Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Danielle
Dignin
All rights reserved. This book or
any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of
brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
Chapter 2
I
waved to Heaven as the bus drove away, still working on the list of all the
things I needed to accomplish for the day, but enjoying the moment of quiet
before I got started on that list. I
grabbed my now cold coffee and dumped it down the drain. Luckily, there were only a few gulps left; I
refilled my cup with a fresh cup of steaming brew. I took a moment to inhale the aroma of the
coffee, feeling the sips of hot caffeine as the fog in my brain fully
evaporated. The caffeine working its way
through my veins, reviving, and energizing me for the day ahead. I decided to enjoy my coffee in quiet before
getting back to my list of products to make.
After
finishing my steaming brew, I went back to my list again. I marked off the lip balms as they were done
now. I put those aside for labeling and
packaging later in the day. Next up on
the list were the lotion bars. I took a
few minutes to wash out my double boiler from my lip balm making earlier,
making sure that no additional oils were left in the pot, and then running them
through a sanitation run in the dishwasher.
While the dishwasher was running, I brought out my stand mixer to get
started on the Orange Creamsicle body scrub.
I needed 2 containers of this, but decided to make a double batch to
have a couple of extra on hand, I could always bring a couple extra out to the
shop if needed.
I
gathered the ingredients for the lotion bars and set those on the counter just
as the dishwasher dinged that it was finished.
I pulled open the door and pulled the drawers out to allow them to
finish air-drying. I then gathered the
ingredients for the body scrub. I paused
for a moment to take a sip of my cooling coffee, still struggling with my
frustration over the two strange phone calls I had that morning. Measuring out sugar into the bowl of my stand
mixer, then adding coconut oil before switching the machine on. The whirl of the stand mixer made me realize
that I needed something to get me going or I was going to fall asleep to the
rhythmic sounds of the whirl of my mixer, didn’t matter that I was standing.
Maybe some music would help, I thought to
myself. I dashed over to the stereo and
turned on some of my favorite country music.
I danced back over to the mixer and saw that the sugar and coconut oil
mixture was fully combined and ready for the addition of orange essential oil,
vanilla, and coloring. I added these to
the bowl of the mixer and turned it again to combine the rest of the
ingredients. Once combined I added the
scrub to the jars with lids and set those aside with the lip balms for labeling
and packaging for later. I danced to the
music during this entire process; singing along with whatever song was playing,
enjoying the beat and musical lyrics.
I
took the double boiler out of the dishwasher and dried it off with a clean
dishtowel to get the last bit of water out of the top before adding water to
the bottom and putting it on the stove to heat up. I groaned as the phone rang again disrupting
my day again. I headed over to the
stereo, turning the volume down to low, but refusing to turn it off completely
and losing my mood.
“Hello.”
“Are
you up for talking now?”
“Who
the hell are you and why do you keep calling me?” my good mood instantly
killed, turning to frustration and irritation at my unwanted caller.
“You
know who I am. Have you thought about my
question yet?”
“What
question? You keep alluding to this
mystery question. Just tell me what it
is that you want.”
“I
see the coffee hasn’t cleared the fog from your brain. I asked you a question this morning and you
have yet to answer it. Now that is just
insulting.”
“I
have no idea who you are so why would I insult you and you shouldn’t call at
4am if you do not wish to insult me, so what is it that you want again? Wait a second, how the hell would you know I
was drinking coffee?” a little frustrated with being interrupted once again.
“I
want to give you the one thing you want the most. I told you, I know a lot
about you,” his voice said smugly.
“And
how would you know what I want the most?
You don’t know me and I don’t know you.”
“But
I do know you and very well.”
“I
don’t think so or you wouldn’t feel the need to hide behind the phone. “
“You
aren’t ready to meet me yet.”
“What
the hell gives you the right to determine what I am ready for? Who the hell are you?”
“You
will find that out in good time, Ms. Summerfield.”
“Don’t
you hang up…..Grrrr.” I realized I was
speaking to the dial tone and slammed the phone down.
I
looked at the phone for a moment, closed my eyes, and took a slow breath
in. Allowing the breath to calm my
irritation away. I had a lot to do today
and I didn’t have time to let my anger or frustration get to me. That type of distraction could cause errors
in mixing items together and that was too dangerous to mess with, especially
when it comes to soap making.
