A Caffeinated Crunch: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 2) by Constance Barker Page A
Authors: Constance Barker
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to take another sip, but put it back down when he saw Essie’s staunch stare. “The word from the ladies group is Mildred.”
Essie continued to stare at Harvey. “Huh?”
“Yup…seems she and Mr. Jefferies, I believe his name is Carl, have been seen together in Sabina.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Aunt Hildie interjected. “Maybe they simply ran into one another.” Hildie always liked to find the good in people. She didn’t want to believe there were evil people in the world, only those who had been changed by circumstances beyond their control. She always looked for the good instead of the bad. I hungered to be more like her.
Harvey shrugged. “Word is they were seen cuddling in a back booth at a restaurant and walking arm in arm down the street.”
Hildie looked down at the table. “Hmmm, that doesn’t sound too innocent then.”
Essie was eating it up. “Mildred again? What is with this red haired floozy?”
Essie learned that ‘Toe’ Thompson, a regular in the shop and Sweet Home’s lifelong bachelor had dated Mildred in the past. Although Essie would tell you and anyone else who would listen that she wasn’t interested in any man since her husband passed, I was seeing something different. Ever since it came out that Toe (just a nickname, should anyone ask) was known to be a man about town, my Aunt Essie had taken a second and third look at the tall drink of water. He was thin, but his shock of dark brown hair wasn’t thinning and he had all his teeth. All plus marks in the senior dating guidebook. Hildie was quite comfortable being the old maid. She never married content to live on her own until Essie became a widow. She knew Essie was lonely so invited her to live at her house inside the senior community. At 62 and the oldest, Essie didn’t think of herself as a senior. She’d even call some of her neighbors old geezers, even if they were a year or two younger. It was safe to say, Essie was not accepting her advancing years with grace and dignity.
“First I find out Toe is the Casanova of the neighborhood, now Mildred is intertwined with a married man,” Essie huffed. “This town is turning into Peyton Place.”
“Peyton what?” I asked. Oops…caught me listening in.
“It was an old soap opera my dear,” Hildie answered. Our mother and your grandmother use to watch it. Back then they called them stories.”
I finished setting up one of my coffee pots to brew some French Vanilla for the afternoon customers. The sweet hint of vanilla along with the powerful undertone of the coffee bean filled my nose with its vibrant aroma. I walked over to Harvey’s table and sat down with him and my aunts to take a rest.
“So does Mrs. Jefferies have any clue as to her husband’s jaunts to Sabina?” I asked.
“Not sure,” Harvey replied. “If someone hasn’t told her I’d be surprised. But maybe she doesn’t care. Some women are like that.”
Essie narrowed her eyes in his direction. “Well, I have pride. If I found out my husband was testing the waters in forbidden territory, he’d find his belongings on the front lawn.”
Harvey grinned. “I have no doubt of that Miss Essie, but no man in his right mind would ever fool around on you.”
Harvey liked to harmlessly flirt with my aunts, even though he knew they were only interested in being friends. The only woman in Harvey’s life was his cat, Miss Pickles, and she wasn’t about to allow any other females in his life but her.
The front door of the coffee shop opened and Mr. Toe Thompson, handyman extraordinaire, entered. Hildie stood up from the table.
“What can I get you Toe?”
“I’d like to try out that new fangled cappuccino machine.”
Hildie sat back down. “That’s Lily’s territory. I have no idea how to run that contraption.”
I walked back behind the counter. “Would you like a cappuccino or a latte Toe?
“Not sure I
Essie continued to stare at Harvey. “Huh?”
“Yup…seems she and Mr. Jefferies, I believe his name is Carl, have been seen together in Sabina.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Aunt Hildie interjected. “Maybe they simply ran into one another.” Hildie always liked to find the good in people. She didn’t want to believe there were evil people in the world, only those who had been changed by circumstances beyond their control. She always looked for the good instead of the bad. I hungered to be more like her.
Harvey shrugged. “Word is they were seen cuddling in a back booth at a restaurant and walking arm in arm down the street.”
Hildie looked down at the table. “Hmmm, that doesn’t sound too innocent then.”
Essie was eating it up. “Mildred again? What is with this red haired floozy?”
Essie learned that ‘Toe’ Thompson, a regular in the shop and Sweet Home’s lifelong bachelor had dated Mildred in the past. Although Essie would tell you and anyone else who would listen that she wasn’t interested in any man since her husband passed, I was seeing something different. Ever since it came out that Toe (just a nickname, should anyone ask) was known to be a man about town, my Aunt Essie had taken a second and third look at the tall drink of water. He was thin, but his shock of dark brown hair wasn’t thinning and he had all his teeth. All plus marks in the senior dating guidebook. Hildie was quite comfortable being the old maid. She never married content to live on her own until Essie became a widow. She knew Essie was lonely so invited her to live at her house inside the senior community. At 62 and the oldest, Essie didn’t think of herself as a senior. She’d even call some of her neighbors old geezers, even if they were a year or two younger. It was safe to say, Essie was not accepting her advancing years with grace and dignity.
“First I find out Toe is the Casanova of the neighborhood, now Mildred is intertwined with a married man,” Essie huffed. “This town is turning into Peyton Place.”
“Peyton what?” I asked. Oops…caught me listening in.
“It was an old soap opera my dear,” Hildie answered. Our mother and your grandmother use to watch it. Back then they called them stories.”
I finished setting up one of my coffee pots to brew some French Vanilla for the afternoon customers. The sweet hint of vanilla along with the powerful undertone of the coffee bean filled my nose with its vibrant aroma. I walked over to Harvey’s table and sat down with him and my aunts to take a rest.
“So does Mrs. Jefferies have any clue as to her husband’s jaunts to Sabina?” I asked.
“Not sure,” Harvey replied. “If someone hasn’t told her I’d be surprised. But maybe she doesn’t care. Some women are like that.”
Essie narrowed her eyes in his direction. “Well, I have pride. If I found out my husband was testing the waters in forbidden territory, he’d find his belongings on the front lawn.”
Harvey grinned. “I have no doubt of that Miss Essie, but no man in his right mind would ever fool around on you.”
Harvey liked to harmlessly flirt with my aunts, even though he knew they were only interested in being friends. The only woman in Harvey’s life was his cat, Miss Pickles, and she wasn’t about to allow any other females in his life but her.
The front door of the coffee shop opened and Mr. Toe Thompson, handyman extraordinaire, entered. Hildie stood up from the table.
“What can I get you Toe?”
“I’d like to try out that new fangled cappuccino machine.”
Hildie sat back down. “That’s Lily’s territory. I have no idea how to run that contraption.”
I walked back behind the counter. “Would you like a cappuccino or a latte Toe?
“Not sure I
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