19. Forget About It

If there was one thing in the world Maisie never expected, it was that her mom's candle business actually took off.

"What do you mean people are buying them?" Maisie asked as she sat in her bakery beside Charity.

Her mom had come running into the building with a box overloaded with candles, that ranged from fluorescent yellow to a depressing grey floral wallpaper, and a thick wad of cash in the other. Maisie's mouth had dropped open and Charity was just confused.

"My candles," Cindy Small said. "People are actually buying my candles, with money."

"They probably bought it thinking it was Yankee Candle seeing as you practically stole their logo," Tony Small pointed out as he grabbed some cupcakes from the cabinet and quickly put down some money on the counter when Maisie glared at him.

Cindy suddenly threw the stack of money down on the table with a smack and Charity flinched before tentatively slipping a finger through each bill until her eyes were blown wide and she was practically gawking at it.

"Oh my god," Charity breathed and ran a hand over the money. "You're rich. How much is this?"

"More than enough to fix this bakery," Cindy said and Maisie's head snapped up with brute force.

"The bakery...?" she frowned. "You're going to use your money to help my bakery?"

"Maisie," Cindy said and leaned her hip against the table gently. "The candle business really took off, like completely. And it's only going to go higher. I can afford to get this place a paint job, fix up the oven...get you an AC unit."

Maisie was still in shock but Charity had a wide smile on her face. She clapped excitedly and hooked an arm over Cindy's shoulder. "Mrs. Small, you're the best!

Charity ran off to the kitchen in a gush of giddiness and Maisie stood up, leaning against the table beside her mom.

"Are you serious about this?" she asked. "I mean the bakery was never something I thought you cared about too much."

Cindy smiled. "But you care about it" she said. "And that's enough."

Maisie surged forward and gave her mom a rig hug. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Cindy shook her head fondly at her daughter. "Anything for you," she promised.

Tong walked over and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Can we please start with the AC unit? I feel like I melt every time I walk in here. I have no idea how the cakes survive in here."

Cindy laughed. "I think we can do that. I also heard you were looking for a big freezer for cakes that need to stay cold."

Maisie nodded. "We're trying ice-cream cakes."

Trying being the main word.

Nick was the one who had come bounding over, armed with a cake magazine and a look of complete determination. Apparently, ice-cream cakes were the current craze and the whole of Arizona would bend over backwards for one. Maisie tried not to pop his bubble and mention that there were ice-cream parlours that sold those but instead looked down at the magazine image and shrugged her consent. With a bakery that's teetering on the edge between success and failure, taking a few risks was probably mandatory.

"Do you know how to make ice-cream?" Tony frowned.

"There's an old ice-cream maker grandma had for some reason in the back cupboard. We'll try and see if it works, if it doesn't then it isn't the end of the world. We just want something that makes us stand out a little," Maisie said.

"You mean something that makes you stand out from Bud's Bakers," Tony supplied and Maisie went to speak but he cut her off. "Yes, I know of the little feud going on between the two bakeries."

"That noticeable?" Maisie asked.

"It looks a little desperate but no ones judging, don't worry," Tony smirked and Maisie gave him a flat look.

She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Don't you both have, oh I don't know, jobs to get to? I'm waiting for my exterminator to show up and need you both to shoo."

Cindy made a disgruntled noise. "I still can't believe that this place has rats. Just make sure it doesn't get out to the customers that you have them, no one will wants to buy from here anymore."

"Thanks, mom," Maisie deadpanned.

"You're right though," Tony said around a mouthful of cupcake. "I should be getting to work, duty calls."

"Have fun arresting the dog walkers that don't pick up their shit," Maisie said and Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, and I think your exterminator is here," Tony said.

"How do you know?" Maisie asked.

"Because there's a van outside with a giant dead bug on it."

Maisie ran over to the window and the wind was completely knocked out of here. Sat on the side of the road was a basic white van which would have been discreet enough for no one to really question why it was there, until the idiot exterminator decided to strap a giant fake cockroach to the roof and make sure the whole street knew exactly what was happening.

