Luca’s nose scrunched the way mine did. “Candy onions donotsound good.”
Walter laughed harder. “Salty-sweet, my boy. Salty-sweet. Not to the point of sugar but it balances the dish. And when you top it with a sharp cheddar—” Walter kissed his fingers like an exaggerated Italian chef. “Perfection!”
Luca still looked skeptical.
“You’ll see when we do our taste test,” Walter promised.
Luca grinned at him, the gap from his missing tooth showing. “The taste tests are my favorite part.”
“Told you he was a genius,” Walter called as I put the cupcakes into the oven.
God, we were lucky to have found him. Walter had been born and raised in Sparrow Falls, only leaving to join the Army at twenty-two. But he’d opted to be a culinary specialist instead of walking out onto the front lines, saying, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
After coming home to Sparrow Falls, he’d worked in insurance for most of his days. But after retiring, he’d gotten bored quickly. And when I put aHelp Wantedsign in the window of The Mix Up, he’d answered the call and had been with us ever since.
“Are you two mad geniuses going to keep it in line if I do a little paperwork?” I asked, wiping my hands on a towel.
“Duh, Mom,” Luca called.
I pinned Walter with a stare. “No more cupcakes untilafterchili.”
“Mooooom,” Luca protested.
“You’ve had two already today. Do you want me to go to mom jail for giving you too much sugar?”
Luca giggled. “Mr. Trace would never lock you up.”
I grinned, moving in to tickle his side. “I don’t know, Trace seems like a rule follower to me.” In every way. I’d noticed that he was a stickler for keeping things neat and tidy and always following through on his word. And while he expected a lot from others, he was hardest on himself.
Luca squealed, shifting out of my grasp. “Don’t worry, I’ll come visit and bring you cupcakes.”
“Best kid around,” I called as I headed for the main area of the café.
“Duh!” Luca yelled back.
“Love you more than bees love honey!”
“Double duh!”
I laughed as I grabbed a ham and cheddar croissant and my pile of paperwork, heading to a table in the corner. I stopped to check on our only patron at the moment, a woman who seemed caught up in what looked like an amazing book. She waved me off with a grin, and I headed for my destination.
Lowering myself into the chair, I let out a long breath. My muscles ached, and my head felt heavy. I knew I’d been pushing things a bit too hard lately, but I wasn’t sure what other choice I had.
The papers on the table glared up as if reminding me exactly why I’d been pushing so hard. I nibbled on my croissant as I looked over bank accounts and supply order forms. I crunched and re-crunched numbers. Even with paying the apartment rent week to week, managing it all would be impossible. I’d looked up the fees to consult a lawyer about the rent increase, but their hourly rates were worse than what I paid the landlord.
Tears pressed against the backs of my eyes, the pressure of them taunting me, trying to get me to break. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Not with Luca in the kitchen, and me needing to get through the rest of the day.
The bell on the door sounded, and my head jerked up to see Shep and Thea headed my way, shopping bags in tow. I forced a smile but knew instantly that Thea saw through it.
“What happened?” she demanded. “Is Luca okay?”
“He’s fine,” I assured her. “Making chili in the kitchen with Walter.”
Thea’s shoulders slumped in relief, and my heart squeezedat how deeply my friend loved my kid. Her gaze roamed my face. “What’s going on?”
I opened my mouth to lie and then realized it was no use. I’d have to move out of the apartment before long, and Thea wouldn’t miss that. I plucked up the letter from Rick and handed it to her.
She took it, her face reddening as she scanned the sheet. “That prickish asshole. He already raised your rent a few months ago.”
