I parked outside Taste of Destiny and headed in, drawn by the scent of coffee and cinnamon. There was a line, so I stood in the back, waiting for my turn to order. The pair of women in front of me—Liz from the convenience store and someone who might be her sister—were talking in low voices. I tried to tune them out, but the sound of Kennedy’s name caught my attention.

“…you know the police were at her place yesterday?” Liz was saying. “I heard a deranged fan trashed the cottage.”

“Really?” The other woman sounded intrigued.

“Or maybe she did it herself,” Liz added. “To get attention. You know how much those Hollywood types love drama.”

My hackles rose. I didn’t like what she was implying. I’d seen Kennedy yesterday, and she’d been genuinely distraught. But I could hardly disagree when I might have had the same thought only a few days ago.

“I heard she’s a diva,” Liz’s friend said in a hushed tone. “Awful to work for. Rude to everyone beneath her. If something nasty is going on, it’s no wonder.”

Now that really wasn’t okay. I opened my mouth—to say what, I didn’t know—but Eden, the barista, beat me to it.

“Excuse me, ladies, but we don’t tolerate that kind of vicious gossip in this cafe.” She sent them a sugary sweet smile across the counter. “Especially not about someone who has only ever been friendly toward the staff here. I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from saying anything else unkind that you might regret later.”

Wow. I fought the urge to clap. Eden had always been fiery, and the fact that she was choosing to stand up for Kennedy meant something. I’d wondered previously whether Kennedy had been the type of person to let fame go to her head, and based on Eden’s defense of her, the answer was no.

Eden met my eyes, and one side of her mouth curled, as though she wasn’t sure how I’d react. Perhaps she thought her intervention had been disloyal. But Eden and I weren’t friends. She was a nice kid but much younger than me. She didn’t owe me anything, and I wasn’t upset, so I gave a slight tip of my head and a smile to show there were no hard feelings.

“Now, what can I get you?” she asked, turning back to Liz and her companion.