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The next morning, Friday, Zoe was on tenterhooks, waiting for Brandon to report back about his dinner at the steakhouse.
“He might be busy,” Lauren told her cousin when Zoe had mixed up her second order by ten o’clock. “Maybe he doesn’t have time to stop by before he goes back to Sacramento.”
“But I’m saving him two of Ed’s pastries,” Zoe replied.
“Does he know that?”
“No,” Zoe admitted ruefully. “The thought popped in my mind this morning when I was having breakfast.”
“It was a good thought.” Lauren smiled. “I’m curious as well.”
“I think Annie is, too.” Zoe flicked a glance over at the pink cat bed, where Annie groomed herself. So far, it had been a quiet morning.
Would Mitch come in again for complimentary coffee and cupcakes? Lauren hoped so, although she hated the fact that she felt shy and self-conscious around him.
One hour later, Brandon entered the café.
“Brrt!” Annie trotted over to him.
“Hi, Annie.” He smiled down at her.
“Well?” Zoe rushed over to him. “How was the steakhouse?”
“Would you two like a table?” Lauren teased.
“That might be a good idea,” Brandon replied.
Annie led them to a small table near the counter – business had picked up and there weren’t many seats left.
“You tell Zoe and I’ll man the counter,” Lauren said.
Zoe plopped down on a pine chair, Annie following suit. Both of them looked at Brandon expectantly.
“Can I get you anything, Brandon?” Lauren asked.
“I’ve saved two of Ed’s pastries for you,” Zoe told him. “And it wasn’t easy.” She gestured at the customers eating and drinking at the other tables.
“I’ll take them to go,” Brandon told them. “And I’d love a latte if you’re not too busy.”
“Coming right up.” Lauren hurried to the counter.
She watched Zoe say something to Brandon. She could make out the words “steakhouse”, “menu”, and “sides.” The hissing noise of the milk wand drowned out anything else.
After making the latte in record time, she rushed back to the table, placing the beverage in front of Brandon.
“I told him not to say anything about the wagyu until you were here,” Zoe assured her.
“Thanks.” Lauren smiled. She’d been curious about Brandon’s verdict as well.
“Brrt,” Annie chirped suddenly, her gaze focused on the front door.
Lauren turned. Wayne strode toward the Please Wait to be Seated sign.
“You stay here,” Lauren told the feline. “I’ll help Wayne.”
“Brrt.” Annie looked pleased at not having to miss out on hearing about Brandon’s experience last night.
“Hi, Wayne.” Lauren approached him.
“Hey, Lauren.” He glanced around the busy space. “Do you have a small table for me? Otherwise I can get my order to go.”
“I’m sure I can find something for you.” She gazed around the room, wondering where Annie would seat him. There was a table for two in the corner near the counter, but not too close to Brandon and Zoe.
“Follow me.” She led the way to the corner table.
As they passed Brandon and Zoe, she heard Zoe utter, “wagyu” and saw Brandon nod. She’d have to ask Zoe for the details later. Brandon mightn’t have time to wait until she was finished serving Wayne.
“What can I get you?” Lauren asked once Wayne sat down.
He picked up the menu from the table. “I might need a minute to decide.” His gaze flickered to Brandon and Zoe. “That guy visited the steakhouse last night. Is he a friend of your cousin’s?”
“Something like that,” Lauren replied diplomatically. Was it a secret that Brandon was a food critic? Todd’s identity hadn’t been. But ... she didn’t know if Brandon was supposed to be incognito when he reviewed restaurants now, or not. It was probably best not to say anything more.
“I’ll just go look at the cakes in the glass case,” Wayne told her.
“Of course.”
Lauren hurried back to Brandon’s table. “What have I missed?”
“I was just about to tell Zoe. I don’t know if Wayne had another bad evening, but the wagyu was terrible last night.”
“Really?” Zoe leaned forward, her eyes wide.
“Yeah.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren saw Wayne walk toward the glass counter to look at the cupcakes available and the few pastries that were left.
“It tasted nothing like the wagyu I had a few months ago,” he continued. “In fact, for some reason it reminded me of Angus beef. And serving that sauce with it! If you want people to appreciate the richness of wagyu, don’t cover it up in sauce. Have some sauce on the side if you must include it.”
“Annie liked the small amount of wagyu I brought home for her,” Lauren said, glancing at the Norwegian Forest Cat.
“Brrt.” Annie licked her lips.
Brandon chuckled. “I know I’m just starting out in the critiquing business, but honestly, it tasted like good old steak to me.”
“It wasn’t wagyu?” Zoe’s expression fell.
