Playing with Fire Read Free Page A

into the muffin tin. “She needs to leave!”
    â€œNot at all.” Lady Azura waved her bony hand in the air, dismissing the idea as silly.
    â€œBut—but—” I sputtered. How could she not be concerned that a strange dead woman was cooking something in her kitchen?
    â€œMmmmm.” Lady Azura ran her finger along the batter on the inside of the bowl, then licked her finger.“Looks as if they’re ready to bake. This part I should be able to handle.”
    â€œGood.” The spirit rubbed her plump hands on her apron. “Remember, thirty minutes at three hundred fifty degrees. Check the centers with a toothpick to see that they are done.”
    Then she faded away completely.
    My sick feeling also faded away. “What was that?”
    â€œThat was Delilah. Don’t these smell divine?” She pushed the tin toward my nose.
    â€œYeah, great.” I couldn’t focus on the odor of sweet bananas and cinnamon. “You know her?”
    â€œDelilah used to own the most delicious bakery in town. Delilah’s Delicious Desserts, that’s what it was called. The hours I’d spend there, nibbling away at her pastries . . . and Delilah was such a sweetheart.” Lady Azura’s thin shoulders shrugged beneath the gauzy fabric of her beige blouse. “Still is.”
    â€œStill is?” My voice sounded shrill. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how calm Lady Azura was around the dead.
    â€œAs you saw, she’s stuck. Ten years gone and not alive but not yet ready to take her rightful place withthe dead.” Lady Azura placed the muffin tin in my hands. “All morning I couldn’t stop thinking of her divine banana muffins. After all these years, I can still bring up the taste. So I summoned her.”
    â€œYou just called her back from the dead?”
    â€œWell, yes. I mean, child, you see how I burn toast”—she scrunched her angular face in disgust—“so I certainly needed help if I wanted banana muffins. Be a dear and pop these in the oven for me.”
    â€œI was sure she wanted something. That she wanted to bother us,” I confessed as I slid the tin in and set the timer.
    â€œYou can’t always assume the worst, Sara.”
    â€œBut how am I supposed to tell if a spirit’s come to do harm or to bake muffins?” I asked. “I’m serious,” I added as her crimson lips turned into a thin smile.
    â€œThe only way—” The doorbell startled us. “I don’t have anyone on the schedule today.” Lady Azura licked her finger, then used it to smooth her flyaways. She dyed her hair a rich mahogany, but the gray roots had begun to show. At eighty-plus years old, Lady Azura still spent a lot of time on her appearance. Every morning she went through a two-hour ritual, moisturizingher skin, then applying her makeup.
    I followed her through the narrow hall that led from the kitchen to the front door. Lady Azura pushed back the white curtains from the vertical window alongside the door. “It’s Beth Randazzo.”
    That’s weird , I thought. Why’s Lily’s mom here?
    I pulled open the door. Mrs. Randazzo stood alone.
    â€œHi!” I peered around her, across the wide porch, and down the empty sidewalk. “Where’s Lily?”
    â€œAt home. I needed her to watch Cammie and her brothers for a bit.” Mrs. Randazzo seemed jittery, which was strange. She was usually so relaxed and calm, even when her kids were causing total chaos. Now her leg bounced as she greeted Lady Azura.
    â€œIs Mike here?” she asked as she stepped inside.
    â€œHe’s upstairs. Fixing the bathroom faucet,” Lady Azura said.
    â€œDad!” I bellowed. Then I turned to Mrs. Randazzo. “Why do you want to talk to my dad?”
    â€œSomething smells so good.” Mrs. Randazzo said to Lady Azura. “Bananas, is it?”
    She didn’t answer