Rest in Pizza Read Online Free Page B

ruckus was about, and saw that twelve people had taken the liberty to shove three tables together in the middle of the pizzeria. I looked at Maddy, who just shrugged. She walked over to me, and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me we booked a party today?”
    “Mainly because I didn’t,” I said. “What’s it all about?”
    “I figured you’d want to ask yourself.”
    “Okay, I will.” I approached the group, and they began applauding.
    “Hey, look, it’s the owner herself,” one of the young men said.
    An older woman with hair the most startling shade of blue said, “I need to speak with you, young lady.” She said it in a voice that exactly matched my high school principal, in tone if not in timbre.
    “That sounds good to me,” I said, “but would you mind keeping it down to a dull roar? We have other diners.”
    One of the other boys took that moment to yell, “Ashley Fox is a rock star.”
    One of the women at the table, a young lady in her early twenties, looked embarrassed by the attention, and I had to believe she was the Ashley in question. “Would you guys keep it down?” she asked, to no avail.
    But then the older lady spoke up. “Family, I know we have a great deal to celebrate, but there’s no excuse for rudeness. Jason, Phil, do you both understand what I’m saying?”
    The two young men nodded, and each had the decency to look chastened.
    Once they were quiet, the matriarch said, “As you’ve already deduced, we are the Foxes, here to celebrate my granddaughter’s college graduation.”
    “Congratulations,” I said, and I saw Jason and Phil begin another celebratory whoop when the older woman iced them with one glance.
    “Thank you. I apologize for the disturbance, and we’ll do our best to keep it down. Now, are our pizzas ready?”
    “I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize that you’ve been here long enough to order,” I said, confused by her question.
    “We called yesterday to let you know we were coming.”
    I shook my head. “You didn’t speak with me.” Since Josh hadn’t worked yesterday, they must have either talked to Maddy or Greg.
    “Either one of you take an order for Fox yesterday?” I asked them.
    They both denied it, and I turned back to the lady. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but there seems to be some confusion.”
    “Please, my name is Louise.” She looked down the table and spotted a middle-aged woman dressed a little too nicely for my pizza place. “Michelle, are you certain you called yesterday?”
    “Of course I did, Mother,” she said, sounding for an instant like the teenager she must have been at one point in her life.
    “You called A Slice of Delight?” Louise asked.
    “I’ve got the number stored right here on my phone,” Michelle said, and then recited seven numbers. They did indeed make up a telephone number. Just not mine.
    “I’m sorry, but that’s not our number.”
    Louise’s gaze narrowed. “Michelle? To whom did you speak?”
    “I got a recording, so I left a message.”
    I shook my head. “We didn’t get it, since it wasn’t our phone number. If you have half an hour, we’d be glad to make something special for you.”
    “We’ll wait,” Louise said.
    “Give Maddy your order, and I’ll be glad to get busy making it,” I said. “Thanks for coming to A Slice of Delight.”
    “You’re most welcome.”
    I went back into the kitchen, and less than a minute later, Maddy came in with their order. As I got busy making pizzas, Maddy lingered and asked, “Is it just me, or did that woman remind you of Principal Jeffries?”
    I laughed as I worked. “It gave me the willies,” I admitted. “She had to be a principal at one point in her life.”
    “Or a teacher, at the very least. She surely knows how to keep that crowd in line, doesn’t she?”
    “I could take a lesson from her,” I said as I slid the first pizza onto the conveyor.
    “I don’t know, you’ve got a pretty commanding voice yourself,” Maddy