Free For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames Page B

farm to your sister?”
    â€œShe will be as conscientious as I was.”
    â€œMaybe you should write a book about the art.” Victor meant for the comment to sting.
    Jordan’s mouth twitched; he was doing his best to keep calm. “Maybe I will.”
    And so it went for the afternoon, each cheese maker, marketing expert, or connoisseur having an opinion as we stirred, cut, drained, and milled the cheese. Lara asked the most questions, posing hers to Kandice, as if trying to put her on the spot, no doubt as retribution for Kandice’s bungling of the previous day’s travel arrangements. Quigley surprised me and didn’t ask one question. His mouth hung slightly open, as if he was in awe. Jordan, who understood the cheese-making process better than anyone, also kept quiet unless called upon. I loved that aspect of him. He knew when to observe and when to dive into a discussion.
    If only I had the same self-control.
    We wrapped up the session close to noon, tossed our hairnets into a garbage can on the way out—Kandice lost one of her pink dangling earrings in the process and scrounged to locate it; Shayna and Ryan helped her look; Ryan was the hero who found it—and we headed to lunch. No more bickering, the good humor of the group intact.

CHAPTER
7

    Jordan and I followed the crowd to the cheery room where we had eaten breakfast. Guests were mingling as we entered. Two waitresses—Erin had employed twins who normally worked at The Country Kitchen; they were forty-something and identical in all aspects except for their hairstyles; one wore hers short and blunt, the other sported a long ponytail—roamed the room pouring glasses of water or iced tea. Usually when the inn entertained guests, Erin did all the waitressing duties. I was glad to see she had hired help.
    Shayna stood in the far corner, worrying the seam of her sack-style dress while talking to Lara. No, not talking. She was poking a finger in Lara’s direction, making a point. Lara batted Shayna’s finger away and said something, her mouth curled up in a smirk.
    The waitress with the ponytail did a U-turn as she neared them. So did Erin.
    After a moment, Lara grinned triumphantly. She patted Shayna on the arm. Shayna brushed Lara’s hand away and mustered a smile. I wondered what they had discussed. Thedifferences in styles of making Cheddar cheese? Men trouble? Their past? Whatever the debate had been about, they appeared to have put it behind them. They had
let bygones be
, as Ryan’s mother would say.
    Movement to my right made me turn. Kandice halted in the doorway. She was staring at Lara and Shayna longingly, almost in a teenager way, looking like an outcast, the quirky comedienne not good enough for the hot girls. Her head was tilted as if she were trying to listen in. After a moment, she shook off whatever was going through her mind, fluffed her feathery hair, and crossed the room to sit with Ryan. She tapped one of his books, which was still sitting in a short stack on the table, and said something.
    Jordan nudged me with his elbow. “What are you doing?”
    â€œStudying room dynamics.”
    Jordan and I often played a game when we went out to dinner. We watched people and made up their life stories. On our honeymoon, we must have dreamed up scenarios for at least twenty people. Most were running away from a dark and dastardly past.
    â€œThere are lots of egos in here,” he said.
    â€œYou think?” I joked.
    â€œLara and Shayna seem to have made up, though.”
    â€œI’m not so sure.”
    Although Shayna had offered a smile at the end of the argument, she still looked teary. Was there something going on in her personal life?
    Lara now stood near a window, a cell phone pressed to her ear. Her mouth was moving. Was she spilling some secret Shayna had imparted? To a tabloid magazine? To a supplier?
    A prickle of irritation nicked my insides. I said to Jordan, “Why