Free SunnyWithAChanceofTrueLove by Jessie Evans Page A

Roadkill Café would garner in the next few days, would be enough to keep the restaurant afloat. She believed Ross when he said he would be fine either way, but she didn’t want him to lose the restaurant. He was so talented and hardworking and if anyone deserved to have his dream come true, it was Ross Dyer.
    And she meant to help him any way she could, even when it came to defusing the alleged curse said to plague the former Blue Plate Café.
    As the patrons dug into their dessert and coffee, Elodie brought out the final piece of the evening, the one she’d worked on late into the night in secret, refusing to let even Ross see it until it was unveiled.
    “My final piece is called Rewritten History, The Should Have Been of the Blue Plate Café,” she said as she set the heavy shadowbox on the counter. “It’s dedicated to Jim and Macy Owens, the former owners of the Blue Plate.”
    She pulled back the sheet covering the box, pleased by the soft sounds of approval that filled the room as she revealed a miniature replica of the café back in the nineteen fifties. Inside, Mr. Jim was a stuffed skunk in overalls and a chef’s hat, Miss Macy was a squirrel with a calico apron, and their baby was a mouse rocking happily in a bassinet in the corner while Jim and Macy waited on a crowd of satisfied customers played by stuffed rats of various sizes and colors. It was simpler than a lot of her other work, without the elaborate props, but she’d put all of her heart into it and was pleased that it seemed to be translating to her audience. She was even more pleased when she turned to see Ross watching her through the food pick-up window with a proud smile on his face.
    Pleasing the critics was all well and good, but pleasing the man she’d given her heart to was the best feeling in the world.
    As soon as she made sure all the tables had a water and coffee refill, Elodie escaped back to the kitchen. The moment she was through the door, Ross caught her up in his arms, hugging her so tight the air rushed out of her lungs with an oof .
    “So I guess you like it?” she asked with a laugh.
    “I love it,” he said. “It’s perfect. Better than anything I’d imagined.”
    “I’m so glad,” she said. “I hope it makes Macy and Jim happy. I faxed pictures of the piece and the new decorations for the café to their daughter in Santa Fe. She said she’d make sure her parents saw them.”
    Ross kissed her cheek. “Just when I think you can’t get any sweeter.”
    Elodie smiled. “I’m not sweet. I’m selfish. I’m hoping this will help break the curse.”
    “I thought you didn’t believe in the curse,” Ross said, setting her back down on her feet.
    “I don’t, but I don’t believe black cats bring bad luck either. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to turn around and walk the other way if one crosses my path. Better safe than sorry.”
    “Well, I think we should throw caution to the wind and count our chickens before they’re hatched, instead,” Ross said, untying his apron and pulling off the ball cap he wore while he cooked. “As soon as we have everyone out the door, I’m taking you out to celebrate. Go get into something you don’t mind getting dirty.”
    “Sounds like fun, but are you sure? We won’t know if the night was a success for a few days,” she said, nibbling on her bottom lip.
    “The night was already a success. I had a full restaurant and everyone enjoyed the food. And I got to see your critters in person.” He shook his head gently. “They’re really something special, El. I’m not surprised people pay big bucks for your stuff.”
    Elodie shrugged. “Well, I’m glad people seemed to enjoy them, but not everyone’s a fan. A few months ago, I had a critic call me a wart on the nose of surrealism.”
    Ross frowned. “I’m guessing that’s a bad thing?”
    “Yeah,” Elodie said dryly. “He said the art world would, and I quote, ‘be better off if Elodie Prince crawled back into