Writing All Wrongs (21 page)

“I don’t know what it is about this place,” Bea said as she stepped out onto the front porch. “Every detail of this pie shop—from the fragrance of the flowers in the garden to the fresh herbs in the garnishes and the ripeness of the fruits in the dessert tarts—is magical. No wonder it’s called The Charmed Pie Shoppe.”

With a smile and a wave, Bea walked down the flagstone path, crossed the street, and got into a gleaming white Cadillac. As the sedan eased away from the curb, Ella Mae noticed a glittery camellia decal affixed to the rear windshield.

“All she needs is a wand to complete the fairy godmother look,” Reba said from behind Ella Mae. As usual, she’d appeared without a sound. “I heard what she said about the cookbook profits, but is her bibbidi-bobbidi-boo act genuine?”

“I’m not going into this blindly.” Ella Mae held out the contract. “I’ll read this over carefully.”

“Why bother?” Reba asked, putting her hand on her hip. “I can see she’s already won you over.”

Ella Mae shrugged. “What if she has? I love the idea of working with Maxine and Carolina. They’re serious up-and-comers, and both of them have been experimenting with dessert recipes for people with food allergies. That’s something I’ve wanted to explore as well. Also, Carolina just started shipping her cupcakes nationally. I’d love to talk to her about how she handled that kind of expansion. Her shop isn’t any bigger than ours.”

Together, the two women reentered the café. Reba closed and locked the front door and then turned to Ella Mae.
“What about these Camellia Club gals? Do you really think it’ll be a barrel of laughs teachin’ a bunch of debutantes and their mamas? What if one of them breaks a nail? You’ll have to call the National Guard.”

Ella Mae gave her friend an imploring look. “I need this, Reba. I need to grow as a chef. Without magic, I have to keep honing my skills. There are no shortcuts for me anymore.” She glanced at the framed four-leaf clover hanging over the cash register. “I don’t want people to come here because of what I used to be. I want them to come because of what I am. A top-notch pastry chef. The best pie maker in the South.”

Reba nodded in understanding. “Okay, then. But I’m comin’ with you. Someone will have to keep these high-society sugar queens in line.”

And with that, she hit a switch on the wall, killing the lights and inviting the late afternoon shadows to flood the dining room.

*   *   *

Ella Mae watched Hugh Dylan leap from a rock into the middle of the river with a jubilant holler. His dog, a Harlequin Great Dane named Dante, jumped in after him. Chewy, Ella Mae’s Jack Russell terrier, raced along the bank, barking wildly.

“You can go in, boy.” Ella Mae made shooing motions with her hands.

“Why don’t you both join us?” Hugh asked, floating on his back and staring up at the cloudless blue sky. “After that long hike, the water feels amazing.”

Ella Mae couldn’t help but wonder if Hugh missed being able to hold his breath for twenty minutes. Like her, he’d once possessed special abilities. He could see underwater and swim like a dolphin. And like her, he’d lost his magic and didn’t seem to regret the loss.

Pulling off her sweat-soaked Dr Pepper T-shirt and
cutoffs, Ella Mae tossed her socks and tennis shoes aside and waded into the water. Hugh was right. The river, fed by the mountain’s underground spring, was refreshingly chilly. Ella Mae’s skin immediately broke out in gooseflesh.

“You can’t stand there like that!” Hugh chided her playfully. “Take the plunge!”

Smiling, Ella Mae dove into the water. She surfaced, momentarily shuddering over the cold, and then swam over to where Hugh was treading water. “Chewy! Come on!” Ella Mae called to her dog.

When her terrier continued to bark in agitation, Hugh paddled to the nearest rock and slapped it with his palm. “Here, Charleston Chew! Here, boy!”

With a joyous yip, Chewy bounded over the rocks until he reached Hugh. After licking him on the cheek, he barked once at Dante and hopped into the water.

“I guess he needed a formal invitation,” Ella Mae said and laughed.

