really not anything you can do at the moment.”
“Did you have insurance?”
“Yes, and the rep has already been here. Everything’s covered—or at least the majority of the damage. Mostly the whole thing is a big pain in the tokus. Thanks for coming by, Griff.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Am I being given my hat?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Not exactly, but Sunny and I have a lot to do. We have to talk to our suppliers and put an ad in the paper and…”
“I got it. Call me if there’s anything I can do. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Tomorrow might be better.”
He nodded and left.
G RIFF GRIPPED THE WHEEL of his rental car a little too tightly as he drove back to his hotel. Ever since he learned about the damage to Chili Witches, he’d had a niggling feeling about it. This smelled of Walt, one of Griff’s partners. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe this was a coincidence, but he wouldn’t put it past the guy. Walt was a brilliant businessman, but he was impatient and impulsive. And a master of dirty tricks. His partners wanted that property yesterday. Griff had asked them repeatedly to be patient and let him handle things his way.
As soon as he got to his hotel, he whipped out his phone and punched the speed dial. Walt answered immediately.
“Walt, did you have anything to do with Chili Witches flooding?”
He chuckled. “Me? Now would I do something so appalling?”
“Hell, yes. In a heartbeat. Back off, Walt.”
Chapter Nine
Cass was bone tired when she drove to Sunny’s house that evening; she literally ached and her head felt as if dirt daubers were building nests inside. She pulled into the driveway behind her sister, who trudged toward the door as if she could barely put one foot in front of the other. With the stress and the mess and the mountain of things to do, it had been a killer of a day. Cass hauled her bag from the trunk and trudged inside in the same manner.
They both headed straight for the couch, plopped down and rested heir heads against the cushioned back. Leo, Sunny’s German shepherd, joined them, nuzzling against Sunny’s leg.
“I may die,” Cass said.
“Please don’t,” Sunny said, absently stroking Leo’s head. “I’m too tired to plan your funeral.”
Cass laughed, then they both got the giggles. The giggles turned into tears. They held each other and wept from exhaustion and despair.
After they had a good cry, Sunny wiped her nose and said, “Do you ever wonder exactly why we do this?”
“What? Cry? I think it’s supposed to release some sort ofchemicals to make you feel better.” Cass fished a tissue from her purse and blew her nose.
“No, I mean why are we working so hard to keep Chili Witches going? Sometimes I feel the café has become the center of my life. How did Mom and Aunt Min do it for all those years?”
“Beats me. I suppose because they loved the place. I never figured I’d end up running it, but let me tell you, it’s better than being a lawyer in New York. Do you hate managing the café?”
“No, I don’t hate it. In fact, most of the time I enjoy it, but the hours are hard—and will be harder after Ben and I get married. There’s Jay to think of, and I’d like to have children someday. I don’t want to raise them in a playpen in the office or put them in day care and only see them half the week.”
“We were lucky to have Aunt Min and Mom when we were growing up. It was like having two mothers,” Cass said, “but don’t count on me to babysit. Aunt Min I ain’t.”
“You don’t want children?” Sunny asked.
“Do you see me as the domestic type?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. We’re a lot alike, and I can feel the ticking biological clock everybody’s always talking about.”
Cass rolled her eyes. “The only clock I feel ticking is the one signaling dinnertime, but I’m too tired to eat, much less cook.”
“I hear that.”
The doorbell rang.
“I wonder who that could be?” Sunny glanced
“Did you have insurance?”
“Yes, and the rep has already been here. Everything’s covered—or at least the majority of the damage. Mostly the whole thing is a big pain in the tokus. Thanks for coming by, Griff.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Am I being given my hat?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Not exactly, but Sunny and I have a lot to do. We have to talk to our suppliers and put an ad in the paper and…”
“I got it. Call me if there’s anything I can do. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Tomorrow might be better.”
He nodded and left.
G RIFF GRIPPED THE WHEEL of his rental car a little too tightly as he drove back to his hotel. Ever since he learned about the damage to Chili Witches, he’d had a niggling feeling about it. This smelled of Walt, one of Griff’s partners. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe this was a coincidence, but he wouldn’t put it past the guy. Walt was a brilliant businessman, but he was impatient and impulsive. And a master of dirty tricks. His partners wanted that property yesterday. Griff had asked them repeatedly to be patient and let him handle things his way.
As soon as he got to his hotel, he whipped out his phone and punched the speed dial. Walt answered immediately.
“Walt, did you have anything to do with Chili Witches flooding?”
He chuckled. “Me? Now would I do something so appalling?”
“Hell, yes. In a heartbeat. Back off, Walt.”
Chapter Nine
Cass was bone tired when she drove to Sunny’s house that evening; she literally ached and her head felt as if dirt daubers were building nests inside. She pulled into the driveway behind her sister, who trudged toward the door as if she could barely put one foot in front of the other. With the stress and the mess and the mountain of things to do, it had been a killer of a day. Cass hauled her bag from the trunk and trudged inside in the same manner.
They both headed straight for the couch, plopped down and rested heir heads against the cushioned back. Leo, Sunny’s German shepherd, joined them, nuzzling against Sunny’s leg.
“I may die,” Cass said.
“Please don’t,” Sunny said, absently stroking Leo’s head. “I’m too tired to plan your funeral.”
Cass laughed, then they both got the giggles. The giggles turned into tears. They held each other and wept from exhaustion and despair.
After they had a good cry, Sunny wiped her nose and said, “Do you ever wonder exactly why we do this?”
“What? Cry? I think it’s supposed to release some sort ofchemicals to make you feel better.” Cass fished a tissue from her purse and blew her nose.
“No, I mean why are we working so hard to keep Chili Witches going? Sometimes I feel the café has become the center of my life. How did Mom and Aunt Min do it for all those years?”
“Beats me. I suppose because they loved the place. I never figured I’d end up running it, but let me tell you, it’s better than being a lawyer in New York. Do you hate managing the café?”
“No, I don’t hate it. In fact, most of the time I enjoy it, but the hours are hard—and will be harder after Ben and I get married. There’s Jay to think of, and I’d like to have children someday. I don’t want to raise them in a playpen in the office or put them in day care and only see them half the week.”
“We were lucky to have Aunt Min and Mom when we were growing up. It was like having two mothers,” Cass said, “but don’t count on me to babysit. Aunt Min I ain’t.”
“You don’t want children?” Sunny asked.
“Do you see me as the domestic type?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. We’re a lot alike, and I can feel the ticking biological clock everybody’s always talking about.”
Cass rolled her eyes. “The only clock I feel ticking is the one signaling dinnertime, but I’m too tired to eat, much less cook.”
“I hear that.”
The doorbell rang.
“I wonder who that could be?” Sunny glanced
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