When Liana had bought the coffee shop, she’d worried she might not get enough business to keep it afloat. As it turned out, she had more than enough business. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was finding competent help.
Liana was quickly learning that she couldn’t handle everything herself. She was also all-too-aware that good employees were hard to find. Most folks in town either had jobs already or were retired. Nearly everyone else had moved to Green City in search of employment after the nearby mine had closed.
The only people left to hire were...well, frankly they were people like Joel.
He had burned the cupcakes earlier that morning. And when Liana had sampled the pecan pie he had baked the other day, she had nearly broken a tooth. She didn’t know how he could mess up something as simple as brushing a pie crust with butter, sprinkling some brown sugar on top and popping it in the oven.
It had felt - and tasted - like the pie had been garnished with sand and small pebbles.
Obviously, it had gone straight into the trash.
Sending Joel home for the day had seemed like a good idea at the time. Sure, Liana was behind in her work and short a batch of cupcakes. But she had tried to convince herself it was okay. She had told herself she would whip up a new batch of cupcakes and some fresh pies in between customers. Her plan had sounded fine and dandy in her head.
But as the morning had pressed on, she had realized how unrealistic her expectations were. She hadn’t even had a chance to sit down, never mind sneak off to the back to get some much-needed baking done. Every ten seconds, someone had wanted a coffee refill or another muffin.
Suddenly Liana heard the click-clack of a cane on her newly-installed hardwood floor.
She shut her eyes and fought the urge to duck down behind the counter to hide.
“Oh not today,” she whispered to herself in desperation. “Please don’t let Mrs. Meddler come in here today!” But even without opening her eyes, she knew without a doubt that it was indeed her least favorite customer.
“Excuse me!” Irene Meddler screeched in a not-so-polite tone.
Reluctantly, Liana opened her eyes.
There stood Sugarcomb Lake’s least popular resident, hunched over her cane. The old woman had to be eighty or ninety years old; no one seemed to know for sure and nobody dared ask her. The petite, white haired spinster didn’t look intimidating...but looks could be deceiving.
Liana forced herself to replace her grimace with a courteous smile. After all, providing excellent customer service was a must in the coffee shop industry. And it was even more crucial in a small town where word traveled fast and reputation was everything.
“Hi, Mrs. Meddler,” she greeted the ornery old woman. “How are you today? It’s sure cold -”
“I don’t care about the weather you silly girl,” Mrs. Meddler snapped impatiently. “Stop standing there with your eyes closed like a fool and get me a red velvet cupcake!”
All the color drained from Liana’s face. She whispered a curse word under her breath. Then she apologetically informed Mrs. Meddler, “I’m afraid we don’t have any red velvet cupcakes. Would you like something else instead?”
The old woman’s thin lips contorted in a scowl. Her beady eyes narrowed as she gave Liana a disapproving glare. “What do you mean you don’t have any?”
“They’re not on the menu,” Liana explained, praying for patience.
“I don’t care what’s on your menu! I want a red velvet cupcake!” Mrs. Meddler snapped, shaking a long, bony index finger in Liana’s face as if to prove a point. “Get me one! Right now! Hurry up, I don’t have all day.”
Liana took a deep breath and reminded herself to be patient. “Mrs. Meddler, unfortunately that won’t be possible. Red velvet cupcakes aren’t something we make here at Just Desserts. Maybe we will at some time in the future, but as for right now -”
“I don’t care!” Mrs. Meddler interrupted. “You’re wasting my time, young lady! You talk too much and I’m not interested in anything you have to say. Young people these days are so self-involved! Stop making excuses and get me my red velvet cupcake!”
“Can I interest you in a strawberry cupcake with buttercream frosting instead?” Liana offered.
“Are you deaf or are you just stupid? Don’t you think I know what I want? Give me what I ordered!” Mrs. Meddler hollered, her wrinkly face turning red with anger.
