Cafe Love: Cupid's Cafe Box Set Books 2-4 Read online

  Café Love

  CUPID’S CAFÉ

  Where love is on the menu

  Books #2-4

  By Ashley Lauren

  Copyright © 2016 Ashley Lauren

  All Rights Reserved.

  http://www.ashleylaurenbooks.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

  Any inquiries regarding this book, please email

  [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Bacon, Love, & Tomatoes

  Sweet As Shortcake

  Chocolate Kisses

  Introduction and Note from Author

  In downtown Berkeley, California there’s a small diner where big things are happening. The locals gossip that at Cupid’s Café love is on the menu… and they would be right!

  Hi, this is Ashley, and I love the Cupid’s Café series, especially Katy. So far, eight books in the series have been written, and I am in various stages of editing them. In honor of that and because I love my readers, I want to offer you the fifth book in the Cupid’s Café series. All you have to do is go to

  http://www.ashleylaurenbooks.com/#!free-romance-novella/v1lmi

  And tell me where to send your complimentary book.

  Bacon, L ove, and Tomatoes

  Cupid’s Café

  Where Love is on the Menu

  Book #2

  By Ashley Lauren

  Chapter One

  Cupid’s Café was always bustling. As a quaint little diner within walking distance from the University of California, Berkeley, it was constantly jam-packed with locals, students, and faculty members. It was a great place to grab a bite to eat and meet up with friends. Brooke Massey however, entered the establishment with the intention to study for her upcoming bioengineering exam rather than with a social agenda.

  As a marine biologist, she had fulfilled all of her core requirements by the spring semester of her junior year. All in all, things were looking up for Brooke. Graduation was just weeks away, and her classes were mostly elective based except for the dreaded bioengineering requirement. I just need to get some solid studying time in, and I’ll be home free.

  With that thought in mind, her hand tightened around the strap of her backpack, covered with various pins, proudly declaring her tendency to play a very active role on campus. As she stepped inside of the diner, a soft chime rang out and Brooke was met with a deluge of sound. All around her, various conversations fluttered around the room as patrons conversed over a burger or root beer float.

  Brooke smiled, instantly loving the atmosphere. The diner was 50’s themed with old-fashioned signs plastered along the walls. There were blue booths to one side and a long counter on the other. The seats were round and upholstered in a blue faux leather that matched the booths. At the far end was a large Coca-Cola machine that distributed coke in glass bottles. Right next to it was a classic jukebox. Brooke grinned ear to ear, feeling like she had been transported back in time. The place had an almost magical charm to it.

  She surveyed the area, and to her relief, she saw three open seats on the counter near the far wall. She snatched the seat closest to the wall. Balancing her bag on her legs, she took out her notebook while waiting for a waitress to come and ask for her order. Reaching into the bag once more, she pulled out a pen and placed it between her lips so she could free up both hands to maneuver the cumbersome textbook from her backpack. Finally, with a large thud, she managed to place the book on the counter.

  “My, my, that’s a mighty large book you got there, hon,” a female voice declared.

  Brooke looked up to see a smiling woman standing before her. The woman seemed to be about forty-years-old. Her face was lined with fine laugh lines, suggesting a life full of happiness. Her hair was black, about shoulder length, with a slight bounce to it as it framed her cheerful face. Her green eyes were warm and inviting.

  “Yep. It’s bioengineering. My hardest subject this semester. It’s really interesting, but the exams are really challenging,” Brooke explained, responding to the curvy woman’s comment.

  “Ah. I was never one for science. I prefer to stay here in my diner.”

  “Oh, are you the owner?” Brooke inquired politely.

  “Yes. Owned and operated by yours truly for over twenty years now.” The woman answered proudly.

  “Wow. That’s impressive.”

