Free Gator Bowl by J. J. Cook Page B

women take for granted. The next thing I knew, I was having my first manicure.”
    I smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting those things, Evelyn, but to steal the church’s money was wrong.”
    â€œI know. I planned to give it all back—until I realized how much I’d spent. I could never come up with that kind of cash. Mr. Windom keeps a very tight rein on the purse strings.”
    â€œWell, he might have to open those strings a little. You have needs, too.”
    â€œYou won’t tell until I can figure it out, will you?” Her voice was breathless and fearful.
    â€œI won’t. But sooner or later, I’m sure you’ll have to.” I took the forks and ran back to the Airstream. “Sorry it took so long.”
    The group of diners had thinned out while I was gone. Uncle Saul was taking a breather as another batch of chicken was cooking. Ollie was eating the biscuit I’d accidentally deep-fried with peaches on top of it.
    I laughed at him. “What does that taste like? Didn’t it absorb all the oil?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know. But it tastes like heaven to me.”
    Before I could protest, he’d shoved the last piece of fried biscuit with peaches into my mouth. I actually started to spit it out, and then the taste sensation exploded in my mouth.
    â€œSee?” He grinned. “I told you.”
    â€œWhat are the two of you eating?” Uncle Saul asked us.
    â€œThe biscuit that got fried,” I told him. “It’s really good.”
    â€œReally?” He reached around me and dropped another biscuit into the deep fryer.
    â€œI think it would be good with anything,” Ollie said. “You could cover that sucker with some chili, or gumbo.” He licked his fingers clean. “And the possibilities for sweets are endless.”
    I fished up the next fried biscuit and stuck a piece of chicken on it. “Too bad you can’t keep food on it without getting really messy. You know? Like a bread bowl.”
    Uncle Saul bit into the chicken and fried biscuit. “Glory be! What have you discovered?”
    â€œNo reason why you can’t hollow out the center like a bread bowl before you fry it.” Ollie matched his words to his actions. “Fry that one.”
    The line at the open window had doubled while we’d been fooling around with the biscuits. We got back on track, sending out a dozen plates of chicken, biscuits, and peaches.
    I brought the hollowed biscuit out of the oil and Ollie dipped peaches into the open space. I took a bite. The edges were crispy in a way that baking could never do. Opening the middle had brought some of that into the fluffy center. With the sweet peaches in that space, the treat was even better.
    â€œDon’t eat all that,” Uncle Saul called out. “I want some.”
    â€œThis is it!” I felt like a cartoon character with a big lightbulb above my head. “This is my signature food. You two said I make the best biscuits. Now I can make the best biscuit bowls.”
    Ollie chuckled. “Biscuit bowls. I love it. You’ll make a fortune, Zoe.”
    Uncle Saul finished his part of the biscuit bowl. “He’s right, Zoe girl. I’ve never had anything like it. If this doesn’t excite the palates of people in Mobile, I don’t know what will.”
    â€œLet’s find out.” I carved the centers out of a dozen biscuits and dumped them into the fryer. “We’ll serve the rest of them with peaches in the middle.”

Chapter Ten
    People were surprised at first. They looked at our new creation, raised their eyebrows, and finally took a bite. The expressions on their faces said it all.
    Uncle Saul hugged me. “I think you’ve got it, Zoe. You can do anything with this. It’s exciting.”
    â€œI wouldn’t have been able to do it without you and Ollie.” I hugged them. “I can’t wait