Chesapeake Summer
Three days earlier Verna Lee Fontaine stared at the clock mounted on the wall of her shop and tapped her foot impatiently. Had five minutes ever passed so slowly? Finally, finally, the long hand inched its way up to the twelve. It was 5:00 a.m. on the dot, time to flip the Open for Business sign on the window and unlock her door. She'd anticipated this moment for six long months, dropping flyers on doorsteps, taking out ads in the local newspaper, tacking up notices on the library and supermarket bulletin boards and talking to just about everybody in town. Now, it was time to step back and wait…no, pray for customers.
Some would come because they wanted to see her succeed, others because they were curious. A café that offered smoothies laced with vitamin supplements, herbal teas sweetened with honey, egg–white omelets topped with ... read full excerpt from Chesapeake Summer ebook