“I’m not saying that,” Brandon replied hastily. “Only someone with more experience than me could say that for sure. I doubt Todd would have given a decent review for something that wasn’t good. He was a stickler for things like that. He told me that’s how you develop a good reputation as a critic. Don’t let anything slide.”
“Huh.” Zoe frowned. “So what happened to Wayne’s wagyu?”
“I don’t know.” Brandon shook his head. “A bad supplier maybe? It happens. Chefs should taste their food, but if Wayne hasn’t been trying the wagyu lately, and it looks similar to what he served before, that would be one explanation.”
“That could be the answer,” Lauren said. She glanced around the café, feeling guilty for keeping Wayne waiting so long. She rose, intending to hurry over to his table to take his order, when she saw him head toward the front door.
“Wayne!” She jogged after him.
He turned and tapped his watch. “Sorry, Lauren, I’ve got to go.” He looked regretful. “My wife called. She wants me to pick up something from the supermarket.”
“No problem,” Lauren assured him ruefully. She shouldn’t have let curiosity get the better of her and ignored a customer for a few minutes.
“What was that all about?” Zoe asked when Lauren headed back to Brandon’s table.
“Wayne had to get something for his wife,” Lauren said. She turned to Brandon. “I’d better go back to the counter. I can handle the customers if Zoe wants to stay.”
“Brandon has to go in a sec, anyway.” Zoe rose. “Stop by anytime,” she told him.
“Brrt,” Annie confirmed.
“I might just do that.” He grinned. “Your cupcakes are amazing, Lauren. So is your coffee. And Ed’s pastries, of course.”
“Thank you.” Lauren beamed.
They waved goodbye to him when he left, Annie staring after him.
“I think Annie’s a fan,” Zoe teased as the cat ambled back to her bed.
“He was very complimentary about her in his review.”
“At least we know that he’s not the killer,” Zoe said.
“I’m glad,” Lauren told her.
“And I can’t believe he knew about Todd propositioning Cindy like that – threatening to give Gary’s burgers a bad review if she wasn’t “nice” to him.”
“I know.” Lauren nodded. “I don’t think he’s that sort of person.”
“He’s so ...” Zoe sighed. “If only he were five years older, he’d be perfect for me.”
“Maybe you can crochet the perfect man,” Lauren teased.
“There’s a thought.” A gleam appeared in Zoe’s brown eyes. “Can you imagine if that were possible?”
“Who would you create?”
“Someone interesting, and yummy to look at, and ...” Zoe tailed off. “I think I’d have to give it some more thought.” She glanced at the front door. “Don’t look now, but your perfect man has just walked in.”
Lauren glanced toward the entrance. Mitch stood in the entrance, wearing charcoal slacks and a blue dress shirt. Her cheeks glowed. Darn.
***
ON MONDAY NIGHT, LAUREN and Zoe decided to get burgers for dinner.
“I’ve made enough in tips.” Zoe shook her wallet stuffed with silver coins and a few dollar bills. It jingled. “Even after I split the proceeds with Ed.”
“That’s great.” Lauren smiled.
“Brrt!” Annie added.
“We’ll bring you back a burger,” Lauren promised the cat.
“Brrt!” Annie licked her lips.
“Ooh! I forgot to tell you I saw Brandon’s new review for the steakhouse this afternoon.” Zoe tapped Lauren’s arm.
“What did it say?” Lauren asked.
“It’s not good.” Zoe shook her head.
“Really?” Lauren swiveled and stared at her cousin.
“Yeah.” Zoe nibbled her lip. “It’s not a super terrible review, but Brandon mentions the fact that he wasn’t impressed with the wagyu.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“At least he’s being honest.” Lauren tried to find the bright side. But she wondered how Wayne would feel when he read the critique of his restaurant.
“You should read it,” Zoe told her.
“I will. Maybe when we come home.”
“Good idea.” Zoe patted her stomach. “I’m starting to get hungry.”
Lauren fed Annie an early dinner, careful not to give her too much since later she would enjoy the meat patty Lauren planned to bring home for her.
Zoe zoomed around the cottage, getting ready.
Lauren brushed her hair and glanced at her appearance in the mirror. There were a few more golden hints in her brown hair – was that because she and Zoe had spent more time outside last weekend, hiking?
She wondered if Mitch had noticed, and then told herself to stop thinking about him. She wasn’t successful.
Gary’s Burger Diner was just down the block. Zoe chatted about her crochet project, Lauren listening absently. The police still hadn’t found Todd’s killer. Mitch had been close-mouthed when he’d dropped by the café last week for his complimentary cupcake and coffee. She understood that. But she wished Mitch would catch the murderer.