  “I am Katherine Cupid, by the way.” The woman paused, holding out a hand for a handshake. As Brooke held out her hand, the woman leaned over and hugged Brooke instead, taking her by surprise. The hug was warm and affectionate. Brooke found herself enjoying the sudden friendliness. It should have felt weird coming from someone she didn’t know, but somehow it didn’t.

  “By the way, everyone calls me Katy!” She chimed, her eyes crinkling as she pulled back to stand with a hand resting on her hip. “Now, what can I get you?” She asked, pulling a menu out of her apron.

  Brooke grabbed it, flipping through the pages. She took her time looking through all of her options, trying to make the best choice. Unfortunately, as amazing as the diner was, their menu wasn’t very responsive to vegetarians. “Um… I guess I will go with the BLT, hold the bacon.” Brooke’s cheeks took on a slightly pink hue. She was expecting Katy to give her a judgmental expression for ordering a lettuce and tomato sandwich, but the lady gave her a warm smile instead.

  “Coming right up,” Katy assured as she spun on her heels, leaving Brooke alone. Brooke watched her go, amazed by the woman’s charisma. Never before had the girl seen anyone so friendly. It put her in a pleasant mood, and she refocused on her textbook. She pulled out her notebook, opened to a blank page, and began working.

  Brooke gnawed on her pencil eraser, stumped by a problem. The sound of the door chime reached her ears providing a welcome distraction. She knew she should be focusing on finding a solution, but she couldn’t help glancing over when someone sat down two seats away. He was about 5’10 and boasted an athletic body. A bright smile adorned his face as he caught sight of Katy making her way over to him.

  “Justin! It’s good to see you again. How are you? How are those little micro critters treating you? Hopefully, they don’t keep you cooped up in those labs all day.” Katy quickly instigated small talk as she approached the young man.

  “It’s been good. My experiment is going well. About half of my colony is producing the needed enzymes, but then the other half of microbes won’t react to anything I do to them. I think they’re just plain lazy. It’s still going to be a while, but I hope to have a paper published by the end of the summer.” Justin brought Katy up to speed on his graduate studies. “What about you Katy?” he asked pleasantly.

  “I’ve been good, thanks for asking.” She chuckled at the young man who ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair, keeping it out of his eyes. “Looks like you might be needing a haircut soon.”

  “Nah. I think it's okay,” Justin answered as he shook his head and his hair instantly went back to its proper place. “I can still see, so nothing to worry about yet.”

  “Whatever you say.” Katy let out a light-hearted laugh as she grabbed her notepad. “The usual for you, Justin?”

  “Of course.”

  “A BLT with extra bacon coming right up.” Katy wrote down his order and then marched off to the kitchen, placing it up. A few minutes later, Katy came back with two plates in her hand. She placed one in front of Justin and the other in front of Brooke. A small smile played at her lips as she began to walk away to serve
some of the other patrons.

  Brooke looked up to see her sandwich in front of her. Her stomach growled in anticipation as she saw the fresh looking lettuce. Eagerly, she closed her books, pushing them to the side and pulled her plate closer. As she lifted the bread, however, she was slightly disgusted to find a big, greasy pile of bacon all over the ripe looking tomatoes. “Uh… I thought I ordered this without bacon. Not with extra bacon.” She groaned, looking around for Katy.

  Meanwhile, Justin enthusiastically grabbed his sandwich, taking a large bite out of it. The sound of crunchy lettuce resounded, but as he started to chew through his bite, he was quickly disappointed. There wasn’t an ounce of bacon in his sandwich. He checked through it, but just as he suspected, it was completely void of meaty goodness. Who would order a sandwich with just lettuce and tomatoes?

  Justin looked around, trying to find Katy and tell her about the mix-up when his eyes caught sight of Brooke, sitting at the far end of the counter, a dissatisfied look on her face. Instantly, he felt his heart speed up as he admired the beautiful girl. She was a little on the short side but looked like a college student. Probably a senior. Her skin was fair and looked silky smooth. Her hair was chestnut brown, reaching down to her mid-back. She had dark eyes that were utterly captivating.

