Banana Muffins & Mayhem - Culinary Competition Mystery #5

Chapter 5

(Amy)

Amy slowed her pace so that she could check out the architectural details in the old building. The paneled doors along the hallway, with edges smoothed from layers of paint, reminded her of an old-fashioned hotel, complete with oval, weathered-brass number plates. She had never been in any of the upper-floor apartments in the buildings along Main Street. But now that Carla's mother was living above the ceramic shop where she worked, Amy had a feeling she would be visiting the residential area of the building a lot more. She adored the quirky artist.

Apartment number four was at the end of the hallway. Amy heard muffled laughter as she approached her destination. She transferred the wicker basket to her left hand and knocked on Geri's door. After a few seconds, it swung open. "The snacks are here," Geri called over her shoulder as she gestured for Amy to come in. "And the sweetheart who made them."

The inside of the apartment was a bohemian wonderland. Velvet quilts were draped over the couch and easy chairs. Silk scarves covered the lampshades. A curl of smoke rose from the incense stick burning on the end table. Tommy and Charlotte, the sisters who owned the building, were the proprietresses of the shops, which were at street level. The siblings sat cross-legged on the floor on giant round pillows. Amy offered the basket to Geri. "I brought date bars and lemon cookies. I have never tried vegan baking before, so please consider them very experimental cooking experiments."

"I'm sure they'll taste wonderful, but I promise to give you my honest opinion." Geri's purple silk palazzo pants quietly swished as she took the basket to the kitchen. "Please have a seat wherever you feel comfortable. We were just having a bit of a girls' night in."

There were two more poufs on the floor between the sisters. Amy took the one nearest to the window. When she settled onto the cushion, it felt as though she were back in kindergarten, getting ready for storytime. Knowing Carla's mom, the experience would probably be an adult version of the activity.

The sisters were like a study in opposites. The only trait they seemed to share was the word unique in their business names. It was fascinating to an only child like Amy how two women who shared the same bloodline could be so different. Tommy, the pottery artist who owned Make It Unique, always wore blue jean overalls over tie-dyed T-shirts. It was her uniform. She and Carla's husband looked as though they shared the same hairstylist. Not many women chose super-short buzz cuts as their hairstyle of choice.

In contrast, Charlotte, the interior designer who owned Unique Decor, was completely hip and trendy. Her shoulder-length, clown-red dyed hair was board straight. Even though she was relaxing after work, she still looked ultrafashionable with a navy blue-and-gray, chevron striped tunic over tan leggings. Amy was impressed with the casual chic look. Whenever she chilled out, she usually ended up wearing stretched out yoga pants and baggy, stained T-shirts.

Charlotte plucked a bottle out of the ornate, silver pedestal champagne bucket filled with ice, which stood next to her. She filled an empty glass sitting on the end table with the white wine and handed it to Amy. "Welcome to whine and wine night."

Amy raised the glass. "It's a pleasure to be here, even though I had no idea I would be a part of your get-together. I just wanted Geri's opinion of a couple recipes I'm working on for a national vegan baking recipe contest."

"You're going to win," Geri declared as she returned from the kitchen and set a platter filled with the bar cookies in the middle of the circle of women-topped pillows. "These are truly wonderful. I wouldn't change a thing with the recipes."

Good to know. Amy was an omnivore who would try any food at least once. While she was always interested in eating a healthier diet, baking without eggs or butter had been a daunting kitchen chemistry experiment. But she just couldn't resist a good challenge. Or the chance to indulge in her favorite obsession—cooking competitions. Geri had been vegan for several years, so Amy had turned to her for advice and taste-testing duty.