“Nope.” He had no clue. The antique purse wasn’t helpful either. Since finding the Joker card inside it, it had been empty.
“I’m sure all will be revealed.” Abby winked.
“Maybe . . .” His sentence trailed as he watched Emma begin to perform her magic with the shimmering pink mixing spoon. Seeing her in action was pretty cool. She asked Chris what he was looking for in a soul mate.
Donovan’s thoughts zoomed back to the night of the blizzard when he’d asked Zoe the same question.
He’s got to be funny and smart. Definitely supportive of my business.
He picked up the pink collar.
He has to like cats.
That’s it! He jumped off the stool and gathered the three items.Mary, you’re a freakin’ genius. He was the man for Zoe, and he had all the items right here to prove it to her. All but one, and he knew who he needed to see to get it. He bolted for the exit.
“Where are you going?” Abby called out.
He glanced behind him, tossing her a grin. “To borrow a cat.”
Zoe filledthe last cup of soup, sliding on the to-go lid and handing it to Will.
She wiped her brow. Wow. Today had been crazy.
In a good way.
It’d been a busy day, feeding huge lunch and dinner crowds. She hadn’t known what to expect when she declared she’d be open for business without Donovan, but the customers kept coming. The best thing? They loved the soup and sandwiches she was making. Many even said they’d be back later in the week for more.
She was grateful for Will who didn’t mind helping her during his time off from the boutique. And he was quite the soup pusher. She wasn’t quite sure what she’d do when he went back to work, but Ralph stopped in earlier and offered one of his employees to help her out until she hired someone.
She glanced into the empty soup pot. Things were going to be fine. Business was good. She didn’t need Donovan Foster to succeed.
Funny, how he proved it for the second time.
She sighed. Mad at him or not, she missed the way he danced around her kitchen, his sexy smile, the feel of his warm embrace.
Stop it!She sent that order straight to her heart. Donovan was an insensitive jerk who hadn’t even bothered to get in touch with her after the blow up at the Lakeside Inn. He could have done the decent thing and dissolved their partnership amicably.
“Zoe . . .”
She spun around to see Will holding the soup cup she’d just given him. “We’ve got a problem.”
“What?” Her only problem right now was deciding what she’d make tomorrow with the ingredients she had left from the Fresh Foods delivery. The supply was dwindling. Maybe she could go shopping in the morning.
Right now, she wanted to clean up, go home, and prop up her feet.
“The soup. The customer outside says it’s awful, and he wants to speak to you.”
“Let me see that.” She grabbed a tasting spoon from the prep counter and pulled off the
cup’s lid, plunging the spoon in and taking a taste. The sweet cream melted her taste
buds. “This is delicious.”
Will shrugged. “I think you should go talk to the customer.”
“Fine.” She slipped her dirty apron off over her head and glanced over her shoulder.
“You coming?”