One Funeral (No Weddings Book 2) by Kat Bastion, Stone Bastion Page B

hair pulled up into a twist came out onto the whitewashed front porch to greet us. “Hello. Come on in. I was just heading out to see if they had the streets blocked off. Been a ghost town in here all morning.”
    Chloe and I walked into the restaurant that had the feel of a farmhouse. Framed black-and-white photographs on the walls depicted rural scenes. One focused on a little boy holding a sunflower almost bigger than he was, another of a sleeping dog on a quilt at the foot of a bed.
    I turned when the woman followed us in. “Are you the owner here?”
    “Sure am.” She picked up two laminated menus from the counter at the back and handed them to us. “Name’s Lila.”
    I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Lila. I’m Hannah Martin, I own Sweet Dreams, the cupcake shop a few streets over. This is Chloe, cupcake baker extraordinaire and today’s marketing assistant.”
    Lila’s eyes lowered to the box in Chloe’s hands. “What are you girls marketing? Cupcakes?”
    I nodded, then took a quick glance at their menu. Her café offered an enormous breakfast fare with a smaller section of salads and sandwiches for lunch. “Yes, although I’m not sure how well cupcakes might go with breakfast.”
    “Oh, pishposh.” She dismissively flapped her hands down on the last word, then reached for the cupcake box. “I make cinnamon buns that could clog an artery, and they’re a customer favorite. Offer the right cupcakes, and they’ll sell like gold-laced hotcakes.”
    Chloe and I exchanged an amused glance as Chloe handed her the box. No other customer this morning sold themselves without a word from us.
    “Go on and have a seat and look at the menu. Coffee?”
    “Coffee would be great,” I said.
    Chloe nodded while we took seats at the bistro set by the sunny front window.
    Lila opened the lid a crack, peeking inside. “What flavors do you have in here?”
    Chloe repeated the sample selection while Lila’s white eyebrow arched.
    “Really? Chocolate bacon will be a surefire hit. Carrot cake too. Not sure about the red velvet. Might be too rich.” She winked at us before turning and disappearing with our box.
    Chloe grinned. “Lila’s a character.”
    Lila returned with two large cups of steaming coffee. “Cream and sugar are on the table. And I’ll try half a dozen of each of the cupcakes next week. We’ll let the customers be the judge of what they want.
    “What can I get you two for lunch?”
    We gave Lila our orders, and she went back into the kitchen. Murmured sounds of conversation drifted out from the back, followed by male laughter.
    Left alone with Chloe with no cupcakes to sell and no other distractions, the opportunity to talk about non-work things stretched wide open. And as the seconds ticked by closer to the minute mark, the awkwardness escalated. I took a deep breath, then exhaled. “So how is school going?”
    “It’s going great. I have no idea what I want to major in. I love art, but my parents are pushing for a more sensible career path, like law or medicine.”
    “Don’t sound so excited.”
    “Oh, should I tone it down some?” She sighed. “At what point in our lives do we finally get to do exactly what we want to do with the unwavering support of our parents?”
    Unable to relate to having parents, let alone them pushing me toward their wishes and not mine, I searched for something consoling to say and came up empty. Instead, I spoke from my meager experience. “I didn’t always know I wanted to bake cakes and cupcakes. But one day in the kitchen, after cooking and baking up a storm for my grandparents and having the time of my life while doing it, I thought maybe I could do what I’m good at and make a living at it.”
    She leaned back in her chair. “You’re lucky. I’m still waiting for my epiphany.”
    “What about baking? When you interviewed with me, you said you’d been baking since you were twelve. No interest in a career path like mine? Or staying on with me