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I’m about to answer when—“Lucy!” Travis and I whip around to see Brittany Kelly rush into the café.
Brittany Kelly and I have a weird history. We both grew up in Whispering Bay and attended school together. Our relationship, however, got off on the wrong foot way back in kindergarten when she lied about stealing a brand-new set of paintbrushes. Being a naïve five-year-old, I told the teacher about Brittany’s lie which got me labeled as a tattletale and earned me Brittany’s disdain for the next twelve years.
At least, that’s how I saw the situation.
Brittany viewed things differently. Apparently, all this time she’s wanted to be my friend. At least that’s what she says now. She works for the Whispering Bay Chamber of Commerce (a job her rich daddy helped her nab) and came up with our city’s tagline, Whispering Bay, the safest city in America!
Brittany spots Travis, and her brown eyes go wide. I have brown eyes too, but Brittany’s have that extra oomph to them.
“Hello, Travis.” Her voice sounds breathy and strangely seductive. How does she do that?
“Hello, Brittany.” Travis smiles down at her, but it’s a more patient smile than an encouraging one. I admit I’m intrigued that he doesn’t seem to be as wowed by Brittany as every other male on the planet.
She wets her bottom lip. “I hope you don’t mind, but I need to speak to Lucy. It’s super important.”
Travis gives me a meaningful look. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” He politely joins Rusty at the far end of the counter to give us privacy.
“Hey, Brittany, what’s up?” I ask like I’m happy to see her. Which, for once, I am. If she hadn’t interrupted us, I would have said yes to Travis which would have been a big mistake. According to Cindy, in the short time Travis has been in town women have been showing up at police headquarters in droves hoping to get a chance to speak to him.
I have absolutely no intention of becoming a member of the Travis Fontaine fan club. Plus, if Will finds out I went out with Travis, which he would because nothing in this town stays a secret, it might ruin any chance I have with him.
Am I attracted to Travis? Yes.
Am I interested in any sort of long-term relationship with him? That would be a resounding no.
Brittany makes a pained face. “I just spoke to Tara, and she says that the film crew will be here first thing Monday morning. I knew it would be fast, but I’m kind of freaking out here.”
“Relax, it will all be fine.”
“Fine? This is the Cooking Channel! We only get one chance to impress them. We absolutely have to be picked for their new show.”
Battle of the Beach Eats (great name, huh?) is the Cooking Channel’s newest hit show. It’s a reality T.V. competition that pits restaurants in the same town against one another until one by one, each restaurant gets eliminated and the last one standing is crowned the winner. Which means if we get selected, The Bistro by the Beach will be competing with the other eateries in Whispering Bay, including The Harbor House, which is owned by Brittany’s daddy. The prize money is twenty-five thousand dollars, which I could certainly use.
Tara, the show’s producer, is scheduled to come with her film crew to get some local footage. According to Brittany, if they like what they see, then we’re a shoo-in.
“No worries,” I say. “Sarah and I are planning to come in on Sunday to make sure everything looks spic and span. If Whispering Bay isn’t picked to be on Battle of the Beach Eats, it won’t be The Bistro’s fault.”
Brittany looks me over like she’s my commanding officer and I’m a grunt lining up for inspection. “Good to hear. So, about Paco. Do you think it’s a good idea to have him running around the café all day? I mean, I love him to death, but what if Tara gets wigged out by it? Not everyone is a dog person, Lucy.”
She did not just go there.
“Paco stays. End of story.”
Brittany sighs dramatically. “My intel says that it’s down to us and some city named Catfish Cove about a hundred miles east of here. Apparently, they’re super environmentally correct so we have to do everything we can to convince Tara that Whispering Bay is the wholesome American beach town they’re looking for. I’ve ordered the city’s maintenance department to trim all the trees on Main Street, and I’ve got wreaths coming in for all the businesses to hang on their front doors, and…well, I kind went over budget, so we simply have to get picked.”
Wreaths for all the businesses? Yikes. I can’t imagine how much that might have cost.
“You know, Lucy, we have so much more to talk about. Maybe we can do lunch again?”
Brittany and I had lunch yesterday like regular girlfriends. It wasn’t as horrible as I imagined, but I don’t want a repeat anytime soon either. “Okay, sure.”
She pulls out her planner. “When?”
“Um, maybe after the film crew does their thing? I think we’ll both be pretty busy until then.”
“Right! You’re so smart, Lucy. Call me tomorrow so we can make plans!” She blows me a kiss on her way out.
I slump against the counter. Talking to Brittany for five minutes is almost as exhausting as spending the morning serving customers.
