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“THE HEALTH BALLS WILL be ready in thirty minutes!” Suzanne called out.
Maddie grunted in reply, struggling to open her eyes. As soon as she’d parked the truck in the square that morning, she’d made herself a super strong espresso, but even that hadn’t been enough to stop her eyelids from closing. She had dozed on her stool in the truck, half listening to the whizzing and whirring as her partner made the health balls in the food processor.
Trixie had insisted on coming this morning, although she seemed a little grumpy, too, at the early hour.
“Sorry.” Maddie opened her eyes and looked at Suzanne. “I haven’t been much help this morning.”
“No worries.” Suzanne smiled at her, looking positively cheery. “Once you taste them, you’ll know they’re going to be a best seller. And,” she continued, looking excited, “you can try the first one!”
“You should,” Maddie replied. “They’re your idea.”
“But I want you to,” Suzanne said. “They’re full of healthy ingredients and might give you some extra energy.”
“As long as you take the second bite,” Maddie insisted.
“Mrrow.” Trixie sounded as if she agreed with Maddie.
“Okay, Trixie.” Suzanne giggled.
A knock sounded on the glass window. They hadn’t opened up the counter for business yet, since they were at their spot earlier than usual and hadn’t expected any premature customers.
Maddie and Suzanne exchanged a glance, then Maddie hopped up and unlocked the window.
“Are you open yet?” A senior citizen whose bobbed gray hair was tinged with a pink rinse, peered up at her. She wore a pink blouse and skirt and carried a black handbag.
Maddie recognized her as one of their semi-regulars, but she usually arrived mid-morning.
“What would you like?” Maddie smiled.
“One of your wonderful cappuccinos, please,” the elderly woman said, rummaging in her capacious purse for her wallet. “Thank goodness you’re here already! I had a terrible coffee yesterday when you’d closed the truck—“ she peered at them curiously “—from that coffee shop over there.” She pointed a finger at Claudine’s café on the far side of the square. She shuddered. “Never again.”
“I’ll get it started for you.” Maddie poured some beans into the machine, the sound of grinding filling the air.
Suzanne took the customer’s money and gave her change.
“You girls aren’t usually here this early, are you?” the senior continued.
“No, ma’am.” Suzanne’s tone was upbeat. “But we’re introducing a new sideline – health balls. They’ll be ready soon if you’d like to come back and try one.”
“What’s that?” The woman’s nose wrinkled.
“They’re full of goodness,” Suzanne said enthusiastically. “They’ve got coconut, dates, almond meal, and cacao in them.”
“I don’t know ...” the senior said hesitantly. “I don’t know if I’d like it. On the other hand, they can’t be worse than that horrible cookie I had at the coffee shop yesterday.” She shuddered and lowered her voice. “I think it was stale!”
“Our goodies are made today,” Suzanne said. “And the dates are fresh, not dried.”
“Maybe I’ll come back, then,” the senior said, as Maddie handed her the paper cup. “Thank you, dear.” She took the cappuccino, sipping it briefly. “Delicious as always.”
“Thanks.” Maddie smiled at the elderly customer.
“Where were you girls yesterday? I was disappointed that you were closed.”
Maddie hesitated. What should she say? That they’d been investigating the death of one of their regular customers?
But before she could answer, the old lady continued, “It was terrible news about Joan’s death, wasn’t it?”
“Did you know her?” Maddie asked.
“Mm-hm.” The senior nodded. “We did some fund-raising a while ago for starving children in Africa. She seemed a very nice woman.”
“I thought so, too,” Maddie replied. “She was one of our regulars.”
“It doesn’t surprise me, dear. Your coffee is wonderful.”
“Thank you,” Maddie said again.
The old lady shook her head. “I don’t know what her husband is going to do without her. And her neighbor! They were very close, I believe.”
“Do you mean Linda?” Suzanne asked.
“Yes, Linda.” The woman leaned forward, although there was no one else around, and lowered her voice. “I saw her going into that massage parlor yesterday, the day Joan died! I don’t know what her husband would say if he found out.”
“Massage parlor?” Maddie and Suzanne said at the same time.
The elderly woman nodded. “I saw him once standing in the doorway. Very handsome in a European way, if you know what I mean. And I’m sure he’s younger than Linda. Why, she must be fifty-five if she’s a day. So what was she doing going in there, that’s what I’d like to know.”
