definitely our last choice.”
Julia should have been pleased with this news, but somehow it ended up making her feel totally inadequate. But then Skye had been doing that since she was old enough to talk—making Julia feel incompetent. You’d think as an older sister, Julia would be the one who’d be more in control, more confident.
Au contraire.
Skye was always the one who marched right in and did whatever she wanted.
Julia was always the one who tried to clean up the mess afterward.
It stopped here.
Okay, maybe not right here right now at this very second, but in the extremely near future.
Julia would help out her family this one last time and then they’d have to take responsibility for themselves.
What a concept.
“I hear you were visiting the librarian with the llamas,” Adele noted upon his return to Maguire’s.
“The rumor mill at work again.” Luke removed his leather jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “Did you also hear we’re raising the price of our burgers?”
“That her idea?”
“Who?”
“The librarian with the llamas.”
“What makes you think it was her idea? You don’t think I can come up with a business concept on my own?”
Adele shrugged. “I’m just saying that you go visit her and come back here announcing the price of the burgers is going up. Anything else you want to raise? Because if we’re reprinting the menus, you might as well get it all done with at once.”
“Who said anything about reprinting the menus?”
“How else were you planning on letting the customers know about the price change?”
“By writing it in.”
Adele made a face. “That’s tacky.”
“So?”
“So my cooking deserves better than tacky menus.”
“Printing new menus costs money.”
“You have to spend money to make money.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. It’s a well-known fact.”
“It’s not known by me. We’re writing on the menus. Get over it.”
“You’re just a regular bluebird of happiness today, aren’t you?”
“I had a run-in with a sanctimonious idiot named Walt.”
“And what did our illustrious mayor have to say?”
“The guy’s a maggot.”
“I believe he’s a Republican.”
“I thought they believed in government staying out of people’s business.”
“That’s part of their national platform, I believe, yes.”
“Then where does Walt get off telling people how high their grass can grow? He actually had a ruler in his hand.”
“Well, they passed an ordinance, you know. To keep the town looking good.”
“How did they get away with that?”
Adele shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Lots of stupid things do. That’s why you give them further thought.”
“Hindsight is always twenty-twenty,” she replied. “Listen, since you’re redoing the menus, I think we should add sweet potato fries. They’re always popular when I make them, but not everyone knows about them because they aren’t listed anywhere.”
Luke belatedly recalled Julia’s comment about the menu needing some sprucing up.
“I’m not adding anything tofu,” he warned Adele.
“Veggie burgers might be a good idea. I’ve got a file full of ideas.” She hustled over to a small table in the corner of the kitchen. “Your dad refused to change anything.”
Which made Luke want to turn everything upside down.
“I met the nicest man down by the library,” Angel told Julia.
“What was his name?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
Don’t let it be the library director, Julia prayed. “What did he look like? What did you say to him?”
“That big business was trying to ruin yet another scenic spot.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Serenity Falls. The waterfalls.”
“You went to see them?”
“No, but I was told they are beautiful. And that a big company wants to bottle the spring water and sell it.”
“Those are only rumors at this point.”
“That’s always how these things start
Julia should have been pleased with this news, but somehow it ended up making her feel totally inadequate. But then Skye had been doing that since she was old enough to talk—making Julia feel incompetent. You’d think as an older sister, Julia would be the one who’d be more in control, more confident.
Au contraire.
Skye was always the one who marched right in and did whatever she wanted.
Julia was always the one who tried to clean up the mess afterward.
It stopped here.
Okay, maybe not right here right now at this very second, but in the extremely near future.
Julia would help out her family this one last time and then they’d have to take responsibility for themselves.
What a concept.
“I hear you were visiting the librarian with the llamas,” Adele noted upon his return to Maguire’s.
“The rumor mill at work again.” Luke removed his leather jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “Did you also hear we’re raising the price of our burgers?”
“That her idea?”
“Who?”
“The librarian with the llamas.”
“What makes you think it was her idea? You don’t think I can come up with a business concept on my own?”
Adele shrugged. “I’m just saying that you go visit her and come back here announcing the price of the burgers is going up. Anything else you want to raise? Because if we’re reprinting the menus, you might as well get it all done with at once.”
“Who said anything about reprinting the menus?”
“How else were you planning on letting the customers know about the price change?”
“By writing it in.”
Adele made a face. “That’s tacky.”
“So?”
“So my cooking deserves better than tacky menus.”
“Printing new menus costs money.”
“You have to spend money to make money.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. It’s a well-known fact.”
“It’s not known by me. We’re writing on the menus. Get over it.”
“You’re just a regular bluebird of happiness today, aren’t you?”
“I had a run-in with a sanctimonious idiot named Walt.”
“And what did our illustrious mayor have to say?”
“The guy’s a maggot.”
“I believe he’s a Republican.”
“I thought they believed in government staying out of people’s business.”
“That’s part of their national platform, I believe, yes.”
“Then where does Walt get off telling people how high their grass can grow? He actually had a ruler in his hand.”
“Well, they passed an ordinance, you know. To keep the town looking good.”
“How did they get away with that?”
Adele shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Lots of stupid things do. That’s why you give them further thought.”
“Hindsight is always twenty-twenty,” she replied. “Listen, since you’re redoing the menus, I think we should add sweet potato fries. They’re always popular when I make them, but not everyone knows about them because they aren’t listed anywhere.”
Luke belatedly recalled Julia’s comment about the menu needing some sprucing up.
“I’m not adding anything tofu,” he warned Adele.
“Veggie burgers might be a good idea. I’ve got a file full of ideas.” She hustled over to a small table in the corner of the kitchen. “Your dad refused to change anything.”
Which made Luke want to turn everything upside down.
“I met the nicest man down by the library,” Angel told Julia.
“What was his name?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
Don’t let it be the library director, Julia prayed. “What did he look like? What did you say to him?”
“That big business was trying to ruin yet another scenic spot.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Serenity Falls. The waterfalls.”
“You went to see them?”
“No, but I was told they are beautiful. And that a big company wants to bottle the spring water and sell it.”
“Those are only rumors at this point.”
“That’s always how these things start
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