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Ben, the mechanic and the guy who saved my ass with the ventilation system the other day, exited the shop and gave me a wary smile. I smiled back as best I could. Being upset was one thing. Letting everyone know I was upset was another. This wasn’t the same as my nightmares. I needed to stay professional in this as much as possible.
And while it was true, I couldn’t stop myself from going inside to check it out, just like Jude had. He told me the coffee was average, but I needed to see for myself and either make myself feel better or accept the truth.
The inside was well designed. Sunny and bright with jeweled accents to reference the name. It was a good branding choice. Everything smelled good, and there were a few bonus items on the menu besides just coffee, but mostly, it was just drinks. That was reassuring. At least I was only competing with them on one front.
I soundly pushed aside the nasty little voice that told me I wasn’t competing with anything if I couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong with the baking.
The menu here had a lot more drinks than I served. Variations on variations of drinks. But it made sense since it was the main product. I was considering which beverage I’d grudgingly try when a blond woman came out of the back. “Oh.” She startled for a second before she smiled. “I’ll be honest, I was kind of hoping you’d come by.”
I blinked at her. “You know who I am?”
“Of course. The famous Lena Mitchell. When I first came to town and started asking about coffee, your name was the only name anyone mentioned. I came by a few months ago, but there’s no reason you should remember. I’ve been meaning to come by again, but everything’s just gotten away from me. I’m sure you understand. I’m Allison.”
Automatically, I reached out to shake her hand. In the last few days, my mind had created an image of the owner of this place. It was a hag-like creature with long nails and an evil smile. Not this pretty, bubbly woman who seemed genuinely friendly. “Of course.” I did understand that. Running a business was hectic at the best of times.
“Can I get you something?”
I hadn’t decided yet, so I managed to form the words for something basic. “I’ll have a latte, please.”
“Coming right up.” She turned and started making it with quick efficiency. “I’m sorry, by the way. I feel like I should have given you a heads-up about opening the store. One more thing that kind of dropped off my list. But I really should have come by and said something. If I were the only coffee shop in town and someone showed up as a surprise, I’m not so sure I would take it as well as you are.”
She had no idea how I was taking it, and I didn’t think I was being particularly gracious in my head. Because everything here seemed good and fine and nice, and I desperately, desperately wanted to find something wrong with it, even if that made me a shitty person. “It’s all right,” I said. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Still.” She slid the coffee across the counter with a smile. “I hope we can be friends even though we’re technically competition. Women in business need to stick together.”
I needed to smile and be nice. There was no proof of what Jude had suggested, which was that the timing of her opening the store was suspicious. If anything, she was kind and sweet and supportive. But my smile was forced. “Of course. Come by any time.”
As I reached for my wallet, she held out a hand. “On the house. I insist.”
“That’s kind of you.”
“Not a problem at all. I hope to see you around.” The bell she had over her door rang, and it gave me an opportunity to slip away as she focused on the next customer.
I tried the coffee as I started my cold walk back across town. Jude was right. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best coffee I’d ever had. Though, it was good enough, I understood why people were coming back.
Allison didn’t seem like the kind of person to sabotage someone else. It was hard to envision her that way. But as I well knew, people who could be charming and sweet could also be ruthless and vile. Hadn’t Nathan—Evie’s handsome and charming and completely evil ex—taught us that?
Granted, I didn’t think Allison was going to come after me and scar me for life, even if she was at the heart of my troubles. All in all, I didn’t feel relieved, just unsettled and unsure of what I really thought.
I was grateful for the walk to clear my thoughts, let them settle. At least the coffee was warm and a decent way to fight off the November wind. Almost December now. Holy crap, Christmas was coming up, and with everything going on, I hadn’t bought presents for anyone.
I needed to have Evelyn take over one day so I could drive down to Missoula and do some serious shopping. With how empty the store had been, it likely wasn’t going to be a problem.
“You’re never going to guess who I just got off the phone with,” Evie trilled when I pushed through the door.
“Santa Claus? He’s bringing you coal in your stocking this year?”
She gave me a look. “Very funny. No, it was Principal Walker over at the high school. She wants a metric ton of cupcakes for the Christmas dance next week.”
My knees wobbled in relief. That was really, really good news. At least someone in Garnet Bend still trusted I could bake something and it would taste good. “That’s amazing.”
“It is. And I told you so.”
Evie had said from the very start of cleaning up the kitchen that everything would be fine. I wasn’t as convinced, but I hoped she was right in the end.
I smiled at her and took a sip of the coffee in my hand to push off the nerves in my stomach. After talking with Jude about my nightmares, I’d agreed to tell Evie. It was her ordeal too, and he didn’t believe I should keep it from her. She was my friend, he argued, and she would want to support me.
“I need to tell you something.”
