A Sprinkle of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 4) Read Free Page A

so well and had endured over the years.
    “I know I’m a workaholic, but the newspaper isn’t going to write itself,” Clarissa sighed.
    “Most newspapers are run by entire teams,” Liana pointed out as she opened up her laptop and pushed the power button.  She looked at Clarissa curiously.  “Are you ever going to hire someone to help you?”
    “Actually, I think I might,” Clarissa replied.  “My aunt suggested someone to me.  She took a history class from my aunt last semester.  She just finished her degree and is looking for a job.  I’m going to meet up with her later this week to see if she’s a good fit to come work for me.”
    “That’s awesome!” Liana exclaimed excitedly.  Then she smirked and added, “I never thought you would actually do it, you know.  I figured you were too much of a control freak to let anyone else touch your precious newspaper!”
    “I am not a control freak!” Clarissa retorted indignantly.  “I am a perfectionist!”
    “Same thing,” Liana shrugged, unwilling to back down from her assertion.  Then she picked up her coffee cup.  She paused mid-sip as she remembered something.  She set her coffee down, her eyes flickering with excitement.  “Hey, did you hear we’re getting a new donut shop in town?”
    “Yes, but keep your voice down,” Clarissa urged, looking around anxiously.  “Cathy got into a screaming match with the owner of the donut shop last night when I was in here.  She got so angry she threw her phone at the wall and broke it!  It was unreal.”
    “Oh, I heard all about that,” Liana nodded. 
    “You did?”
    “What can I say?  Word travels fast in this town.”
    “That it does,” Clarissa agreed with a wry smile.
    “Is Cathy here today?” Liana asked, looking around.
    “I haven’t seen her,” Clarissa replied.  “I think she just had an employee come in today.  That seems strange, doesn’t it?  Cathy is usually here every single day.  She only takes holidays the first week of July.”
    “Maybe she’s sick,” Liana suggested.
    “Maybe,” Clarissa agreed doubtfully.  Cathy rarely missed a day of work.
    Liana, however, was more interested in discussing other things.  She bounced up and down in her seat as though she couldn’t contain her excitement.  “I can’t believe you’re actually going to hire someone to help you with the newspaper!  That’s awesome!”
    “Speaking of the newspaper, I should probably get back to planning next week’s issue,” Clarissa said, opening her notebook back up.  She pulled a pen from behind her ear.  Then she stuck the end of it in her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.
    For a moment, the two friends fell into a comfortable silence.  They sat there in their little booth at the back of the coffee shop, both working on their respective projects.  Clarissa became so engrossed in her work that for a moment, she forgot about everything and everyone else.
    “Humph!” Liana grumbled suddenly as she read something on the screen of her laptop.
    Clarissa glanced up.  “What’s wrong?” she demanded.
    “My biggest client dropped me,” Liana sighed.  “It’s nothing personal – he just decided to work with someone local to him.  He said he’d rather work face-to-face than video chat, which I get.  But the graphic design work I did for him made up over half of my income.  That’s a huge hit.”
    “Ouch,” Clarissa winced, giving her friend a sympathetic look. 
    “You can say that again.”  The pep was gone from Liana’s voice.  She seemed defeated.
    “What now?  Can you take on some new clients?” Clarissa asked hopefully.  She didn’t quite understand the nature of her friend’s work.  She just knew Liana designed things like logos and banners for various businesses.  Surely there was always someone in the market for that, right?
    “Believe me; I’ve been trying to find more work!” Liana confided.  “My field is getting more competitive and