I
glanced at the clock, realizing that my morning was quickly getting away from
me and rushed to complete my orders.
Before starting on my lotion bar order, I took a few minutes to pull
something for dinner out of the freezer.
After tossing a beef roast into the crock-pot, sprinkling onion soup mix
over the top, and topping that with beef broth, I proceeded onto my next
product. Later I would add some carrots
and potatoes to the mix, but for now, I had work to do. I headed back to the stove when I heard a
knock at the door.
“What
the hell is that now?” I asked aloud, heading toward the front door.
“Who
is it?” I asked, peeking around the
window shade on the door.
“I
have a delivery for a Ms. Skye Summerfield,” a voice called out.
I
opened the door, curiously since I don’t have deliveries sent to the
house. Those are always sent to the
shop.
“Please
sign here,” the man from UPS said.
“Thanks,”
I told him, handing back his nifty signing machine scanner thing. You all know what I am talking about. Though I will admit it helped that the nifty
signing machine was handed to me by some really nice eye candy.
I picked up the
box and took it back inside. It was a
long box, not very wide or deep. I
looked at it, not sure if I wanted to open it up or just throw it straight in
the trash. Curiosity got the best of me
and I slowly untied the large blue bow on the front of the box. I didn’t know what it was, but they at least
knew my favorite color. Hmmm…now, I was
really curious. I know, I know…curiosity
killed the cat, but damn it, I had to open the damn thing. I pulled the ribbon off the box and just
looked at the box again. It was plain
white, no markings, no labels, and no stickers other than the shipping
label. No return address, I noticed,
groaning again. I pulled the lid off the
box, opening up the green tissue paper that was inside, pausing before pulling
it completely open. I took a deep breath
and pulled the paper open.
“What the fuck?” I said, looking into the box.
I stared into the
box, not quite understanding what I was seeing.
Inside the box was a dozen long stemmed white roses mixed in with a few
blue flowers I couldn’t identify. I dug
through the box and found a card, opening it quickly.
“Remember, I do
know you,” I read aloud.
I sat the box on
the table then sat in a chair, just staring at it, goose bumps running up and
down my arms and legs. I am not sure how
long I sat there just staring at the box before I picked it up and tossed it into
the trash, box, and all. I took a deep
breath and shook off the creeps I had from that delivery and went back to what
I was doing.
When
the phone rang, I had turned off the heat on the double boiler, now I turned
the heat back on and checked the water level in the bottom. I added a bit more water to the bottom and
started measuring out coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax. Vitamin E oil and my additives I would put in
once the oils and waxes were liquefied. My
hands shook a bit, as I measured out the ingredients; I was still shook up by
the delivery. Once liquefied, I turned
the heat off on the double boiler and slowly stirred the mixture to help it
cool. I measured sugar, vitamin E oil,
and essential oil into a separate bowl, then after a few minutes of cooling, slowly
poured the liquefied oils and waxes over the top. Stirring fully to combine then poured the
mixture into the round molds I use for my lotion bars and set them aside to
cool and set up.
Once
that was done, I sat down at the table again.
I was too shook up to work on the next items on my list so I headed out
to the front porch for a cigarette.
Lectures not needed, I know how bad it is for me, but I needed one
desperately. I sat on the front porch,
slowly puffing on the cigarette, trying to calm my shaken nerves. Enough, I told myself. I went back into the house and I put myself
back into work mode. Whomever this
asshole was that was calling me, knew my favorite color and that white roses
were my favorite, this shook me to the core, though it wasn’t exactly uncommon
knowledge either. Hell, anyone who read
my Facebook page would know those things.
Going
back to my list, I crossed off the lotion bars before deciding what to start on
next. The lotion wouldn’t take long to
make, but the soap bars and cupcakes would need time to set up before they
could be completed. I decided to get
started on the soap cupcakes since the bases would need to firm up before I
could pipe the soap on top. Since I was
planning to do the same scent in both bars and cupcakes, I decided to mix up
enough for both of them in the same recipe.
Since
the oils and lye water needed to cool, these were the first things to mix
up. While those were cooling, I would
make up the lotion and fill the bottles.
