A Chance for the Newcomer by Lisa Carter

Author:Lisa Carter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-03-08T16:41:35+00:00

* * *

The next few weeks flew by. Will and Maddox spent a lot of time with Kara. He couldn’t help but notice Soufflé seemed to have acquired a great many more toys. And his own name-inscribed, porcelain feeding bowl.

Will rolled his eyes at her. “Why do I get the feeling that even when the splint comes off, that cat is going nowhere?”

She laughed. “No more strays.”

They cooked dinner together almost every evening at her house. He’d certainly never eaten better. And his heart had never felt so full. Maddox blossomed under her nurturing presence. Will began to imagine if those sweet times never had to end.

Which scared him. But taking courage from Kara’s past, he soldiered through. Determined to relish every ounce of happiness while he could.

His perspective glass half-empty, he couldn’t quite shake the sense—based on past experience—that it wouldn’t last. Nothing good ever did.

The council vote kept getting kicked down the road. But finally it was scheduled for the Thursday before Easter. Still a few weeks away.

He tried not to dwell on it. Or agonize over what the outcome might be. Instead, he focused on doing his job, being a good dad and spending as much time as humanly possible off the clock with Kara.

Yet, always at the back of his mind, the impending decision loomed large. Change was a fact of life. But change never brought him anything good. He resolved to not try to look too far ahead, but to enjoy the now.

The Saturday morning of the Flapjack Flip-Off dawned. Standing outside the open firehouse bay, he had an excellent vantage point for observing the proceedings on the square.

ErmaJean was the president of the ladies’ auxiliary, and her helpers had been busy. Miss IdaLee, who’d taught at least three generations of Truelovers, had used all her connections to secure some great raffle prizes this year. Lila Penry’s art students had designed the colorful fliers Luke, Zach and the other guys hung around town.

GeorgeAnne had been less than thrilled at the direction this year’s fund-raiser had taken, but Will was about done with her muleheadedness. If she didn’t like it, she could boycott the Flip-Off. And miss out on all the fun, too.

The ROMEO component—Callie’s dad, Amber’s dad, Maggie’s dad and Pops among others—had been in charge of the layout. Foldout tables and chairs lay scattered across the green for diners. The two competing griddles were deployed on either side of the gazebo.

The café was temporarily shuttered for today’s event. An event he hoped would bring the community together in support of Kara. And the other downtown businesses would enjoy a red-letter day, reaping the benefits of the Flip-Off. Including GeorgeAnne’s hardware store.

His gaze skimmed over the blonde chef who arrived at 6:30 a.m. to set up her station. The competition would begin at eight sharp.

In a matching black chef’s coat, Leo would flip crêpes alongside Kara. Shayla and Trudy were working the fixin’s on the side. Crêpe lovers could choose between savory fillings or sweet toppings, like fresh whipped cream, chocolate sauce or a maple-pecan syrup.

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