In the Mood for Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

though she looked out of place, she was doing her damnedest to fit in. To the club’s credit, no one commented on her radical goth girl vibe when she disappeared into the kitchen behind the sweetly sophisticated heiress.
    Sam shifted on his stool, anxious to blurt out his news. Once those Kick-in-the-Pants Kupcakes were served, he’d be forced to stay. He wasn’t about to add rude to quitter .
    “Harper usually drops by Moose-a-lotta for cupcakes and bean juice,” Chloe said, “but so far she’s a no-show.”
    “I’m sure Harper’s fine,” Sam said. “Listen—”
    “Not that I’m prone to gossip,” Ethel said, “but I heard Harper’s had everything from laundry to food delivered to her house daily. Who does that?”
    “People who are used to being catered to,” Sam said. “Probably a West Coast thing. Listen—”
    “I don’t think so,” Chloe said. “I think something’s wrong.”
    “I agree,” Rae said, back in the room and already doling out cupcakes alongside Joey.
    “Nothing’s wrong,” Sam said. Even so, he texted Harper. A racy text. A text she wouldn’t be able to resist. He waited a beat. Two beats.
    “Maybe she’s finally falling prey to the Rothwell curse,” Helen said.
    “A curse?” Joey grinned. “Cool.”
    “Not an actual curse,” Monica said for the record. “More like an urban legend connected to a home once owned by one of the first Cupcake Lovers, Mary Rothwell.”
    “Mary’s husband went missing in World War II,” Daisy said, “but she was certain he’d return.”
    “She became a recluse,” Ethel said, “determined to be at home when he walked through the door.”
    “Only he never did,” Daisy said. “Mary died of a broken heart.”
    “According to residents over the years,” Monica said, “the longer you live in that house, the deeper your anxiety and depression.”
    “Maybe Harper’s too depressed to leave,” Ethel said, “and that’s why she’s ordering everything in.”
    “Have you met Harper?” Sam asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from his tone. “She’s a control freak. Focused and determined.”
    “That doesn’t make her impervious to depression,” Chloe said.
    In Sam’s mind it did. If depression welled, Harper would pound it into the ground. She didn’t have time for anything that would take away from her bulldog mentality and needy clients.
    “Speaking of anxious,” Casey broke in, “I can’t believe you’re here, Chloe. You’re due to give birth any day.”
    “I know. But the baby hasn’t dropped and … never mind.” She glanced at Sam who’d made it clear in the past, simply by holding silent, that he wasn’t comfortable discussing the intimate details of pregnancy. A subject that had become more prevalent over the last several meetings. Natural since Chloe, Monica, and Rae were expecting, but awkward for Sam. In the coming months, techniques for breast-feeding and issues with postnatal care would crop up. He’d been through it all with Paula, twice. He had his own brand of wisdom in these matters. But she’d been his wife. These were his friends. Time to swap cupcakes for bowling.
    “I have an announcement,” Sam blurted just as his cell phone pinged. He glanced at the incoming text. A response from Harper.
    NEED U. NOW.
    Typical Harper—bossy—and a tantalizing response to his racy proposition.
    But then she followed with: PLEASE
    “I have to go.” Sam pushed to his feet and rushed to the door. Chloe was right. Something was wrong.

FOUR
    The Rothwell Farm was located in a woodsy area northwest of Sugar Creek. Highway 105 to 236, then a ten-minute streak down Swamp Road. A right onto Fox Lane and three minutes later the renovated Victorian with its federal-blue exterior and snow-white trim would come into view.
    Sam had been hooked on the late nineteenth-century house ever since he’d been a boy. Owners came and went, claiming—as noted by the Cupcake Lovers—the longer they resided there, the more