Easy Bake Coven: Book One of the Vivienne Finch Magical Mysteries Read Free

Clara.”
    Clara
shook her head at the mess. “I’ll get the broom and dustpan.”
    “Geez,
what put you in such a good mood today?” Vivienne asked as the smell of the
pecan pie made her stomach grumble in anticipation.
    “Mona
Clarke.” Kathy confided. “She and her sycophants were poking around my store
and pointing out all the flaws in my choice of décor. She practically called it
tacky.”
    “The
mayor’s wife said that?”
    “The
queen bee said that.” Kathy folded her hands together on the table. “A fitting
title since she’s always buzzing around other people’s business these days.”
    “I’ve
never had many encounters with her.” Vivienne offered. “She’s always in such a
hurry whenever we meet.”
    “Count
your blessings!” Kathy interrupted. “She and that women’s small business group
can shove their plans where the sun doesn’t shine.”
    “Whoa!”
Vivienne leaned forward toward her friend. “I have no idea what you’re talking
about.”
    “That’s
because you’re not operating as a business yet.” Kathy explained as Clara
walked two mugs of coffee over to the table and set them down along with some
napkins and some flatware. Stephanie followed suit and slid a much smaller
slice of pecan pie in front of Kathy before returning to finish cleaning up the
coffee mess.
    “I
will be in three days.” She glanced around for some wood to knock on but found
nothing except polished chrome and vinyl. “Barring any unpleasant surprises,
that is.”
    “You
want an unpleasant surprise?” Kathy asked. “Try the Cayuga Cove Women of Small
Business Association on for size.” She took a big sip of coffee. “They have
come up with a proposal to refresh main street stores and shops with a classic
look of yesteryear. New sidewalks and awnings, fancy street lamps and scalloped
facades. Each business will be limited to a simple wooden sign hanging over
each entrance with two simple spot lights for nighttime illumination.”
    “I
read something about that in one of their flyers that came in the mail the
other day.” Vivienne recalled. “Didn’t the newspaper have an article explaining
how the state funding fell through recently?”
    “It
did.” Kathy continued. “I was all for making Main Street look more appealing to
shoppers, but I can’t afford to front the cost of all those cosmetic changes to
my store. Those simple wooden signs start at seven hundred dollars and go up
from there depending on the color and style of the fonts.”
    “I
don’t understand where the problem is.” Vivienne speared the pecan pie with her
fork and took a small bite. “Without state funding, it will be tabled until who
knows when. Problem solved.”
    Kathy
wielded her fork like a knight with a sword. “Here’s the real kicker.” She
stabbed a tiny piece of her pecan pie. “This was Mona’s pet project and as the
director of the association she refused to let it go. So right after that
little roadblock, she and a few of her devoted followers started digging
through the town records and now they’re planning on reviving the Historic
Commission to force the changes she wants through antiquated town codes.”
    Vivienne
swallowed another sweet bite of pie and washed it down with her coffee. “Can
they really do that? Strong-arm the merchants?”
    “I
don’t know for sure, but her group is planning a meeting soon.” Kathy shook her
head. “It sounds like Mona Clarke is getting ready to force our hands to make
the town look the way she envisions it.”
    “Having
each of the business owners on Main Street write the checks.” Vivienne finished
the thought. “I certainly won’t be in any sort of financial position to do that
for the first year.”
    “You
might not have a choice.” Kathy added as Clara appeared with a coffee carafe.
“Not if you want to continue to do business on Main Street.”
    “Are
you two talking about Mona Clarke?” Clara asked.
    “Yes.”
Kathy nodded. “Be glad you’re