Waffles & Weddings (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 1) Read online




  Waffles and Weddings

  Cupid’s Café

  Where love is on the menu

  Book #1

  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]

  https://www.amazon.com/Cafe-Love-Cupids-Box-Books-ebook/dp/B01MYN6064/

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  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.

  Chap ter 1

  Crushed. How many times had Sophie heard that one word expression and not really thought about it? Not really felt or understood it, but now… now her heart and soul felt squeezed as if under a huge weight. Sophie had plenty of reason to feel that way. Her world had just fallen apart. She’d been so embarrassed, so mortified, that she could barely stand it.

  Last night, she’d stretched out on the bed in the huge room with a balcony view of the Berkeley campus, staring at the ceiling, tears trickling down her cheeks. Sleep had eluded her throughout the night, avoiding her like a hunted animal avoids capture. She hadn’t bothered to turn down the bed. Instead, she flopped down on top of the snow white spread, wedding dress and all. She didn’t have the energy or will to take it off and change into anything else.

  Sophie fingered the glossy satin material at her hip, smoothing it with small movements of her hand, as she had done countless times during the night. It almost looks like I’ve disappeared. No me, just the dress and the comforter. If only it were that easy.

  But she hadn’t disappeared. No, she’d spent the night alone, in her pretty Bancroft Hotel honeymoon suite; alone and most defiantly without Rob. He’s not worth it! Sophie rallied herself and resolved not to cry anymore. As she sat up, she noticed the crushed bridal bouquet that had lain next to her all night. She hurled it across the room and watched as it smashed against the wall, raining yellow and white rose petals across the sunlit carpet.

  Sophie stood too quickly, feeling dizzy from the slight hangover she had acquired by drinking half a bottle of complimentary champagne. She recalled how she had ignored the two glasses set out next to the bottle, popped the top, and chugged. It was a mistake she immediately regretted when the bubbly came out her nose, and she’d lost some champagne on the carpet.

  After two more subdued swallows, she’d fallen backward on the bed, kicked off her shoes, covered her eyes with both hands, and sobbed uncontrollably. Why? What’s wrong with me? No answer came, and the room was, except for her sobs and hiccups, silent all night.

  On her feet now, she stared without seeing at the lush Berkeley campus just outside her window. Past the balcony, down along the street, a normal day had dawned while she lay motionless, agonizing over the same question. It didn’t seem right to her that everyone went about their day while her life lay in ruins. Not right at all.

  Sophie turned away from the window, her white skirt flaring out around her, and went into the bathroom, closing the door.

  Chapter 2

  When Sophie came out of the bathroom, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror, deciding she needed to go out, but not like this. Her mascara ran down her cheeks in long black tracks making her looking like bridezilla’s less nice sister. She shuffled barefooted over to her unopened carry-on, put it up on the bed and opened it. She grabbed her cosmetic bag and pulled out several make-up remover cloths. She scrubbed at her face and surveyed her limited wardroom.

  On top of the small pile was the pair of wheat colored jeans she had intended to wear today when she got up. When she and Rob got up. When she and Rob went to San Francisco International and boarded their flight to Hawaii. Which now she and Rob would never do. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  She could do this. They were just clothes. It didn’t matter that the bright print blouse under the jeans was meant for her honeymoon. She could still wear it.

  Might as well go for it all. She yanked out the sexy Victoria Secret underwear and defiantly returned to the bathroom clutching her make-up bag. Now that the mascara had been removed, Sophie was shocked at the swollen red-rimmed eyes that looked back at her.

  Wow. So this is what you look like after an all-night cry. Sophie did what she could to cover the damage, ran a brush through her hair, and then brushed her teeth. She took a quick look at herself and knew her efforts weren’t enough to fool anyone. As much as she wanted to hide in this room forever, she knew it wasn’t possible.

  Sophie had tried hiding yesterday. Anyone who had knocked on the door had been sent away. She wasn’t sure how many times she had repeated the same words over and over again. “Go home. Leave me alone. I’ll be fine.”

  She held firm to her mantra and they’d all gone, not that she’d given them any choice. The hotel door had remained firmly shut. But she wasn’t fine. Behind that door, she was a mess.

  Sophie drew upon her inner strength and each time she’d repeated the phrases that sent people away it felt just a bit more truthful. Being left at the altar would not destroy her. She was strong, and the crushed feeling would dissipate because she was determined to put it all behind her.

