The Chocolate Magic Café, page 10
part #1 of Chocolate Magic Series
He shook his head and said that he didn’t think so.
She pulled him to his feet.
“Get the truck and follow me back home. You need company tonight.” He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
“Okay, Boss.”
Pushkin was settled with his sisters and none the worse for his visit out, and they arrived back at Magda’s to find two Birmans wanting dinner.
She fed the cats and found some food in the freezer which could be microwaved.
“Spaghetti bolognese,” she said and handed him a plate and fork, “followed by ice cream. Food always makes you feel better, and you can finish with the pecan and marzipan truffles.”
“You are a wonder, Magda,” he told her and almost found himself saying that he loved her. He held back and wondered if she would run a mile if he actually said those words. Instead he joked, “I could get used to being waited on hand and foot.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” she replied. “I suppose it’s not every day you have a run-in with a ghost and its cat. We need to come back to earth and practicalities.”
“Speaking of which,” he said, “the fittings are arriving tomorrow for the start of your enormous kitchen.”
“I’ve ordered the tables and chairs.” She showed him the leaflets and added that she had also ordered the display cabinets for the truffles on the counter.
“The next week should see it almost complete,” he told her.
“What about a grand opening?” she wondered.
Decide tomorrow,” he said and pulled her to her feet. It was the most natural thing in the world to wrap his arms around her and feel her respond. “Got something to show you.”
“I’ve heard that one before,” she joked. Sam took her hand and led her to the bedroom door.
Then she saw the picture on the bed.
“You bought it? The original? Katie just said it was sold and never mentioned that it was you.”
“She was sworn to secrecy.”
“Oh, Sam. It is a beautiful picture. I will treasure it. Thank you. You can put it up for me in the morning.” She put her arms around his waist. “I notice that with or without the painting, you manage to get into this bedroom quite often.”
He grinned and for a response picked her up and dropped her on the bed. Crystal and Abigail stalked away to the sofa in disgust.
In the morning, Katie arrived early with her cell phone in her hand.
“What is it?” Magda asked.
16
I took a photo last night,” Katie said and held up the screen. The vague outline of a woman was beside Sam.
“Now I am a bit freaked out,” he admitted.
“Hard work will get it out of your system,” Magda was brisk and businesslike.
“She will be gone now, I guess,” Katie added.
“Go to work. I’ll come over later to see how things are coming along,” Magda told him. He kissed her cheek and left.
“Is he really freaked out?” Katie queried, and Magda said that he was shaken by what had happened.
“I’m right though. Hard work does the trick, and we have to work out what we need to make in time for the grand opening.” She paused and put her hands on her hips. “He gave me the picture. You kept that very quiet.”
“Customer confidentiality.” Katie smiled.
“I absolutely love it. You are really good.” The two of them worked on the orders at hand and talked about what would be needed for the café. Magda had a notebook to one side and jotted down what they thought would be best to stock up on. “I’ll make cheesecakes as well to sell by the portion but that will be last minute. The coffee-machine people are providing the glasses and mugs, and I've wondered about making smoothies as well.”
“We are going to be so busy. You’re right. The ghosts will have to take a back seat.”
The two girls stopped for a break, and Magda made hot chocolate and decorated the top with cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, sauce, and cocoa powder shaken through a sieve in the shape of a heart.
“Too pretty to drink,” Katie said but dropped in a straw to enjoy the treat. Magda’s phone rang. Branston’s name appeared on the screen.
“Morning, Cousin,” Magda said and then listened as he repeated what his gran had told him.
“I’ve told Melissa so she can look in different places and see what she finds.”
“Now that is interesting. Thanks, Branston.” She hung up and told Katie that his gran had remembered that her mother talked about the Caraganic family and how the father was really hard on them all. “It was well known at the time apparently, and Irina had found a man she wanted to marry, but the brother had sent him away.”
“Oh, that is so sad. No wonder she is unhappy. She must have been brokenhearted,” Katie replied and Magda nodded.
“And why she didn’t want the cat called Tomas,” Magda observed. “If you can manage, I’ll go and tell Sam and see how the work is going.”
“No problem,” Katie said and went on stirring the chocolate.
Magda tidied herself up, brushed her hair, and glanced quickly in the mirror.
“He’s not bothered what you look like,” Katie observed. “He loves you anyway.”
Magda shook her head.
“Your artistic fancies are running riot,” she declared but set off with that unexpected somersault that her heart did. She knew the relationship with Sam had changed, and she was still coming to terms with that but the L word? She pushed the thoughts to one side and was grateful she had so many other things to think about.
The café was a hive of activity. She found Sam helping the plumber in the kitchen as the appliances had started to arrive, and he was finding the right place for everything. The chocolate vat was in place, and Sam was constructing the central work island. The electrician was on a ladder installing spotlights for the work areas, and Declan was installing the storage cupboards. The serving counter was to one side, and Declan told her he would do that last to leave room to get in and out.
“My oh my. I would never have believed this possible.” She breathed out, looking around. “It will be fantastic.