The old woman was shrieking so loudly that several diners turned to stare. Then, when they saw it was Irene Meddler who was making the commotion, they all shrugged and turned back to their own conversations. Everyone in town knew what Mrs. Meddler could be like.
Liana froze.
When she had bought the coffee shop, the previous owner had taught her a lot. There had been lengthy explanations about how to clean the oven, what to do if the water pipes froze in the winter and how to jiggle the key so that the stubborn front door would unlock.
What Liana hadn’t been taught, however, was how to deal with Irene Meddler.
Maybe there was no good way to handle the notoriously cranky old curmudgeon. It seemed like there was no pleasing her. A person could bend over backwards to accommodate the highly critical, chronically mean retiree and still it wouldn’t be enough.
Truthfully, Liana was tempted to give the old broad a piece of her mind. Sure, Irene Meddler was like, a million years old. But being ancient didn’t give her the right to be so rude to people! And it would sure feel good to tell the outspoken, self-righteous squawkbox off.
With a sigh, Liana realized she had better play nice. Sure, Mrs. Meddler was awful and everyone in Sugarcomb Lake knew it. But it was a small town and people talked. Liana didn’t want to damage her reputation. She wanted her little coffee shop to be known as a friendly and welcoming community hangout, not a cliquey members only club.
“How about I give you one of our brownies?” Liana suggested. “You had one when you were here yesterday and seemed to enjoy it.” By that, Liana meant the old biddy hadn’t complained. But she chose her words carefully so as not to offend her most difficult customer.
“I don’t want a brownie!” Mrs. Meddler began to protest.
“It’s on the house,” Liana added as she placed a large, moist, fudgey brownie on a plate.
That shut the old biddy up.
Mrs. Meddler glared daggers at Liana. She snatched the plate right out of Liana’s hand without so much as a thank you. Then, after dramatically flinging her long red scarf over her shoulder, she click-clacked her way out of the coffee shop.
“I think she stole your plate.”
Liana glanced over to see an unfamiliar man sitting at the counter. He must have come in when she was busy taking abuse from Mrs. Meddler. He wore a black knit hat, a navy quilted jacket and blue jeans. He had an amused grin on his face.
“Losing a plate is a small price to pay,” Liana quipped, alluding to Mrs. Meddler’s absence.
The man threw his head back and laughed. “I know it isn’t funny but...it’s kind of funny, you know? That old woman was so over-the-top that for a moment, I thought I was watching a play. Then I realized she was for real and....wow. I have no words. Just wow.”
“Yep,” Liana nodded. “Wow, indeed. But I shouldn’t complain. Mrs. Meddler is one of my most loyal customers. And she always keeps me on my toes.”
That was a polite way of saying the old grump was a gigantic pain in the butt.
Liana and the sympathetic stranger both knew it, but it went unspoken.
The man unzipped his jacket to reveal a fitted grey sweater - and broad, masculine shoulders. He had the physique of an athlete, or perhaps a day laborer. Liana poured him a cup of coffee, feeling somewhat skittish.
The man rolled the sleeves of his sweater up to his elbows. Liana noticed he had a few tattoos.
She tried not to stare.
He was watching her. Liana blushed and averted her eyes, but she could still tell the good looking stranger was looking in her direction. She
could see it out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t completely hate the attention.
“Your brunch menu looks delicious,” the man remarked after what felt like forever.
“Huh? We don’t have a brunch menu,” Liana corrected him. “We sell coffee and desserts.”
The man gestured to the dessert menu that was displayed on the wall behind Liana. “I was making a joke, but apparently it wasn’t a very clever one,” he explained. “Anyway, everything on your menu sounds amazing.”
That was when Liana realized he hadn’t been staring at her. He had simply been trying to read the menu on the wall behind the counter and her head had been blocking his view. Immediately, Liana felt foolish for thinking otherwise.
“Oh! Sorry!” She moved out of the way. “What can I get you?”
“What’s good here?”
