Chapter 1

1 cupcake with a tasty whipped cream frosting with a cup of kind words to sweeten your day

A nostalgic smile touched Dana Sweet’s lips as she drove her blue Ford Escort on 401 eastbound toward the small town of Berry Cove, Ontario, leaving the state of New York behind her, thinking of the Sweet Family Recipe Book her grandmother left to her in her will. The last page of the recipe book had a little poem on the key ingredients for a good day attached to it.

Though this was her final drive from NY with the last of her stuff, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of nervousness. Was she making the right decision to come back? She hardly knew the town since her childhood.

“It’s only nerves, girl. You’re just worried about what people would say if they found out about what happened in New York,” Dana murmured to herself as the wind blew her shiny brunette locks. The car window was cracked open slightly. The sun was so bright, so she reached into the glove compartment to pull out her sunglasses. She couldn’t believe how warm and sunny it was considering it was now Fall.

She thought about what her new life would be like now. In a small town, conformity was the law. Being different could sometimes make you an outsider. And she intended to fit in. Even though the newly revamped café idea was...well, different.

Dana had changed her Nana’s beloved cupcake café since it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after her death. She’d met the employees a few months ago and had implemented a couple of big changes. Initially, they’d been distrustful of her ‘out-there’ ideas (the icing-heavy cupcake served with a spoon, and the messages at the bottom of the cupcakes and on the wrappers), but those ideas had managed to make the café popular again, and they’d come around. Well, some of the employees had come around to her ideas.

Nana had always told her that people were like layers of cakes with many different ingredients. Some people were sweeter than others. “You’ve got to know how to move good with people,” Grandma Rae would always say.

Life had many layers, too. Some sweet stuff, some bitter stuff, all mixed in to make a tasty cake. Like baking powder made a cake rise but you sure as heck wouldn’t want to taste it on its own.

Her late grandmother, Grandma Rae, always told her that “Life is like a delicious scoop of ice-cream—you’ve got to enjoy it before it melts.”

And Grandma Rae also used to preach that the word “stressed” was “desserts” spelled backwards. It depended on what you did with the letters. It’s not what happened to you, it’s what you decided to do with it that counted. Life was ten percent stuff that happened and ninety percent how you responded to it, she would discourse. Plain and simple. Of course, Grandma Rae lived through three divorces, nine lay offs, two wars and thirteen grandkids, so she knew what she was talking about.

She had always been free-spirited, youthful and full of life even at eighty-five. She reminded Dana of a late famous comedian who had a show on a fashion network—only Grandma had a southern accent from her birth place.

Dana’s heart squeezed in her chest. Oh, how she missed her nana very much. She missed the evenings cozying up by the warm crackling fire in the fireplace on her antique Victoria sofa with quilted covers, telling funny stories and often with the most outrageous twists in the end or Grandma Rae’s famous tales on lessons on life.

Little did Dana know then that they were having more than just fun family time, they were creating happy memories that would linger sweetly like the scent of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. That was what life consisted of, happy moments or whatever we did to capture and sweeten each moment with those we care about.

Grandma would always tell Dana and her cousins, “If life gave you lemons, sweeten it and make lemonade. Don’t come to me with any sour faces because you bit into a raw lemon,” she would playfully tease them. God rest her wonderful soul.

She also told Dana that you need to have something to live for—or else what would be the point. If you don’t believe in yourself, who do you think would? If you were not your own best friend, why would anyone else want to be? And that was the truth. She also told her that sometimes you need the lows to appreciate the highs in life. And sometimes life didn’t unfold perfectly as planned. Well, she was going to enjoy her life for once.

“Trust me, child,” Grandma Rae once told Dana, “If you ain’t got nothing to worry about, you ain’t got nothing to live for. If life were always easy—where would be the adventure?”

Yes, life was always an adventure to Grandma Rae. And Berry Cove was a small town filled with the best walking trails and wooded forests and scenery and was always fun from what Dana could remember from her childhood visiting the area.

What happened to Dana from her childhood to now? Grandma Rae died a few months ago, around the same time Dana’s fiancé bailed out on her. He found someone “better” in his books. With “old money.” Some rich socialite—one of Dana’s classmates and study buddy. He had his high-profile life in the city as a hot shot advertising executive and she just wasn’t too good for him after they’d finished college.

That was what happened. Still, Grandma Rae’s words of wisdom on moving forward and how life was an adventure lingered in Dana’s mind right now.

