EPISODE THIRTEEN

My feet hurt, but it had been a fantastic day. The ebb and flow of people throughout the hours had been pretty intense. I regretted making a special-of-the-day, since I had made so many hazelnut flat whites it was crazy. The store was closing in ten minutes, and I was so ready to be done. The author had just signed yet another book, but no one else was in line. Either line.

Not only had I been busy with coffee, but it seemed the fans had hit the romance section hard. Then again, maybe the bookstore had refilled the shelves when no one had been looking. I know I didn’t have time to put out books. We must have sold at least twenty books, I had scanned at least that many. Right after lunchtime, there had been a lull, and I tossed some more cookies in the oven. Plus, I’d grabbed a sandwich. The coffee shortbread cookies had been a big hit, same with the double chocolate chunk.

I spotted the cat here and there during the day but he didn’t seem to do anything. Right now he was in the chair in the front window. The author grabbed her bag, and slid on her coat. “I think that's a wrap,” she called from across the store.

“I think so,” I replied.

I wiped down the counter and pulled out a small paper bag that I slid the last two brownie cookies into. While they were good cookies, they were not my favorite. Thankfully, the peanut butter cookies were gone. The rest of the cookie dough was in the freezer, which would help my willpower. I held out the bag.

“You didn’t need to do that…” She grabbed the cookies.

“Well,” I said, pulling a book out from under the counter. It was a copy of The Singing Waves. “One last signature?”

She laughed. “Sure, are you a fan?”

“I haven’t read it, but that many people can’t be wrong.”

She shook her head and pulled her pen out to sign the book. “Warning you, it's spicy and I normally don’t write books like this. I stick with fantasy with some romance, but not usually like this.”

“Good to know,” I said. “I hope it was a good signing for you.”

Stolen story; please report.

“Are you kidding? It was great! I hope I have time to come back and wander the shelves.” Her expression fell, and she looked tired. “Though, I am excited to go hide from the world for the rest of the night, and probably the week.”

“Have a good evening!” I said to her.

She waved and headed out of the store, nibbling on a cookie.

“Cat? Can you lock the door?” I asked. I looked away and the lock on the door clicked. “Tonight might be a night for takeout. What do you want?” The idea of trying to cook something tonight sounded like pure torture.

“How about Chinese? I like the spicy beef,” came his reply.

I started laughing, and I couldn’t stop. Spicy beef, it was just too much. “I can do that. What was up with the signing, anyway? Like, why did we host it?” The cat jumped down from the chair and padded across the store. His jump up to the counter was slow, like he was thinking about how to respond. “You didn’t do any magic today, did you?” I asked.

“No, today had nothing to do with the book.”

I leaned down toward him. “What? Why then?”

He glanced at the cookies.

“You got to be kidding me.” I straightened back up and spun toward the kitchen. “We did this because you wanted cookies?! I could have just ordered you some cookies.” All of those people today ended up in the shop for a book signing just so the cat could get cookies. Next time I would just order cookies. My feet ached with every step as I headed to the stairs.

“What about food?” asked the cat.

“Ugh,” I spun back to the register. The ordering app was on the tablet connected to the register. Unless I wanted to pay for it myself, I had to order it from there. Until I got paid, my bank account was a little low. “Alright, two orders of spicy beef coming up.” While in the app, I noticed the Cookie Chef Bakery in the recent history. I chuckled and wrote a five star review. Then I took out my phone and checked a few other websites to see if they had any ratings. I added my review to a couple of different places. I said how she was a lifesaver and the cookies were a hit. Not to mention the instructions were easy to follow for someone who couldn’t bake to save their life. I took a picture of the few cookies I had left that I had moved to the cake stand.

My feet still ached, but food was on the way and the freezer had some cookie dough in it. Now that my frustration had faded, I smiled. “Those were some good cookies.” My stomach grumbled. “I hope the food is quick. I have a book to read.”

#

I resisted the urge to correct her. Yes, we’d held the event for the cookies, but not because I wanted cookies. The sweet treats were delicious, but I didn’t like what the sugar had done to me. I think those were the zoomies she had mentioned earlier. It was something for me to study either way. As soon as she submitted the first review, I relaxed. Our mission for the day was done. Now we both could enjoy some food, and some solitude.