Maisie closed her eyes and sighed in dismay.

"Fantastic," she said. "Now everyone knows we have a vermin problem."

"It's going to be fine," Cindy rubber her daughter's shoulder. "It will be over before you know it, the rats will be out and all will be forgotten."

Maisie nodded and tried to take comfort in her mom's words but little was settling her stressed out mind that was running a million miles an hour.

"Are you hanging out with your dad tonight, by the way?" Cindy asked. "Tony and I are thinking of going out."

Maisie looked over at Tony who's gaze softened when he saw the resignation and defeat clear on her face. She looked back at her mom and nodded with a smile. "Yeah," she lied. "I'll be out most the night so do what you want."

Cindy nodded and patted Maisie's shoulder one more time before clearing up the things she had thrown down on the table. Tony tipped his head down and gave a short wave. "I should be off," he said. "See you guys later."

As Sheriff Small walked out of the bakery door, another man was trying to come in and eventually with painfully awkward maneuvers and stops and starts, the two finally got through the door and were on their way. The man walked towards Maisie and plonked his giant tool box down on the table with such a loud noise the two women in the store jumped.

"Lenny Dobs," the man held his hand out aggressively fast and Maisie blinked in surprise. "Exterminator extraordinaire."

Maisie tentatively shook his hand and watched as he did the same to Cindy. The thinly moustached man then whipped a little stack of cards out of the pocket of his tight-fitting clothes and flung them towards Maisie's face.

"My business card," Lenny clarified. "Please do share them with your family, friends, neighbours, pets."

Maisie and Cindy stared at the little cards in their hands until Cindy cleared her throat and pointed at the clip art figure. "Is this supposed to be you?" she asked.

Maisie looked between the drawing of a relatively handsome man and the moustached skinny male in front of him. Lenny pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose and sniffed loudly.

"Yep that's me," Lenny puffed out his chest proudly and stashed away the rest of the cards in his back pocket. He patted the top of his tool box and grinned. "So you got some rats?"

"Yeah," Maisie said. "We don't know where they are or where they came from but it's not exactly sanitary to have them here."

"Don't you worry, Missy," Lenny gave a random salute. "These guys will be out of your hair in no time!"

Maisie just smiled tightly and Lenny bounded out of the room towards his van. Cindy huffed and gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay," she said. "How about when the bakery's shut we go and look at some paint colours or check out AC units and giant fridges?"

Maisie nodded and smiled. "Yeah," she cleared her throat. "Yeah that sounds good."

"Great," Cindy said. "I'll swing round later."

Cindy left just as the kitchen doors swung open and the boys came out with Charity behind them. Nick took one look out the window and froze mid-step. His eyes followed Lenny as he came back into the bakery with a giant handheld machine in his hand.

"Um...hi?" Nick squeaked.

"Oh hi!" Lenny jumped and dropped the machine on the floor as if it was a dirty dishcloth. "I'm Lenny Dobs, you might know me as Lenny the Exterminator," he stopped suddenly and posed as the little drawing on his business card for a moment. "No? Okay, tough crowd."

Keith looked down at the machine and slowed down on chewing his gum. "What's that?"

"This, my good fellow, is a rat sucker-"

"Never mind," Keith waved his hand and walked over to a table to lie down.

"Is that...humane?" Logan asked, eyeing the 'rat suck' suspiciously.

Lenny looked surprised then looked down at the machine. "Uh yeah, no totally, one-hundred percent human," Lenny picked up the machine and pointed at the kitchen doors. "Am I in here?"

"Oh, uh yeah. Just in there," Maisie said and Lenny disappeared into the kitchen.

Logan and Nick glanced at each other.

"Did he just say it was one-hundred percent human?" Nick choked out.

"Where he hell did you find this guy, Mais?" Logan asked as he came over.

"I don't know," Maisie groaned and rubbed her face. "Ocean recommended him. Apparently a family friend, I can see the resemblance."

"Ocean?" Logan murmured.

"School friend," Maisie clarified. "He should actually be coming over in a bit so you can meet him then."