“I’m starving!” Zoe opened the large glass door of the restaurant. The eatery was all stainless steel and glass, but had a pleasant vibe.
Lauren glanced at her watch – six p.m.
“That’s what you said at lunch,” she teased Zoe.
“Yep,” her cousin admitted cheerfully.
Lauren’s stomach rumbled as well. She spied Cindy at the hostess station.
“Hi, guys.” Cindy approached them, a smile on her face. “Would you like a table or are you getting take-out?”
“We’d love a table,” Zoe told her.
“This way.”
Cindy led the way to a two-seater table in the middle of the room. “This is my section.”
“Cool.” Zoe grinned.
“How’s everything going after ... you know?” Lauren kept her voice down, although the eatery wasn’t very busy. Only a few other tables were occupied, and none close by.
“Gary’s been great,” Cindy said. “He held a big staff meeting and told us that if we ever felt uncomfortable with a customer or a co-worker to let him know immediately. And then he told me privately I should have come to him right away, when Todd was in here. He said he would have taken care of him.”
Lauren and Zoe glanced at each other.
Exactly what would have Gary done to “take care” of the food critic?
“I’m glad everything is okay here,” Lauren told her.
“So am I.” Cindy handed them menus. “Let me know when you’re ready to order. Gary’s got a new burger.” She pointed to the top of the menu. “It’s called the smoky barbecue special, and it’s awesome! He mixes a special sauce into the meat patty, and then adds more on top.”
“It sounds yummy.” Zoe stared at the description. “I’ll definitely try that. And fries. And a chocolate shake.”
“I’ll have the same,” Lauren said. Her stomach growled. She just hoped Zoe and Cindy couldn’t hear it. “And I promised Annie I’d bring her back a burger – a plain meat patty?”
“Of course.” Cindy scratched the requests on her order pad. “You guys are going to love Gary’s new creation,” Cindy promised them. “Won’t be long!”
While they waited, Lauren glanced around the room. An elderly couple sat at a corner table, while a young family shared a larger table near them.
“I’m glad we came here,” Zoe confided.
“Me too.” Lauren relaxed in the stainless-steel chair which was surprisingly comfortable. Soft folk rock music played in the background while the occasional clatter from the kitchen punctuated the music’s rhythm.
“If Cindy says the new burger is awesome, then I know it will be,” Zoe continued.
“True.” Lauren nodded. Whenever they’d eaten here, Cindy’s recommendations had always been spot on.
“Cindy seems to have recovered from her encounter with Todd,” Zoe remarked. “Which is good.”
“Definitely.” Lauren nodded.
“I just hope—” Zoe lowered her voice and leaned across the table “—that Gary didn’t actually do anything to take care of Todd.”
The tantalizing smell of beef cooking wafted out from the kitchen.
“Here are your shakes.” Cindy suddenly appeared with two large thick shakes. “Your burgers should be ready in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” Zoe leaned back in her chair and unwrapped her straw, the paper rustling. She sucked on the dense chocolate liquid. “Mmm.”
Lauren tried hers, closing her eyes in appreciation. The mixture of ice-cream, milk, and syrup melted in her mouth in a river of chocolate goodness.
“Hi, girls.”
Lauren’s eyelids flew open.
Wayne stood at their table.
“Oh – hi, Wayne,” Lauren managed.
“Hi,” Zoe said, blinking.
“What are you two doing? Having dinner?” He sent a flickering glance at their table, empty apart from their thick shakes.
“Yes.” Lauren nodded. “Just waiting for our burgers.”
“So am I.” He laughed. “I ordered take-out, and then saw you two over here. It’s my night off from the steakhouse. Hey, Lauren, my wife told me she bumped into you at that shop that sells the wool.”
“That’s right.” The memory of Kimberly having her card declined gave her a jolt. Why would she tell her husband that someone had witnessed her embarrassment? Or had she neglected to tell Wayne that her card had been rejected? But Kimberly had seemed so angry at the time when she thought that Wayne might have missed paying the credit card bill. Lauren had told Zoe about the incident, her cousin declaring that she hoped something like that would never happen to her.
“What are you making? Kimberly’s been telling me about this sweater she wants to knit.”
“A scarf,” Lauren answered.
“And I’m making a scarf, too.” Zoe jumped into the conversation. “But I’m crocheting mine with multi-colored yarn.”
“I don’t know the difference between knitting and crocheting,” Wayne admitted. “But hey, Kimberly offered you twenty percent off at the steakhouse, right? That’s fine with me. When would you two like to come in again for dinner?”
“Oh – um – that’s very kind of you,” Lauren began awkwardly. “But—” she cast Zoe a What do I say?! glance.