I measured out the solid oils in a large pot and set them on the stove
to begin melting slowly. As those were
melting, I measured out the liquid oils and added those to the pot. I stirred the oils and butters together to
help them liquefy a bit quicker and once liquefied; I turned off the heat and
removed the pot from the stove. The pot
was set on top of a potholder on the table to cool down to room
temperature. I measured out the lye and
water needed for my recipe into two different containers. Turning on the exhaust fan on the stove, I
slowly added the lye to the water, stirring gently. I set the heavy-duty plastic container on the
stove under the vent to help remove the fumes produced when the lye and water mix. Once the fumes stopped, I removed the pitcher
of lye water from the stove and set it inside the sink to prevent spills and to
keep it away from accidental bumping. I
finished this just as the phone rang again.
“How
many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me? I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
“I’m
sorry,” a new voice said with hesitation, “I am trying to reach a Ms. Skye
Summerfield.”
“This
is her. Who is this and why are you
calling?”
“This
is Detective Stan Booth from the White Country Sherriff’s Department. I was wondering if you had a few moments
today and could come in for a few questions.”
“I
can come out right now, but I would need to be back before 3:30 when my
daughter gets off the school bus. What
is this about?” I asked wearily.
“I
don’t really care to discuss that over the phone, but it shouldn’t take more
than thirty minutes. How long would it
take you to get here?”
“I
am about 10 miles north of town so it should take me about 20 minutes to get
there. I have a few things to put away
here and then I will be heading your way.
I would say give me about half an hour, give or take a few, to get to
you. That will give me a few minutes to
clean up what I was working on here before heading out.”
“Ms.
Summerfield, I look forward to speaking with you then and will see you in about
half an hour.”
“Yes,
Detective Booth, I will see you then.”
I
found a 3-gallon bucket and poured the melted oils and butters into the bucket
before putting the lid on it. I found
the plastic cover for my pitcher and put that on top of the lye mixture. I set both of these containers inside the
laundry tub to get them out of the way and prevent any of my pets from knocking
them over. I made a quick stop to use
the washroom before grabbing my keys and purse and heading out the door to meet
Detective Booth.
Check out Chapter 1 in yesterdays post and Chapter 3 tomorrow or purchase the full book at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/danielle-dignin/moonlight-maxipads/ebook/product-22607936.html
Chapter 2
I
waved to Heaven as the bus drove away, still working on the list of all the
things I needed to accomplish for the day, but enjoying the moment of quiet
before I got started on that list. I
grabbed my now cold coffee and dumped it down the drain. Luckily, there were only a few gulps left; I
refilled my cup with a fresh cup of steaming brew. I took a moment to inhale the aroma of the
coffee, feeling the sips of hot caffeine as the fog in my brain fully
evaporated. The caffeine working its way
through my veins, reviving, and energizing me for the day ahead. I decided to enjoy my coffee in quiet before
getting back to my list of products to make.
After
finishing my steaming brew, I went back to my list again. I marked off the lip balms as they were done
now. I put those aside for labeling and
packaging later in the day. Next up on
the list were the lotion bars. I took a
few minutes to wash out my double boiler from my lip balm making earlier,
making sure that no additional oils were left in the pot, and then running them
through a sanitation run in the dishwasher.
While the dishwasher was running, I brought out my stand mixer to get
started on the Orange Creamsicle body scrub.
I needed 2 containers of this, but decided to make a double batch to
have a couple of extra on hand, I could always bring a couple extra out to the
shop if needed.
I
gathered the ingredients for the lotion bars and set those on the counter just
as the dishwasher dinged that it was finished.
I pulled open the door and pulled the drawers out to allow them to
finish air-drying. I then gathered the
ingredients for the body scrub. I paused
for a moment to take a sip of my cooling coffee, still struggling with my
frustration over the two strange phone calls I had that morning. Measuring out sugar into the bowl of my stand
mixer, then adding coconut oil before switching the machine on. The whirl of the stand mixer made me realize
that I needed something to get me going or I was going to fall asleep to the
rhythmic sounds of the whirl of my mixer, didn’t matter that I was standing.
Maybe some music would help, I thought to
myself. I dashed over to the stereo and
turned on some of my favorite country music.
I danced back over to the mixer and saw that the sugar and coconut oil
mixture was fully combined and ready for the addition of orange essential oil,
vanilla, and coloring. I added these to
the bowl of the mixer and turned it again to combine the rest of the
ingredients. Once combined I added the
scrub to the jars with lids and set those aside with the lip balms for labeling
and packaging for later. I danced to the
music during this entire process; singing along with whatever song was playing,
enjoying the beat and musical lyrics.