She and Hugh rested on the largest rock while their dogs splashed about in the shallows. When she wasn’t watching them, Ella Mae followed the path of water droplets trailing from Hugh’s dark hair to his cheek and jawline. When one gathered at the base of his chin, she raised her finger and caught it. At her touch, he looked at her, a question in his lagoon-blue eyes.

In answer, she moved closer to him and slid her arms around his wide, muscular back. His kiss was both familiar and strange.

“I feel like I’m cheating on my longtime girlfriend with an exciting and exotic creature,” Hugh said when they broke apart.

“That woman is gone,” Ella Mae said. “You’re left with the girl next door.”

Hugh arched his brows. “No one would call you that.” He took hold of the hand that had once been marked by the
clover-shaped burn scar and ran his fingertips across her water-puckered skin. “You might not bear the mark of a queen, but you’re still undeniably regal, Ella Mae. When you enter a room, everyone turns and stares. It’s impossible not to. It would be like shutting your eyes just as a shooting star blazes across the sky.”

Embarrassed by the compliment, Ella Mae flicked water at him. “They’re really looking at you. The big, tall fireman with the beautiful blue eyes.”

“Right,” Hugh scoffed. “I smell like a kennel and have a farmer’s tan because I’ve been spending too much time doing paperwork at Canine to Five.” He twisted one of Ella Mae’s damp curls around his finger. “Let’s escape whenever we can—try hard to be alone together—just like this. Tonight will be fun, but it won’t be the same. When we’re with other people, I feel them watching us. I can sense them wondering about us.”

Ella Mae nodded. She’d experienced the same sensation. “That’s because we don’t belong among the magical and we’ll never fit in among regular people. Not after what we’ve seen and done. We still have scars, Hugh. They’re just on the inside now.”

Hugh kissed her palm. “I don’t care about being outsiders. As long as we have each other. I don’t need anything but you.”

“And some sunscreen,” Ella Mae said with a smile. “Your nose is turning red.”

*   *   *

That night, Ella Mae left Chewy with her mother, who promised to take the little terrier inside the main house before the fireworks began. Chewy wasn’t afraid of much, but he didn’t care for the loud bangs and explosions that accompanied pyrotechnics displays.

“Until the show starts, I’m going to let him have the run
of the garden,” Adelaide LeFaye said. “The first of the lightning bugs have arrived, and Chewy loves to chase them. It’s my hope that he’ll be so tired by the time the first rocket whistles into the sky that he won’t even notice.”

“I might be half-asleep myself,” Ella Mae said. “After a crazy week at the pie shop and a day of hiking and swimming, I’m beat. Still, I wouldn’t miss this evening with Hugh for anything. I also have a contract to deliver to a special guest at the resort.”

Her mother listened as Ella Mae told her about Beatrice Burbank’s proposal. “It sounds fun,” she said when Ella Mae was done. “But maybe you should have Reba research this Camellia Club before you sign anything.”

Ella Mae held up the sealed envelope. “I did the research myself. The Camellias are a philanthropic organization—a group of mothers and daughters who get together to discuss books and attend garden parties, cooking classes, and art exhibits. They raise money for college scholarships and other charities. They’re good people. Besides, I don’t have to be on the lookout for enemies anymore. That part of my life is over.”

Ella Mae’s mother shook her head. “Your childhood nemesis is still at large, and Loralyn Gaynor is bound to seek revenge against you. You were instrumental in her father’s arrest, and because of your influence, her mother made peace with our family. Loralyn is undoubtedly holed up in some luxurious locale, plotting. She’s dangerous, Ella Mae, and you have no idea how, or when, she’ll come after you.” Cupping a clematis bud in her hand, Ella Mae’s mother said, “Things are not always as they appear on the outside. What color do you think this flower will be?”

Peering more closely at the bud, Ella Mae answered, “Pink.”