“Well in my completely biased opinion, everything is good here. I wouldn’t serve it if I didn’t like it,” Liana replied. Then in an effort to be a little more helpful, she asked, “What are you in the mood for? Chocolate? Something salty? I may have a slice or two of apple pie left in the back.”
The man pulled off his dark knit hat to reveal a head of thick brown, slightly messy hair. He looked up at her with an impish gleam in his dark eyes. “I would like a red velvet cupcake, please,” he told her.
He sounded so serious that for a moment, Liana didn’t realize he was joking.
When it finally dawned on her, she started to giggle.
“Hi Liana,” a male voice interrupted.
Liana turned to see Luke Graham standing at the counter.
Tall and thin, his sandy blonde hair was full of rapidly-melting snowflakes. His puffy black jacket was zipped all the way up to his neck and his hands were shoved in the pockets of his khakis. His glasses were all steamed up from the cold.
In fact, it was a wonder he could see anything at all.
“Hi Luke,” Liana greeted him.
He flashed her a shy grin that made her do a double take.
She still wasn’t used to seeing him without his braces, though the look certainly suited him. He had been awkward back in school what with his metal mouth, thick glasses and timid demeanor. But he seemed to have come into his own in adulthood. It was surprising what a good dentist, a stylish pair of frames and a little confidence could do.
Luke started to say something, but Liana quickly cut him off.
“I’ll be with you in a moment, okay?”
“Okay,” he agreed.
He took a seat at the far end of the counter and took off his fogged up glasses.
“You know him?” the handsome stranger asked after watching the exchange.
“I went to school with him,” Liana explained. “We were in the same grade.”
“Ah yes. In a town this size, I suppose everyone knows everyone.”
Liana nodded.
Then, feeling uncharacteristically brave, she decided to flirt a little. First, she smiled at him and batted her eyelashes ever so slightly. Then she leaned down and motioned for the handsome stranger to come closer. When he complied, she lowered her voice in what she hoped was an alluring manner.
“Right now the only person in here I don’t know by name is you,” she informed him.
The stranger didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he simply looked at her.
Had he missed her invitation to introduce himself? He seemed dazed. Maybe he wasn’t used to women who made the first move, Liana reasoned. Or maybe he was simply dazzled by her beauty, wit and confidence. Ha! She could dream...
In any event, she decided to help him out.
“My name is Liana Campbell. What’s yours?”
“Reese Donovan.”
Mmm, even his name was sexy. And when she reached out to shake his hand, Liana found herself getting embarrassingly giddy. Reese had a nice, firm handshake that made her swoon a little. She tried to tell herself her heart palpitations were from drinking too much coffee, but she knew better than that. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy had made her feel so faint.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked, trying to act calm, cool and collected.
“You caught me,” the man grinned, flashing the straightest, whitest teeth Liana had ever seen. He had fantastic dimples, too. She tried not to stare, but it was hard not to. He had, simply put, won the genetic lottery.
“What brings you to town?” she asked curiously. At the same time, she tried to subtly reposition herself so she could catch a glimpse of his left hand. When she saw his ring finger was bare, she nearly jumped for joy.
“What brings me to town? I’m just passing through,” Reese told her.
“Oh,” Liana replied, unable to mask her disappointment. “So you’re headed to Green City?” she asked knowingly. It was the only large urban center near quaint little Sugarcomb Lake. When strangers wandered into town, it was usually safe to assume they were on their way to the city.
Reese shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “To tell you the truth, I think I’m falling in love.”
Liana nearly fell over at that. She forced herself to break eye contact. Once her heart had stopped racing, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean this town is amazing,” Reese replied. “It’s like Minnesota’s best-kept secret, no? I love the old-fashioned black light standards, and the miniature white lights on all the trees are a nice touch. The architecture is great, too. All the shops on this street are so quaint and charming.”
“The town does have character,” Liana agreed.
