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More and more customers came in that morning, until it was almost like old times.
“Hans!” Lauren came around the counter to greet one of their favorites.
“Ach, hello, Lauren.” The dapper gentleman in his sixties smiled at her.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You haven’t been in recently.”
“Oh, I am fine.” He spoke to Lauren while bending down stiffly to pet Annie, who had scampered over to greet him. “I visited my daughter in Sacramento and stayed at her house. She said it would be too much for me to drive a two-hour round trip every day and perhaps she was right.” He sighed.
“Did you have a good visit?” Lauren asked, walking beside him and Annie as the feline slowly led him to a table.
“Ja, it was gut.” He beamed, looking a little like Santa Claus in the moment, although slimmer.
“Hi, Hans!” Zoe zoomed over to them, an empty tray in her hands.
“What is going on out there?” Hans pointed to the pink truck outside. “He is selling cupcakes too?”
“Yes,” Lauren and Zoe chorused.
“Brrt.”
“That is no gut.” Hans sat down at the small table Annie had stopped at.
“Brrp.” That’s right. Annie hopped up on the chair opposite Hans.
“So far, he just seems to be getting away with it.” Lauren sighed.
“Then you must do something about it,” Hans told them.
“We’ve tried,” Zoe protested.
“His cupcakes aren’t very good,” Lauren said in a low voice. “Zoe and I sampled them.”
Zoe told Hans all about Molly’s reaction to the morsel she’d eaten, making the elderly German laugh.
“But you seem quite busy right now.” He gestured to the buzzing café.
“For the first time in days,” Lauren told him. “I think we’re going to run out of cupcakes for once.”
“Then I must put my order in now,” Hans said. “My daughter took me to a bakery in Sacramento, but they did not have cupcakes like yours. It was all nuts and seeds – like birdseed.” He shuddered.
They sped away to the counter to fill Hans’ order of a cappuccino and a lavender cupcake.
“It’s a shame Ed doesn’t work Saturdays,” Zoe mused as she created a peacock on the surface of the microfoam.
“I know,” Lauren replied. Her gaze flickered to the truck outside – no customers at all right now.
Had Jason’s customers realized that his cakes actually didn’t taste very good as well as being far too sweet? Or was the lure of Annie greeting her customers and seating them the reason why their patrons had returned that morning? Whatever it was, Lauren decided not to question it, but to enjoy the brisk business.
Even when they ran out of cupcakes, people still ordered coffee. Lauren smiled at her cousin, who was taking payment for an order.
“Just like old times,” she murmured to Zoe.
“Yep!”
***
THAT AFTERNOON, LAUREN relaxed on the sofa, Annie in her lap. She needed to come up with some new cupcake ideas. So far, she and Zoe had come up with a total of ... none. Zoe had gone to fetch AJ, the kitten Ed had adopted, for a play date.
Lauren’s thoughts drifted. What about maple pecan? Coconut cream? Maple coconut? Coconut pecan? She wrote each flavor down, even if she thought it mightn’t work.
Although business had been good that morning, next week Jason might have another trick up his sleeve to tempt their customers back to him.
“We’re here!” Zoe’s cheery voice roused Lauren from her thoughts.
“Brrt!” Annie jumped off Lauren’s lap and trotted to the kitchen.
“Hi, AJ.” Lauren greeted the eight-month-old cat. Annie had found the brown tabby Maine Coon when she had been a tiny stray scrap. Ed had instantly fallen in love with her, and taken her home with him.
“Mew!” AJ jumped out of the carrier and greeted Annie. She had a dark brown M in the middle of her forehead and inquisitive eyes.
“Brrt!” Annie led the way into the living room.
“They’re so cute.” Zoe grinned as she watched the two felines chase a ball around the sofa.
“Definitely.” Lauren smiled.
After the playdate was over, Zoe took AJ back to Ed’s house.
“Maybe AJ can start training as Annie’s assistant at the café,” she mused before heading out the door.
“What does Annie think about that?” Lauren was instantly protective of her fur baby. “She’s used to being the only cat there.”
“We’ll have to ask her and see.” Zoe grinned, not fazed at all.
“You’ll also have to ask AJ and Ed,” Lauren pointed out.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Zoe admitted. “Hmm.”
Zoe left, carefully carrying the cage. AJ mewed goodbye to Annie, who answered in return.
“What do you think of Zoe’s idea to have AJ act as your assistant at the café?” Lauren asked Annie as they headed into the living room.
“Brrp.” I’ll think about it.
***
AFTER A PLEASANT WEEKEND, including her date with Mitch, and brainstorming new flavors with Zoe, Lauren was ready to return to work on Tuesday. She’d noticed Jason’s truck on Monday, parked in front of her cottage, but she tried not to let it bother her. There didn’t seem to be as many customers at his van once again.
