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Ivy frowned. “We miss him so much! Brittany has stepped up and filled his shoes seamlessly, which says a lot about how well Lance can teach people to cook, but she misses him. Lance was with her every step of the way from dishes to line cook, and look at her now.”
“Now she’s making delicious dog cookies for the pooches of Bells Pass!” I said, laughter erupting around the table. “Sorry, Star told me I should get a plug in for those sweet potato ones. He’s a fan.”
Ivy wiped her eyes of the tears when she finished laughing. “Oh, I’ve seen it. He certainly is. Why don’t you tell them, Mel.”
Mel smiled and leaned forward, as though she had a big secret to tell. “We’re going national, and we’re using Brittany’s dog cookies to do it!”
Silence.
“Color me confused,” Addie said. “Going national?”
“We’ve got a contract with a pet store chain to supply organic dog cookies nationwide. It’s a collaborative effort between the diner, bakery, and Lance’s culinary kids. We’ll also have the Family and Consumer Education Kids and Future Business Leaders of America help us package and ship them. Brittany’s cookies have been such a hit at the bakery that it’s the logical thing to do.”
“The logical thing to do is to sell them at the bakery in Bells Pass,” I said when she finished. “That’s the logical thing, but Bells Pass logic and the rest of the country’s logic seems to be a bit different.”
“Just a bit,” Ivy said, holding her fingers together. “We wanted to continue to fund Seeds of Hope in a way that incorporates what Cameron has already started, is fun, gives jobs to people with disabilities, and will hopefully be successful. If it’s not, we’ll pivot, but I think we have an excellent plan in place.”
“You know Irving and I will help get the word out. Star would be happy to taste test new recipes and be a spokesdog!”
Ivy burst out laughing and pointed at Becca. “What did I just say? Between Star and Bradley, we’ll know if the cookies are winners.”
“Anything else on the agenda for the sleep-out event?” Audrey asked to get us back on track. “The clock is ticking.”
I turned to Heather and Addie. “My job today is to get the salon ready. Do you want to stop over later and check out the setup? You can tell me what I need to have available for you.”
“That’s great,” Addie said with a nod. “We don’t open until ten today. Could we stop over this morning around nine?”
“I’ll be there. Just ring the bell at the back door, and I’ll let you in.”
“Okay, check that off the list,” Mrs. Violet said. “The gym is covering towels, soap, and shampoo,” she reported. “They wanted to know how to help, so I thought that was a great option. They have the towels and the ability to wash them back at the gym, so I jumped at the chance.”
“Excellent!” I agreed with a clap. “That was one thing that slipped my mind. I’m glad you thought of it.”
“The food for the event is coming in tomorrow morning on our truck. Brittany will attend to the buffet and make sure everything stays filled. Lance and one of his more advanced students will run the omelet bar,” Indigo said.
“I’ll deliver all the snacks and pastries Friday morning,” Becca said. “Does ten a.m. sound good? That gets us past the morning rush at the bakery.”
“Absolutely,” I said, typing it into my phone.
“Well, I think that just leaves us with the agenda item of Indigo’s wedding,” Audrey said, closing her notebook.
“Um, my what now?” Indigo asked as all eyes pinned her.
“You got engaged nearly a year ago, dear,” Mrs. Violet reminded her. “It’s time to set a date.”
I noticed her twist her ring around on her finger a couple of times. “Lance wanted to do it somewhere that Michelle could see us.”
“Who’s Michelle?” I asked, glancing between everyone.
“Lance’s mom,” Ivy answered. “She passed away suddenly last September. She was a single mom and raised Lance alone, so they were very close.”
“Oh no,” I said with a frown. “That’s terrible. I can understand why he feels that way.”
“Right,” Indigo agreed. “That said, we’re busy with the Christmas light competition in the neighborhood, not to mention how busy Lance is at the farm.”
“You know that Cameron will give him all the time off that he wants to get married, right?” Becca asked.
“What’s the Christmas light competition?” To say I was completely confused by the entire conversation was an understatement.
