Free A Spicy Secret by D. Savannah George Page B

provided some much-needed entertainment.”
    “I don’t know if it was needed , exactly.”
    Peggy stopped to take their orders, the now-empty tray tucked under one arm. “Shall I get your usual?”
    “Of course,” said Ian, smiling at her.
    “Me too, but I also need a club sandwich and chips to go,” Annie told her.
    “No problem. Coming right up,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. She turned toward Ian and added, “But if you get in my way again, it might come right down on that pretty head of yours, even if you are the mayor.”
    “I will endeavor to stay out of your path,” he assured her.
    She smiled at him, whirled around, and went to the kitchen to put in their order.
    “Peggy may seem sweet and mild-mannered, but she’s really focused on getting her job done,” Annie said, unwrapping her silverware from its napkin and placing everything neatly on the table in front of her. “If it had been me, I probably would have dumped that whole tray on your head.”
    “I’d hope not,” Ian said. “And I hope she’s back soon; I’m quite hungry today for some reason.”
    They sat in silence for a minute, the noise of the cozy diner washing over them—the clink of silverware, people talking, the sounds from the kitchen. The dark green ivy growing in the giant teacup planters hung down the wall, almost reaching the floor.
    “So ….” Annie started to talk but then trailed off. She wasn’t sure what to say. After all, she had no idea why Ian had invited her to lunch.
    “So,” he echoed, unwrapping his silverware and putting the napkin on his lap. “I heard a rumor that you and Alice have a new mystery to solve. What is it this time?”
    “Of all things, we found some recipes under a floorboard in the carriage house.”
    “Recipes?” Ian looked puzzled. “Just shoved in there?”
    “No, not exactly,” Annie said. She then explained what they had found. She dug around in her bag and pulled out the notebook where she’d scribbled her list. It suddenly occurred to her that although the club had eaten cookies made from one of the recipes, they’d not actually talked about the recipe itself or the mystery during the meeting.
    “Here’s what we know—” she started to say, but Peggy interrupted by dropping off their drinks.
    “Thank you, Peggy,” Ian said. “You always take such good care of me.”
    Peggy nodded, a slight smile on her face, and went through the kitchen doors.
    Ian took a gulp of his drink. “You were saying?”
    “Oh, yes,” Annie flipped the pages until she came to the list, which she read aloud to Ian. “What do you think? Any ideas on who might have left the recipes?”
    “Well, I remember the Swanns living there, of course,” he replied, “but they didn’t strike me as being very secretive.” He leaned his face on his hand and looked thoughtful. “Now, you say the plank over the hidey-hole was different than the rest of the floor?”
    “Yes, though I have no idea what kind of wood either one is.”
    “Chances are, the floors in both Grey Gables and the carriage house are pine. Likely whoever did the hiding would not have known—or would not have wanted to try to find out, for fear of discovery, how to match the wood.”
    “Do you think whoever it was might have come to the sawmill to get the new piece?”
    “It’s entirely possible, but that’s something I have no way of knowing for sure.” Ian smiled. “So tell me about your project for the Hook and Needle Club.”
    “It’s not really my project—Kate came up with it. And that reminds me.” Annie leaned down to dig around in her bag and came up with a handful of the flyers Mary Beth had given to everyone. “Would you mind putting some of these at Town Hall? We really want to get the word out—we’ve got to collect a hundred blankets. Kate’s daughter, Vanessa, and her best friend, Mackenzie, designed these.”
    “No problem.” He took the colorful paper and glanced at it.