Fries Before Guys (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 5) Read online

  Fries Before

  Guys

  Cupid’s Café

  Where Love is on the Menu

  Book #5

  By Ashley Lauren

  Copyright © 2016 Ashley Lauren

  All Rights Reserved.

  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]

  Titles in the Cupid’s Café Series

  Fries Before Guys

  Waffles and Weddings

  Bacon, Love, and Tomatoes

  Sweet as Shortcake

  Chocolate Kisses

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  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, seven books in the series have been written, and I am in various stages of editing them. Each is a complete story and they can be read in any order.

  And because I love my readers, I want to offer you a book in the Cupid’s Café series for FREE. All you have to do is go to

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

  And tell me where to send your FREE BOOK. It could be this book or another. Follow the link to find out.

  Chapter 1

  “What will it be?” Katy Cupid asked with a pleasant smile and eyes that twinkled with mischief. Tammy was a regular and always made Katy laugh.

  “I don’t know… I need some comfort food. I just had the worst date of my life last night,” Tammy Kratz answered with a loud sigh. Her usually round and youthful face radiated fatigue.

  “Oh no, what happened honey?” Kathy asked, genuinely concerned. Even though she was the owner of the very successful diner Cupid’s Café, she always made it a priority to treat her customers like family. And Tammy deserved her full attention. “You love our fries, right? How about a basket?”

  “Yeah. Fries sound great. Much better than guys.”

  Tammy gave a halfhearted laugh before sighing again, her mind reeling back to the awful experience that she had to deal with last night. She watched as Katy made her way to the kitchen to give the cooks her order. Tammy smiled, appreciating the cute, 50s themed diner with its faux, blue leather booths and matching stools at the counter. The signs plastered all over the walls were also a fantastic touch but what brought it all together were the vintage Coke machine and jukebox settled in the far corner. Anyone who stepped into Cupid’s felt like they had just traveled back in time and Tammy was no different. I love it here.

  After a few minutes, Katy came back with a fresh basket of fries. “Careful, they’re hot.” She warned as she started to wipe down the countertop. “If you feel the need to rant, I’m all ears, honey.”

  Katy’s green eyes were sincere as her short, black hair framed her face. Just being around Katy and Cupid’s made Tammy feel better, more grounded. And that was just what she needed about now. She needed someone to listen to her plight and reassure her.

  “Well… it’s sort of a long story.” She sat up on her stool and popped a fry into her mouth. “Mmm, Katy, these are as excellent as always.”

  “Thanks. You can thank Richard for that. Best fries in town if you ask him.”

  “He just might be right about that…” Tammy smiled and nodded again, grabbing another fry and nibbling on its edge. “As I was saying, it was one of the worst dates I’ve ever been on. No, it was the worst. By far. It was awful.”

  “I’m sure it couldn’t have been that bad.” Katy stood up and rested a hand on her hip.

  Tammy raised an eyebrow at Katy and shoved another fry in her mouth.

  “It was really that bad?” Katy moved around the bar and sat on the stool next to Tammy. “What happened?”

  “Well… he said he wanted to take me out to dinner, which was fine. Pretty typical. But, when we got into his car, he started driving like a lunatic. Honestly, I thought I was going to die. I kept clutching my seat, thinking we were going to flip over or something. Then, lo and behold, we got pulled over for speeding.” Tammy’s words were quick and clear as she recounted the tale. It was still fresh in her mind as if she had experienced it just moments ago.

  “Oh no, then what happened?” Katy asked.

  “Then, once the officer ran his license, he found that Mr. Hot Shot had too many outstanding tickets. Apparently, that meant that this ticket was going to be costly. Then, he grabbed the ticket from the police officer and turned to me. I thought he was going to apologize for this whole mess.”

  “Did he?” Katy asked, leaning forward.

  “Oh, no! This guy had the audacity to blame me and complain that I should have to pay the fine because I was distracting him. I was just making small talk while he flew around the corners or else I would’ve gone insane with fear.”

  Tammy’s cheeks were getting red. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her flame red hair and sighed. “But that’s not all.”

  “There’s more?” Katy put her hand on Tammy’s shoulder.

  “Yes,” Tammy admitted.

  “Why didn’t you just have him take you home?”

  Tammy rolled her eyes to the ceiling, staring at the white acoustic tiles wishing that she had asked her jerk of a date to take her home. “I really don’t know. I think I was in a state of shock. I just couldn’t believe that he was serious about blaming me for his driving.”

  “I can understand that. Tell me the rest. It will make you feel better to get it all out.”

  “Okay.” Tammy took a deep breath. “Then, when we got to the restaurant, he tells me that he forgot his credit card and that he couldn’t pay. We had already ordered and went through all that trouble to get there, so I didn’t want to leave. The worst of it was that he had ordered the most expensive item on the menu. All I got was a lousy, wilted salad! Can you believe it?” Tammy asked Katy, her usually soft blue eyes looking irritated.

