The Sweet Spot (Sweet And Spicy) by Mary Eason Page B

cookie recipe. This New York critic apparently went crazy over them.”
    “Just a minute.” Cara sank down into her favorite chair and started scanning through the article before reading it aloud.
    “Ms. Bennett has a tempting little hit on her hands in the form of ‘The Sweet Spot.’ Her secret cookie recipe, which this critic cannot even begin to unravel, is almost as alluring as its creator. Cara Bennett, along with her associate, Shelby Edwards, are two reasons why they say things are hotter in Texas…’
    The cookie in question had come about by accident. Cara had been finishing a batch of her chocolate chip cookies late one night when she’d decided to get creative. Late at night was usually when her best creations had come about. The result was a mixture of chocolate chips, Texas Native pecans and her secret ingredient that nobody knew. Not even Shelby. In spite of all of the attempts by Shelby to find out the ingredients.
    The following morning after Shelby had dubbed it almost as good as sex, Cara had jokingly called it ‘The Sweet Spot.’ Shelby had run with the idea. The cookie had become the trademark of the store. They were delicious. And a top seller, but she’d never imagined they’d catch this much attention.
    “Do you even remember this guy?” she asked Shelby who only shook her head.
    “No, but apparently you made quite an impression on him.”
    Cara stopped reading. “I’m not the only one. He makes us sound like…”
    “Yeah. Isn’t it wonderful? We’re hot.” Cara shook her head. Trust Shelby to like this type of publicity. She glanced back at the paper and continued reading.
    “The luscious Shelby is as hot as a Texas summer.” She looked up and caught Shelby’s smile. “But it’s the illusively, sultry Miss Bennett that steals the show. Like her cookie, she’s sweet on the outside, but don’t be fooled by all that innocence. Nobody with eyes that color is all innocence itself. I have a feeling Cara Bennett can be tempting to a man’s heart as she is to his stomach given half a chance. There are definitely two women living in that very attractive body.”
    “What’s this article supposed to be about?” It sounded like an advertisement you’d find in a guy’s magazine.
    “Who cares? It’s bringing in tons of business. The phone is going crazy. Everyone wants to know if we have a website. But I don’t want to talk about the article anymore. I want to hear about you and Aiden.”
    She threw Shelby a look. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about with Shelby. As Cara continued to read, she remembered Miranda mentioning a write up in a ‘little New York rag’ about the store. At the time she’d been too worried about Miranda’s reaction to finding out she’d slept with Aiden to put much question into it.
    “ The Sweet Spot is worth braving the Texas heat. This little, out-of-the-way shop was an oasis to this critic right from the start. From its smoldering little name, to its ‘come hither’ lovely, leading ladies, to its secret recipe that I’d do just about anything to discover, The Sweet Spot is destined to fulfill .”
    “Oh my God. This is terrible.”
    “Terrible? This is great. You can’t buy publicity this good. Just ask your boyfriend,” Shelby added with a grin.
    “He’s not my boyfriend. Are you serious? People are actually interested in this dribble?”
    “This is going to be big for us. I don’t even mind playing second fiddle to you.” She added with a smile before rolling her eyes as the phone rang again. “Here we go again. Hang on. And don’t think this lets you off the hook. I want to talk about last night.” She threw her best intimidating a look back over her shoulder.
    “Where did they get this picture of me?” Cara squinted at the grainy photo that framed her from the waist up in some filmy blouse that showed a little too much of her. Her hair looked liked she’d just climbed out of bed.
    “I know isn’t it great?”