Read Summer In Stanton (Stanton Falls #3) for Free Online Page A

here and not even a vending machine
in sight.  

 
    There was no way she was
going to wake someone up just to make her a sandwich.  At the same time,
she wasn’t going to bed hungry.  She made her way into the kitchen as
quietly as possible and opened up the fridge, preparing to make a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich--but the eggs, milk, butter and syrup in sight had her mind
set on pancakes.  She looked in the cabinet and found the flour, sugar,
vanilla, and baking powder.  There were even fresh strawberries on the
counter.  Her mouth watered at the idea of her mother’s extra fluffy
pancake recipe.  

 
    She took all the
ingredients out and started cooking.  

 
    Nearly twenty minutes
later she had set herself a place on the table and was eating pancakes with
hand whipped heavy cream, syrup, and strawberry pieces.  She bit into the
pancakes and smiled.

 
    “Thank you mom.”

 
    She mumbled through a mouthful
of food.  She would have savored the delicious mix of sweet goodness in
her mouth a little longer if she hadn’t been nearly scared to death by what
happened next.  

 
    “I’m not your mother.”

 
    She sat stiff in her
chair and wondered momentarily if she was sleeping.  Until the person
started talking behind her again.  

 
    “And why are you in my
kitchen?”

 
    She got up and turned
around.  She had never met the woman but Tessa had no doubt that the
motherly figure standing before her was Ms. Celia.

 
    “I… I’m sorry.  I
didn’t think anyone else would be up.  Are you Ms. Celia?”

 
    “I am, and normally I am
the only one that ever sets foot in that kitchen so I feel inclined to ask what
in the devil you are doing down here at this time of night?”

 
    “I got hungry and I
didn’t want to bother anyone.  I figured everyone else was sleeping.”

 
    “And you didn’t want to
bother me.  Well you didn’t have to do that.  It’s my job to cook the
food here so you can’ be taking away my responsibilities.  I could have
got up and prepared you something.   I’m up half the time snacking
myself.”

 
    “Oh I don’t want to be
trouble though.  I really had planned on a sandwich but your fridge was so
stocked that I couldn’t help it.”

 
    The older woman sat at
the table.  

 
    “Well.  You got a pretty
big pile there beside you and all this good smelling food you got is what woke
me up so do you have enough to spare one for an old lady?”

 
    “Yes ma’am I have
enough.  I made too much.  I was going to see if Libby wanted to
share some with me in the morning since I’d made so much.”

 
    Tessa took two pancakes
from the pile

 
    “I’m sure she would
have.  She doesn’t exactly love my cooking.”

 
    Tessa didn’t want to say
anything negative to the woman in her own kitchen.  

 
    “That’s probably not
true.”

 
    “Now listen.  You
can’t feed me and lie to me in the same breath.  I may not be the best
cook in the world but my hearing works just fine.  Thank you for sparing
my feelings but I heard you and Libby talking about my cooking earlier.  I
believe you were trying to find out if salt and pepper are on strike.”

 
    “Oooh.  Did I say
that?”

 
    “Yes you did.”

 
    “Sorry.”

 
    The woman bit into the
pancakes.  

 
    “Don’t worry about it.
 As good as these are, you have the right to say whatever you want about
my bad cooking.”

 
    “Honestly, your food
wasn’t bad in and of itself.  It just needed a little more seasoning.
 Little salt here and there would work wonders.  

 
    “I guess that’s what
happens when they make the housekeeper change jobs.  I never really wanted
to do the cooking.  Most people think every old, heavyset woman from Texas
can cook but I’m terrible in the kitchen.”  

 
    “Ms. Celia, it’s so not
true.  My mom taught me that anyone can cook if they enjoy it.
  You just need a little help with your