The bell above the door jingled as Jack and Cora stepped into the café, still carrying the scent of honeysuckle and the warmth of their first kiss. Cora’s heart hadn’t quite worked out how to stop fluttering, and standing next to Jack was like standing next to a live wire. But the last thing she expected when they walked in was a full welcoming committee.
Winston, Aggie, and Bea were perched at one of the front tables, wide smiles plastered on their faces. The moment they walked in, the trio exchanged knowing glances, and Cora had a sinking feeling that she and Jack were the main news story of the day.
“Look who finally decided to show up. What’ve you two been up to, hmm?” Aggie drawled, her gaze flicking back and forth between Jack and Cora.
Jack leaned casually against the counter, looking far too relaxed for someone who’d just been caught post-hike—and post-kiss. “Oh, you know, we were hiking.”
“Hiking, huh?” Bea leaned in, her eyes sparkling. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
Winston chuckled. “Hiking, sure. So, Jack, how’s that trail looking?”
Jack crossed his arms, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Let’s just say we managed to cover a lot of ground.”
Cora shot Jack a glare, heat rising to her cheeks. Could he be any more obvious? “Okay, can we not?” she said, her voice a little higher than she intended. “What are you three doing here, anyway?”
Aggie exchanged another knowing look with Bea before turning back to Cora, her lips twitching. “We’re keeping an eye on things.”
“On things?” Cora asked. “Is that what we are now? Things?”
“Of course not,” Bea chimed in, all innocence. “We’re just...invested in the well-being of the café. And its owner. And her hiking partner.”
Cora groaned, but Jack looked like he was enjoying every second. He gave Aggie a mock salute.
“Well, you can rest easy. The trail was tough, but we made it through.”
“I’ll bet you did,” Winston added, clearly savoring the moment.
Aggie’s smile softened, though, as she reached into her oversized bag and pulled out a folded calendar. The mood shifted as she slid it across the table toward them. Cora picked it up and flipped it open to find a big red circle around the end of the month staring back at her.
“The loan’s due,” Aggie said, her voice quieter now. “We’ve only got a week left, and the money we’ve raised...well, you know it’s not enough.”
Cora’s eyes landed on the calendar again. The truth was hard to swallow. They didn’t just need more money. They needed a miracle.
She stared at the table, disappointment tightening her chest. “I thought maybe if we kept pushing, we’d figure out a way to save The Spoon. But we’re not going to make it, are we?”
Jack’s hand landed on her shoulder, warm and steady. His touch made things feel less impossible.
“We’ve still got a little bit of time,” he said. “Maybe we haven’t hit on the right idea yet.”
Aggie sighed, rubbing her temples. “Unless someone’s sitting on a secret stash of gold or a millionaire benefactor, I don’t see what else we can do.”
Cora walked over to the specials board they’d repurposed to track their fundraising progress. The number scrawled in chalk glared back at her: $6,327. It wasn’t even close. She squinted, hoping it might grow a few more zeros. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
“Well,” she said, trying to muster up some optimism, “six thousand, three hundred and twenty-seven dollars is something. Look at it sideways, and it almost looks like a million.”
Aggie snorted, the sunlight catching the silver strands in her hair. “Sure does,” she said. “It’s about six thousand, three hundred and twenty-six dollars more than I thought we’d make when we started selling dog biscuits.”
Jack leaned against the counter, arms crossed, his muscles on full display. Not that Cora noticed.
“We’ve still got a week. Plenty of time to, what, quadruple our money?”
“Discover buried pirate treasure?” Bea chimed in.
“Rob a bank?” Winston added with a pointed look in Jack’s direction.
Jack shot Cora a sideways glance, that annoying dimple appearing in his cheek. “Don’t look at me. There’s a real bank robber among us.”
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “I takeonefolder,onetime, and suddenly I’m a criminal mastermind?”
