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

demand has been decreasing lately.  If things don’t soon turn around, I’m going to have to find something else to make ends meet.”
    “That’s rough,” Clarissa frowned.  “How can I help?”
    “Do you want to hire me to write your newspaper articles?” Liana joked.
    Clarissa stared at her best friend blankly, unsure of how to respond.  She wanted to be tactful, but she had no idea how to handle the situation delicately.  Finally she stuttered, “Um, you do realize actual writing would be required, right?”
    “Relax, I was kidding,” Liana assured her with a wink.  “You and I both know I barely passed English class.  I’m the last person on Earth who should work for a newspaper!” she giggled.  “You’re the word-Schmitt, not me.”
    “I’m the…what?” Clarissa asked in confusion.
    “Word-Schmitt,” Liana replied matter-of-factly.  “You’re the word-Schmitt.”
    “Oh, word smith !” Clarissa exclaimed, understanding finally setting in.
    “Oh.  That’s what I meant,” Liana said sheepishly.  “See?  I’m not newspaper material.”
    “It’s okay,” Clarissa assured her.  “Maybe I can find something else for you to do…”
    “No, don’t put yourself out.  You’ve got a good thing going; I don’t want to mess it up.  Hey, maybe the donut shop guy will want me to do some work for him!” Liana exclaimed excitedly.  “He’s opening a new business – he might need help with advertising!”
    “It’s worth a shot,” Clarissa said encouragingly.  “When does the shop open?”
    “Next week, I think.  But I’ve seen some activity in the building already.  Actually,” Liana said, peeking out the window, “I see a couple of vehicles parked there now.  Want to walk over there with me?”
    “Okay,” Clarissa agreed, gathering up her things.  She had a ton of work to do, but she wanted to be supportive of her best friend.  Besides, she was curious about the newcomers who were going to hook her up with donuts.  Maybe she could even write an article about them for her paper!
    “Do I look okay?” Liana asked nervously.  She tugged at the waistband of her pink track pants.  “I would have dressed up had I known I’d be making a business call today.  Do you think I should run home and put on something more professional looking?”
    “You look great,” Clarissa replied, even though she was really the last person who should be offering advice about fashion.  “Do you have a business card with you?”
    “Yes!” Liana exclaimed triumphantly as she pulled it out of her wallet.  “I’m all set!”
    “Alright, then let’s go,” Clarissa said.
    The two women walked out of the coffee shop, moving with purpose.  They were on a mission.
    There was virtually no traffic on the street that separated the coffee shop from the soon-to-open donut shop.  There rarely was.  But despite the lack of traffic, Clarissa and Liana still had to stand on the corner to wait for the world’s longest “don’t walk” sign to change over.  It seemed to take about a million years.
    Clarissa didn’t understand why the town needed a streetlight at that intersection…or at any intersection, for that matter.  It was the only streetlight in town and there wasn’t nearly enough activity on the street to warrant it!  Sugarcomb Lake really wasn’t the type of place that needed anything more than a few stop signs.
    “Hmm,” Clarissa murmured thoughtfully. 
    She whipped out her notebook and jotted down a note.  Maybe she would write an editorial piece about the lone streetlight.  But she would only do that if it was an especially slow news week.  Then again, slow news weeks were kind of the norm in Sugarcomb Lake. 
    The two women eventually were able to cross the street. 
    Clarissa noted the windows of the soon-to-be-opening donut shop were covered in brown paper.  She assumed it was so that snoopy townspeople couldn’t peek inside before the grand opening.  But