“The coffee machine is a beast,” Sam said as he stopped beside her for a breather.
“But necessary, “ she said. “Katie and I have been working out how many truffles and cheesecakes we have to make for the opening. Thank goodness you thought of her. She is a godsend. I think I’ll ask her to make the leaflets for the publicity, and I will set up a page on Facebook to get people talking about it.”
“You were right about the action being the thing to do. No ghosts have appeared, and Declan hasn’t seen the cat either.”
She told him that Branston’s gran had remembered that Tomas was seen as a hard man, and maybe Irina had not been allowed to marry the man she was in love with.
“We don’t know if that is true or not, but Melissa is trying to find out more if she can.”
“Tomas, now Pushkin the second, seems none the worse for his adventure,” Sam told her, and she added that she would make a meal for them if he would go and feed the cats when he finished work.
“Sounds good to me,” he said, and she saw his old relaxed smile again.
They were surprised by the sound of a voice asking where they wanted the tables. The delivery was early. The men carried them in and stacked them in the new extension.
“It is all coming together so fast,” Magda declared. The man asked for a signature and left. Magda unwrapped one pile of tables and one pile of chairs to see the effect, and the electrician switched on the spotlights in the extension.
“Oh, wow.” She did a little happy dance on the new wooden floor.
“I’m guessing she likes them,” Declan observed.
“I do. I do. It’s wonderful. When can we have the opening?”
“We need another week,” Sam told her.
She had one more look and left them to work, bought food for the evening and went to see the potter lady that Katie had mentioned. The woman said she would be happy to take leaflets, and Magda ordered some mugs, plant pot covers, and bowls that displayed daisies and grasses. Then she drove over to Michele at the restaurant and asked if he minded if she took a note of his potted plants.
“Of course not, my little Magda.” He, too, would take leaflets and told her where to go to order the plants that she needed. She went home to tell all to Katie with a swing in her step.
“Tomorrow I’ll order the plants for next week, and Sam says that the ground will be solid by then. Apparently, he thinks a desert effect is achieved with what looks like sand but sets really hard and is wheelchair friendly.”
“I’ve never seen that before,” Katie answered. “How is the kitchen doing?”
“It will be fabulous. Can I ask you to do the leaflets for the advertising? You could take tomorrow and stay at home to do that.”
“Oh yes. Give me all the details that you want to go on there.” and the two girls each sat with a coffee and talked about the leaflets. “I would think that you would like something that includes plants, foliage, and maybe a cat?”
“Spot on. Thanks. I’ll leave it up to you.”
When Katie had left for the evening, Magda rushed around and popped some food in the oven. She was pulling a brush through her hair when Sam arrived with the three kittens all squished into one cat carrier.
“Sorry,” he said. “I have to see a client tomorrow, and Declan cannot leave the café because of the sandblasters and doors. Danny and the other men are starting a new job.” He put the crate on the floor and leaned back outside the door to pick up a huge bunch of flowers. “Flowers to soften the deal.” He smiled and she kissed his cheek.
“Beautiful flowers. Thank you, and I am sure the girls will tell the kittens who is boss. If the worst happens, the girls can stay in the bedroom.” They took the cat crate into the living room and with a "here goes," Magda opened the door. The three kittens looked out cautiously and then came out of the door together. Abigail and Crystal stalked over to see who was in their territory, but after a derisory sniff, they stalked back to the sofa and ignored the newcomers. Magda laughed.
“Two stuck-up, little snobs, you are,” she said to the cats and picked up Pushkin. “He can stay on afterward anyway.” The kittens explored the room, and they closed the door to the kitchen as Magda took the meal from the oven.
Sitting at the table he said he would be away from early morning but back in the early hours of the following day.
“I might as well drive back through the night. The sandblasting should be done, and Declan will have the external doors in place. Then you will have a watertight and secure café with just the finishing touches to do.”
“When will the outside surface be walkable?” Magda asked.
“It is getting done the next day and then we’ll leave it overnight to harden. Then you’re good to go.”
They took coffee into the living room and found the kittens had made themselves at home.
Crystal looked at the cell phone on the table and two seconds later it rang.
“I’m sure she hears it vibrate before it rings,” Magda said as she flicked open the phone and said hello to Melissa.
“I found some more information for you. You might not need it because everything seems to have settled down but it is interesting.”
“What have you found?” Magda asked and put it on speakerphone.
“An article from nineteen thirty or so that reported that the sister of local businessman Tomas Caraganic was attending a meeting accompanied by carpenter Samuel Carter. They went on to speculate that Mr. Carter, who was helping with a charity project, did not see eye to eye with Mr. Caraganic as they argued over some work done. “
“Oh Lord,” Magda replied. “She really did have issues with her brother.”
“Caraganic must have had a lot of influence in the town,” Melissa speculated.
“And the name,” Magda suddenly observed, “Samuel Carter and she sees Sam Barnes in the stable.”
“Good Lord above,” Sam said. “You think she thought I was him?”
