“Are you ready for the next adventure in Spaceboy?”
“Ready, steady, go,” he whispered.
With a gentle smile, she turned to the bookmark and started reading. Long before Charlie closed his eyes, she’d added this moment to her store of happy thoughts. One day, it might keep her nightmares away, too.
Chapter 6
A week later, Andrea handed Paris a slice of the chocolate brownie she’d made. “What do you think of this one?”
“It looks yummy.” Paris nibbled one edge, then grinned. “It’s a little crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.” Taking a bigger bite, she sighed. “It’s delicious.”
“Delicious enough to add to the café menu?”
“Absolutely.” Paris looked at the plates of food on Andrea’s kitchen counter. “How will you decide what to sell? They’re all incredible.”
“Until I see what my customers like, it will be trial and error.”
“Well, from my perspective, nothing will be an error. If anything, you could run out of baking before you close each day.”
“I hope so. Until I have some regular customers, I’ll have to rely on my small advertising budget to bring people to Anchor Lane.”
“The Flower Shop is busy. It won’t take long for people to realize they can grab a hot cup of coffee and something to eat from your café.”
Andrea was grateful Paris had risked everything she owned to open a flower shop in the first remodeled cottage on Anchor Lane. Without that foot traffic, she’d be less likely to attract customers to the café.
She looked at the table and selected another plate. “We’ve nearly finished. This is hummingbird cake. It’s full of mixed spice, coconut cream, bananas, and pineapple.”
Paris licked some of the creamy frosting off her finger. “With all that fruit, it’s almost healthy.”
Andrea laughed. “Only if you discount the sugar.” She didn’t need to ask Paris what she thought of the cake. The satisfied groan coming from her friend was all the response she needed. “I’ll add it to the menu.”
“You’re eating cake without me?”
Andrea’s heart pounded as she turned to the man standing in her kitchen doorway. David was wearing an expensive-looking navy suit and pale blue tie. It brought out the color in his eyes and made him look more handsome than usual.
“David? I didn’t think you were coming back so soon.”
“Neither did I, but BioTech’s Board of Directors want me to meet with the county’s planning department. If we can push through the building permit for the new research and development facility, it will save us a lot of time and money.”
“That must mean the board approved the project. Congratulations.”
“That’s fantastic news,” Paris agreed. “With the number of people deciding to live in Sapphire Bay, our population will double by the end of the year. And you know what that means?”
“More coffee, cookies, and cake sold at the café?” David asked.
“Exactly. And if Andrea’s customers wander into my flower shop, I’ll be even more thrilled. You look very nice.”
David looked at his suit. “I’ve just had a meeting with the architects who are designing the new research facility.”
Andrea frowned at his shoes. What did it say about a person when their shoes were so shiny? Probably that he had more time in the mornings than she did. “How was your meeting?”
“Exciting. They’ve doubled their team so they can send the final plans to the county as soon as possible.”
Paris checked the time. “That must make you very happy. I’d love to stay for longer, but I need to head back to my shop. Thanks for the baking, Andrea. Everything was delicious.”
“You’re welcome and thanks for the feedback.”
“If David’s finished work for the day, ask him what he likes. It wouldn’t hurt to have another opinion.”