  Justin blinked and then the girl suddenly appeared beside him.

  “Um… I couldn’t help but notice that you got a BLT. By any chance, did you order one with extra bacon?” she asked.

  He nearly fell off of his chair as he was now forced to stare directly at her gorgeous face. Her full cheeks. Her delicate pink lips.

  Justin gulped and managed to form an answer. “Actually, I did. Did you order one without bacon?” He showed her the meatless version of his favorite sandwich.

  “In fact, I did.” Brooke chuckled. “Looks like Katy mixed up our orders.” Brooke took a seat next to Justin. “Luckily, I don’t see the harm in us just switching the plates.”

  “Oh… um…” Before Justin could stop her, she had already changed the plates. “I kind of already took a bite out of yours…”

  Brooke’s well-groomed eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she examined the sandwich. “That’s a big bite! You nearly ate half of the sandwich!” Brooke remarked in astonishment.

  “Well… you see, I haven’t had lunch… or food all day and I was pretty hungry.”

  “What have you been doing all day that you didn’t have time to eat?” Brooke asked, curiously. “I mean, I have two exams and a final project and always find time for food.”

  “I work in a lab and food isn’t allowed inside so it can be hard to find some time to leave the experiment, you know?”

  “Oh? Where do you work?” Brooke grabbed a knife and fork, cutting away the part of her sandwich that Justin had taken a chunk out of. Once it was safe to eat, she took her own bite. “Mmm… these ingredients are so fresh.”

  Brooke savored the taste of the sandwich. Closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them, Justin was staring at her with wide eyes and pink cheeks. I make him nervous? It’s cute.

  “I work at Berkeley in the bioengineering lab. I currently experiment with the microbes originally engineered to clean oil spills, but I’m trying to reprogram them to help make a renewable energy source. It’s nothing major really…” Justin stammered.

  Cute, smart, and concerned about the environment. What a bonus. “That’s amazing! I’m an undergraduate senior at Berkeley planning to work as a marine biologist,” Brooke said.

  “Impressive. I’m a graduate student as well.” Justin looked down at his sandwich to distract himself from Brooke’s eyes. He could barely form a coherent sentence with her looking at him. He lifted the bread up and found countless layers of bacon. Mmmmm bacon. Bacon didn’t make him nervous, so he focused on his sandwich instead of the girl next to him for a few minutes.

  Brooke couldn’t help but giggle as she watched him. He was making a bit of a mess, bacon pieces falling around him like rain. “Someone was really hungry.” She commented and reached for her water bottle.

  “Well, Katy’s bacon is to die for.” Justin’s face crinkled with a smile as he licked his lips.

  “I wouldn’t know. I’m a vegetarian.”

  “So, that explains the lack of bacon…” Justin whispered to himself, hoping she wouldn’t hear him.

  “Yeah. It’s pretty good actually.”

  “Even without the bacon?” Justin raised an eyebrow in suspicion, unconvinced.

  “Even without the bacon.” Brooke nodded with a chuckle. “Lettuce and tomato just naturally go together. Since lettuce is crispy and tomatoes are juicy, they complement each other well

  “I still don’t believe you. Bacon is way too good.” Justin stated.

  “Hey, just because I’m a vegetarian, doesn’t mean I’m trying to destroy all the bacon in the world. I just choose not to eat meat. You can do whatever you want,” Brooke replied finishing her sandwich.

  “I’m Brooke Massey by the way.” She held out her hand in greeting.

  Justin looked down at his greasy fingers and cursed under his breath. He hurried to wipe his hands on his jeans in order to shake her hand. The second he touched her hand, tingles ran up his arm. He gawked at Brooke, not knowing what to make of the feeling.

  “I’m Justin Elliott,” he blurted out after holding her hand for way too long.

  Chapter Two

  Justin awkwardly let go of her hand, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry about that.” His cheeks were a pink color as he looked into Brooke’s fierce green eyes. “Do you come here often?” he asked.