“Um, getting a legit massage?” Suzanne offered. “That’s the tiny store squeezed into the corner of the square, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, dear.” The senior took another sip of her cappuccino. “You have to go upstairs.” The last word was spoken in a hushed whisper.
“What time yesterday morning?” Maddie knitted her brow. Hadn’t Linda told them she’d been unwell and had cancelled her jog with Joan?
“It was quite early.” The elderly woman shook her head. “Too early for hanky-panky, if you ask me. Even if he is devilishly good looking.”
Before they could ask the senior any more questions, a sudden influx of people crowded around the truck.
“Don’t let me keep you, girls.” The old lady toddled off toward the other side of the square.
Maddie and Suzanne were so busy keeping up with orders, Trixie “helping” by dozing on one of the stools, that it was almost an hour before they caught their breath.
“Drat!” Suzanne made a sound of exasperation. “We were so busy I forgot all about the balls!”
“Let’s try them now,” Maddie replied, feeling brave.
Suzanne took them out of the small refrigerator. Forty balls coated with shredded coconut covered the tray.
Suzanne checked her watch. “They should be more than ready now.”
She offered the tray to Maddie before taking one herself.
“Don’t forget, you get the first bite.”
Maddie nodded, then bit into it tentatively. An explosion of texture and taste tingled her taste buds. Dates, chocolate, coconut. To her surprise, she took another small bite, and another, until the morsel disappeared.
“Good?” Suzanne asked in a mumble as she chewed and swallowed her own sample.
“That was better—”
“Than you were expecting?”
“Yeah.” Maddie nodded.
“I told you!” Suzanne grinned. “I’ll make a sign for them and list the ingredients, and I bet we sell out of them by lunchtime.”
“There.” Suzanne held up a sign a couple of minutes later.
“We’re selling them for a dollar fifty each?” Maddie asked.
“Yep. That way we make one dollar profit from each ball.”
“They’re pretty small,” Maddie said doubtfully, “although delicious,” she added. “Do you think people will buy them at that price?”
“You bet,” Suzanne snapped her fingers. “But if we don’t sell any by lunchtime, I guess we can give out some free samples.” Her expression looked so sad that Maddie hoped their next customer would buy one.
“If I go now, I’ll be back before the lunch rush.” Maddie checked her watch.
“Go where? To interview the masseuse?”
“Yes.”
Suzanne looked torn between wanting to accompany her and wanting to stay at the truck in case a pre-lunch customer wanted to buy a health ball.
“I’ll stay here.” Her gaze strayed to the healthy goodies she’d now placed on a plate covered with a plastic dome.
“Okay. I won’t be long.” Maddie paused. “Have you ever been there – to get a massage?”
“No,” Suzanne replied. “I just happened to glance by one day when I was walking past and that’s when I saw the narrow doorway with a sign saying there was a masseuse upstairs. But if I’d known he looked like that, I might have booked more than one by now.” She winked.
Maddie suppressed a laugh. “I’ll tell you what I find out.”
“You better.”
They both turned to look at Trixie, who still dozed on a stool.
“I’ll look after her,” Suzanne promised.
“Thanks.” Maddie jumped out of the truck, her thoughts in a whirl. Looking at Trixie had jogged her memory; she had the tell the truth spell written on a piece of paper in her purse.
Should she use it on the masseuse?
She’d forgotten about it when their elderly first customer had stepped up to the counter. Perhaps because she was still recovering from getting up so early this morning?
Or maybe because she was worried something would go wrong if she tried to cast it?
Before she knew it, she’d arrived at the “massage parlor”. A discreet sign on the narrow glass door told her a masseuse was available upstairs.
Maddie walked up the wooden stairs, the sound of her work shoes on the steps alerting the masseuse that someone was arriving.
At the top of the landing, a wooden door with a metal plaque emblazoned with Ramon – Qualified Masseuse greeted her.
Maddie raised her hand. Should she knock? If someone was having a massage right now, she didn’t want to interrupt.
Tap tap.
Just when she thought maybe she hadn’t knocked hard enough, she heard a low male voice.
“Come in.”
Inhaling deeply, Maddie pushed open the door and walked inside.
Cream walls and a small reception desk greeted her. Two comfortable looking chairs in the waiting room invited her to sit down.
A beaded curtain at the back of the tiny room signaled the treatment room.
“Can I help you?” The man sitting at the desk took her breath away.
Early forties, with jet black hair, liquid brown eyes framed with thick dark lashes, olive skin, and firm, sensual lips – he was exactly as their elderly customer had described.
