Sorrell nodded. “That’s one word for it. I’ll have to take part next year. Who won, by the way?”
“It was my teacher,” Sadie Grace said. “Miss Maynard. She did a mummery for our playground.”
Sorrell’s lips pursed into a tight ‘O’. Zack’s cousin—Jake’s sister—taught the nursery class. The scarecrow she’d created should’ve been enough to scare children, never mind the crows. Taller than the others, it had painfully elongated limbs with tight bandages wrapped around them. Where one elbow should have been, a break in the bandages saw straw pulled through that had been dyed red. Its eyes looked strangely real; Zack hadn’t asked where she’d got them from.
The kids had loved it.
“Yep,” he said. “That’s Rayah. My cousin and the world’s most inappropriate nursery teacher. You should come down into town. My brother’s band’s playing tonight at his bar, why don’t you come and assess the total madness of this town?” Zack’s words left him before he could really think about it.
Sorrell’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’d love to some other time, but my friend’s staying tomorrow so I’m in the middle of cooking a Halloween feast. You need to come in for some muffins though, before I lose every bit of heat from this monstrosity of a house.”
The three children had started to become restless and were edging into the manor already.
“Muffins!” Sadie Grace yelled. “And I’m cold!”
Her brothers followed after her as she galloped towards the industrial kitchens that Zack had helped fix from time to time, learning quickly that plumbing was part of his job description even if it wasn’t written in it.
The smell was overwhelmingly mouthwatering and he wondered why Sorrell was bothering with a hotel when she should be opening a bakery. “Is it just apple and cinnamon?” he said, looking around the kitchen. Pretty much every part of the oven looked to be on.
“No.” Sorrell pulled a tray of muffins from the warmer. “My friend is staying with me tomorrow for a Samhain dinner. They were meant to be here tonight, but something came up.”
“So what else is cooking?” Zack said. He’d noticed the use of Samhain and figured that maybe she was right for Severton after all, given she was referencing Pagan festivals.
Greedy hands grabbed at the muffins. He took one also and stopped Sadie Grace from taking a second.
“Pumpkin pie, a venison stew. I’ve made some chutneys too so I think you can still smell those. There’s a beef and ale pie that I need to turn off round about now as well…” She started to busy herself around the kitchen, tying back her long hair so it didn’t get in the way.
“Will you and your friend manage to eat all of this?” Zack said. He was more than happy to help her out by trying the stew and the pie. And maybe then trying it again. Her hair caught his eye again as she put a loose tendril round her ear.
“No. But I always cook too much. Are you angling for an invite?” She passed something that looked like giant cookies to the kids.
Zack shifted on his feet. “Not at all,” he said, remembering that she was the reason he had an organisational migraine to deal with. “If you have any left you could share it with the builders. I’m sure they’ll appreciate another perk.”
“Cookie?” She ignored his comment and smiled sweetly.
He looked at the plate: gooey chocolate chip cookies that smelled lush. “No,” he said. “You can save them for your guest.”
“Let me bag some up then,” she said. “The children can share them with their father later.”
“He’s not coming home tonight,” Sadie Grace said with a mouth full of cookie. “He’s a firefighter and he’s on duty.”
“Last year Mrs Ingham’s curtains caught fire when she knocked her pumpkin over,” Harry said.
“That’s why Daddy said she shouldn’t drink in the house,” Charlie nodded. “It could’ve been much worse.”
“My daddy’s a hero,” Sadie Grace announced, her mouth full of cookie once more.
“I’ll make another batch of muffins and drop them off at the fire station in town for him and his friends. What do you think?” Sorrell crouched back down again so she was on the same level as the little girl.
She was then almost on her back as Sadie threw her arms around Sorrell, sticky fingers marking her clothes.
“I’m really sorry,” Zack said, running his fingers through his hair. He wanted to dislike the hotel lady, but when she was like this with Jonny’s kids, he felt bad about it. “She’s a little overwhelming.”
Sorrell shook her head. “I like it,” she said simply. “It’s good seeing people happy.”
Zack nodded, not sure of what else to say. “Come on, creatures of the night. Let’s return you home.”
Sadie let go of Sorrell and started to trot towards the door. Harry and Charlie remained in the kitchen, eyeing the cookies.
