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Katherine’s eyes narrowed into a glare, but it didn’t stop Beth Ann.

“Brrraaandon…” she whispered in a teasing voice as she passed Katherine to fetch the women their coffee.

Shaking off the cobwebs, Katherine grabbed a stack of menus from the end of the counter and delivered them around the room. Not that anyone in this crowd needed them. Besides the occasional special, most of them knew the menu by heart.

“Did you girls hear about Isabella and Frank?” Florence asked just as Katherine arrived at their booth. Then her table mates acknowledged they, too, had heard the latest. “You know what that means…”

In a poorly timed attempt to escape back into the kitchen, Katherine turned and nearly ran over Beth Ann, holding four mugs of hot coffee and an order pad.

“My goodness, are you sure you’re alright?” Florence asked, reaching out to steady Katherine. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your cheeks quite so pink before.”

Without thinking, Katherine reached up and touched the sides of her face as Beth Ann stifled a giggle.

“You know, Florence, I think you might be right,” Beth Ann said. “But I wonder why the rest of us aren’t feeling as hot as Katherine.”

Chapter 2

It wasn’t a surprise when Beth Ann came in that morning weaving tales of mystery, love, and happily ever after, even though the subject was something Katherine had stubbornly refused interest in for years.

She didn’t believe in whirlwind romances like Beth Ann. At least not for herself. And not in Windsong, Washington. A town where everyone seemed to know each other in one way or another. A place where her family held court like small-town royalty.

With her Kentucky-born father, Jerome Bennett, as the chief of police and her mother, Ginny, daughter of British ex-pats, as the grande dame of all things social in the small seaside town, Katherine knew she didn’t stand a chance at starting anything in the romance department. Certainly not under the all-knowing eyes of her mother, four older sisters, and most of all, Beth Ann: friend, employee, and part-time wannabe matchmaker.

“You okay?” Zach asked near the end of breakfast.

In five years of working together, Zach and Katherine had forged the makings of a well-oiled machine, so it wasn’t hard for him to tell when she was distracted.

“Of course.” She tried to laugh away his concern. “You know me in the kitchen... busy brain and all.”

“Anything good rattling around up there?”

When Katherine blurted outsteak salad, Zach looked less than impressed. He’d come to expect more from her, and she’d have to pull her thoughts together to cover up the fact that food had been the last thing on her mind.

“I know it doesn’t sound exciting, but I think if we put a Vietnamese twist on it with matchstick cuts of pickled veg, paper-thin jalapeño slices, and plenty of cilantro, it could be a real hit. Maybe even top it off with some crispy chow mein noodles for a little extra crunch. Think bánh mì meets steak salad.”

“Whoa…” Zach nodded with appreciation. “That might work.”

With a smile, Katherine disappeared into the walk-in refrigerator and returned with an armful of supplies. “We’ve got just about everything we need. And I can probably talk Georgie or my mom into trying it.”

On Saturdays, Katherine’s mother and sisters came to the diner so the six of them could have lunch together. Not only was it time for them to catch up, but she often asked for their input about the menu.

“Can we even get those crispy noodles from Sid’s?”

“Maybe. But why try finding them at the market when we could probably call Mr. Chen’s and see about getting some delivered.”

“Sweet!” Zach raised his arm for a high five as Katherine leaned in to slap the palm of his hand. “You keep that brain of yours going, and I’ll make the call myself.”

Then Zach dropped hash browns, ham steaks, and scrambled eggs onto two waiting plates, along with slices of toasted sourdough, and rang the bell for pickup.

As Lucy and Lyla dashed in, each grabbing a plate of food and dashing out, Zach headed to the phone on the back wall to dial the number for Mr. Chen’s Chinese. “If I’m lucky, Suzie will answer.”

Katherine knew exactly what Zach meant. Mr. Chen was the sweetest man in person. But once you got him on the phone, he was prone to shouting. And not just to clarify the details of an order.He pretty much shouted his way through the entire conversation.

“Oh! Hello, Mr. Chen! Good morning to you, too!” Zach shouted back through the phone as Katherine glanced in his direction. “This is Zach at The Copperwall! Could I please speak with Suzie?”

Katherine mouthed the wordsorryto Zach as he shrugged.

Since it was nearly time for her to leave the kitchen and join her family, she hurried to wipe down her workspace and check on the soups they’d prepared between breakfast orders while Zach went through the usual paces with Mr. Chen.