the kitchen and chat with Greg.
“Someone has to.” He grinned and held up the doughnut. “Long live the doughnut. May it always be the breakfast of champions.”
“Dork.” I finished my maple bar and sipped my coffee. “You working here today?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m going into the station. I’ll see you after your shift. When do you get off, one?”
“Probably, if Deek’s not slammed. At least he doesn’t have any book club meetings this week.” I drained the last of the coffee from my cup and put it in the sink. “See you later.”
“Call me if something’s hinky about the store.” He paused and started to stand. “On second thought, maybe I should walk in with you.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and eased him back into the chair. “There’s no way I’m letting anyone scare me into changing who and what I am. I get it, they want me to sell. I’m not going to. Case closed.”
“For you maybe. Honey, think about it. They’ve already killed one person.” He stared at me. His aqua-blue eyes seemed troubled.
Holding up a hand, I recited a pledge. “I promise I will stay on the sidewalk, look both ways before crossing the street, and run like a banshee is after me if I see a car on the road.”
He smiled and returned his attention to the laptop. “I get it, you’re a big girl. But seriously, if something happened at the shop, call me. I might be able to get some traceable evidence this time. I have a feeling you’re ticking them off.”
I paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m about ready to strangle you, myself.” He waved a hand, dismissing me. “Go to work. I’m trying to research here.”
For all my bravado with Greg, I did feel a little exposed walking to the shop. No one was out and about due to the early hour. Tourists like sleeping in on their vacation, and I appreciated the thought process. Heck, I wanted to sleep in and I lived here. When I arrived at the coffee shop, there were no signs papering the door. The café tables in the front weren’t damaged or thrown through the front display window. The place looked surprisingly normal. I took a deep breath. Maybe the hazing had ended.
The doors unlocked and the coffee brewing, I was ready for my first customer of the day. It took an hour before anyone showed up. Which wasn’t unusual for a Saturday. When the first person arrived, I was going through the Advanced Reader Copies the publishers had sent that week to see what the next book I was going to read would be.
I’d narrowed it down to a self-help book about setting goals for women and a horror novel from my favorite horror guy’s now-writing son. I heard the bell go off over the front door and set both books down on the desk to save them from being picked up by another staff member. Then I went back out to the shop, my mind on the books behind me.
A woman stood at the counter waiting for me. As I approached, I realized it was Alice Carroll. I stopped forward movement and wondered what the heck I was supposed to say. Yesterday, I’d been primed to talk to the woman, but I didn’t like it when anyone brought the fight directly to me. Gathering up my courage, I willed my feet to move. “Good morning, welcome to Coffee, Books, and More. What can I get for you?
Alice turned to me, and from the lines on her face, I estimated her age to be late fifties to early sixties. Her blond hair was cut into a swinging bob and her lipstick was way too red for her skin coloring. But what drew me in was her deep blue eyes. Eyes with fire behind them.
“I’ll take a large coffee.” She pulled out her wallet as I stared. Tapping her card on the counter, she arched one eyebrow. “Do you need to ring me up before you pour?”
“What? No, I mean, one large coffee. A to-go cup?” My hand hovered over the cups, waiting for an answer.
“To-go is fine. I’ve got an open house soon. I need to get going.” Alice scrolled through her phone while she waited for me.
I poured the coffee and rang up the charge. “That will be four dollars and seventeen cents.”
She handed me her credit card.
I needed to say something. To