Deceived: Lured from the Truth (Secrets) by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online Page A

more.”
    “Three dozen?” She looks skeptical. “Yeah, right.”
    “Here.” I slap the scoop into her hand. “Why don’t you take over for me here, and I’ll make some more right now.”
    “I don’t want to scoop,” she argues.
    “Did you hear Nadine?” I lock gazes with her. “I’m in charge. And you’re on scoop duty now.”
    She grumbles but complies. And I wonder why she doesn’t appreciate the switch. It might be sticky business scooping ice cream, but it’s a whole lot cooler than making waffle dishes. But why did I think she’d appreciate it?
    I’m just finishing my tenth waffle dish when the business line rings, and since I’m in charge, I answer it. Naturally, I can’t hide my pleasure when I hear Josiah’s voice on the other end. And, of course, my cheerful greeting gets everyone’s attention. I can tell they’re all listening.
    “I just wanted to be sure you still want to come to church tomorrow,” he says.
    “Absolutely.” I use my free hand to fill the hot waffle-dish maker with more batter. “Can’t wait.”
    “If you don’t mind, I’ll pick you up at eight thirty. Service doesn’t start until ten, but that’ll give me time to show you around some.”
    “Great!”
    “Well, I know you’re working so I won’t keep you.”
    “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow — ” I stop myself from saying his name. I so don’t want these guys to guess who it is I’m seeing. No, for now, Josiah is my secret. Mine alone. And the longer I can keep it that way, the happier I will be.
    Nadine’s is still überbusy when my shift ends at six thirty. But it’s nothing that three people can’t handle if they do it right. Even so, Belinda makes a fuss as I toss my apron into the hamper.
    “You’re going to leave us when we’re swamped like this?”
    “My shift is over.” I drop my time card into its slot. “My mom is picking me up for dinner at Nadine’s. And I still need to get back to the dorm to clean up first.”
    “La-tee-dah,” Lorna taunts. “Aren’t we so very special?”
    Ignoring her nastiness, as well as Belinda’s narrowed eyes, I grab my purse and make a hasty exit. I might’ve been in charge during my shift, but it’s up to Belinda to hold it together now. I hate to even imagine what kind of condition this place will be in by Sunday. To say I was unimpressed with the sanitation when I opened this morning would be an understatement. Fortunately, I won’t be opening the shop tomorrow. I will be in church.
    As I walk to my dorm, I decide it’s time to blow the whistle on Nadine’s lazy crew. She has a right to know. And perhaps it will be easier to bring it up with my mom nearby to buffer things. After all, what if Nadine’s customers got some form of food poisoning due to poorly cleaned equipment? What if someone sued her? Or what if the health department shut her business down and fined her?
    Yes, it’s high time Nadine finds out what kind of people she has working for her. And it’s up to me to tell her. If she doesn’t believe me, she can check her security surveillance video. Not that I expect she’ll do that. But that camera is working the whole time we’re there. Surely it would reveal what sort of job they’re doing — rather what they’re not doing — before closing.

[CHAPTER 5]
    I t’s not until after dinner that I broach the subject of Nadine’s useless employees. I actually used my mom as a sounding board when she picked me up, and now I’m taking her advice to “go carefully.”
    “I don’t want to bash anyone,” I tell Nadine, “but I’m worried that without proper sanitation of the machines and food preparation surfaces, we’ll be at risk of a food-borne illness outbreak and you could be out of business.”
    Nadine looks surprised. “I can see that someone took her food handler’s training seriously.”
    “Rachel has always been interested in these things,” Mom tells her. “She’s been studying up in 4-H for years