  “I’m sorry, Tammy, that does sound horrible. Luckily, it was all over after dinner, right?”

  “No… I know. I know.” Tammy held out a hand to Katy, hoping to stop her protests. “I should have made him take me home, but we were going to one of my favorite clubs, and I hoped I might see my friends there. That would have gone a long way to improving the evening.”

  “I’m guessing from your expression that you didn’t see anyone,” Katy stated.

  Tammy sighed. “No. My friends decided on a movie night instead. I wish I’d gone with them in the first place, but no… I went to the club with nightmare date. He actually wasted an hour of my life talking about all the girls he had taken to the club before me. I felt so disrespected. It was like he was just playing some silly game, but I didn’t find it funny at all.” Her bright pink lips turned into a frown as she looked down a
nd violently dunked one of her fries into her ketchup.

  “It isn’t fair, you know. I’m already thirty-years-old, and all I’ve ever had is a string of bad dates. I keep waiting for the one, but I’m not sure he even exists anymore…” she whispered, looking gloomy and feeling her heart sag.

  Katy felt a tug on her own heart looking into Tammy’s sad eyes. There had to be something she could do about that. No one should go through life thinking that there wasn’t any hope for love. “Oh, don’t say that. Love is always lurking around the corner. It just appears when you least expect it. Keep trying, you’ll find him one day. Or maybe he’ll find you, who knows?”

  Katy offered Tammy a warm smile while considering what she could do to cheer her up. Suddenly, she noticed that Tammy was nearly halfway done with her fries and jumped to her feet. She’d been resting enough. It was time to get back to work. She straightened and adjusted the place settings near her.

  “Looks like you are enjoying the fries,” Katy said.

  “They really are amazing. Almost addicting actually.” She looked down. “Wow, did I really already empty half the basket?” She asked, her cheeks turning red.

  Tammy shook her head and then popped another one into her mouth. “Well, without guys in my life, I don’t have to worry about food going straight to my thighs and hips.” She snickered and slapped a hand to her hip.

  Katy laughed with her. “That’s one way to stay positive.”

  “You know, from now on, I have a new motto in life.” Tammy’s voice took on a serious tone.

  “And what might that be?” Katy inquired.

  “Fries before guys!” she declared, holding a fry above her head like a sword. “I’m done dating jerks. Fries could never treat me badly.”

  Katy considered Tammy with a wary eye. “You know, you shouldn’t be too hasty. Everything has a way of working out.”

  “Yeah, well, last night didn’t work out. It was a disaster, and I never want to experience anything like it again. The best way to prevent that is by sticking with fries, don’t you think?” Tammy tilted her head to the side, presenting Katy with an innocent face, her fiery, red hair falling over her shoulders.

  “I think that you’ll never find true love if you simply stop trying.” Suddenly, something clicked in Katy’s head. She had the perfect answer. Katy took a second to check in with her gift and felt warmth spread through her soul.

  Satisfied, she turned to Tammy and said, “Give me a minute to serve these customers, and I’ll be right back with a new basket of fries.”

  Before Tammy could say anything else, Katy was already gone, serving a couple on the other end of the bar. She sighed, seeing them holding hands and nuzzling one another. That’s what she wanted: a cute, successful relationship she could be proud of. She wanted someone who would treat her with respect and dignity. Someone who would treat her as an equal. Was that too much to ask for? Her list didn’t include the impossible. He didn’t need to be fabulously wealthy, look like a super model, or have a certain eye color. She just wanted someone to grow old with.

  Tammy nibbled on the rest of her fries, thinking about her past love life. Even throughout college, she had a bad habit of dating jerks. It seemed she never fell for the good guys, just the ones that would end up breaking her heart. She sighed once more, wondering where all the good men were hiding.

  She looked around the diner, noticing that the pink-tinted restaurant was full of happy couples and families. It seemed like they were all mocking her and her inability to find true love. A bitter feeling settled in her stomach as she looked down at her empty basket of fries. At least they were a thousand times better than the wilted salad she tried to eat last night. She still couldn’t quite get the taste of sour ranch dressing out of her mouth.

  Tammy was just about to reach into her bag and take out her wallet when Katy reappeared with another fresh order of fries. “Here you are. On the house. I know it can’t make up for what you experienced last night, but hopefully, it’ll help.” She smiled and placed them before Tammy.

  “Oh, you shouldn’t have. I’m okay. Really.” Tammy shook her head, trying to push them away.

  “Nonsense. I insist.” Katy pushed them back and gave one of her famous smiles. Tammy knew she couldn’t deny the owner. She had this almost magical presence whenever she smiled, making it impossible for people to refuse her.

  “Fine. But when I gain weight from all these fries, I’m blaming you.” The two women laughed together. Tammy tried to put on a serious expression and shook a finger at Katy. “Seriously, take these evil things away. I don’t have the willpower to refuse.”