Devilishly good looking.
There was a trace of a European accent in his voice, but Maddie couldn’t place it right away.
“Hi.” Her voice squeaked and she cursed silently.
“Hi.” He smiled back at her.
Her insides began to melt. Had it really been so long since she’d had a date? Focus.
She reached into her purse and fingered the tell the truth spell.
“Um ...” She attempted to gather her thoughts.
“You would like a massage?” he asked.
“Um ...” Yes please. Her cheeks burned at the thought.
“My friend Linda – she said she came here,” was the best Maddie could think up.
“Ah, Linda, yes. One of my favorite clients.” His white teeth flashed in a gorgeous grin. At that very moment, Maddie couldn’t blame Linda if she had strayed from her husband.
“She came here yesterday morning?” She cursed the up-speak in her voice.
“That’s right.” The man looked at her curiously. “I am Ramon. And you are?”
“Maddie.” When he continued to look at her admiringly – was he flirting with her? – she added breathlessly, “I have a coffee truck in the town square.”
“Ah, yes, I have seen it,” he replied. “The only reason I have not visited is I prefer to make my own coffee. In Spain, we have a special technique to extract all the goodness from the beans. Here, in America, you have percolated coffee.” He shuddered slightly.
“Not in my truck,” Maddie stated. “I buy only the best beans and I attempt to bring out the flavors of each different roast.”
“Then I must come by and try you one day,” he said. “And then, perhaps you will sample me and my massages.”
“Um ... maybe,” Maddie squeaked again. Wait until she told Suzanne! Knowing her friend and her adventurous side, Suzanne would probably book a massage right away.
“I have no clients now, if you would like to—” he waved toward the beaded curtain.
“I can’t right now,” Maddie said hurriedly. “I just thought I would talk to you first about what Linda gets—”
“You are romance writer too?”
“Yes,” she blurted out before she could think better of it.
“Ah, that makes sense.” He nodded. “You have a fire in your eyes and desire in your heart, no? Your smooth brown hair, your heart-shaped face, your amber eyes – you are what a heroine looks like.”
Maddie had never thought of herself that way before, but she had to admit, it did have a flattering, poetic ring to it. But could he tell she was a witch? What he’d just described could loosely describe her witchy abilities – or the one she had, the ability to cast the coffee vision spell.
“But I did not think Linda told anyone about her secret yearning to become a romance writer.” He frowned.
“We’re in the same writers’ group,” Maddie fibbed, wondering at herself for jumping into a lie so quickly.
“Ah.” His brow cleared. “What would you like to know? Although I must warn you that Linda paid me. I told her, “No, Linda, you must not,” but she insisted. Said it was only fair. I booked her in as a client, and in the treatment room—” he gestured to the beaded curtain “—we talked about her hero, a young, handsome but impoverished Spaniard who was in love with the haughty Esmerelda and how he could win her heart.”
“Goodness,” Maddie said faintly.
“She did not tell you about her story?” he asked, his deep brown eyes studying over her.
“She said it was a secret, that she wasn’t ready to share,” Maddie dissembled.
“Linda was a private person.” He nodded. “Unfortunately for me, she was still in love with her husband.” His eyes smoldered. “She is a most beautiful woman.”
“But isn’t she older than you?” Maddie asked, thinking of her elderly customer’s words only a couple of hours ago, that Linda was fifty-five.
“What is age?” He shrugged in a very European way. “If a woman is beautiful on the inside – and in this case on the outside as well – what do I care if she is older than me? I will still love her most completely and together we will share great passion.” His voice dropped to a sexy growl.
“I’ll think about it – about getting you to help with my novel, I mean,” Maddie gabbled, taking a backward step.
“And I shall visit your coffee truck one day.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, making him look even sexier.
“Oh-kay,” she squeaked, waving her hand in a half wave before turning and pulling open the door.
Once outside on the landing, she fanned herself, then clomped down the stairs, not caring how much noise her shoes made.
Once she was outside on the street, the fresh air brushing against her face, she exhaled loudly.
Man. She’d been so flustered, she’d forgotten the words to the tell the truth spell and hadn’t tested it out on him.
She didn’t know if even Suzanne was ready for this – this – sex god. No wonder Linda had asked him for advice about her romance novel!
If that was the real reason she had gone there ...
Or was Linda having an affair with Ramon, and the romance novel explanation was a cover?
There was only one way to find out.