“Possibly,” Melissa said. “Anyway, it may shed a bit more light on why she was so sad.”
“Thanks, Melissa,” Magda said and told her the date for the grand opening. “I’ll catch up with Rula and let her know what there is to do.”
She sat back and Sam looked worried.
“It’s over, sweetheart. She’s got her beloved Pushkin who was frightened by the fire. There have been no sightings since then.”
He smiled and dropped an arm over her shoulders.
“Sweetheart? That puts Irina right out of my mind.”
“Figure of speech,” she said but settled against him. “I wonder what the café is like now everyone has gone. Is the kitchen working?”
“Come on, then.” He pulled her to her feet. “Come and see your fabulous workplace.” They grabbed jackets, locked the cats in the room, and drove to the main street. The men had put up a temporary door at the end of the alley because there was now a lot of valuable equipment inside. Sam opened the padlock, and they stepped into the courtyard.
“This will be like a desert floor?” she asked and he nodded and told her that it would look like sand but would be very hard.
“Easy for wheelchair access, and the potted plants will look good.” He opened the double doors and scratched one of them with his key. “I think this wood might well be a light, almost sandy shade as well.” She looked at the scratch mark and agreed. Then he switched on the lights, and she gasped with genuine amazement at the gleaming kitchen that was all hers.
She skipped around the room and he watched with a smile on his face. He was pleased with the result and told her the floor was still to be polished.
“Oh, Sam. Thank you. It is everything I dreamed about.” She came and put her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss his lips. For once, he was not giving it his complete attention, and his eyes were looking behind her head.
17
Magda turned to see the faintest shadow of a dark-colored dress fade away into nothing.
“Great-Grandaunt Irina, is that you?” Magda asked. There was no reply and no shadow appeared.
“Aunt Irina, I love you. This is Sam Barnes and not Samuel Carter. We hope you know that.”
There was a faint breeze that blew past both of their faces, and the door closed gently of its own accord. The slightest hint of a lavender perfume floated on the air and then disappeared.
“I think she knows that.” She turned to Sam. “This is an experiment. Take part, please.” She wound her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him.
“Yes, Boss,” Sam whispered and took her lips with that gentleness that took away her breath and her senses. The kiss was several seconds long, and when she knew she had to come up for air, she pulled back and they both looked around.
“No Irina; no cat. It worked,” Magda said. They stood in the middle of the gleaming kitchen and waited to see if there was anything else, but all was calm.
“Thank goodness,” Sam said with feeling. “I don’t want to be fancied by your great-grandaunt.”
She laughed and ran her hands over the serving counter with the new glass-covered display cabinets for the truffles and turned to see the shelves for storing the boxes of goodies. She turned taps on and off, opened the refrigerated case doors and went to view the new restrooms installed by the plumber at the rear of the new extension.
“This really will be Chocolate Magic,” Magda declared. “I can’t wait to start using it.”
Back in the car, she called Melissa and then Branston to tell them what happened. Merle came on the line and asked if she could visit again at some point, and they arranged to meet up in two days after Sam had been away and come back.
The cats were behaving themselves, and the Birmans had allowed the newcomers beside them on the sofa.
“Five cats take up a surprising amount of room,” Magda remarked and asked him what time he was leaving in the morning. “Hardly worth going home,” she added and said she would set the alarm for three.”
“Oh Lord,” he moaned. “Do I really want to get up this early?”
“I’ll get up and have a coffee with you,” she offered and then added that she would then go back to bed. He struggled out of bed and went off reluctantly to collect his overnight bag from home. The cats seemed to have accepted each other quite happily, and Magda snuggled back into bed. She reached across to where he had been and sighed.
“You have to accept that you miss him when he goes away, Magda,” she told herself. “Things are never going to be the same again.” Her thoughts turned to Great-Grandaunt Irina, and she felt sad that the woman seemed to have not been allowed to be with the man she loved. She let herself fleetingly accept the love word and smiled thinking about him. “Keep a watch over him, Aunt Irina, and bring him safely back to me.”
The cats found the slightly open door and settled down beside her. Pushkin joined the two Birmans and they seemed happy together. She remembered that Katie was working at home and gave herself and the cats another half an hour in the bed. Then she got up to make truffle centers to build up the stock for the café.
By coffee time, she had a text from Sam to say he had arrived at the client’s office. Katie sent her a copy of what she had designed so far, and she rang Rula to see if she could pick up a takeout lunch and come over.
The chatter with Rula and her mom was a lovely, cheerful time, and she told Rula about what was needed in the café and how they would organize the grand opening.
“I need to see the place now that it is more or less finished,” Rula said, and Magda answered that the following evening should be fine, but she would check that the ground was hard enough for the wheelchair.
Magda worked hard all through the afternoon and had built up a large number of truffle varieties ready for their coating. She was about to give herself a break when the phone rang and it was Declan.
“I’m finished the doors and things, Magda, and giving myself a couple of days off. I can take the cat and settle her in if you like.”