  Katy winked. “Don’t worry about it, hun. Everyone is entitled to a calorie free day. Make yours today and enjoy it.” Katy pushed the basket of fries closer to Tammy.

  “Right, because that makes it better.” Tammy twirled one of the fries between her fingers like a baton twirler. Then, she looked down. The golden colored fries looked and smelled heavenly. Who am I kidding? I can’t refuse these fries. Tammy reached in the basket determined to enjoy every single one. It was definitely time to call in the calorie-free-day card.

  “Anyway, why don’t you come back tomorrow morning? We’re having a breakfast special, and I think it’ll be the perfect thing to cheer you up,” Katy offered.

  “I don’t know… I might just want to sleep in or something. Besides, I’m down like two hundred bucks after last night. I really should limit my spending for a while. I can’t go on crazy joy rides on a teacher’s salary, you know.” Tammy tried to come up with some sort of an excuse, but in all honesty, she just felt a little too down to leave her house. She just wanted to be alone. Being with Katy helped, but she was ready for some quiet time.

  “I’ll tell you what. If you come tomorrow, I’ll get you the breakfast special, free of charge. I have a feeling it’s just the thing to cheer you up,” Katy said.

  There was something in Katy’s eyes when she said ‘I have a feeling.’ Tammy wasn’t sure what it was, but that twinkle was going a long way to convincing her she should make the effort to get up.

  “I don’t know…” Tammy hedged, biting the corner of her lip. She avoided Katy’s knowing eyes and focused on the two fries left in the basket. “I really shouldn’t… I have work to do around the house… And–”

  “Honey, you don’t have to lie to me. I know you’re just trying to weasel your way out of it. I promise you, if you do come, you won’t regret it.” Katy rested her hand on Tammy’s, giving it a small squeeze. “Please consider it.”

  Tammy looked at Katy’s face, and she saw that something swimming around in Katy’s eyes again. It was more than a promise. To Tammy, it felt like some sort of intuition. She was curious and decided to trust Katy.

  “Alright. I’ll come.” Tammy looked the curvy woman over. “Why are you the owner of a diner when you have fantastic arguing skills? You should have been a lawyer or something.”

  Katy laughed, shrugging. “I’m just a humble server. I like to make people happy through food, that’s all.” She patted Tammy’s hand and then walked away, giving her attention to other patrons.

  Tammy pulled out her wallet and left some money on the counter. Even with the unexpected expenses from last night, she left behind a considerable tip, grateful that the Katy had taken time out of her busy schedule to listen to her problems. The world needed more people like Katy.

  She smiled to herself and looked around the quaint diner one more time. She once again noticed the numerous couples scattered around the restaurant, but this time around, it wasn’t as painful to look at them.

  Feeling a little better, she left. Maybe she had simply been unlucky. Maybe she had only dated jerks before. But from this moment forward, she was done with losers and putting up with guys that treated her badly. She would stand up for herself and do what she considered best for her.

  Tammy stepped outside, thinking about her new conviction. The sun was high in the sky, and the clouds were white and f
luffy. It was a beautiful day and soon fall would be in full swing. It was a great start to the beginning of the school year. All she had to do was focus on herself, and she would make it out okay.

  Fries before guys! Fries before guys! She chanted her new motto and headed home.

  Chapter 2

  Tammy still felt crummy when she got up in the morning. She looked in the mirror only to find bags under her eyes. Sighing, she contemplated bailing on Katy’s offer, but she had already promised to go. It would be rude to flake out now.

  So, she trudged to her closet, picked out a light summer dress, and put it on. It gently hugged her curves in all the right places, giving her an amazing figure. She wasn’t a big woman, but at the same time, she wasn’t stick-thin either. Tammy liked her body and felt comfortable in her own skin. She grabbed a light green colored sweater as well, knowing early fall weather brought along nippy mornings.

  She fixed up her long red hair as best she could and applied enough make-up to enhance her blue eyes. Satisfied with the results, got her purse and began to walk over to the diner. Fortunately, it was rather close, no more than a fifteen-minute walk. She took her time strolling to Cupid’s, enjoying the fresh, morning air. Birds and children frolicked around, enjoying the sunny morning.

  Soon enough, she reached the diner. The entry bell announced her presence. Unlike lunch time, the restaurant was somewhat vacant. There were plenty of seats available. Most of the patrons were older, enjoying a cup of joe. The younger crowd were still asleep in their beds and probably wouldn’t get up until past noon.

  “Tammy! So glad you could make it! Perfect timing, too. You just missed the rush. Pick any seat you want.” Katy called out from behind the counter. She had on her usual, charismatic smile.

  Tammy couldn’t help but smile back in response, advancing toward the woman and sitting down in one of the vacant stools. The faux leather cushion squeaked under her, but it was comfortable enough.