Chapter 13 - Getting to Know the Kitchen Staff

That night, neither Lee nor Amanda slept well. Lee really felt he should be checking things out but unfortunately, since it was the first official night for the new staff, many were staying up way past 2am and so it was impossible for him to move around without being noticed. He tried to stay awake long enough to outlast them but gave up around 3am. Amanda didn't sleep well because she found herself trying to analyze all that they had learned during the ghost walk as she was sure there was something valuable in all of that.

At 6 am, Amanda got up and headed for the shower. She found that the door was locked and could hear that someone was already taking a shower. She was shocked a few moments later when Lee opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Wow, I don't think I have ever seen you up this early."

"I usually try not to be. I was trying to find a way to take a look around but most of the others didn't go to bed until about 2 hours ago. I don't know how they are going to function today."

Of course, Lee hadn't gotten much more sleep than that and neither had Amanda. It was going to be a long day.

After taking her shower, Amanda knocked on Lee's door so they could go down to breakfast together. They needed to keep up their cover and it wouldn't look right for one to show up at breakfast before the other one. Amanda was nervous about her first day in the kitchen. She hoped that she would fit in okay.

When they arrived for breakfast, they discovered that they were the first ones there. Amanda helped put out plates and silverware since breakfast was going to be a buffet. Soon the others began arriving. Bubba showed up first and walked over to Lee to ask him how he had slept. Lee told him that he had slept fine.

"Good, good, so are you ready to do your first ghost walk tonight? I will come along with you in case you get stuck or aren't sure of something."

"That would be great. I'm a little nervous but Amanda took great notes so I think I'm going to be okay." Lee answered.

"Well since you don't have anything going on during the day, why don't you come out to the barn with me and help me tend to the livestock?"

"That sounds great. I love horses. I don't know about cows though. I have never been around them before."

"Oh they are harmless. I'll show you how to milk them today."

Amanda couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Lee milking a cow. Lee looked over at her and said "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You laughed. Why are you laughing dear?"

"Nothing"

"No, really tell me what is so funny."

"You milking a cow. I'm sure Francine would love a picture of that."

Lee gave her a scolding look and turned back to Bubba and said "Don't mind her. When I first met her, I was a waiter at a fancy restaurant so now she doesn't think I can get my hands dirty."

Bubba laughed and said "Women! Can't live with them, can't live without them." and then winked at Amanda.

Amanda continued giggling as everyone else showed up. Soon everyone was busy eating the delicious breakfast that had been put out. It didn't take long for the group to devour the food from the buffet and Amanda got up to help carry the dishes out to the kitchen. Bubba ushered Lee out the door towards the barns.

Meanwhile, Amanda helped wash up the dishes and clean up after the breakfast while getting to know the 3 ladies that she would be working with. There was a complete kitchen staff that did the cooking for the guests and the employees and then there was a special staff of bakers for all the specialties that were created and sold to the public. Amanda was a part of that group and was not responsible for the normal cooking of meals.

Amanda observed the 3 ladies that would work directly with her.

Claire McDonald was about Amanda's age but had never married. She loved to cook and bake and had even won a baking cook off when she was in college. The award had been a trip to Switzerland for 2 weeks where she had met up with a man named Stewart who had told her about this place and encouraged her to apply for a job. The news of Claire's famous pumpkin donuts and whoopie pies soon traveled and a lot of people came to sample her delicious treats. Her products were the top seller of the farm.

Sara Temple was in her late 50's and was widowed. Her husband had owned his own barbershop and was very popular. When he died of a heart attack, he left Sara financially set but she was bored so she applied for the baking job to keep her busy. She had always loved baking and since she didn't have kids, she usually baked for the neighborhood children so this job was perfect for her.

Angela Crufts was the daughter of the original Mary. Since Mary had been such a huge part of this place, she had done well for herself over the years and had saved up a lot of money. She left everything to her son and daughter. Johnny, her son, had chosen not to be involved with the day to day operations of the business and had sold it completely to his sister Angela. She was in her 20's and didn't have a family so she had plenty of time to devote to the business. Johnny not only had a family but also had a great job at a local law firm.

Amanda decided that she needed to keep an eye on Angela since she was the daughter. Surely, the owner would know if something was going on. So the whole day, Amanda watched Angela's every move. She tried not to be too obvious as she knew Lee would be upset if she messed up this case.

Meanwhile, Claire showed Amanda her secret recipe for making pumpkin donuts. The secret was in the glaze that was brushed on after they came out of the oven. Amanda had never thought of doing that before but realized that her family was going to love this new way to make them.

Angela asked Amanda if there was anything special that she could make with pumpkin and she said that her Pumpkin Chiffon Pie was well loved by family and friends. She explained that it was much creamier than the traditional pie. Angela asked her to make one so they could try it so Amanda began making a homemade pie crust and then afterward, she dumped a bunch of ingredients all together in a sauce pan over low heat while everyone watched. All 3 of the ladies were very curious and said that they had never seen a pumpkin pie made this way. A few hours later after it had cooled and Amanda served a piece to each of them, they couldn't believe how much it melted in their mouths. It was decided that Amanda would become the official pie maker.

The day flew by for Amanda and soon it was time to clean up and put everything away. They had made plenty of delicious treats for the guests that would arrive for the ghost walk plus there would be fresh donuts for breakfast in the morning. Sara's specialty was a pumpkin/maple candy but she also made pumpkin cookies that were out of this world. Amanda was sure she was going to gain 10 pounds just looking at all these mouthwatering things while she worked. All 3 ladies combined efforts to make pumpkin pastries, muffins, cake, cupcakes, cheesecake, bread and even pudding.

Being a mother on a budget, Amanda was used to coming up with ideas that looked great but took very little effort and money so she suggested that a nice thing to serve to guests as they waited to begin the Ghost walk would be a pumpkin dip that you could dip apples or crackers into it. The dip itself wasn't anything special but it would be served inside a hollowed out pumpkin. The ladies totally loved this idea and they all remarked on what a great addition Amanda was to the kitchen. Amanda was thrilled with their response and hoped it would mean that they would open up to her more. She had been having so much fun that she hadn't thought of Lee much the whole day. As the work day was ending, she couldn't help but wonder how he had done with milking a cow. The thought threatened to bring giggles up again so she had to suppress the image. She couldn't wait to ask him when he got back though.

TBC