Chloe’s eyes widened. She knew he was going to talk to Theo, but she hadn’t realized it would be so soon. “Did he mention the moonshine and the still?”
Kathleen nodded. “He was careful not to give away too many details, but he definitely made it sound interesting. Lots of people called in after the interview to ask him questions.”
Chloe picked up the pancakes. “I’ll be back in a minute.” As she waited for some customers to move before heading to tablefive, Chloe thought about Liam’s interview. Hopefully, someone who had information about Eleanor would come forward and speak to them.
Cassie Devlin, one of Chloe’s favorite customers, smiled when she saw her plate of pancakes. “I’m glad I ordered my lunch when I did. It looks like the whole town wants to hear more about your discovery. The community Facebook page is full of rumors about secret treasure and mysterious bootleggers.”
Chloe glanced around the café, noticing the buzz of animated conversations. Snippets of words like “prohibition,” “Eleanor Whittaker,” and “hidden room” floated through the air.
“I hope we discover even more exciting things about Eleanor,” Chloe said with a grin. She set the other plate of pancakes in front of Cassie’s husband, Noah, and took a few more orders before returning to the counter. During a brief lull, Kathleen joined her at the front counter, wiping down the espresso machine.
“So, any other news?” Kathleen asked casually. “How are things going with Liam?”
Chloe felt warmth rise to her cheeks. “They’re good.”
Kathleen gave her a playful nudge. “Details, please.”
Chloe laughed softly. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together, working on his project and Eleanor’s story. He’s been amazing with Oscar, too. They get along so well.”
“That’s great to hear,” Kathleen said sincerely. “You deserve someone like him.”
“Thanks,” Chloe replied, her gaze drifting to another group of people who’d just walked into the café. “Now I know why Mabel said the community Facebook page is going crazy. I had no idea what she was talking about.”
Kathleen smiled at a customer who was looking for their credit card to pay their bill. “Last time I looked, there werehundreds of comments under some of the photos and just as many shares.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought people would be interested in Eleanor’s story, but not when we don’t know what happened to her.”
Kathleen leaned against the counter. “Well, I hope the story goes viral. Not for the attention, but because someone who reads or hears her story might know more about Eleanor. It’s kind of romantic, isn’t it? Uncovering a mystery from the past.”
Chloe smiled. “It is. And it’s been a wonderful distraction from... everything else.”
Kathleen reached out and squeezed her hand. “How about you take our next customer’s orders while I whip up some omelets, then you can tell me how things are with Paul.”
Chloe sighed softly. “You might regret asking.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
Kathleen had no idea how bad it could get, but Chloe did. She’d called her lawyer yesterday after Paul had called her. She had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot worse before they got better.
After Chloe had taken the next order and cleaned a table, she returned to the kitchen to give Kathleen a hand.
“Well?” Kathleen asked.
Chloe had been hoping she’d forget. “Apart from Paul calling and talking to Oscar, there are no new developments. Laura is optimistic about the supervised visitation request, but it’s still hanging over me.”
“Well, if anyone can handle it, you can,” Kathleen said firmly. “Just remember that a lot of people care about you.”
Chloe felt a surge of gratitude. “Thanks, Kathleen.”
The bell above the door jingled as a group of tourists walked in, maps and cameras in hand.
“Looks like we’re back on,” Kathleen said with a wink.
Chloe grabbed a few menus. “I’ll have their drink orders soon.” As she guided the newcomers to a table, one of them spoke to her.
“Excuse me, are you Chloe? A friend of a friend said you’re one of the people who found the secret tunnel. Can you tell us about it?”
Chloe handed the women the menus and nodded. “That’s me. If you’ve heard Liam’s interview, you probably know as much as I do.”
