Page 8 of Sweet Surprises

Charlotte had been burned so badly the last time she let herself fall for someone, that she figured it couldn’t hurt to take a year or two or ten off from dating. So she had made a rule for herself: No falling in love this year.

Honestly, I don’t ever need to fall in love,she reminded herself.There’s nothing wrong with adopting a dog and living a nice simple life.Not everyone is equipped to find a decent guy to settle down with.

Her own guy-finding ability seemed to be broken or something. Before Bryce, she had dated a jerk who cheated on her. And her high school boyfriend had somehow hidden a hot temper that he chose to fully reveal by making a super embarrassing scene and yelling at her on prom night, in front of everyone.

That was the trouble with being an optimist. Sure, she went through life feeling like her glass was half full. But assuming the best in others sometimes ended up with her being surprised and disappointed.

No more bad surprises,she promised herself.I’m going to be more careful from now on, and everything’s going to be great.

“One Vermont Special,” Tara said, rousing Charlotte from her thoughts.

Tara set down a plate that was absolutely covered with pancakes, bacon, and toast, along with a wedge of what looked like cheddar cheese.

“Now this isn’t the Vermont Special unless you drown it in maple syrup,” Tara warned her, placing down a little jug beside the plate. “That’s from Hayes Maple Sugar Farm, right here in Sugarville Grove.”

“Oh, wow,” Charlotte said, lifting the little jug, surprised to find it was warm.

“Enjoy,” Tara said, winking as she headed to the counter where another customer was waiting.

Charlotte drenched her pancakes in maple syrup as she was told, figuring that if her day was starting like this, it was a pretty good sign.

One good surprise already.

Two hours later,she wasn’t so sure.

Back at the ice cream shop, she had done the morning sweep-up and wipe-down, put all her change in the register, turned on the lights, and flipped the sign on the front door.

But not a single customer had walked through the door since then.

In fairness, there was literally snow on the ground and it was barely eleven in the morning, but still, it was no wonder Allie said they could hardly afford to keep the doors open.

“Maybe there will be a lunch rush,” she murmured to the tiny, framed photo that she had placed behind the counter.

In the picture, her dad was beaming, his arms wrapped around a much younger version of Charlotte. Her mother’s thumb, which featured prominently in the lower left corner, officially made it a family photo. Her dad had always kept it on his desk at work. When he passed, Charlotte’s mom had given it to her, and she liked to keep it close.

She decided to sweep up again, even though she had already swept this morning. Afterward, she was at a bit of a loss.

Lois, the elderly lady who used to work the register, had left some magazines under the counter. In desperation, Charlotte grabbed one and had just begun to scan the tattered pages of a housekeeping journal when the bells over the door jingled at last.

“Welcome,” Charlotte said, whisking the magazine back under the counter and offering her guests a smile.

Instead of smiling back, the two women were frowning at the glass display. They seemed about the age of Charlotte’s mom, but she could tell by their fancy coats that age was where the comparison ended.

“Do you have any lactose-free options?” the taller blonde asked.

“We do,” Charlotte told her proudly. “We have chocolate and maple flavors available lactose-free.”

Maple flavored ice cream had sounded strange to Charlotte, but she was looking forward to trying it. Allie had said maple everything was popular in Sugarville Grove. And the syrup for it was sourced at the same local farm that made the syrup she’d had at breakfast, which had been amazing.

“This is from a local dairy, right?” the short brunette popped up to ask.

“Of course,” Charlotte told her. “The Lawrence family have been dairy farming for generations.”

“Do they use antibiotics?” the blonde asked.

“Um, I’m not sure,” Charlotte admitted. “But if you’ll give me a moment, I can find out for you.”

She grabbed her phone and tapped the contact Allie had put in for her that saidBig Brother Tag. The phone rang just enough times for her to start to panic before she heard him pick up.

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