The words caused her lips to curve into a smile as she drove past the sign on the highway that read “Welcome to Berry Cove, Ontario.”

Thank God, she had her dual Canadian and American citizenship. She didn’t want to be anywhere near her ex right now. She needed a break from the competitive circle of acquaintances they’d accumulated. A change of scenery. And moving from the busy city life to a small town on the lake scented with the fresh fragrance of berries in the air and the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, instead of sirens and honking horns in traffic with city congestion was a perfect change for her.

Dana inhaled the sweet cottage country air as she drove on the lakeside with a breathtaking view of the waterfront. Yep, it sure felt good to be back after all these years.

Though sadness filled her heart at the thought that Grandma Rae was no longer around. Well, not in the flesh anyway. As one person put it, she felt her presence more than her absence. After the funeral, a few months ago, she and her Aunt Petunia went through Nan’s stuff, which was hard to do but at the same time, she felt closer to her. It was as if her spirit was still in the home, her warmth, and the scent of her foxy perfume. She always wore Chanel No. 5.

God, she missed Nana Rae, Dana thought as she pulled up to the gas station off the highway.

“Well, welcome back, stranger.” Gerdie-Sue called out to Dana at the gas station when Dana had pulled up to fill her tank up.

Gerdie-Sue was in her dark grey Mercedes Benz. She was a rich widow whose husband number two left her very comfortable when he died. But she was also known as the town gossip. Dana knew better than to divulge any information about herself that she didn’t want to see on the front page of the Berry Cove Gazette.

“And so are you. Honey child, it must have been awful for you with your grandma passing on like that, right after your break up with Ramone.” Gerdie-Sue clucked her tongue. “That’s too bad, sweetie. How are you coping, child?” Always the drama queen, Gerdie-Sue tilted her head to the side. Her large hoop earring dangling off her earlobe.

“I’m good, thanks. Really. Starting a new chapter in my life.” Dana flushed.

Waves of anxiety swept through her but she wasn’t about to let Gerdie-Sue, the town gossip, privy to this bit of information.

This would be the week of the official grand opening for the Cozy Cupcakes Café.

And Dana had many concerns, such as: Would the newly revamped business fly? Would everyone catch on? What if it tanked? Then what would she do? Dana had given up all her savings to save her grandmother’s business after her death and she’d already vacated her New York apartment.

She only had a month to turn things around and hopefully improve sales. Since her grandmother's ill health and eventual death, business at the café had tanked.

Dana was more determined than ever to make this work. If nothing more, than for her grandma's honor and memory. Grandma Rae always loved uplifting people. She would always offer a cute saying or words of wisdom to offer people. So Dana thought what better than to establish a Cozy Cupcake Café. Where customers could get of warm treat served with sweet words of encouragement—only it would be written on cute little cupcake wrappers instead of spoken by her Grammy.

God, she hoped this would work. Dana tried to throttle the fluttering in her stomach.

Dana had already used up most of her savings to help save the business. Not to mention the move from New York to Berry Cove, across the border. But this happened at a perfect time come to think of it. Because since for her ex, Ramone, ditched her, this was a great opportunity to restart and to rethink her future. "Nothing happens before its time," her grandmother would always proffer.

Dana observed the woman for a moment. It looked as if Gerdie-Sue was dying to ask something else but bit down on her lip instead.

"Oh, and what a fantastic idea for the café. Everyone’s been talking about the new changes." Gerdie-Sue continued, while she finished the gas and closed the gas tank knob and turned it with a crank.

"You know what I mean. It's—what is that the young kids used today? Sick. Meaning good. Or is that bad meaning good?”

Dana smiled sheepishly. “Thank you so much Gerdie-Sue. I worked as a copywriter at an ad agency in New York. And of course, Grandma Rae was full of wisdom and always offered her wonderful sayings."

“You can say that again. That woman was never a lost for giving words of encouragement with those proverbs of hers.”

Dana stomach fell. Her heart squeezed inside her chest. "I know," she said quietly. Every second of the day missing Grandma Rae more and more than ever before.

"Oh nothing. It's just that well,” Gerdie-Sue paused and glanced around her to see if anyone else was listening within earshot. “Well, Bianca Baxter and her lot aren't exactly too happy about the changes you've made."

“Well, there’s plenty of room for everyone in this town to sell their goods. I mean, we’re specializing in cupcakes and nutritious smoothies and pastries. The Baxters do mostly muffins and bagels and coffee. It's a different focus, you know. I’m not sure why they see us as a threat.”