“We’re broke,” Zoe told him cheerfully. “I had to wait until I had enough tip money before we could come here tonight. So it might be awhile before we can afford to visit the steakhouse again.”
“You’ve read that crummy new review, haven’t you?” Wayne’s eyes flashed. “From the so-called food critic – Brandon somebody. Well, it’s not true. That guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Todd, the real food critic, raved about my wagyu – and everything else I serve.”
“I haven’t read Brandon’s review,” Lauren said truthfully.
“You can read this one by Todd.” He dug out his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “See?” He thrust it in front of Lauren and unfolded it. His meaty finger stabbed at the text. “Todd says I serve amazing wagyu.” His finger thudded on the table.
Lauren scanned the critique. It was dated last year and appeared to have been printed from a website – Todd’s online column. The food critic seemed to have nothing but praise for Wayne’s steakhouse.
“I can see that,” Lauren told him.
“I read the review Brandon just gave you,” Wayne informed them. “It seems he’s more of a cupcake and pastry guy than a steak man. He wouldn’t know good steak if it bit him on the butt!”
They were saved from answering by Cindy arriving with their dinner.
“Wayne, your order will be ready in a minute.” She gestured to the take-out window near the kitchen door on the opposite side of the room.
“Thanks.” He snatched up the review and stalked off.
“Wayne just said Brandon gave us a review – I wonder if he’s updated it with Ed’s pastries.” Zoe pulled out her phone from her purse and looked at the screen.
“I hope so.” Lauren’s stomach fluttered.
Cindy set down a large white plate with a burger and a pile of golden, crispy French fries in front of each of them. The juicy-looking meat patty hung over the edge of the bun, and fronds of crisp lettuce and slices of fresh tomato peeked out. The aroma of smoky barbecue sauce teased Lauren’s appetite and made her forget for a moment about their new review.
“Wow!” Zoe looked at her plate in admiration.
“Here’s Annie’s patty.” Cindy gave Lauren a warm foil parcel.
“Thanks.”
“Look!” Zoe held out her phone. “Brandon has updated our review – and it’s all good!”
Lauren scanned the review, which praised Ed’s pastries. She passed the phone to Cindy.
“That’s great, guys.” Cindy gave the phone back to Zoe. “But what was all that about with Wayne?” she asked.
“He got a bad review for the steakhouse,” Lauren told her in a hushed voice.
“Oh – I heard about that when I clocked in this afternoon.” Cindy shook her head. “It’s a shame.”
“Yes, it is.” Zoe popped a fry into her mouth and chewed.
“The young guy who accompanied Todd was back here again,” Cindy told them. “I hope he gives us a good review.”
“Did you serve him?” Lauren asked curiously.
“Yes. And he was a total gentleman.”
“That’s good,” Zoe replied.
“That’s for sure. He was okay when he was with Todd the first time as well – when I told him Todd had left, he must have thought the bill had already been paid.”
“Did you tell Brandon about that this time?” Zoe asked. “About how you had to pay for their order yourself?”
“No. I’m still embarrassed about the whole thing. Oh, I forgot to tell you! Gary covered the cost of their order, so it didn’t come out of my paycheck after all. He said it was the least he could do after Todd’s behavior.”
“That’s great.” Zoe grinned.
“I’ll leave you to enjoy your meal.” Cindy beamed. “Give Annie a pat for me, won’t you, Lauren?”
“Of course.” Unable to resist temptation, Lauren picked up a golden French fry.
Once Cindy left, Zoe leaned forward. “I thought I’d better not say anything to Cindy about our steakhouse visit.”
“Good thinking.” Lauren chewed and swallowed, immediately wanting another delicious fry.
“I can’t believe how upset Wayne got just now.” Zoe shook her head. “I hope we never act like that if we ever get a bad review.”
“Me too,” Lauren replied. The image of Wayne’s meaty finger stabbing the table in front of her flashed through her mind. She hoped she wouldn’t lose her self-control like that – ever.
“It’s sad that he carries that good review around with him,” Zoe continued, lifting up the top of her burger bun to take a peek. “Do you think it’s been in his wallet since Todd wrote the review? Or if he only put it in there since Brandon’s bad review came out?”
“I don’t know.” Lauren crinkled her brow, trying to remember the way the print-out had looked. It hadn’t seemed as if it had been folded and re-folded too many times. Perhaps Wayne had only placed it in his wallet recently.
The whoosh of the entrance door opening snagged Lauren’s attention and she glanced around. Wayne stalked toward the door, carrying a take-out bag. His gaze flickered around the room, landing on Lauren’s for a split-second, then he walked out onto the street.