Free Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay

it was going so well until Tate decided to franchise you, making you corporate by default,” Angie teased.
    â€œI know I’ve been reluctant,” Mel admitted.
    â€œReluctant?” Tate asked. “You had your heels dug in so deep, you left drag marks all the way from Phoenix.”
    â€œWhatever. I’ve come around to the idea, plus I like Holly. She can bake, and I like that we’re giving a single mom a real chance to have a normal life that she’s in control of,” Mel said. “This is going to be great. I can feel it.”
    â€œOkay, who are you and what have you done with our friend Mel?” Tate asked, giving her a suspicious look.
    Mel and Angie both laughed, and then Mel began to sing, “‘
Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire
.’”
    When it came time for the chorus, Angie and Tate did not hesitate to join in, singing, “
Viva Las Vegas!
”
    It wasn’t a long drive to the Strip where they were meeting the lawyer and the Realtor. Mel was curious to see what sort of person Ray had them meeting and she couldn’t help wondering if Joe would approve. She doubted it.
    Knowing Ray, it was going to be a thuggish sort of guy with slicked-back thinning hair, a shiny suit and dress shirt open at the collar, so the sun could shine on his thick gold chain. Mel even figured his name would be something short and blunt like Dave or Nick. For sure, it would be interesting.
    Mel found a spot in the narrow parking lot of the small shopping center where the vacant shop was located. Holly pulled in behind her and they all walked over toward the glass front store on the end.
    Two men in suits were standing in front of the shop. FOR LEASE signs were hanging in every window. It was asnug space but it was on the end of the row of shops, giving it optimal visibility from the street and extra parking along the side.
    Mel checked to see if there was another food joint in the cluster of shops. There was not, which was another plus. Instead, there was a karate school, a hair salon, a photographer’s studio, and a pet groomer. All in all it seemed like a low-crime, family-friendly cluster of shops within walking distance to some of the Strip’s biggest tourist attractions.
    The two men standing in front of the vacant store both wore charcoal gray suits, white dress shirts, and snappy ties. As she got closer, Mel tried to guess which one could be Ray’s friend. Surprisingly, thug didn’t really come off either of the men, making it harder to hazard a guess.
    The man on the right had a head of silver hair. An Omega watch was strapped to his left wrist and he had on cuff links. Mel figured he had to be the lawyer, plus he looked like a no-nonsense sort of guy, which did not match Ray, who was generally full of shenanigans at all times.
    She glanced at the other man. He was younger with dark hair, but his suit looked to be just as expensive and so did his tie. He had on a Rolex but no cuff links. She guessed him for the Realtor, especially since his fingernails looked to be buffed into better shape than hers.
    Tate led the way, looking casually official in his blue jeans and dress shirt. He held out his hand to the younger, dark-haired man. “Pete Kelly? I’m Tate Harper.”
    Mel exchanged a surprised glance with Angie.
    â€œI had that figured all wrong,” Angie said.
    â€œMe, too,” Mel said. “How did Tate know which one was Peter?”
    â€œMust be some secret corporate eyebrow twitch or something,” Angie said.
    â€œOr I saw his picture on the website when I looked up the firm to get his phone number,” Tate said as he turned around. He gave them an exasperated look that said everyone could hear them.
    Mel and Angie exchanged a sheepish glance, and Holly, who had joined them, laughed.
    â€œI had it backward, too,” she said.
    â€œI’m Quentin Ross,” the silver-haired man said. He