Finally, having a few minutes to herself, Lauren made a cup of tea, her thoughts returning to the mysterious customer who’d spent a small fortune, at least in the store’s world, on music boxes. JAG Enterprises. She’d never heard of it. With her new Internet access, all she had to do was type the name in the search engine. Did she really want to? She knew there were those who thrived on this practice, finding out every single crumb they could on the unlucky, or lucky, soul who happened to be the subject of their search. In a way, it seemed sneaky, but in another way, the ability to have whatever you wanted at your fingertips was so tempting that she found herself typing JAG ENTERPRISES into the search bar. She hit the RETURN button and dozens of blue hyperlinks filled her screen.

She clicked on the first link. Nothing there, a food supply company. Next link, still nothing. She tried a few more, then logged off. Why did she even care who he was? Just because he was beyond handsome, and sexy, and just so happened to show up in her store? She needed to get to work on something substantial. The bio would fill her time. Once her initial meeting was over, she could focus on reality. And her new kittens. Smiling, she decided to take an early lunch, go to Ruby’s, and just relax. Again, she’d left the house without making a lunch. Lauren put the OUT TO LUNCH sign in the window, then, making sure to put her coat on, she walked the two blocks to her favorite restaurant. If she continued this pattern, she’d be the size of a barn. Inside Ruby’s, the smell of the yeast rolls made her mouth water. She sat at the counter because she knew that in less than half an hour the place would be filled with the business-lunch crowd, and she was just one person. She took her coat off and draped it across her lap.

Ruby saw her. “You having lunch again?”

“I couldn’t resist,” she said. “What’s today’s special?”

“Meat loaf, mashed potatoes with butter beans, and a salad,” Ruby said.

That was a little too heavy for her. “How about a grilled cheese with a cup of your vegetable soup?” Lauren asked. She was a big fan of meat loaf and usually would have jumped at the chance to have it at Ruby’s, but not today.

“Coming up,” Louise called out. “Anything to drink?”

“Coffee.”

“Just made a fresh pot.”

“Sounds good; it’s freezing out there,” Lauren said.

“You want a roll? Just out of the oven,” Ruby asked her.

“Sure,” Lauren said. She might as well. She’d run around the store and burn off the extra calories.

The door behind her opened, bringing in a gush of cold air.