Page 14 of Flirting With Fire
The morning had taken the soul out of me, and it was time for a refresher. I spoke with the vet, and as Cal said, the calf and mama cow were going to be fine. That was a big checkmark onthe to-do list for the day. But between the three AM emergency wake-up call from the foreman, and the fact that I couldn’t get the annoying Meyer out of my brain, I figured a run into town would do me good.
I took the back road so I could loop my way around and hit Bobcat Stump on the way into Charming. It was a well-known fact that despite the pie crust at the Stump’s only café tasting like it had been rolled in the desert sand before being pressed into a pie dish, their buttermilk bars would cause a holy man to sell his soul.
On the other hand, the coffee at The Flying Saucer in Charming was like an elixir of the gods. It might add a good twenty minutes to my trip, but it was worth every second to ensure the proper pastry-to-coffee ratio—the ultimate taste combination.
Yet, therein lay the conundrum. While my feelings on the subject weren’t unique—almost anyone in town would say the same—admitting such a thing to Destiny, the owner and confection maker at The Saucer, would create a calamity from which the town would never recover.
Destiny and the Stump’s owner, Alejandra, had a rivalry that went way back. No one was certain of the exact origin, but rumors over the years pointed to a fundraising bake sale that began when they were in middle school together. Something about stolen recipes and purloined ingredients. However, no one knew for certain.
I’d already grabbed my donut, which was carefully wrapped in the tiny white paper bag. I tucked it under my hat where it couldn’t be spotted on the passenger seat of my truck. Not that Destiny was likely to come out of the shop and inspect my truck for donut contraband, but one couldn’t be too careful.
“Good morning, Destiny,” I called out as I breezed into the shop. The strong, earthy scent of freshly brewed coffee filled theair, mixed with a hint of cinnamon and fresh bread. “Smells great in here.”
“Aww, thanks, hon.” Destiny grinned at me from behind the counter, where she was busy cleaning up the espresso attachments. “What can I get for you today?”
I cleared my throat, mortified that I was already radiating guilt before I’d uttered one word. “Well, I think I’ll go for the twenty-ounce meteor brew today. I’ve been up since three.”
“Ooh, boy. Sounds like there’s a lot going on at the ranch.”
I nodded. “Always.”
As I waited for her to make my drink, I took in the unique décor of the shop. The entire small space was painted a nighttime sky deep blue, which sometimes made me feel as if it were closing in on me. In addition, an array of planets and stars had been painted by someone with questionable artistic talent on the walls, including the occasional misshapen flying saucer adding to the chaotic scenery.
Eventually, my gaze landed on a flying saucer-shaped sugar cookie with an alien made out of green frosting decorating the top. Next to that was a large black macaron with ‘we come in peace’ spelled out in edible glitter.
Destiny handed me my cup, then smiled as she tracked my gaze. “These are the sassy saucers.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“The macarons. See? Don’t they look like flying saucers?”
I blinked several times as I considered the sugary creations. “Oh, of course. Yeah. Now I see it.”
“And these?”
She pointed to a tray below the saucers. An array of peach-shaped cookies were displayed, but they were covered in green frosting and… I squinted. There was a distinct brown frosting line going down the center. “Those are the new alien butts.” Destiny snort-chuckled. “The tourists love them. I get all thetourist traffic, you know. For fresh baked goods, I mean.” She gave a casual shrug. “No point in driving out of your way to a two-horse town when you already have the best right here. Wouldn’t you agree, Dex?” She batted her eyelashes.
“I…err…” I swallowed with no spit, so I took a sip of my coffee. “Goodness. That is some incredible coffee.” I made a small salute with my cup. “Nothing beats this right here.”
Destiny’s eyes narrowed a tad. “What about a pastry to go with your coffee? Unless, of course, you already picked up something from somewhere else?”
My throat closed up, and my limbs froze. It was as if I’d been transported back in time to when I’d lied to my sixth-grade teacher about my book report. It wasn’t my dog that ate my homework, but I did place the blame of the hideous crime on a hapless mare who’d never done me wrong. Would I confess now? How could I avoid punishment for my transgression?
“Uh, you know what? I think Lindy would love to have a dozen cookies. Those green alien butts do look tasty.”
The words had flown from my mouth before my brain could catch up and save me from my own stupidity. My face heated, and I coughed into my fist, looking everywhere but at her. In a stunning development, Destiny appeared oblivious to my slip of the tongue, as it were.
“Oh, they are! Believe me, I’ve eaten plenty of those butts.”
She grinned like a loon as she pulled a dark blue bakery box from under the counter. The signature item featured her logo, which was a cartoon drawing of flying saucers with little green men laughing and hanging out of their spaceships with fistfuls of cookies and coffee cups. After carefully loading the cookies into the box—with an extra butt to make a baker’s dozen—I managed to escape the bakery and my own mortification.
I almost stumbled over my boots right as I reached my truck. Thankfully, the cookies and my coffee survived my clumsiness.However, I wasn’t so sure I’d survive my next stop. Now that I had the goodies, I had no choice but to drive them over to Lindy’s.
Of course, I could wait to bring them until dinner the next day. But wouldn’t they go stale? I wasn’t an expert on fresh-baked goods, except that day-old was a thing for a reason.
I dropped my shoulders, sighing. Perfect. By the time I finished dinner at the Jones’ house the following night, I would’ve spent three days in a row with the odious Meyer Jones. I yanked my door open with a bit too much force, and my coffee hit the ground like an actual meteor, liquid splashing all over my leather boots.
The man was a curse. This wasn’t his town, not anymore. When he left, he swore never to come back. Yet, here he was, getting ready to step into a top position and be beloved by all again.