  “I will not cry over him anymore,” she said aloud to the empty room. “I’m moving on. Forget him! Forget the plans we had! Leave it, leave it all behind . . . “

  But the tears came back. Sophie wilted into a nearby chair, staring out the window as the tears streamed down her cheeks. After a few moments, she gathered herself enough to stand and cross the room. She pulled a tissue from the box next to the bed and wiped her eyes, realizing she would now have to redo them. Returning to the bathroom, she removed the evidence of her tears, snatched her room key from the counter, and went to the door. Hesitating, she looked over her shoulder at the sunlit bed and sighed. Going outside might be a small thing, but it was a good step forward. Sophie turned to the door, opened it and stepped through.

  She looked down at her feet. Shoes! I forgot to put on my shoes. So, much for a first step. I’m a mess!

  Quickly, she turned and went back through the closing door, pulled a pair of bright red sandals out of her carry-o
n and put them on. Returning to the door, she went out into the hall, trying to decide if she should laugh at herself or cry. As she went out, she noticed a maid’s cart at the end of the hallway, and next to it stood the maid, smiling at her.

  Sophie felt her cheeks flush, knowing that the maid had seen her mistake.

  “Good you don’t go out in your bare feet, Miss,” she said with a pleasant laugh. “Lord knows what there is out on the street to step on! You enjoy your day, now!”

  The maid’s light words gave Sophie a hint of courage. She didn’t think I’m a pathetic woman who just got dumped. No, she’d thought I had my mind on other things.

  Sophie smiled back at her, laughing at herself, out loud this time. “I don’t know what I was thinking! Just thought I’d go for a walk. It’s a pleasant day. Good morning to you! You don't need to make up the room,” she said, knowing that she was babbling.

  The courage she felt a second ago fled and she ran down the hall to the stairs. Passing through the empty lobby, she hurried out to the street, thankful that no one was around at the moment. Her embarrassment from yesterday afternoon came rushing back to her, and she stopped near the curb in confusion. She felt her face flush and struggled to hold back more tears.

  This is foolish! Get hold of yourself! Sophie looked left and right. Suddenly deciding on left, she turned and started walking briskly, as though she knew where she was going. Hunger was overcoming embarrassment and emptiness. She knew where to go, if she remembered it correctly, there was a place called The Cupid or something like that, not far away. She turned at the next street, went down a block and turned right. Two blocks down she found it.

  A brightly painted sign said Cupid’s Cafe. She had eaten there several times when her father, a regular, brought her to the Berkeley campus, hoping she would go to UC. Instead, she went to Syracuse, all the way across the country, to study theater, much to her father’s disappointment. But she’d come back to California on occasion for work. That was how she’d met Rob. Sophie was on location in San Francisco doing a commercial for a small advertising firm in New York. Rob was a student at UC Berkeley and the cinematographer for her shoot. His magnetic personality had swept her off her feet. He . . . Thoughts of Rob were not going to be good at the moment. She put it out of her head.

  I need to think about today. Yesterday is gone. It’s over. Deal with it. Go in and eat, then we’ll see about the rest of the day. One thing at a time.

  Sophie pushed open the glass door and was immediately hit with the smell of cooking waffles, sugary maple syrup, bacon, and eggs. This is what I need right now.

  Chapter 3

  Katherine Cupid, Katy as she was known by just about everybody, stood at the register looking over her cashier’s shoulder, helping her enter a check from the large party that was just leaving. The man at the register insisted that he had ordered the special and didn’t get it, and was just now letting everyone know.

  “Tell you what, sir,” she said cheerfully, “since you’re our 25th customer today I’m going to give you the special free, and throw in a credit for one OJ. That brings your bill down to 87.50, instead of 101.05. And here’s a coupon for one free waffle. How does that sound?”

  “Well, uh, fine, I guess,” said the defused customer. “Sure, that’s great! Put it on my card here,” handing her a credit card.

  Katy replied, sweetly and sincerely “Oh, I’m sorry sir, we don’t take that card. Do you have a Visa or Master Card?”

  The man fumbled with his wallet and pulled out another card.

  “Just give it to Sally and she’ll take good care of you,” Katy said and patted her cashier on the shoulder. “There you go sweetie, all set.”

  She saw the front door swing open and a pretty young woman with dark blonde hair come through it. Katy gave another smile to the man and said, “You have a nice day, sir, and be sure to come again! Tell folks about us, would you?”

  Then she turned to greet the new customer. “Hi there, hon! Say, aren't you David Rivera’s kid? You were in with him last month, I think. How is David? Haven’t seen him in a week or so. Wait… weren’t you getting married this month? David spoke about that last time he was in.”

  As the young woman moved toward her, she saw the red eyes, puffy eyelids, and a lost look, like she was about to cry. Katy hurried out from behind the register counter and approached the woman, smiling and holding out her arms spread wide to hug her.