I
took the double boiler out of the dishwasher and dried it off with a clean
dishtowel to get the last bit of water out of the top before adding water to
the bottom and putting it on the stove to heat up. I groaned as the phone rang again disrupting
my day again. I headed over to the
stereo, turning the volume down to low, but refusing to turn it off completely
and losing my mood.
“Hello.”
“Are
you up for talking now?”
“Who
the hell are you and why do you keep calling me?” my good mood instantly
killed, turning to frustration and irritation at my unwanted caller.
“You
know who I am. Have you thought about my
question yet?”
“What
question? You keep alluding to this
mystery question. Just tell me what it
is that you want.”
“I
see the coffee hasn’t cleared the fog from your brain. I asked you a question this morning and you
have yet to answer it. Now that is just
insulting.”
“I
have no idea who you are so why would I insult you and you shouldn’t call at
4am if you do not wish to insult me, so what is it that you want again? Wait a second, how the hell would you know I
was drinking coffee?” a little frustrated with being interrupted once again.
“I
want to give you the one thing you want the most. I told you, I know a lot
about you,” his voice said smugly.
“And
how would you know what I want the most?
You don’t know me and I don’t know you.”
“But
I do know you and very well.”
“I
don’t think so or you wouldn’t feel the need to hide behind the phone. “
“You
aren’t ready to meet me yet.”
“What
the hell gives you the right to determine what I am ready for? Who the hell are you?”
“You
will find that out in good time, Ms. Summerfield.”
“Don’t
you hang up…..Grrrr.” I realized I was
speaking to the dial tone and slammed the phone down.
I
looked at the phone for a moment, closed my eyes, and took a slow breath
in. Allowing the breath to calm my
irritation away. I had a lot to do today
and I didn’t have time to let my anger or frustration get to me. That type of distraction could cause errors
in mixing items together and that was too dangerous to mess with, especially
when it comes to soap making.
I
glanced at the clock, realizing that my morning was quickly getting away from
me and rushed to complete my orders.
Before starting on my lotion bar order, I took a few minutes to pull
something for dinner out of the freezer.
After tossing a beef roast into the crock-pot, sprinkling onion soup mix
over the top, and topping that with beef broth, I proceeded onto my next
product. Later I would add some carrots
and potatoes to the mix, but for now, I had work to do. I headed back to the stove when I heard a
knock at the door.
“What
the hell is that now?” I asked aloud, heading toward the front door.
“Who
is it?” I asked, peeking around the
window shade on the door.
“I
have a delivery for a Ms. Skye Summerfield,” a voice called out.
I
opened the door, curiously since I don’t have deliveries sent to the
house. Those are always sent to the
shop.
“Please
sign here,” the man from UPS said.
“Thanks,”
I told him, handing back his nifty signing machine scanner thing. You all know what I am talking about. Though I will admit it helped that the nifty
signing machine was handed to me by some really nice eye candy.
I picked up the
box and took it back inside. It was a
long box, not very wide or deep. I
looked at it, not sure if I wanted to open it up or just throw it straight in
the trash. Curiosity got the best of me
and I slowly untied the large blue bow on the front of the box. I didn’t know what it was, but they at least
knew my favorite color. Hmmm…now, I was
really curious. I know, I know…curiosity
killed the cat, but damn it, I had to open the damn thing. I pulled the ribbon off the box and just
looked at the box again. It was plain
white, no markings, no labels, and no stickers other than the shipping
label. No return address, I noticed,
groaning again. I pulled the lid off the
box, opening up the green tissue paper that was inside, pausing before pulling
it completely open. I took a deep breath
and pulled the paper open.
“What the fuck?” I said, looking into the box.
I stared into the
box, not quite understanding what I was seeing.
Inside the box was a dozen long stemmed white roses mixed in with a few
blue flowers I couldn’t identify. I dug
through the box and found a card, opening it quickly.
“Remember, I do
know you,” I read aloud.
I sat the box on
the table then sat in a chair, just staring at it, goose bumps running up and
down my arms and legs. I am not sure how
long I sat there just staring at the box before I picked it up and tossed it into
the trash, box, and all. I took a deep
breath and shook off the creeps I had from that delivery and went back to what
I was doing.
