Her next stop was Costco. They always had cheesecake, but the parking lot was full. Going inside would be a wasted effort and sure to eat up her time. She should have known. This was the holiday season. Shoppers took every opportunity available to stock up, and this was Christmas week.
Her next guess was the local grocery store. She parked, rushed into the bakery section, and discovered there wasn’t a cheesecake to be found.
Then she remembered the Wine Press had cheesecake on the dessert menu. As she exited the Safeway, she reached for her phone and called the restaurant. The same hostess from the morning answered.
“This is Lindy…Would it be possible to speak to Billy?” she asked, checking the time and fearing she was about to get the booby prize.
It seemed to take forever before he was on the line. “Lindy?”
“I need four slices of cheesecake. Pronto.”
His hesitation was brief. “Is there a cheesecake emergency I didn’t hear about?”
“It’s a food scavenger hunt. Peggy’s idea. If I don’t have it within the next few minutes, I could be stuck washing a sink full of dishes. Can I buy the cheesecake from you?” At this point she didn’t care what it cost. All that was important was that she return with the dessert before Jayne and Chloe.
“Of course.”
She looked at the time again. “I have less than twelve minutes to get it back to Peggy’s.”
“Where are you now?” he asked.
She gave him her location.
“I’ll meet you halfway.” He gave her the name of the school, the very one they had attended as children. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot by the baseball field.”
“You mean it’s still there?”
“As far as I know. Seems to me I drove past it recently.”
“You’d leave the restaurant and rush me the cheesecake?” She was giddy, knowing this was the only way she’d make it back to Peggy’s within the allotted thirty minutes.
“On it. I’ll be there as soon as I can manage…”
Lindy drove to Mission View Elementary, pulled over, and parked. Sure enough, Billy didn’t keep her waiting long. He pulled up alongside her car. Billy climbed out of his vehicle, and without realizing how close he was, Lindy opened her car door and slammed it into Billy, hitting him in the stomach.
Billy gasped and bent over.
“Oh no. Billy, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?” She felt dreadful. Her hands flew to her mouth as she waited for him to straighten.
He took in a shallow breath. “I’m okay,” he said, between gritted teeth.
“You’re not,” she countered, fearing she’d unmanned him.
He waved away her concern before he handed her the box with the cheesecake. “How much do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house.”
“But…”
“You did me a favor and I’m returning one.” He still didn’t sound like himself.
“You’re hurt,” she insisted. “What can I do to help?”
“Lindy, I’m fine. You caught me by surprise is all.”
“You’re hurt.”
“I am not hurt. You better get going or you’ll be washing dishes.”
“Right. You’re sure you’re not in pain?”
He arched his brows, which she supposed was answer enough.
“Now go.”
“Right.” Still, she hesitated, fearing he was just telling her he was unhurt when he really was in pain. She waited until he was in his car before she left.
* * *
—
Lindy arrived back at Peggy’s apartment, with three minutes to spare. It was funny because Jayne arrived almost the same time but was a few steps ahead of her. She discovered Jayne was responsible for the appetizer: Chinese eggrolls. Chloe came within a minute or two of Lindy. Chloe had been given the riddle for the salad: Waldorf, which made sense, since it included apples, the primary crop of Chelan County. How the two had managed it within the limited amount of time was beyond Lindy, knowing her own difficulty in getting the cheesecake.
Peggy greeted them in the kitchen. The table was set with Santa plates and napkins. With the food on the table, the fun began as they relayed their adventures over crisp white wine and laughter. Peggy’s own contribution to the meal was taco soup, so it was truly an international meal.
“Waldorf salad?” Chloe complained. “Really, Peggy? Couldn’t you have gone for one a bit less specific?”
“Where in the name of heaven did you find that?” Lindy asked.