  “No, this is my first time. One of my friends said I should give it a try,” Brooke responded.

  “What? You’re a senior at Berkeley, and you haven’t been to Cupid’s? Everyone comes here,” Justin said.

  “Well, I usually cook my own food. If I don’t feel like cooking, the school’s cafeteria has several options for vegetarians. I never really saw a need to go out anywhere else.”

  “I burn everything I cook. Cupid’s is a much safer option for me. Besides, I love the food here. I don’t know how Katy does it, but this place never loses its charm.” Justin smiled appreciatively up at the well-placed decorations. “Would you like a coke?” he asked politely as he got up from his stool.

  “Sure.”

  “Cool.” With that, Justin waltzed over to the coke machine, popping in a crisp, five-dollar bill. He waited for the machine to dispense two glass coke bottles before walking back to his seat. “Let me open them,” he stated as he pushed the cap against the counter, popping one bottle open. There was a dangerous fizz that nearly escaped the top of the bottle, but it settled down before the soda could spill out.

  “Phew. That was a close one.” Brooke smiled, grabbed her bottle, and took a sip. She stared at the bottle for a few seconds and then said, “I forgot how much better soda tastes when it’s in a bottle.”

  “I know what you mean. Too bad they rarely sell these anymore.” Justin looked at his bottle, scrutinizing it.

  Silence settled between them and even though it wasn’t necessarily awkward, he felt like he needed to say something. Anything. He looked over in Brooke’s direction. “So, what are you studying?”

  “I have a bioengineering exam this coming Friday. I know it seems like I’m super proactive, but I’ve been falling behind all semester and really need to play catch-up right now. Also, the class is pretty intensive, and I want to do well. Professor Kent is rather…uh…difficult, to put it nicely.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes as she thought of the mean little professor with his full head of white hair and hawk-like facial features.

  Justin let out a snort, barely avoiding coke coming out of his nose. “He’s actually my mentor. He runs the lab I work at. I know Kent seems mean right now, but if you get to know him, he’s not that bad. The man’s a genius.”

  Justin attempted to defend his old professor, but he remembered being one of his new graduate stu
dents. The man was tough and didn’t accept excuses, but he was brilliant. Maybe too brilliant.

  Brooke looked at Justin skeptically.

  “No, seriously. It just takes some time to get to know him. Maybe I should introduce you some time. I’m pretty sure he likes me. At least, he’s never made me cry or leave the lab, like some of the other graduate students.”

  “And you expect me to think that this guy is nice?” Brooke retorted, looking at Justin as if he were crazy.

  “Um… I guess that wasn’t a very good example.” Justin felt his face go red at his statement. Why am I making such a fool of myself?

  “Are you okay? You’re all red,” Brooke observed.

  “Yeah. It’s kind of hot in here.”

  “It’s pretty cold actually.” Brooke burst out laughing after a moment. “I’m just pulling your leg. It is hot in here.” She smiled warmly. “I should probably get back to my work before I fall behind even more.”

  “You know, I could help you if you wanted,” Justin offered as he got closer and snatched her textbook, sliding it across the counter until it rested in front of him. “Hmm the Horton Ed., I used this one back at Brown University when I was an undergraduate. I’ve never taken Kent’s introductory class, but I’m sure it can’t be all that different than the one I took. I’d be glad to help,” Justin offered and started flipping through the pages.

  “Really? That would be awesome. Do you mind if I snag your number?” Brooke asked. Before Justin could answer, she fished her phone out of her bag. She opened a new contact screen and handed Justin her phone.

  Justin stared at it a moment. The phone’s case was a hard, purple plastic decorated with a blue cheetah print. He thought it fit Brooke’s personality. Bypassing this thought, he typed his info and added himself as a contact. “There you go.” He paused, his cheeks going red again. “Um, do I get your number?”