Uh-oh. That was always Gerdie-Sue’s trademark got-some-gossip-to-tell-you move.

"You didn't hear this from me,” Gerdie-Sue added with a slight smirk, “but, child, you’d better watch out. I hear that Mrs. Baxter's been complaining about how she would stop at nothing to keep being the number one café in Berry Cove."

"The number one café in Berry Cove?" Dana swallowed hard and placed her hands belligerently on her hips.

She lifted her chin and boldly met Gerdie-Sue’s gaze. She stood up to the bullies at the ad agency that she worked at in New York. Heck, even her ex-fiancé's mistress. She could stand up to anyone, even a small-town competitor in Berry Cove.

"Well, you only visited here as a kid a few times, but let me tell you this. From someone who's lived here her whole life in the small town, folks are kind and caring and willing to help out at the drop of a hat. There's nothing like good old-fashioned small talent hospitality. No one does it better than Berry Cove.”

"I know," Dana said, her tone softening as she fondly remembered the days she visited as a child and teenager and how much cozier the close-knit community appealed to her. It felt so much different than the big cities. In the small town everyone knew each other by name, even the mailmen and the pharmacist, unlike the big city where you were just a nameless face in a crowd.

"But don't you get it twisted, girl,” Gerdie-Sue continued. “I'm only telling you this because I like you and I liked your grandma a lot. She was good people, you know."

“I know. And?” Dana probed wanting to hear more about the possible challenges she might have to face by some of the folks in Berry Cove.

"And some folks don't like different in the small towns. Conformity is good. Rocking the boat ain’t always a good thing. Some folks would stop at nothing to keep things the way they like ‘em. Not to mention those Baxter's. Like to think they own the town, they do. Their bakery has been in their family for 95 years, not long after the first Berry farmers established Berry Cove as a town back in the late 1890s. Now they're running on tough times like everyone is in the recession and since you've made those changes at the café and all, their customers have been flocking to your store to see what all the hype is about.”

“They have?” Dana said, leaning against her car with her arms folded across her chest.

Gerdie-Sue nodded slowly and dramatically, arching a brow. “They have, child. Now it’s good that you have your auntie and your cousin Katie helping you out at the café and that you’ve kept your grandma’s old staff, but just be very careful not to step on any toes around here.”

“You mean careful not to step on any egos around here.” Dana spoke softly, blowing a puff of air to lift her bangs off her face.

Just as Gerdie-Sue said her goodbye and air blew her a kiss, Dana grinned and shook her head.

She couldn’t believe that Grandma’s café was the talk of the town now. Grandma Rae would have been very proud, or perhaps surprised. Her café was modest and cozy but hadn’t been as packed as other cafes in the Town Square.

Dana’s cousin Katie, who had been working at the café with Grandma Rae since the beginning, had called Dana while she was in New York to tell her that the café had seen a burst in customers since the changes. By fixing the fireplace in the café among other things—like adding those motivational sayings to the cupcake wrappers and creating a Cozy environment where friendly, lively fun was the name of the game, things had begun to turn around. However, the café owed a lot of debt and Dana was counting on the grand re-opening to really boost revenue.

Still, spending some money from her savings to add the new fancy cupcake wrappers with designs and a lovely message written on them and then adding the cutlery so customers could eat their fresh whipped cream frosting topped cupcake with a spoon which was more like digging into a sundae or rich tasty yogurt, was beginning to pay off.

The “crazy idea” became the talk of town and even the local news picked it up. The whole idea even went viral on YouTube and Dana couldn’t wait to rush back into town to start full time, focusing on bringing the business up to speed. Who knew her idea would take off like that? In her former job, her boss at the ad agency always told her she thought out of the box.

The whole situation seemed so surreal, Dana thought as she finished paying with her credit card at the gas pump by sliding her card in.

Her heart flipped over in her chest. For once in her life, something was going right. She was about to save her Nana’s business and she really appreciated the help of Katie and her Auntie Nia, whose real name was Aunt Petunia, but no one was allowed to call her that. After all, Katie and Aunt Nia and her husband Uncle Merv were all from her father’s side of the family. Ma Rae was her mom’s mom. So technically, they were not related to Grandma Rae. Grandma Rae had left the café to Dana in her will and left some items for Aunt Nia and her family, too, since she took them in as her family, her in-laws.

Katie was all too happy to find a job working at the café with the rest of the staff in many different roles from barista, to part time baker whenever anyone called in sick, to server. It was a good thing, she knew all aspects of the business.

