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“So, no one goes up there?”
“No. That’s the rule.”
Henry crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do they come down here if that’s the rule?”
“They brew their elixir at the end of September through the middle of October. They asked nicely and were granted permission for a couple of their members to come down and trade their elixir for supplies. Sometimes that’s gas for their four-wheelers and motors. Sometimes that’s sugar and other products they need to brew. Sometimes it’s material and supplies for making clothing. But building this military facility has really stirred them up. Plus, the current president, Everett Howard, Jr., is in his late sixties and rumor has it his son, Craig Howard, is chomping at the bit to become president.”
Tate tucked his thumbs in his front pockets. “So that’s how they’re organized. president, vice president, etc. And how are those positions filled?”
Baxter leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Father to son, to son, etc. The Howard family will do anything to stay in control of the resistance. And, if you care to know my opinion, Craig Howard is much more volatile than his father.”
Chapter8
Lara placed the third batch of decorated cookies in the glass case in the bakery store front and smiled. They looked lovely. The bakery smelled heavenly, as usual, and every surface was cleaned and polished until it shined.
She glanced briefly at the wall clock. five more minutes until she unlocked her door. A vehicle pulled into her parking lot, the headlights sweeping across the store, and she held her breath for a moment. “Please be a customer and not a BRR jerk,” she muttered.
She laid her hand on her tummy and swallowed a few times. Stepping toward the door, she saw the white truck in the parking lot, its headlights now turned off. The top of the truck had two bullet holes in it, and she recognized Tate in the driver’s seat, talking to someone on the phone.
Her lips quivered slightly, and she unlocked her front door, then stepped back to flip the light switches on the wall near the kitchen door. She tugged the chain on her “open” sign and watched as Tate glanced up at her. They stared for a few seconds and her tummy flipped again. This time was a different flip, though.
Stepping behind her bakery case, proud of how it looked this morning, she checked the coffeepot and started another one. Soon the morning coffee drinkers would flow in, and she was excited to be ready.
The door opened, the doorbell Tate had set up for her rang, and there he stood.
“Good morning.”
He smiled his dreamy smile at her. “Good morning. The place looks fantastic.”
“Thank you. Shianne and I worked until eleven last night cleaning it up.”
“Who’s Shianne?”
“Oh, she’s my best friend. She owns a clothing boutique in town, Divine Designs.”
“Okay. I’ll let Maya and Adelaide know, if they haven’t found it yet.”
“Maya and Adelaide?”
He chuckled. “My teammates. Though, I’ll say upfront, they aren’t super girly. Maya is just like her mom and a tomboy through and through. Adelaide is a bit more girly, but not overly so and I don’t know if I can remember either of them ever saying they’d shopped. Much less in a boutique. But, never say never.”
She nervously laughed. “Maybe they’ll shop for dresses for the Bourbon Ball.”
“The Bourbon Ball? We don’t know what that is.”
She took a deep breath. “It’s a dressy ball we have each year in town here. Always the last Saturday in September and all the money goes to charities. It’s called the Bourbon Ball because the local distilleries initially started it and they donate the most money to it. They also ply all ball attendees with plenty of delicious bourbon to keep them inebriated well into Sunday.”
Tate laughed. “Okay, sounds like fun.” He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets and looked at the glass case and the delicious baked goods she had inside. “You must have been baking for hours.”
“Yes. I started yesterday afternoon while Shianne was out here cleaning.”
“It shows.”
He leaned closer to the glass and studied her cookies. She’d spent extra time on them because she wanted today’s goods to stand out. She’d come back from a burglary, and she was strong.
“You do a fantastic job decorating. Wow, those are too pretty to eat.”
She chuckled. “Good lord, I hope not. I’ll go out of business if that’s the case.”