She and Zoe were busy on Monday, anyway, with grocery shopping, testing her new salted caramel cupcake recipe she’d thought up, and visiting Mrs. Finch.
“If he turns up tomorrow,” Zoe vowed that evening as they finished eating dinner, “we’ll take care of him.”
“Yes,” Lauren agreed.
“Brrt!”
On Tuesday morning after breakfast, Lauren sat in the living room with Annie.
“I’m going to call Mitch to let him know I’m making his favorite vanilla cupcakes today, as well as salted caramel,” Lauren told her. She picked up the cell phone and showed it to the feline.
“Brrt,” Annie replied, looking at the device with interest.
“I press this button here.” Lauren showed Annie the numbered button that she’d programmed for Mitch.
Annie had already used Lauren’s cell phone – she’d called AJ a few months ago, and when Lauren was sick at home with a cold, the feline had worked the video app so they could check in on Zoe taking care of the café.
“Hi, Lauren,” Mitch’s deep, masculine voice came out of the phone.
“Brrt,” Annie said to him.
“Hi, Annie.” He sounded surprised to be greeted by her.
“We’re both here,” Lauren told him, stifling a giggle.
She told him about her cupcake plans for the morning, to which he replied he’d try to stop by later that day to grab a vanilla cupcake, and one of her new salted caramels.
“Brrt,” Annie spoke into the phone as Lauren said goodbye to him.
“Bye, Annie.” Mitch chuckled, before Lauren ended the call.
“And now we have to go to work.” Lauren pocketed her phone and rose from the sofa. So did Annie.
The trio had just opened up the café when the familiar chug chug, grr grr filtered through from the street.
“Brrt!” Annie looked annoyed as she sat up in her cat bed.
“I know, Annie,” Lauren sympathized.
“I’m calling the town council right now.” Zoe dug her phone out of her jeans pocket. “That way, smirky Jason won’t know we’re reporting him.”
“Good idea.” Lauren smiled at her.
“I have to leave a message.” Zoe tsked.
Ed rattled pastry tins in the kitchen. She was glad he was here – on Saturday people had been disappointed there weren’t any of his pastries to choose from, although their regulars knew he didn’t work on the weekends.
“Let’s hope we get as many customers as we did on Saturday morning.” Lauren attempted to be positive.
She looked at her new cupcake creation in the glass case.
The batter was caramel flavored, with made from scratch creamy caramel frosting, and a ribbon of not too sweet caramel sauce swirled around the peaks of the frosting. It was topped off with a small chocolate heart as well as a few sprinkles of high-quality sea salt. She couldn’t wait until one of her favorite customers tried it.
“Wait until everyone tries your new salted caramel.” Zoe grinned. “I put two away for us for later – and one for Mitch.”
“Good thinking.” Lauren was proud of her new creation and it was something that she hadn’t seen listed at Jason’s truck.
Zoe’s phone buzzed, and she answered it as Lauren unbolted the entrance door.
“Oh, pooh,” she said as she ended the call. “The permit officer is busy at another location right now and can’t come and kick Jason off our turf.”
“When can he get here?” Lauren frowned as she spied a man grabbing a pink bag from Jason and walking along the sidewalk.
“Maybe this afternoon.” Zoe sounded downcast.
“I’m going to see what sort of cupcakes he has today,” Lauren told her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.” Zoe sounded distracted.
Lauren told herself she shouldn’t go out there to take a look, but she couldn’t help herself. It was only to double check that Jason wasn’t selling salted caramel cupcakes.
Lauren approached the truck.
“Don’t worry, man,” she heard Jason, although she couldn’t see him at the serving hatch. If it wasn’t for his voice, she would have thought that the truck was deserted. “I paid her back last night.”
“Good.” Another male voice. Was it Jason’s friend Scott, who had helped out last week? “She really needs the money, Jase.”
“I understand,” Jason replied. “But there’s no need to worry. We’ve made good money last week with these cupcakes. I told you this was an amazing idea.”
“Yeah.” Scott didn’t sound so convinced. “But you said yourself takings were down the last couple of days.”
“If that brat hadn’t had a temper tantrum in front of the truck on Saturday, I would have sold out again.” Jason sounded angry. “Stupid toddler.”
“I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose.” Scott sounded surprised at his pal’s tone.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m sure we’ll sell all this stuff today. I can’t believe all I have to do is chuck on some shiny silver balls and all the rest and these ladies lap it up.” He chuckled.
“I don’t think Jessica liked your first batch of cupcakes.” Scott said.
“So what? She’s not on my radar anymore. And never tell her where I am again, okay? She came down here and made a big scene. Scared off customers.”
“I don’t know why you had to be so cruel to her,” Scott remarked. “What was I supposed to do when she begged me to tell her where you were? You should have seen her, man. It wasn’t good.”