Though Dana hadn’t had a chance to work in the café as a serving staff, she was managing the business side and was lucky that the baker and other staff stayed on after Grandma Rae’s passing. She was glad they had her back while she took care of the bills back in New York.

Dana got back into the car and was about to head to the Victorian and drop off some more boxes in the trunk of her car then drop by the café to see how things were going.

“Oh, hey there,” a voice called out from behind her. “It was Mike, the mail guy. Well, not quite, his uncle Stephen was the head mailman but took Mike under his wings to deliver mail with him in the district.

“Hey there,” Dana said. “It must be nice to have Sundays off,” she teased him. He looked so different in his jeans and blue T-shirt. Not his mail carrier shorts. Mike had short curly blond hair and piercing blue eyes and always seemed to blush.

“Thanks.” He had a cupcake piled high with whipped cream frosting and the familiar decorative wrapping with a fun saying on the side.

“Let me guess. You were at the CCC, right?” Dana smiled. CCC had been the common acronym for Cozy Cupcake Café for the past few weeks now.

She felt a pang of guilt for not stopping at the café first. But after a long journey, driving in from New York State across the border, she really wanted to head home first and shower then go to the café later to see how everybody was doing.

She believed in good managerial practice and a close personal touch and always taking good care of her staff. She only prayed things would continue going in the right direction and sales would pick up so she could afford to keep them and pay them not to mention take care of all the supplier debts, and overdue utility bills the café owes.

“Mmm. This is delicious. Your grandma would be so proud of you, Dana. Good on you.”

“Thanks, but I haven’t really changed any of her wonderful recipes. It’s still Grandma Rae’s famous recipes. Though I’ll be adding some new ones to the menu soon.”

“Good for you. Can’t wait. You know everyone’s talking good about the new changes. And look at this,” he said, reading the saying on his shiny blue wrapper: “A smile is like the icing on a cupcake.”

“You know this is the second one I had this morning. The other one read, what was it again?”

“That’s right. Where do you come up with them? You know before, I used to just toss the wrappers, now they’re like fortune cookies. And I like the touch with a spoon to eat them with so they’re not messy. Cool.”

Dana smiled. A warm feeling crept inside her. This made it all worth it. God, she hoped she could really save the café, which was so deep in debt, it wasn’t even funny.

She quite often rotated the sayings depending on the day of the week. Some would read:

HAVE A SWEET DAY

TASTE THE BEAUTY OF LIFE.

KEEP CALM, HAVE A CUPCAKE

A SMILE IS LIKE THE ICING ON A CUPCAKE

BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY WITH A SWEET TASTE

FRIENDSHIP IS THE SWEETEST BLESSING

IN THE BUFFET OF LIFE, FRIENDS ARE THE DESSERT

And her favorite new saying was:

A CUPCAKE AND A SMOOTHIE CAN SOLVE ANYTHING...

Especially since CCC were serving nutritious, delicious smoothies now. The added motivational messages had really taken off.

A warm smile touched her lips again. This was it, wasn’t it? Her final move back to Berry Cove. She’d given up the lease on her apartment in New York and she’d moved in a few of her stuff slowly over the past couple of months, so this was now officially her new residence.

Aunt Nia was supposed to meet her here soon. She hadn’t seen her in over a month since she’d been in Florida looking after some of her rental properties and non-paying tenants. She hoped her auntie was all right. Aunt Nia was always the wealthy extravagant lady. Always had the latest designer duds and tricked out manicures and pedicures. Looked half her age even at sixty. One would never know by her taut skin, auburn-dyed hair and youthful makeup and attire. Her auntie was also a Yoga fanatic and loved to go out on the town with her girlfriends, too. Her accountant husband, Uncle Merv, who worked for a Fortune 500 company was nearing retirement now and was more down-to-earth and watched every penny.

Dana grabbed her luggage and some boxes out of her trunk and slugged them to the front door of the Victorian. She then opened the door and dragged her stuff into the foyer plopping them down on the hard wood floor of the narrow hallway. She was greeted by the soft purring of her favorite little four-legged friend, Truffles, Grandma Rae’s loving ginger hair Persian cat she left to Dana and Katie in her will.

Truffles meant the world to Dana. She was a very special kitty. Grandma Rae had rescued her from the Berry Cove Pet Rescue. She’d been abandoned by her previous owners. Luckily Dana’s nana had nursed her back to good health. She was a feisty little fur-legged feline who was deservedly pampered.