  Tears gathered in the corners of the young woman’s eyes for several seconds and then she fell into Katy’s embrace. “There, there, sweetie. It’s Sophie, isn’t it?”

  Katy had a gift for remembering any name she ever heard if she could associate it with a face. She knew quite a lot about Sophie’s father, an environmental science professor at the University who had been there for years and risen to prominence in his field. Widowed, David was in his late fifties and always talked about his daughter who was in show business when he came to Cupid’s Café for a meal.

  So far, Katy had never seen any of the commercials Sophie had been in, but she was certainly a beautiful young lady and wasn’t one of those stick thin models. Instead, she was petite and shapely. Her dad had talked about her whenever he got the chance, and though a little disappointed she had gone to Syracuse instead of UC Berkeley, he was really proud of her. Sophie’s mother had passed away when Sophie was a teenager, and David was an eligible bachelor, but not really interested in Katy’s matchmaking attempts. He talked about his wife often, but not the illness to which he’d lost her.

  Now here was his daughter, standing by the door to her diner, staring at the checkered tile floor dejectedly. Always possessed of a quick mind, Katy put two and two together, and it came to her in a flash that Sophie must be the jilted bride everyone had been talking about earlier. University neighborhoods were a little like small towns. News about things often got around quickly, and this news was the kind Katy did not like to hear.

  The day before, at the Bancroft Hotel, there had been a wedding and reception, only it hadn’t turned out to be a wedding at all. For some reason, the bride was left standing in her wedding dress, in the changing room of the Great Hall. The groom was a no-show.

  Looking at Sophie this morning, she thought that the groom had to be an idiot. Here was a beautiful and talented young woman who was obviously heart broken. Any man that could leave a sweet girl like that waiting at the altar wasn’t a man at all!

  Katy pulled away from Sophie and looked at her face. She noticed that Sophie’s eyes were a shade of dark green very much like her own. The pain of Sophie’s loss stabbed her right in the heart. Katy knew more than most about love and loss, and it hurt to see Sophie’s unshed tears. Poor child.

  As much as Katy wanted details, her first priority was obvious. Get the woman to a table in the back, away from the crowds, and feed her. She looked exhausted, and more worn than any twenty-seven-year-old should look. I bet she hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast yesterday!

  As far as Katy was concerned, that was a crime in itself.

  “C’mon honey, let’s get you to a table and get some food into you!” she said softly, taking Sophie’s arm and steering her past the Formica countertop set with chrome stools to a rear table. No one was sitting back there at the moment, and the breakfast rush was about over. “I’ll get you a menu and Clarisse will come back to take your order. You take your time, now. Let her know what you want, and it’s on the house.”

  “Oh, no, I couldn’t…” Sophie began.

  Katy knew when someone needed direction and was sure this poor soul did. “Oh sure you can, dear. You look to me like you're good for a waffle and coffee at least! Clarisse,” Katy called out to a waitress passing by. “As soon as you deliver that order please make sure to get this young lady the house special and anything else she wants.”

  “Of course, Katy,” Clarisse said, nodding at Sophie. “Be back in just a minute, dear.”

  Turning back to Sophie, Katy smiled “Let Clarisse take
care of you, and I’ll be back in a few to chat. I want to hear all about your dad. You know, he’s as proud of you as can be and so glad you’ve come back to California!”

  “Oh, I . . .” Sophie started, but Katy interrupted. “Now you just sit there and gather your thoughts, because you and I have got a lot to catch up on. Here’s Clarisse. You order anything you want. It’s on me.”

  With that, Katy turned and walked quickly back to the register, where the new cashier was looking like she needed help again.

  “Hi, hon,” Clarisse greeted Sophie with a smile, putting the menu down in front of her with a small carafe of coffee and turning over the empty cup sitting on a saucer.

  Sophie fiddled with the napkin in front of her, trying to avoid Clarisse’s eyes. If Katy had seen the distress in her face from across the diner, then there was no way Clarisse wouldn’t be able to see it.

  Clarisse hesitated. “Would you rather have hot water and some tea? Or OJ?”

  Sophie shook her head and kept her eyes fixed on the napkin. She knew she was acting rudely, but she didn’t want to see Clarisse’s eyes fill with pity for her. “Just the coffee with cream and sugar, please?”

  Clarisse poured the coffee and patted Sophie’s hand. “You just let me know if you need anything else. Okay, honey?”

  Sophie slumped in her chair and began to tear off bits of her napkin. Apparently avoiding eye contact wasn’t enough to hide her misery. She was sure the whole town was talking about the bride who got stood up. Sophie tossed a chunk of a napkin at her fork. Well, if everyone knew then there was no reason to continue being rude to Clarisse.