Honey Pie (Cupcake Club) - By Donna Kauffman Page 0,19

sharp gaze probed Honey’s face. “Bea had a knack for knowin’ things.”

Honey swallowed against a suddenly dry throat, and had absolutely no idea what to say to that. If Bea had been telling them stories about her niece, she apparently hadn’t included that little tidbit.

“Bea Chantrell was a toucher, she was,” Alva went on, still looking straight into Honey’s eyes like she could see all her inner workings.

And, maybe she could. It was unnerving, to say the least. Especially since Alva didn’t seem too disturbed by the idea. More . . . inquisitive, hopeful, even, which was a first for Honey. A shocking first.

“She always had a smile,” Alva added, “a pat on the arm, and a way of lettin’ folks know that perhaps they needed to keep an eye on this going on, or that.”

Honey merely nodded, then forced words past the knot in her throat. “She . . . she was, yes. A toucher.” She left it at that.

“You’re not so comfortable with it, though, are you?”

“No, I wasn’t . . . am not.” Honey shook her head, still in complete disbelief they were even having this conversation . . . and that she was the only one who seemed freaked out by it. She’d come into the bakery to talk only about her inheritance. She hadn’t been prepared to deal with her “knack for knowing things” as Alva had called it. She hadn’t been prepared for anything that had happened to her since she’d crossed the causeway. “And neither was anyone else where I came from.”

To Honey’s continued shock and awe, Alva’s face split into a wide smile, and she laughed, delight in her eyes. “Well, Honey Pie, that’ll change here in Sugarberry, you can bet on it. We all came to depend on Bea, and, I’ve a feeling, once folks know about you, they’ll find their way to talking to you as well.”

Honey didn’t know whether to be terrified by the idea, or just—

No, she was terrified.

Lani had been a silent bystander to the conversation, but spoke up now. “Honey, don’t let her talk get you worried. We know how to respect a person’s privacy, the same as anywhere else.”

Alva simply snorted at that, but at Lani’s warning glance, said nothing else. Her expression, however, remained lively . . . and interested.

“What was it you came to talk to me about?” Lani asked Honey. “Why don’t you come back to my office and we’ll sit, have something cold to drink, and chat.”

I’m well down the rabbit hole now, was all Honey could think.

Somehow, she had landed square in her own little Sugarberry Wonderland. Only it didn’t feel all that wonderful. It felt scary, unknown, and completely out of her control.

“Have a cupcake,” Lani called out as she led the way to what Honey assumed was her office, motioning to the rack of richly frosted chocolate cupcakes on one of the metal topped work tables. “New flavor I’m testing. Ginger chocolate fudge. I’d love to get your opinion. I’ll brew us some coffee.”

Not wanting to be rude, Honey picked one up as she followed the leader, then had to bite down a semi-hysterical urge to laugh when she found herself wondering if one bite would make her taller . . . or possibly make her disappear all together. She wasn’t quite sure which one she wished it would be.

Chapter 4

“I have all the lease documents if you need to see them,” Lani said, seated calmly behind her desk, still smiling. She seemed completely unruffled by the huge announcement Honey had just made.

“The file isn’t here, though,” Lani added. “At the moment, it’s with Kit’s boy—well, with our lawyer.”

Honey frowned. “For any particular reason?”

“No, no, we’re just tying up the final little threads before our grand opening, getting the permits documented and filed. Morgan—lawyer—has been helping with that, so he has the folder with all that paperwork in it. You’re saying Bea left the shop to you?”

“I’m her only living heir. Who did you—well, not necessarily you, but whoever you leased it from—think owned it?”

“To be honest, I didn’t ask. I worked through the management company Bea had set up to take care of the building after her stroke.”

Honey was frowning and completely confused. “Wait, what do you mean? Management company?”

Lani’s face flashed with momentary guilt. “Did you not know about her stroke? I’m so sorry, I thought you two were pretty close. I—”

“No, no. I mean, yes, I knew about her stroke, but not that she’d turned