‘You guys shouldn’t be laughing at him,’ Flora tsked. ‘Fear of clowns is a legitimate thing.’
‘Even Gerald laughs at it now,’ Lena said. ‘Though we haven’t had a clown at the festival since.’
I stopped listening as I began to wonder how I could make enough pies for the festival. On the plus side, my baking wasn’t as good as Aunt Erma’s yet, so maybe I wouldn’t sell as much. Perhaps I could get by with baking forty, or maybe even thirty pies. But the thought of baking even thirty pies all at once made my head spin. When I finally tuned back into the conversation, they had moved off the topic of clowns and phobias.
Just before closing time, a customer came in. She was much shorter than I was and very muscular. She wore a bright yellow workout shirt with the name Gina’s Gym embroidered in the corner. I greeted her with a smile.
‘What can I get for you?’ I asked. ‘The blueberry crumble has been mighty popular today.’ I tried my best sales pitch even though most customers today had only come in to order coffee so they could ask me about the fire.
At that, she wrinkled her nose. How dare she? Who wrinkled their nose at blueberry crumble pie? I could already tell that she and I would not be friends.
‘I’m not here for pie,’ she said. Clearly, she wandered through the wrong door. ‘I’m here to discuss the possibility of you serving healthier options at your establishment.’
‘What?’
‘The town is participating in a statewide weight loss challenge,’ she told me. ‘It’s going to be great publicity for my gym, but so many people have been coming into your shop every day and overindulging on empty calories that we’re having trouble making much headway.’
I stared blankly at her, which she took as a sign that she should continue talking.
‘I’m certainly not suggesting that you close your doors completely,’ she said, though the look on her face made me think she would like to suggest that. ‘I’d just like to recommend you try some of these recipes for healthier alternatives.’ She pushed a booklet across the counter towards me. I read the title: Fat Free Pies and Desserts. She had to be kidding. I wanted to throw her out, but despite my height advantage, I was pretty sure she could take me. So, I tried a different approach instead.
‘I’ll have to discuss it with my aunt when she gets back. She is the owner, after all. I don’t really have the power to make these decisions,’ I told her with a forced smile.
‘Well, every day counts,’ she said brightly. ‘Maybe you could call your aunt and then start implementing some changes. After all, obesity is a growing epidemic, and we all need to do our part to keep our town healthy.’
‘Pie makes people happy,’ I said through gritted teeth.
‘Ah, you’re one of those people. You probably eat chocolate when you’re sad too.’ She sized me up, her eyes rested for a moment on my thighs.
‘Oh look, it’s closing time,’ I said, even though there was still twenty minutes to go. ‘I have to lock up. Thanks for stopping in.’ I was unable to keep the hint of sarcasm out of my voice for the last part. I forced a polite smile, straining my cheek muscles, as I ushered her out the door. I picked up the booklet she left by the corner as though it might bite me and carried it directly to the garbage. I was pretty sure Aunt Erma wouldn’t be changing any of her famous recipes to low fat options. Even the thought made me shudder.
I was relieved to flip the sign at the front door from open to closed and lock up as soon as the clock switched from 5.59 p.m. to 6 p.m. I waved to Flora who was sitting in the window of her bookshop. Her open sign was still lit up.
Upstairs, I found Mitzy drooling on the newspaper that had been sitting on the kitchen table from this morning. She cracked an eye open when she heard me come in.
‘Oh, come on,’ I said, pulling the newspaper out from under her. She stood up with a sniff and stretched. I brought her outside, fed her, and took her outside again. She seemed to enjoy lying on my stuff, and I was worried what else she might do if given the opportunity.
After I was convinced Mitzy’s bladder was empty, I decided to stop at Flora’s bookshop to see if I could find a cookbook. Maybe something there would spark my inner Aunt Erma that I couldn’t seem to find on the internet. The sun was beginning to set on my short walk over to Flora’s, giving the streets a nice orange glow.
A bell tinkled as I walked in the door.
‘Hi Susie,’ I heard Flora’s voice call to me from somewhere.
‘Hi Flora,’ I called back, looking around, but I didn’t see her anywhere. How did she even know it was me?
‘Go ahead and look around. I’ll be there in a minute,’ Flora’s voice called.
The shop had floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed full of books. The shelves weren’t set up in straight aisles like I was used to. They twisted and turned around the shop, creating quite the maze. Within minutes I wasn’t sure if I’d find my way back out again. I wished I’d left a trail of breadcrumbs. How would I locate the cookbook section? Every now and then, there was a small break in the shelves where an overstuffed chair sat as an invitation to curl up with a good book.
I was startled when I heard a snort and rounded the corner to see a white-haired man sprawled over a chair sleeping. His glasses were askew, and a book about relaxation techniques rested on his chest. That was an advertisement if I ever saw one. I wondered if Flora knew he was in here.
Halfway down one of the aisles I stopped when the word ‘pie’ caught my eye. There was a stack of books on baking pies sitting there as though it were waiting for me. I examined the covers and flipped through the pages ogling the photographs of pies next to each recipe. I decided almost immediately to buy all five of them.
I clutched the stack to my chest and walked a little further, eyeing a few books all while trying to remind myself that I didn’t have a lot of disposable income right now. I was somewhere near the back of the shop (I think) when a door caught my eye.
The door was smaller than most doors and rounded at the top. I would have to bend over, but Flora would probably fit through it without ducking. I took a few more steps towards it and felt a tingling sensation run up and down my spine. What was behind that door? I glanced around. No one was in sight. I reached for the knob.
Flora suddenly appeared by my side. ‘Did you find everything you needed?’ she asked.
I dropped my hand and held up the books.
‘I bet you’ll find some of the answers you need in those,’ she said.
‘What’s back there?’ I asked, nodding towards the door.
‘Just some storage. It’s a real mess.’ She put her arms around my shoulders and ushered me away, but before we got too far, I could have sworn that I’d heard a thump come from behind the door.
‘Hey, Flora?’ I began as she rung up my purchase.
‘Yes, dear?’
‘Are you sure you don’t have the note Aunt Erma left for you around here somewhere?’ I asked, glancing around the counter behind the cash register. I was hoping she had included something more in Flora’s note than she had in mine. Maybe a phone number or some more specific information about where she went or when she’d be back.
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t have it. It didn’t say much. I’m sure she told you everything she told me.’ She took my money.
‘Should I be worried?’
‘No, your aunt is a very strong woman. I’m sure she’s just fine. She just had a few things she had to take care of.’ Flora handed some coins