“Oh,” Violet breathed. Chase raised her eyebrows, startled. When did that happen? she wondered. She wanted to stay and hear the whole story, but it would seem odd—and nosy—since she was mostly through the doorway. She’d get the scoop from Violet later.
Or . . . maybe she could get it from Laci now. They went to the parking place behind the store and each lifted a case of soda from the trunk of Anna’s robin’s-egg-blue Volvo.
“What’s going on with the Naughtlys?” Chase tried to sound casual.
“Why? What did you hear?” Laci’s blue eyes grew even larger than usual.
“I just heard Doris say that she and Gabe are no longer together.”
“Oooh!” The young woman wailed. She gripped the case of cans, squeezed her eyes shut, and let her sudden tears splash onto the cardboard, leaving damp splotches.
“Oh dear.” Chase set her case down and took Laci’s. “What is it?”
Laci sniffled. “It’s been so hard on Teddy. He’s so heartbroken.”
He hadn’t looked heartbroken to Chase. He had looked very interested in what was inside Laci’s frilly blouse.
Chase was sorry she’d asked. The girl was so overly emotional.
“Maybe they’ll get back together. They’ve been married an awfully long time.”
Laci shook her head, mutely, taking the cardboard case from her, still weeping. “They’re getting a di-divorce.”
“Let’s go in. You can go to my office for a bit to compose yourself if you need to.”
She nodded. “I suppose Ted’s gone by now anyway.”
Chase counted to three. “If you’d rather talk to Ted, go do that instead.” Chase shifted her case and took a tissue from her pocket. “Here, dry your face.”
Laci stared at the crumpled tissue.
“I haven’t used it. I stuffed it in my pocket this morning.” Chase thrust it at her.
“I have some,” Laci said, and proceeded into the shop.
Chase counted to twenty this time. Laci and Violet were by far the best candidates she and Anna had interviewed six months ago when they opened up. Maybe someone new needed a job by now. Who was she kidding? She knew she wouldn’t fire the girl. After the humiliation of being let go from not one, not two, but four jobs in Chicago, she’d never do that to anyone else. Either Anna would have to fire her or Laci would have to quit.
Chase came in the door, left open by Laci. Quincy padded in behind her.
Anna let out a stifled scream and pointed at the cat. “A mouse,” she whispered, so the customers wouldn’t hear her.
“Oh, Quince. He must have run out when we opened the door.”
“But how did he get out of the office?” rasped Anna.
“How does he ever get out? I wish I knew.”
She chased the cat around the prep island and succeeded in cornering him. The mouse was, luckily, dead. After she persuaded Quincy to drop it, Chase picked it up with about thirty paper towels and took it out to the industrial-size trash bin, being careful to keep the cat inside the kitchen.
When Chase reentered, Anna had redeposited Quincy in the office. Chase wondered what she’d given him to eat. Anna was adding the coconut extract and nuts to the eggs and brown sugar for the batch of Hula Bars she had just started.
“You want me to finish them up and you can go out front?” asked Chase, scrubbing her hands with a stiff brush at the deep sink against the outside wall.
“Absolutely not. I have no desire to come into contact with—”
The tinkle of the chimes on the front door was followed by a booming voice. “Well, well, well. Here’s the happy family.”
Anna groaned. “Not Gabe!”
He didn’t come in often, mostly because his wife brought him his favorites, the Peanut Butter Fudge Bars Violet had suggested. Maybe, thought Chase, he’s come to buy them for himself since they’re splitting up.
She rushed out front. Gabe Naughtly blocked the way of his wife and son as they were trying to get out the door.
“What’s your hurry?” His rotund body produced a lot of sound. His gravelly voice filled the little room.
“Mr. Naughtly, can I help you?” Chase hurried to the trio.
The man swiveled his mostly bald head in her direction. “Hold your horses. I just got here.”
Chase saw that Violet was packaging six of Gabe Naughtly’s favorites.
“Gabe, leave me alone.” Doris looked distressed. Ted tried to look bored, but concern showed on his face, through the three-day stubble he’d cultivated. He was much taller than his little round father but, even at his young age, was tending toward beefiness.
To Chase’s surprise, Gabe stepped aside to let his wife leave. Doris lifted her head and managed an air of aplomb as she swept past him. Ted threw his father an intense stare that Chase thought looked hostile.
Gabe stood frowning after them for a few seconds. Then he stumped across the wooden floor to the counter. “I’ll have a half dozen of those.” He poked his finger at his usual, leaving a smudge on the glass.
“All set,” said Violet, hoisting the white paper bag printed with the Bar None name and logo, a cookie bar beside a fat ring striped in dark red and pink.
“Has the health inspector been here?” he asked Chase.
Health inspector? Again? “No. He was completely satisfied last time you sicced him on us. Why would he be back?”
“I told him about the rats behind your store.”
“What rats? The ones you put there? The white ones you bought from the pet store like last time?”
“Ha. Very funny. You won’t be laughing when they close you down. The rats might be indoors next time.”
“I’m not laughing now.” Chase felt her face turning bright red, her heart racing. She clenched her fists to keep from punching him. The man was an absolute pig. “Vi, don’t sell those to this man. Gabe Naughtly, leave my shop. Don’t come here again.”
“Over my dead body.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
She felt Vi and Laci’s amazed expressions at her implied threat. Gabe’s glare was just plain mean.
“You’ll see,” he said as he stomped out.
Vi silently set the paper bag below the counter. Laci got busy rearranging the prepackaged treat boxes. Chase stalked toward the kitchen, but Anna stood with one of the swinging doors open.
“I heard everything,” she said. “Don’t worry, the health department won’t close us.”
Chase collapsed onto a stool, starting to shake as her adrenaline rush let up. “What if he puts rats inside, instead of in the alley?”
“Quincy would catch them,” said Anna.
“But what if a customer saw one? He might do it, you know. That would be the end of us.”
Anna stroked her hair. “He can’t do anything to us, sweetheart. The business is going well, we’re making a profit already, months ahead of our schedule. I even heard two women talking about our Toffee Bars in the drugstore yesterday.”
“I don’t know why he wants this location so bad.” Chase leaned her head into Anna’s body.
“Probably because we’re doing so well, Charity. He’s probably picking on us because we’re the newest business in the area and he figures we’d be the easiest for him to dislodge. He’s wanted to relocate from the second story for a long time. I know he’s approached other business owners about buying their properties. Trouble is, he doesn’t have the money to do it.”
Anna’s hand on her head soothed Chase. She started to relax.
“But he sounded serious. I’m afraid he’ll do something awful to close us down.”
“How could he? Why don’t you take a walk to work off some of your negative energy.”
Anna was right, Chase told herself. He couldn’t shut them down. Could he?
TWO
Laci and Violet had just left and Anna pulled down the front shade with the words “Bar None—Closed” on the other side. It had been a busy, profitable day.