Page 70 of Forbidden Flame

“Yes, and I’m always working on improving them. I just don’t know about that one, and you’re a baker. Can you tell me what you think?”

“Honestly? It’s not great. But I’m partial to freshly baked pies. Not store bought.”

Her shoulders slumped. “You could tell?”

“They always use too much sugar. The sweetness should come from the fruit.”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I love the way you think.”

“Can I try the strawberry? Is it made with fresh strawberries?”

“Of course.” She scooped it into a cup and handed it to me.

I placed the pie boxes on the counter before I took a spoonful of ice cream. I loved the chunks of fresh strawberry. It was so hard to find anything like this. “This is to die for. You’re a genius with ice cream.”

“Would you mind if I tried one of your pies?”

I opened the lid on the apple. “Go for it.”

She took a huge bite. “So good. I’ve never had pie like this before.”

“I spent years when my daughter was little perfecting the crust. I use only the freshest fruit.”

Violet turned her pleading eyes to me. “You have to help me.”

“Help you?” I took another spoonful of ice cream.

“Would you be willing to make me fresh pies I could use in the ice cream? We’ll test it out, and if it works, I could order so many pies from you a week.”

“I have to be honest. I wasn’t expecting this when I came in here. I just dealt with this mean restaurant owner and thought I’d duck in here to catch my breath.”

Violet smiled. “The best things come in unexpected places. You were meant to come into my shop.”

“I think so too.”

“I’ll add a sign that references it’s your pies, and we can even carry some in the fridge.” She pointed to the few freezers along the wall that held to-go pizzas and ice cream containers.

“That would be amazing.” I couldn’t believe my luck, and it was all because Cole believed in me.

“So you’ll do it?”

“Yes, of course. I’d love to.” Not only was I improving her flavor, but she was allowing me to sell from her store.

“I’ll start with apple. Then maybe we can test pumpkin or even blueberry next?”

“You could feature a different pie each week in addition to the apple. Just to see if they like anything else,” I offered.

“I like the way you think.” Violet tapped her chin. “Okay. Let’s start with ten pies. All different flavors. Do you want to offer minis? I like the idea of it being a to go item for the person who comes in looking for a special treat for themselves.”

“I agree. As much as I’d love to sell my full-size pies, people seem to love the minis.”

Violet smiled. “You can’t always predict what’s going to take off.”

“Business is so up and down.” But I was determined to make it work.

“There’s an organization of Main Street shop owners. You should come to a meeting.”

I frowned. “I don’t have a store on Main though.”

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