“Leave Jessica to me. Or not.” Jason chuckled. “It’s definitely over between us. So forget about her. What we need to concentrate on is buying another van. Then you can drive it and sell these cakes to more ladies.”
“What?” Scott sounded shocked. “But you know I’m waiting to hear back about my college application.”
“You can go to college anytime,” Jason said. “Right now we’re making money with these cupcakes. I told you the ladies would go for anything that looks good.”
Lauren stepped back from the truck. She thought she’d heard too much to now clear her throat and announce her presence. The dog hadn’t barked or growled, so maybe Sweet Boy was having a day off?
She strode back to the café, mulling over what she’d just heard. Jason didn’t sound like a nice person, but maybe he had a point about his cupcakes – females had seemed to go wild over them with the huge dollops of frosting and blingy edible decorations – at least, until the last couple of days. Had they finally realized Jason’s cupcakes didn’t taste as good as they looked?
***
“IT WILL BE FUN,” ZOE enthused to Ed.
Lauren had just returned to the café and found her cousin in the kitchen, chatting to Ed. Mitch had already stopped by and picked up his favorite vanilla, as well as the new salted caramel cupcake – and a kiss from Lauren.
“I don’t know,” Ed said doubtfully. He looked up in relief as Lauren entered. “What do you think, Lauren?”
“About what?” Lauren was instantly alert. Was it another one of Zoe’s wild schemes? Which sometimes worked, she reminded herself.
“I was telling Ed that AJ could come in tomorrow to train as Annie’s assistant,” Zoe told her.
“Without discussing it with me first?” Lauren asked.
“Oh – sorry. Yeah, I guess we should have talked it over properly first, but I thought what a good opportunity it was to grab Ed while there weren’t any customers, and tell him all about it.”
“I think Annie is still considering it,” Lauren told her.
“And AJ should have a chance to consider it too,” he told Zoe. “Maybe she won’t like working here. Maybe she only likes playing with Annie.”
“But being here at the café is like playing to Annie,” Zoe told him. “She has such a good time with the customers, especially her favorites.”
“True,” Lauren allowed. “But sometimes she likes going home and taking a break, particularly if it’s super busy and it becomes a bit overwhelming for her.”
“We could try it tomorrow with Annie and AJ,” Zoe wheedled. “Please?”
Ed sighed. “I guess it won’t do any harm – if AJ wants to do it. She’s only eight months old, remember?”
“And Annie has to agree to it,” Lauren said quickly.
“I’m sure they’ll both want to do it.” Zoe brightened. “You’ll see!”
***
LATER THAT DAY, LAUREN filled in Zoe on what she’d overheard at the cupcake truck.
“So smirky Jason is an all-around jerk,” Zoe commented.
“It seems like it,” Lauren agreed.
“I just hope the permit officer comes this afternoon and tells him to get lost.”
A customer departed the café, the door open for a moment.
“These cupcakes are no good!” A red-faced man approached the truck parked outside. He brandished a wrinkled pink bag.
“Calm down, man.” Jason appeared at the serving hatch.
Lauren and Zoe stared at each other, then hurried over to the door. From their vantage point, they could see and hear everything from the truck.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” Lauren said doubtfully.
“We totally should!”
“My wife bought me these awful cakes.” The angry man shoved the paper bag at Jason.
Sweet Boy growled, his head appearing in the serving hatch, baring his teeth at the disgruntled customer.
So the canine had been there that morning, Lauren thought. Perhaps he’d been napping when she’d overheard Jason and Scott talking inside the truck.
“I told her not to try anything new. That I wanted Lauren’s cupcakes.” He jerked his thumb at the café. “But she came home raving about your pink truck and the cute dog and how much frosting you put on these – these – things. I thought she was trying to poison me!” He shuddered.
“So you want a refund?” Jason asked.
“Yes, I want a refund!” The man glared at him.
“Do we know him?” Zoe muttered to Lauren.
“No.” Lauren shook her head. From the way the man was behaving, she didn’t want to know him. Maybe he’d never entered the café, and instead his wife bought the cupcakes and brought them home to him. She felt sorry for whoever his wife was, if he was blowing up like this about baked goods. The samples she’d tried of Jason’s cakes hadn’t been that bad, surely? Bad enough to put someone in a rage like this?
“Here.” Jason shoved some bills at him. “Don’t come back and tell your wife not to, either. Or else I’ll call the cops.”
“You’ll call the cops?” The man laughed incredulously. “You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that.” He stuck the money in his wallet and walked away, shaking his head.
“At least he’s not coming in here.” Lauren closed the door.
“Good. We don’t want customers like that.”
“No.”
As Lauren turned away from the door, she noticed Jason glowering at her. She bit her lip, sorry that he’d noticed them taking in the scene.
As she went to take payment from a customer, she realized she hadn’t seen Jason’s friend Scott during that exchange. Had he already taken off? Or had he been a silent observer inside the truck?