One
Alerted by the chime, Ellie looked up from the bakery case and saw a young woman gazing around the empty shop. With sunrise an hour away, the residents of Friday Harbor were still cocooned in their beds the morning after Christmas. The girl hesitated and then made a timid approach. Ellie greeted her with, “Good morning, you’re out and about early.”
The welcome earned her a shy smile as the girl focused on Ellie’s bright green apron, adorned with blotches of flour. “Are you visiting your family for Christmas?” asked Ellie, as she finished loading the case and deposited her pan on the counter.
The girl nodded her blonde head and directed her eyes to Ellie’s name, embroidered on the apron. “You’re Ellie? Ellie Carlson?”
“That’s me, I own this joint.” She paused and then asked, “What can I get you this morning?”
“Um, I don’t know yet.” The girl glanced down at the case and gazed at the pastries and confections. The dark circles supporting her eyes punctuated her pallid complexion.
“Take your time and give me a shout when you’ve decided.” Ellie gathered the pan and took it in the back. She watched the girl take another look around the shop and wander to the bulletin board. She scanned the photos of Ellie’s cakes and various celebrations and meandered to the collection of pictures showing the Carlson family working at Sweet Treats through the years.
Ellie checked the clock and gathered donuts to box for a few standing orders. Charlie would be coming by to pick up his dozen for the hardware store and one of the deputies would be in soon to retrieve the daily box for the San Juan Sheriff’s Office. She had the order for Sam’s shop ready and waiting, expecting one of her helpers to arrive before seven. She plucked a warm strawberry cream cheese croissant from the pan and put it on a plate.
The girl was still studying the photos when Ellie said, “I need a second opinion on this new flavor I’m trying. Would you be interested in sampling it?”
Ellie set the plate on a table, along with a fork, a bottle of juice, and a napkin. The girl gave her a weak smile and nodded. She sat and said, “It looks good, thank you.”
Charlie came through the door, followed by a deputy. “Good morning, Ellie,” said the officer. “How was your Christmas?”
She pushed his box across the counter and shrugged. “It was quiet.” She collected his signature and he hollered out a promise to see her Monday.
Charlie grasped his box and signed for his order. “Are you ready for your trip?” she asked.
His smiled widened. “Yeah, we leave tomorrow. I can’t wait to hit the slopes.”
“Have a great time and be careful. I want to see pictures when you get back.”
“Will do,” he said grinning. “Dad’s covering for me, so you’ll have to deal with him for the next week.” Charlie slid his box off the counter. “Have a Happy New Year, Ellie.”
While she was waiting on Charlie three more customers came through the door. She bustled behind the counter and after she rang up the last order, scanned the table where the girl had been and saw only an empty chair.
She frowned as she put the money in the register, but didn’t have time to dwell on the mysterious visitor. The shop was soon packed with all her regulars, plus their relatives visiting for the holidays. She didn’t get a break until early afternoon.
She took advantage of the lull and called in her lunch order while she scanned her recipes. She wanted to make something special for Regi’s open house party on Sunday.
While she was thinking about a few ideas she had culled from the group, she whipped up a batch of dog cookies and put them in to bake. Her lunch arrived from Soup D’Jour and she made herself a glass of iced tea before slumping into one of the booths to enjoy her meal. Her new helper, Nicole, was out of town until January and Ellie was looking forward to shorter days once she trained her.
As she ate, she mulled over the girl from the morning. Over half of the croissant had been left on the plate. The girl’s sunken cheeks and wrists no bigger around than her smallest biscuit cutter led Ellie to believe the girl was hungry. Although clean and well dressed, the girl struck her as troubled and wary. Ellie knew everyone on the island and didn’t recognize her. Usually relatives came in with their family. Plus she knew Ellie’s last name. Weird.
As she finished her lunch, Spence walked through the door. “I’m craving one of your cupcakes. I’ll take a few to the shop and share with Kate and Mitch.”
Ellie gathered her dishes, tightened her ponytail, and washed her hands. “I enjoyed visiting with Mitch at Regi’s wedding. I bet Kate’s going to miss him when he goes back.”
“The holidays are tough for her and having her son around makes her smile. I don’t think a parent ever gets over losing a child. Even though Karen’s death was so long ago, the sadness lingers. He leaves tomorrow, so it’ll be a tough day.”