When
the phone rang, I had turned off the heat on the double boiler, now I turned
the heat back on and checked the water level in the bottom. I added a bit more water to the bottom and
started measuring out coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax. Vitamin E oil and my additives I would put in
once the oils and waxes were liquefied. My
hands shook a bit, as I measured out the ingredients; I was still shook up by
the delivery. Once liquefied, I turned
the heat off on the double boiler and slowly stirred the mixture to help it
cool. I measured sugar, vitamin E oil,
and essential oil into a separate bowl, then after a few minutes of cooling, slowly
poured the liquefied oils and waxes over the top. Stirring fully to combine then poured the
mixture into the round molds I use for my lotion bars and set them aside to
cool and set up.
Once
that was done, I sat down at the table again.
I was too shook up to work on the next items on my list so I headed out
to the front porch for a cigarette.
Lectures not needed, I know how bad it is for me, but I needed one
desperately. I sat on the front porch,
slowly puffing on the cigarette, trying to calm my shaken nerves. Enough, I told myself. I went back into the house and I put myself
back into work mode. Whomever this
asshole was that was calling me, knew my favorite color and that white roses
were my favorite, this shook me to the core, though it wasn’t exactly uncommon
knowledge either. Hell, anyone who read
my Facebook page would know those things.
Going
back to my list, I crossed off the lotion bars before deciding what to start on
next. The lotion wouldn’t take long to
make, but the soap bars and cupcakes would need time to set up before they
could be completed. I decided to get
started on the soap cupcakes since the bases would need to firm up before I
could pipe the soap on top. Since I was
planning to do the same scent in both bars and cupcakes, I decided to mix up
enough for both of them in the same recipe.
Since
the oils and lye water needed to cool, these were the first things to mix
up. While those were cooling, I would
make up the lotion and fill the bottles.
I measured out the solid oils in a large pot and set them on the stove
to begin melting slowly. As those were
melting, I measured out the liquid oils and added those to the pot. I stirred the oils and butters together to
help them liquefy a bit quicker and once liquefied; I turned off the heat and
removed the pot from the stove. The pot
was set on top of a potholder on the table to cool down to room
temperature. I measured out the lye and
water needed for my recipe into two different containers. Turning on the exhaust fan on the stove, I
slowly added the lye to the water, stirring gently. I set the heavy-duty plastic container on the
stove under the vent to help remove the fumes produced when the lye and water mix. Once the fumes stopped, I removed the pitcher
of lye water from the stove and set it inside the sink to prevent spills and to
keep it away from accidental bumping. I
finished this just as the phone rang again.
“How
many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me? I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
“I’m
sorry,” a new voice said with hesitation, “I am trying to reach a Ms. Skye
Summerfield.”
“This
is her. Who is this and why are you
calling?”
“This
is Detective Stan Booth from the White Country Sherriff’s Department. I was wondering if you had a few moments
today and could come in for a few questions.”
“I
can come out right now, but I would need to be back before 3:30 when my
daughter gets off the school bus. What
is this about?” I asked wearily.
“I
don’t really care to discuss that over the phone, but it shouldn’t take more
than thirty minutes. How long would it
take you to get here?”
“I
am about 10 miles north of town so it should take me about 20 minutes to get
there. I have a few things to put away
here and then I will be heading your way.
I would say give me about half an hour, give or take a few, to get to
you. That will give me a few minutes to
clean up what I was working on here before heading out.”
“Ms.
Summerfield, I look forward to speaking with you then and will see you in about
half an hour.”
“Yes,
Detective Booth, I will see you then.”
I
found a 3-gallon bucket and poured the melted oils and butters into the bucket
before putting the lid on it. I found
the plastic cover for my pitcher and put that on top of the lye mixture. I set both of these containers inside the
laundry tub to get them out of the way and prevent any of my pets from knocking
them over. I made a quick stop to use
the washroom before grabbing my keys and purse and heading out the door to meet
Detective Booth.
Check out Chapter 1 in yesterdays post and Chapter 3 tomorrow or purchase the full book at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/danielle-dignin/moonlight-maxipads/ebook/product-22607936.html
Check out Chapter 1 in yesterdays post and Chapter 3 tomorrow or purchase the full book at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/danielle-dignin/moonlight-maxipads/ebook/product-22607936.html
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