Room for Murder - Tim Myers [74]
Not deterred in the least, Fiona said, “My dear boy, you don’t understand. These are free samples to announce my presence in Elkton Falls. I’m opening up my shop in town. I’m the Muffin Lady.”
She said the last as if she were announcing the arrival of the Queen.
Elise said from behind him, “We’ve got a muffin supplier already, but thanks for coming by.”
Fiona stood her ground. “You may be under the impression that what you’ve been serving are muffins, but I’ve got the real thing.” She held back the cloth, and Alex caught a glimpse of the golden brown muffins inside.
As Elise started to say something, Alex added, “What can it hurt? I’ll try one.”
Fiona smiled brightly as she dove into her basket and pulled out a rich copper muffin the size of a small boy’s head. “How about a Pumpkin Delight?” She handed Alex the muffin, then turned to Elise. “And for you, let’s see ... Blueberry Surprise? No, that won’t do at all. I try to match the muffin with the person, it’s a game I play. I’ve got it.” She reached in and pulled out a yellow muffin with flecks of something inside. “Banana Bonanza sounds like your match.”
Elise didn’t take the offered muffin, but said instead, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind tasting the blueberry.”
Fiona laughed with delight. “I knew you’d say that. Here you go. Enjoy.”
Fiona watched intently while Alex and Elise tried their muffins. Alex couldn’t believe the earthy explosion of pumpkin from the first bite. “What’s in this?” he asked as he held the muffin aloft.
“An old family recipe. So may I put you down for a selection of two dozen every morning for your guests?”
Alex was about to agree when Elise said, “We’ve got a supplier right now who is giving us a very good price on our orders.” Truth be told, the muffins Alex got from Buck’s Grill were serviceable, but they couldn’t approach the ambrosia he held in his hand. He would personally love to have these particular muffins every morning himself for breakfast, but the food at the inn was Elise’s area of responsibility, and he was glad to let her have it. He had enough things to keep up with on his own.
Fiona said to Elise, “Why don’t you taste your muffin first, then we can discuss terms.”
Elise shrugged, pinched off a bit of muffin, then sampled it. If it was anything like the bite Alex had just taken, she would be hard pressed hiding her reaction.
“Perhaps we’ll be able to do business,” Elise said. “First we need to discuss prices and delivery schedules though.”
Alex said, “Why don’t you two use my office? I’ve got some work to do out here anyway.” It was no hardship for him to give up his office to them. Alex had been pestered throughout the day by guests treating his private space like some kind of lounge. He’d found Reston Shay there waiting for him that morning, and then not an hour later, after answering a summons from one of the suites, Alex had returned to find Melva Flump tapping her fingernails on his desk, demanding postcard stamps and maps to area attractions.
As Elise and Fiona disappeared inside the office, Alex took another bite of the pumpkin muffin. It was just as good as the first had been. He saw Elise’s blueberry muffin sitting on the registration desk and decided to sneak a bite to see if it matched his own.
It turned out that Elise had missed her calling; she should have been an actress. The blueberry was very nearly better than the pumpkin.
He trusted Elise to make the best deal for them, but even if she decided Fiona was too expensive for the inn, Alex knew he wouldn’t be able to resist buying one now and then for himself.
Twenty minutes later, with the Muffin Lady long gone and the final work for the day completed, Alex found Elise taking inventory in their supply room.
“Busy?” Alex asked as he watched her go through the checklist on her sheet.
“Give me one second,” she replied as she continued with her work. Alex smiled in admiration. Elise’s inventory system was part of their increased efficiency at Hatteras West since she had come onto the scene. Alex shuddered slightly as he remembered life before her