The Devine Doughnut Shop(37)

“Travis Butler. I forgot that you hadn’t met him when he came in here before. He’s the one who wants to buy our property and the recipe,” Grace answered.

Sarah asked, “Is Travis the one that owns Butler Enterprises? I’ve heard of him and his big business.”

“Probably so.”

“Well, that will definitely set everyone in town on their ear trying to figure out the juiciest gossip,” Sarah said. “Macy, honey, you may have to take a back seat.”

“Just show me the way to the chair,” Macy grumbled.



The bell above the front door dinged, and Grace went to wait on whoever was there. She frowned when she saw Carlita coming in with a smug look on her face.

“I forgot to get a dozen doughnuts to take home,” she said. “Crystal is coming over to the house so she and Kelsey can work on their English today. They get so hungry after about an hour in Kelsey’s room.”

I wonder why? Grace thought as she boxed up the order.

Carlita pulled out a credit card and snapped it down on the counter. “Since you’ve only got a few left in the display case, I’ll take all of those, too. I should get a discount for buying everything so you can close up shop for the day.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Grace said as she boxed up the last dozen assorted doughnuts in a second box, rang up the sale, and handed the slip to Carlita to sign. There wasn’t a single doubt in Grace’s mind that Carlita had come back to subtly put Grace in her place. Grace was the person who had to wait on Carlita, and that made her feel superior and maybe even a little self-righteous.

Sarah came from the back and began to set the chairs up on the tables so she could mop the floors. “For someone who wasn’t ever going to come back in here, you sure are spending a lot of money on doughnuts.”

“You really should get out more, Sarah,” Carlita said with a sniff, “other than in bars on Saturday nights. You might even find a decent man who would have you.”

Grace’s hands knotted into fists, and her blood pressure shot up as high as the fluffy white clouds in the sky. Baiting Sarah like that made her want to throw punches.

“Or better yet, a man might come along that I would have,” Sarah said. “One that will be faithful to me.”

Carlita had picked up the two boxes but jerked to a halt. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You figure it out for yourself,” Grace answered. “We don’t spread rumors. But take a long, hard look at your life and your family. You might realize that your kid is downright mean—and while you are facing reality, take a long look at your marriage.”

Carlita got in the last words as she left the shop. “You are throwing mud at me that should be on you.”

“What a bitch!” Sarah said, locking the door behind Carlita.

Grace followed her sister to the kitchen and could have sworn that she saw smoke coming out of Sarah’s ears.

“Are you all right?” Macy asked.

Sarah gritted her teeth. “Nope.”

“What happened?” Macy asked. “Sarah looks like she’s ready to explode, and you don’t look much better.”

“Reckon you could do some of that fancy kickboxing on Carlita and Lisa?” Grace asked.

“I would be glad to,” Macy said with a smile. “But that would spread even more rumors—and I, for one, am sick of them.”





Chapter Nine


Aknock on his office door brought Travis back to the busy present and away from thoughts about Grace Dalton. Without waiting for an invitation, Calvin poked his head inside. “Mornin’. You ready to get this day on the road? We’re burnin’ daylight. Delores is on her way.”

“I’m ready,” Travis said with a smile.

“What’s going on?” Calvin asked.

“You’ve met my grandpa’s friends. Claud, Ira, and Frankie have been trying to get me to put in a business in Devine, Texas, for a long time, and now they’ve come up with this idea of putting in a mass-production bakery. And I promised my grandpa back before he passed away that someday I would do something to help the little town of Devine. His mama’s folks came from there way back when.”

“A bakery?” Calvin’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? We deal in land, developments, mineral rights, and that kind of thing, not cooking classes. Have you talked to the think tank about this?”

“Not yet,” Travis answered. “They are working on an assessment for putting in a housing development down there. Devine is only thirty minutes from San Antonio, and as commutes go, that’s not bad at all.”

“Well, that sure sounds like something more down our alley than a bakery,” Calvin told him.

Delores didn’t even knock when she pushed open the door. She was really the COO of the company but hadn’t wanted the title, so she just opted for supervisor. In reality, she knew more about Butler Enterprises than anyone.

“What’s so important that you took me away from a meeting with the think-tank kids?” she asked.

“Travis wants to open a bakery,” Calvin spit out.

“A bakery that sells doughnuts,” Travis said.

He removed his glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on. “I forgot my briefcase this morning with some figures I’ve come up with on the bakery. I’ll be right back.”