Logan just nodded and Nick ruffled a sleepy Andrew's hair. "Come on sleepyhead, wake the fuck up."

"Nein," he grumbled.

"Why are you so tired? You didn't come home last night. Stay up too late with Tom?" Keith grinned and the boys chuckled.

"Das geht dich einen feuchten Scheissdreck an," Andrew growled.

"If you're gonna slack off work then yeah, it is our business," Nick pointed out and Andrew sat down at a table, resting his head on his arms.

"It doesn't matter," Andrew breathed. "Just couldn't sleep."

The rest of the boys take that as a valuable reason but Charity looks at Andrew a little longer and a frown pulls at her face.

Logan stood beside Maisie and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey."

"Hey," Maisie hummed.

"So I was thinking..." he began. "We should go out again sometime."

Maisie raised her eyebrows. "Another date, huh?"

"You seemed to enjoy the first one," he pointed out. "Or well, you enjoyed the food."

Maisie shoved his shoulder and he stumbled away with a laugh. "I will admit the food was great. Your friends, those Tucker brothers, sure know how to cook."

"Yeah they do," Logan said. "But you sure know how to bake."

"And you know how to flatter," Maisie rolled her eyes.

The doors to the bakery opened and Maisie looked over just in time to see Ocean fling his arms out and announce his presence.

"Hello friends!" he yelled and the six of them were blinded by his multicoloured dress-shirt and mustard yellow slacks. Maisie tried to focus on him but her eyes kept fading out as the colours blurred together.

Ocean began to move forward but the kitchen doors swung open and Lenny promptly walked out with a broad grin on his face and a dead rat in his hand.

"I got one!" he yelled just as Ocean let out a piercing scream and there was a resounding thud as his unconscious body hit the ground.

***

"No, honestly Maisie, I'm fine," Ocean said in between breaths of his inhaler. "I was just surprised."

Maisie gave him a concerned look but nodded anyway as Lenny came back out the kitchen doors, a sheepish look on his face.

"Sorry kid," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you and your colourful clothes."

"No worries," Ocean breathed out shakily and patted his chest. "Still alive."

Keith, Nick and Logan came over, danishes in hand as they look over at Ocean. Nick swallowed his bite and wiped his hand on his apron, before holding it out towards Ocean.

"Hi, we didn't get to meet before but I'm Nick."

"Ocean," he said and Nick nodded slowly.

The rest of the guys introduced themselves and Charity came in a few moments later but not Andrew. Maisie frowned and tilted her head back to look around the bakery but he was nowhere in sight.

"-aisie. Maisie!" A voice snapped and Maisie looked over to see everyone looking at her.

She shook her head. "Sorry. Head was somewhere else."

They all split off to talk to each other and Ocean sat beside Maisie. "So how's the bakery doing? It's looking good."

"It's not bad," she said. "Rats didn't help but my mom said she's going to help redecorate and even get us an AC unit and freezer put it."

"Oh, that's awesome," Ocean smiled softly. "I'm really glad this place is picking up."

"Thanks, Ocean," Maisie said quietly.

Lenny came out a couple hours later and rubbed his hands together. He stopped in front of Maisie and gave a toothy smile. "All done," he said. "No more rats will be coming round here for a while."

"Do you know what the cause of them was?" Maisie asked.

Lenny shrugged. "There's no actual place they're coming in from, I checked all the usual areas so unless there's a hidden entrance somewhere, I'd say that you must have left a back door open sometime and they got through then."

Maisie frowned. "You're sure?"

"As sure as my momma's name," Lenny said.

Maisie thanked Lenny and after throwing another round of business cards at everyone, he left with a beep of his horn. Maisie tried to think of a time when she left a door open but she couldn't. If there was one thing she always remembered, it was to lock the place up thoroughly. Having a sheriff for a step-dad helped with that.

Maybe the exterminator was just wrong. His business card didn't exactly make him look like the most reliable source anyway.

She breathed out a long breath that made Logan look over at her. He put his hand on her knee without thinking and rubbed a thumb over her jeans. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Maisie said. "Never better."

- Ellie x