A Flicker of Doubt - Tim Myers [48]
I opened the paper as I walked back inside my apartment and suddenly lost my appetite. There was a front page article about Greg Runion, accompanied by a photo of him with his largest grin glued firmly in place. I scanned the article to see that the Gazette was backing Runion’s development plans, and I wondered how much the endorsement had cost the developer. I hoped it was a fortune.
I got dressed quickly without having the stomach to finish the article, let {done the rest of the paper, and headed down to Millie’s for a quick cup of coffee and one of her baked ambrosia treats. The place was half- full with a smattering of customers, but no one even looked up from their papers or their meals as I came in.
“Morning,” I said as I reached for the coffee she had ready and waiting for me the second I’d walked in.
“Good morning, Harrison. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”
I looked back outside for a second, wondering if the sun had broken through the clouds when I hadn’t been paying attention. No, it was still cool and wet and gray outside. “You like this weather?”
She laughed. “Harrison Black, if I wanted sunshine every day, I’d move to Southern California. I like having lots of rowdy weather. It makes me feel alive.”
“So why don’t you move to New England?” I asked. They get lots of interesting weather up there.” “
She huffed once. “I see you’re in a mood today, aren’t you? What’s brought that on?”
“Have you read the paper today?”
She frowned. “Are you talking about that Runion man’s advertisement that doubled as a stray? It’s shameful, isn’t it?”
“I think so. He’s not going to be happy until all of Micah’s Ridge is paved over, but I was beginning to think I was the only one upset about it.”
I hadn’t noticed Sanora sitting in back. She piped up, “Harrison, that’s a rather narrow way of looking at things, isn’t it? Not all development is bad.”
“Sanora, don’t tell me you support him.”
She sipped her coffee, then said, “I like to make my decisions on a case-by-case basis. If a developer hadn’t come in here and erected this building, we’d all be working in huts. I, for one, cherish a roof over my head.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said.
She stood and drained her coffee. As she walked to the door, she said, “So as long as the expansion stops after you’ve got your place, you’re a happy man.”
Before I could think of anything to say in rebuttal, she was gone.
Millie smiled gently. “You know what? She’s got a point.”
“Don’t you turn on me, too,” I said. “Any chance you have one of your glorious treats for me this morning? I’m in dire need of your baking”
“I’m sorry, Harrison, I don’t have a single thing for you today.”
She noticed the shocked expression on my face, then added quickly, “I’m teasing you, Harrison. You know I always hold something just for you.”
She disappeared in back and came out a minute later holding a platter covered with a gingham dish cloth. “I think you might like one of these. I don’t ordinarily make them this time of year, but I thought you could use a special little pick-me-up.”
I could smell the heavenly aroma before she even unveiled the plate. “Pumpkin doughnuts,” I said as I took the offered goodies from her.
“They’re all just for you. I made one batch, and every one of them has your name on it, if you’re interested. I love to bake when it’s raining, and I know how you love these.”
“I feel like I just won the lottery,” I said as I inhaled the heavenly aroma.
A man from one of the back tables joined us and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Okay, that’s a lie. The second I smelled those doughnuts, I knew I had to have one. How much are they?”
“I’m sorry,” Millie said, “but these aren’t for sale. They’re a gift. If you come back in October, I make them through Christmas Eve.”
He looked so sad that I broke down and handed him one from the pile. I’d just have to find a way to live with eleven. “Here, have one on me. I’ve got to warn you though, they’re addicting.”
He took a bite, then another, and as we stood