“I can tell. I stopped for gas and ended up taking a nice, long walk just so I could take everything in. It’s beautiful here. It’s like something straight out of a postcard, or maybe a storybook. I didn’t know places like this actually existed.”
Liana swelled with pride.
She loved her hometown and it was nice to hear that outsiders appreciated its charm too.
“It’s really pretty here in the winter, especially when there’s freshly-fallen snow on the ground. And later this week the local fire department should be putting up Christmas decorations,” she added. “If you think there are a lot of lights on the trees now, just you wait. They really pride themselves on going all out.”
“Wow.” Reese seemed impressed. “I just might have to stick around.”
“Excuse me?” Luke interrupted tentatively. He had walked back over to where Liana stood.
“Luke! Sorry, I forgot you were over there!” Liana told him. “I’ll bring you coffee right away.”
Luke shook his head. “It’s not that. There’s water on the floor.”
He pointed toward the door where, sure enough, there was a large puddle.
“Oh, that. Someone probably tracked a bunch of snow in,” Liana speculated. “I don’t know why some people refuse to wipe their feet off on the welcome mat. Anyway, I’ll grab a mop and take care of it right away. I don’t want anyone to slip and get hurt. Thanks for telling me.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” Luke offered. “Where’s your mop?”
“It’s in the back, in the closet beside the recycling bin,” Liana told him gratefully.
“Wow, everyone is so friendly here,” Reese remarked as Luke walked around the counter and into the kitchen. “Well, everyone except, uh...Mrs. Meddler, was it? She wasn’t friendly. She was something else entirely.”
Liana snorted. “I like to think that every small town has a Mrs. Meddler.”
“I wouldn’t know, but that’s a frightening thought. I’ve never lived in a place this size,” Reese said. “I’m a big city guy. But you said you went to school with Mop Man, so I take it you grew up here?”
“Yes, Sugarcomb Lake is my hometown. I left after high school for a few years. I went to university in Green City,” Liana added quickly. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to inform Luke that she was well-educated and worldly. It was dumb, but she wanted to impress him.
“Ah, so you’re smart and pretty,�
�� Reese said with a wink.
Immediately, Liana’s fair complexion turned beet red. Reese was flirting with her! There was no question about it. She couldn’t even remember the last time a good looking guy had flirted with her. There simply weren’t many eligible bachelors in town.
Feeling bashful, Liana started toying with her hair. She wished she had taken the time to style it.
Suddenly the door to the coffee shop flew open violently and Joel stormed in.
He marched straight over to Liana.
“Joel!” she exclaimed, surprised. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow.”
“Yeah, well I’m not going to be in tomorrow,” Joel informed her tersely. “Or the next day...or the day after that. Be honest. You’re planning to fire me tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“I, uh...not exactly,” Liana stuttered. Truthfully, she hadn’t made up her mind yet.
“Well I’ll make it easy on both of us,” Joel told her curtly. “I quit.”
He turned on his heel and marched out of the shop, pausing only to take his phone out of his jacket pocket. As Liana watched, he stomped purposefully down the street...and straight into a shiny red mailbox.
He really needed to learn to put his phone away and watch where he was going...
“Looks like you’re having an eventful morning,” Reese observed wryly.
“That’s an understatement.” Liana took a moment to regain her composure. Then she asked, “So uh, why did you say you were headed to Green City?”
“Looking for work,” Reese replied. Then he tipped his head to the side thoughtfully as he looked at her. “I don’t suppose you’re hiring, are you?” he asked.
The answer to Liana’s prayers was charismatic, attractive, 6’2 and standing right there in front of her. She nearly started jumping up and down with glee.
Breathlessly, she demanded, “How soon can you start?!”
Chapter 04
The day had gotten off to a shaky start. Liana’s business had nearly been burned to the ground, she’d had an uncomfortable encounter with Mrs. Meddler and her new employee had abruptly quit. But then a handsome stranger had turned up out of nowhere and saved the day.
Red Velvet Cupcakes to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 2
