Free Not a Chance by Carter Ashby Page A

wool coat and matching cloche with the little, crocheted flower on the side. She was the preacher's only child and all growing up, she and her mother used to have tea parties quite regularly. When she'd grown old enough to take on her own responsibilities with the church, she'd begun a regular, Friday tea social with her friend Shannon Murphy.
    This was where she was headed now, strolling down the sidewalk along main street, occasionally slipping on a leftover patch of ice. Normally this walk would take her longer because there would be people to stop and visit with. But today was rather cold and mucky and most folks had stayed indoors. She expected a rather small turnout for tea. Which was fine. It would give her more time to socialize with her friends.
    She arrived at the Sweet Nothings Café a half an hour early, draped her coat over the back of one of the chairs and the long table Shannon had set up for the event, and went into the kitchen. She paused only once to visit with an elderly couple from church who were having a late breakfast.
    In the kitchen, Shannon looked up from her work, elbow deep in bread dough, and smiled. "I'm so glad it thawed out enough for brunch today," said the tall, redheaded beauty. Emma didn't often envy, but if she could have changed her appearance at all, she would model it after Shannon, who had all the elegance and presence of a Druidic queen.
    "Me too," Emma said. She washed her hands in a nearby sink. Then she tied an apron around her waist. "Now. What can I do to help?"
    "You can frost the cinnamon buns and prepare the tea pots." Shannon directed her to one of the long, butcher block work tables where a sheet cake pan full of freshly baked cinnamon buns was cooling. Emma leaned over, inhaled deeply and thought, who needs men ?
    She went straight to work icing them and then arranging them on one of Shannon's special platters that she reserved just for these events.
    "Alice and Arden are coming by," Shannon said over her shoulder.
    "Oh good," Emma said, only slightly half-heartedly. Arden was her best friend, but Alice tended to be...difficult.
    "Don't worry," Shannon said, reading Emma's mind. "I'm spiking Alice's drink. She should be mildly pleasant." Shannon reached under the counter and pulled out a half-empty bottle of vodka.
    "You've done this before, I see?" Emma asked.
    Shannon nodded. "Regularly."
    Emma slipped out of the kitchen with four china tea pots on a tray. She spaced them out along the table and then set out the teacups and plates. There were a few patrons in the café already, but it didn't tend to get too crowded during the lunch hour. Shannon did most of her business at breakfast and in the evening after dinner when people needed a place to go to sip coffee and socialize.
    Emma smiled as she looked up and saw two of Sweet Nothings' regular patrons tromp in. Travis and Dustin Lanier came in nearly every day for lunch. She'd come to expect it and was always severely disappointed on days when they didn't show up. Some days Dustin came alone, but she could tell he didn't like to. She could also tell he was dragging Travis there against his will since Travis always picked up the menu, shook his head in disgust at the effeminate offerings, and ordered a reuben sandwich...apparently the only food masculine enough to be worthy of his attention.
    Travis looked over and saw her. She smiled and he waved. He nodded towards her at Dustin, but Dustin ignored him, sat at his table and hid behind his menu. Travis sauntered over, his hands in his pockets. So Emma sat the last teacup down and met him halfway.
    "Hello, Travis, how are you today?" she asked, in her churchiest voice.
    "Just fine, Miss Emma. And you?"
    "Well and good. I heard you got stranded in the snow?"
    Travis shrugged. "Yes. It wasn't pleasant. I heard you broke up with Cody Cowen last week. Is that true?" Travis hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and cocked his head slightly.
    Emma blushed. "It was a mutual