4 Cupids Curse Read Free

her best friend, I knew that what were once friendly affections had grown into something more.
    “Are you brin ging Barbie?” Ellie asked.
    “No. I think I could use a break from the fabulous B. A night with my two best friends sounds just about perfect. When was the last time we hung out, just the three of us?”
    “I’m supposed to go bowling with Rob and the group,” Ellie said.
    “So reschedule. Come on, El, it won’t be the same without you.”
    “Okay. I’ll call Rob and tell him something came up .”
    “Fantastic.” I smiled. What started off as a perfectly horrible day had just gotten a whole lot better. “Dinner at the boathouse?” I suggested.
    “I’ll bring the tequila,” Levi offered.
    “I’ll bring the dinner,” Ellie added.
    “And I’ll make a dessert .”
     
    After I left Rosie’s, I decided I’d need a quick trip to the market if I was going to have ingredients for the dessert I’d promised. The day had started off sunny and bright, but during my time at the café, dark clouds had blown in over the summit and snow flurries were beginning to appear in the crisp air. I glanced at the large alpine lake that bordered the south side of Main Street. The clouds, which had appeared as if by magic, hung low over the water, completely concealing the landmass on the south shore. I loved days like this, when the lake looked more like an ocean and the isolation of my mountain home brought a feeling of oneness with the natural landscape.
    The mom -and-pop shops that lined the north side of the main drag of Ashton Falls were decked out with white lights and red accents, in an effort to persuade casual shoppers to spend their hard-earned money on chocolate and roses. Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, and while the annual holiday in Ashton Falls is pretty tame, local merchants decorate to entice visitors from the valley to buy tickets to the Chamber-sponsored Sweetheart Dance. In spite of the snow flurries, Charlie and I decided to make the short walk between Rosie’s and the general store. There’s something magical about walking along a snow-covered sidewalk illuminated with thousands of white twinkle lights hung in every tree and surrounding every window. The lights first appear in the fall and are left to bring warmth to the small town until the first sign of spring transitions the walkway with baskets of bright flowers.
    As Charlie and I arrived at the store, we stopped to consider the boxed chocolates on display near the register. I have to admit I’m a sucker for anything with nuts or caramel. The candy was wrapped in large heart-shaped boxes, and while they did look tempting, I decided that making something would show more effort on my part, so I headed toward the aisle featuring baking supplies.
    “Aftern oon, Zoe, Charlie,” grocery-store owner Ernie Young greeted me. “Looks like we’re in for a spot of weather.”
    “Looks like.”
    “Heard talk that we might be looking at a full-on blizzard by the end of the week. Best stock up on canned goods just in case. Special on soup this week: ten cans for ten dollars.”
    Soup did sound good , and my cupboards were getting pretty bare, but the fact that Charlie and I had left our truck down the street caused me to reconsider.
    “I really just need something for dessert tonight,” I answered.
    “I’ve got brownie mix on special.”
    “Brownies sound good.”
    After picking up a box of the double-nut variety of the chocolaty dessert, Charlie and I headed over to a display featuring pastries that were baked daily at Veronica’s Bakery. I have to admit I have a sweet tooth, and it seemed quite reasonable to me that a chocolate treat would be the perfect thing to snack on while I baked the brownies for that evening.
    “I picked up some of those éclair’s last week ,” Hazel Hampton, our local librarian, commented as I contemplated a box of Veronica’s delicious buttercreams. “They were the best I’d ever