Truffles immediately hurried to her and wrapped herself around Dana’s leg. Her tail wagging animatedly. Dana couldn’t wait to scoop her up in her arms and hug her to her chin, stroking her behind her ears as the kitty purred her approval. There was nothing like being greeted by the best friend a girl could ever have. Even though it had been a few weeks since she’d seen Truffles. But there was a cool connection between them.

The scent of fresh pine filled the air. She smiled thinking of how sweet it was for Katie to clean up before she arrived.

As Dana walked further into the home, she felt as if she was walking into a house in 1890 the way her grandmother kept only vintage stuff in the home. It was kind of cool though.

Her nana’s house had so much character. She was very sentimental. She once told Dana that growing up in the early days was so much fun and simpler than nowadays. She longed for the other life. People lived elegantly and leisurely back then. Life seemed so much cozier, she couldn’t blame her nan. Nana even had an old vintage phone, a Victorian era design of oak wood and brass. It was so cool. It was like stepping back into history. None of that digital or cordless stuff. Dana decided to cherish that and keep it as is, even after Nans passed away.

Victorian style furniture inspired by the Tudor, Gothic, and Elizabethan filled the home. Most of the furniture were made from Mahogany and rosewood and oak wood which were popular materials for furniture with decorated curves and style back in the old days.

Dana glanced around the gorgeous historic-themed family room. Truffles climbed down off Dana and roamed to her favorite spot by the fireplace in her own basket.

The family room had side boards, small lamp tables and a display cabinet. A Victorian couch sat in the corner with wide and high backed oak wood trim on the back and arms .

There was a couch and side chairs by the fireplace. The side tables were covered with fabric and had a plant and arranged books. Vintage cushions made the chairs cozy. There was Grandma Rae’s favorite rocking chair sitting by the fireplace, which Dana wanted to keep and cherish her memory. It was almost as if she were there watching over her girls in the home. Dana just wasn’t ready to make any drastic changes to the home yet. It had only been a few months now since Nana’s passing. That was way too soon and Katie agreed with her.

Emotion filled Dana as she remembered the days cozying up with her nana in the rocking chair while nana read her a book –first edition classic from her library of books just before bedtime with a mug of hot chocolate and whipped cream topping sprinkled with cinnamon.

She noticed the upholstered backs of the chairs were beginning to show wear. She would have to get them professionally cleaned. She plumped herself down on the thick and soft cushions, hugging one to her chest. She noticed the cushion seemed more worn down than before. Attention to detail had always Dana’s thing. It was as if someone had been there sitting on them. Still, she felt her nana’s warm and protective presence there more than anything else.

Dana heard the key turn in the lock and the clunking sound of heels on the oak wood floor.

“I’m so thrilled you’re finally staying here. No more going away to New York. Welcome back, darling. I just got back in town myself. Katie said you’d be coming straight here first.”

But... something was different. Something was definitely off about her auntie. She observed the woman closely.

But her handbag didn't match what she was wearing. It had loose strings on the seams for one thing. Her bags used to be the flashiest thing she wore. Always a name brand. Chanel, Kors or Vuitton. Her auntie always told her that a bag was the one attire a woman wore all the time and status was everything. Every woman wanted to look great and feel great. Their hair, nails, shoes and handbag had to be epic. Especially their bag since they logged half their life and forms of identification and all their important personal and private stuff in their bags. It was almost an extension of them. Everything else was optional. Just as clothes could make a man, so could a bag make a lady, Aunt Nia would always say. Not that Dana always agreed with her, but she always loved looking at her latest bag from her collection. Dana would never catch her auntie in a fanny pack. She was one of those uber stylish fashionistas.

Today, she was sporting a cheap knockoff. That was so unlike her auntie who was used to finer quality things.

“Aunt Nia, I’m sorry to tell you this but you Louis Vuitton bag is... Well, it's fake. I hope you didn't pay too much for it. You know it's one of the most counterfeited designer bags.”

“My, my, my, you have always been the observant child haven't you? Nothing gets past you, does it? That's what I always love about you. Your attention to detail.”

“No one else could tell. And I guess that website you’re running is rubbing off on you, too. You’ve got to always keep your eyes sharp.”

“Oh, that.” Dana felt sheepish. “It’s more a hobby than a business. Something I’d developed a while back to help me relieve stress when I was working at my former day-job in advertising.”

“Oh, don’t downplay it, child. I think it’s wonderful. What is it? Some sort of mystery blog, right? I read a story on it once and did one of them puzzles there.”

