. It’s passed down from generation to generation of workers within the diner.”
“Wow,” I said, leaning in on the table in surprise. “That gave me chills. What a neat legacy for the town.”
“Right? It always goes to the woman that the current owner takes under their wing, or their daughter if they’re interested. We all hope Ivy’s daughter Lucy will become the next nightingale.”
“Wait. Lucy and Lucille?” I asked, motioning back and forth with my finger, and she grinned.
“Yes, she’s named after Lucille. Ivy grew up in the diner as her mother worked here, and when her mom passed away when she was young, Lucille continued to mentor Ivy.”
“So Lucille owned the bakery, too?” I asked as a woman approached us.
“Good evening, my favorite people,” the waitress said as she slid water glasses across the table.
“Hey, Eden,” Jaelyn said. “Major happened upon me at the bakery, and since he’s faint with hunger, I suggested the daily special.”
“She’s not entirely wrong about being faint with hunger, though I could have subsisted on those tortilla cookies had she been willing to share.”
“Hey!” she exclaimed with laughter. “I gave you two!”
Eden was smirking when I held up my hand. “That’s fair, she did, but they’re so dang good.”
“Right? That hazelnut spread.” She made the chef’s kiss motion as we all laughed. “I’ll put in your order for the daily special. Drinks?”
“Coffee for me,” I said, and Jaelyn motioned for two.
Eden grinned and hurried over to the computer to place the order. During one of my visits, I learned that Eden worked here part-time while also delivering pizzas part-time. You couldn't say the people of Bells Pass weren’t hard workers.
“To answer your question, Lucille never owned the bakery. It was owned by a couple who retired and closed it about five years ago. Eventually, Cameron Robbins, who owned only the tree farm then, and Ivy, bought the bakery to provide school-to-work jobs for people with disabilities in the community.”
“That’s a jump from a tree farm to a bakery,” I said, surprised.
Eden reappeared with our coffee, and once we had adjusted it to our liking, she continued. “Well, you see, there was this woman.”
“And there it is,” I said, trying not to laugh as I sipped my coffee.
“Her name is Becca, and she was working here at the diner. She started Evergreen Eggnog.”
“That eggnog is so good!” I exclaimed. “I had no idea it came from Bells Pass. I’ve been drinking it for at least three seasons.”
“Well, just wait then because your mind is about to be blown. The diner has a full menu based around that eggnog during the Christmas season.”
I rubbed my hands together in excitement, which made her laugh. “So, it went from a bakery to an eggnog factory and back to a bakery?”
She made the so-so hand motion. “They reopened it as the bakery for school to work jobs, but Becca also used it for her eggnog business since it was just getting off the ground. That didn’t last long before she needed a much bigger space for the eggnog production. They have a different building for it now.”
“Easy to see why,” I agreed. “How much money do you need to buy a bakery and an eggnog plant?”
“A lot, but Cameron won the lottery, so it wasn't a struggle.”