Ellie felt tears form in her eyes and blinked several times to keep them at bay. She turned and collected a small box. “What can I get you today?”
He scanned the case and chose half a dozen cupcakes. “We’ll see you at Regi’s on Sunday, if not before,” he said, waving goodbye.
Between spurts of customers, Ellie spent the rest of the day baking and making sure pans and bowls were cleaned and lined up for tomorrow morning. She decided on four different cupcakes to make for Regi’s new house celebration and scanned the storage room to make sure she had everything she needed. She used her laptop to start her weekly order before it was time to close.
On the drive home her thoughts drifted back to the girl. Her serious eyes haunted Ellie as she pulled into her garage. The guys from Linda’s nursery had installed Christmas lights and she was glad to see them. They were a welcome sight after the long days of going to work in darkness and getting home after the sun had set.
Oreo, her faithful border collie, bolted through the dog door to greet her, as she did each night. “How’s my sweet girl?” Oreo answered with a quick spin in a circle.
The aroma of her dinner welcomed Ellie as she hung her coat in the closet. She caught her foot in the strap of a scarred leather bag on the floor under the rack of coats. She flicked the errant strap with her foot and gave it a kick, thrusting it deeper into the corner of the closet. She shut the door and wandered to the kitchen. She was too tired to cook when she got off work and did her best to put something in the slow cooker on winter mornings. She flicked the remote for the television and listened to the news anchor jabber in the background as she stirred the rich stew. After pouring Oreo’s dinner, she changed into her warm pajamas.
She ladled the stew into a bowl, added slices of homemade bread and an apple to the plate, and trudged to the living room. As was her habit, she put her meal on a tray by her chair and lounged in the recliner while she ate dinner. She poked the remote, in search of something to watch.
Oreo plopped onto her bed next to the recliner and rested her head on her paws. Ellie finished her dinner and with nothing worth viewing, instead considered the tree. The colorful twinkle of lights lifted her spirits each night, but she was glad Christmas was over. This was the first year she had been alone, without a visit from her family. She glanced at a photo of her on the wall, sandwiched between her aunt and uncle on the day she took over Sweet Treats, five years ago. Their arms were wrapped around Ellie and she was holding her new black and white puppy. What a happy day it had been.
She scanned the spacious living room, with its tall rock wall fireplace and windows overlooking the pond. Joyful memories of Christmases past invaded her musings. The house belonged to her aunt and uncle. When she took over the bakery and they moved away, they insisted she live in the house. It was meant for a large family, but now held only a woman and her dog. Oreo enjoyed the run of the yard and the sixteen acres surrounding the house. The four bedrooms, a finished basement, a huge shop with a separate barn, and a gleaming modern kitchen no longer teemed with activity. The house was thirty-five years old, same as Ellie, and both were a bit worn. Each time Ellie baked at home she was thankful her aunt had elected to update the kitchen and bathrooms ten years ago.
The house was quiet and empty without her aunt and uncle. Ellie spent most of her time working and when she found herself alone, she tricked her brain into believing they’d be home soon. She had considered getting a smaller place in town, but thought she’d be lonelier there than in the home that possessed such strong memories of the fun life they had given her. The money she saved on rent helped her make the monthly payment on the bakery, especially during the winter.
Ellie cleaned up the kitchen and stored her leftovers, clicked off the remote, and plodded to her bedroom. She eyed her stack of adult coloring books and assorted markers and pencils. She had taken to coloring years ago with Aunt Ginny and still used it to relieve stress. Oreo followed and jumped up to claim her side of the bed. Ellie snuggled under the comforter, making sure her alarm was set for three o’clock. As she fluffed her pillow, she fought the urge to call Aunt Ginny.
She had talked to her yesterday and Uncle Bob was still in the hospital, but doing better after a heart attack. She knew they were both fine, surrounded by their loving children, but she still felt a tug to be near them. She always considered them her parents; it was easier. She hadn’t seen or spoken to her real parents in twenty years. Not since the day she boarded the ferry to live with her dad’s brother and his family on San Juan Island.
She felt a tear trickle down her face and heard the soft plop of it on her pillow. Once she knew Nicole could manage the bakery on her own for a few days, she’d make the trip to the mainland and visit, but it would be at least a few weeks. Oreo scrunched closer and placed her head on Ellie’s shoulder. Ellie wiped her tears away and petted the silky fur, thankful for the comfort of her faithful friend.
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