Closing her hand gently around the bud, her mother hummed very softly. She then withdrew her hand and Ella
Mae watched as the bud slowly unfolded, revealing purple petals edged with pink. The purple hue was so dark that it was nearly black.

“People are not always what they seem at first glance,” Adelaide said softly. “You should know that by now.”

“Point taken,” Ella Mae said and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be careful. But not tonight. Tonight, I just want to eat, dance, and watch the sky fill with rainbows of light.”

*   *   *

After asking the front-desk clerk at Lake Havenwood Resort to deliver the envelope to Beatrice Burbank by the end of the evening, Ella Mae walked through the lobby and out into the carnival atmosphere on the back lawn. She spotted Hugh speaking with another volunteer fireman at the cotton candy booth and waved. Hugh said good-bye to his friend, grabbed Ella Mae by the hand, and pulled her toward the food tent.

“I was worried that I might not have enough energy to be a good date tonight, but then I saw you and all the cells in my body came alive,” he said, smiling at her. “I plan to dance to every song the band plays tonight, so you’d better fuel up.”

Ella Mae did. She and Hugh loaded their plates with pulled pork, smoked brisket, cheese biscuits, grilled corn, and pickled tomato salad. After a dessert of banana pudding and s’more cheesecake bars, they danced on the terrace overlooking the lake.

During one of the band’s short breaks, Ella Mae glanced around in search of Bea, but she didn’t see her anywhere. As the sky darkened, and the master of ceremonies announced that it was almost time for the fireworks show to begin, Ella Mae gave up on finding her.

“I can’t believe we never ran into Bea,” she told Hugh.

“Maybe bouncy houses and barbecues aren’t her style. You described her as being elegant and polished, so she probably ate in the dining room and will watch the fireworks
display from her balcony while sipping a glass of sparkling wine.”

Ella Mae laughed. “I bet you’re right. And where’s our special spot?”

“It’s a bit apart from everyone else,” Hugh said with an impish glimmer in his eye.

Sliding her arm around his waist, Ella Mae grinned up at him. “It sounds like the perfect place.”

*   *   *

It was very late when Ella Mae returned to her little guest cottage behind her mother’s house. She hadn’t felt this happy or optimistic in months, and though she was physically exhausted, she was too wired to go to bed.

Chewy must have been woken up by the sound of Ella Mae’s car, for she could hear his muted barking coming from Partridge Hill’s kitchen the moment she turned off the ignition. Ella Mae rushed to let him out before he could wake her mother. Together, Ella Mae and her terrier wandered through the fragrant garden, across the dew-covered lawn, and down to the dock stretching like a finger into the lake.

When they reached the end of the dock, Ella Mae sat cross-legged on the rough planks and listened to the water lap quietly against the wood. Chewy nestled beside her and put his head in her lap. Ella Mae stroked the soft fur on the top of his head and gazed over the water at the resort.

She smiled, recalling how Hugh’s face had lit up with wonder during the fireworks show. And of how he’d kissed her during the finale. At that moment, she’d sensed the brilliance of the lights in the sky overhead, but it was nothing compared to the sparks of heat she felt between herself and Hugh. They were forging their new beginning. Tonight marked the first of many memories they would make together.

After a time, Ella Mae whispered to Chewy, “All right, boy. Time to go.”

As she stood, she saw something floating in the water. It was hard to see clearly because the moon had ducked behind a cloud, but when it shone unobstructed again, Ella Mae cried out in surprise and horror.

The thing floating in the water was a body.

A woman’s body.

Ella Mae reacted quickly. She pushed the small rowboat kept on the dock into the water and leapt into the craft. Using the oar to push herself away from the dock, she paddled toward the body.

It only took a second for Ella Mae to know that the woman was beyond saving. Her upturned face was just below the surface, and her pale hair looked like a tangle of watergrass. Her dress, the shade of a water hyacinth, billowed around her legs and bare feet.

She wore a single piece of jewelry. A gold camellia stickpin was fastened to the upper-left breast of her dress, just above her heart.

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