Dana grinned. “It’s called The Mystery Fox riddles blog. You remember how Grandma Rae loved to solve mystery riddles to keep her mind active and all?”

Dana almost choked with emotion. “Grandma Rae had encouraged me to publish the mystery stories and riddles I’d created. She told a few friends in her bridge club who got interested and that’s how it all began really. It’s only been a year and I publish a few riddles a month. I don’t get too many blog hits though. But as long I get a few visitors to the blog, that makes it all worth it really.”

“Child, I think it’s wonderful. Keeping busy keeps you alive and kicking as they say.”

Dana smiled. She enjoyed creating fun riddles on her blog when she had the chance. She would often begin with a little mystery short story or riddle with a whodunit type of vibe and the hidden answer at the end. A few readers have asked if she would publish more frequently in the past. But now that she was helping to run her Nan’s old café, she didn’t know if she’d even have the time now.

“Okay, now are you going to tell me what’s going on here, auntie? That’s so not like you to wear imitations of anything. You always talked down on people who wear fakes. Not that I could ever afford a bag like that. A real one, that is.”

“Well you know Merv has been going through a pretty rough time now. He bought me this lovely designer bag and paid a fortune for it, but since he got laid off, well I couldn't tell him that I sold it to help make ends meet. I’m not used to not having money flowing in. I gave up my career to raise the kids and he was the one working. Now, he’s lost it all.”

“Well, I sold some of my designer stuff and then I went and got some fakes for a small fraction of the cost. But of course he can't tell the difference. Thank goodness I'm not married to you.”

Well, Dana wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse that she paid close attention to details. That was always her thing, wasn't it? That's how she knew that her ex had cheated on her. The tell tale signs.

People were creatures of habit. They did the same things in a routine that was comfortable to them unless something drastic happened to them.

It wasn't like her auntie to buy cheap handbags. She used to be a fashion designer back in her day. She had a fetish for handbags. Designer bags. So seeing her with a cheap knockoff didn't cut it for Dana.

Louis Vuitton uses a specific stitch pattern. A certain number of stitches at the top. And the patterns are always evened up. This bag did not have those same trademark qualities for one thing.

“I can’t believe Aunt Nia and Uncle Merv are going through tough times,” Dana said to Katie later that evening in the kitchen. “What’s been going on here? First, my grandma’s café might sink into bankruptcy unless we can make a huge success with the grand re-opening, now Uncle Merv lost his job and Aunt Nia is selling her prized handbag collection to make ends meet.”

“Well, she has to pay the mortgage on her Florida rentals, you know. Her tenants have lost their jobs and can’t pay the rent. Not to mention their home here, too.” Katie said chowing down the last of her spaghetti and meatballs.

Dana was making Grandma Rae’s favorite recipe. A warm apple pie smoothie for dessert for them to chow down. They were planning to have it by the fireplace while catching up with business at the café. But right now, Dana had to talk about the family personal business.

Dana chopped up two apples and placed them in the blender along with a cup of distilled water. She then added a quarter tablespoon of vanilla extract, a quarter tablespoon of cinnamon and a tablespoon of maple syrup then closed the blender.

“Well, I’m sure glad you’re holding the fort at the café. What would Grandma Rae have done without you. It was good that you’ve worked with her over the years in the business.”

“Hey, it’s nothing, cuz. She was like a real grandmother to me. If it weren’t for her giving me the job after my divorce, I don’t know what I would have done when I moved back to Berry Cove. She was a real gem. Showed me how to run the café business in every area from serving customers, to making treats and everything. I only wish I had the good business management sense that you have to handle the financial stuff. I’m just glad that between you and me, we can keep Grandma Rae’s legacy alive and keep her faithful customers happy.”

After Dana blended the ingredients into a smooth mixture. She then poured it out into two microwavable mugs then propped one cup at a time in the microwave for a couple minutes.

The girls then treated themselves by the fireplace with their warm apple pie smoothie topped with a bit of whipped cream and a spoon to scoop it all up. It was just like having an apple pie with the same cozy taste without all the long work and baking. The girls talked about introducing it on their menu officially, too and all the plans they had for the CCC. After all, Dana had suggested Katie serve it as a special when the first day of fall hit and they had a cold spell with the wind. Customers loved it and requested more of it.

She only hoped that things would continue to go as smoothly. But there was a nudging feeling that something was just not right around her. What was it? What was that sinking feeling about?