Spotlight & Giveaway: The Good Luck Cafe by Annie Rains

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Annie Rains’s new release: The Good Luck Cafe

Moira Green is perfectly content with her life.

 
She has a rewarding career and plenty of wonderful friends, including the members of her weekly book club. Then everything in her life goes topsy-turvy when the town council plans to demolish the site of her mother’s beloved café to make room for much-needed parking. Moira is determined to save her mother’s business, so she swallows her pride and asks Gil Ryan for help.

Moira and Somerset Lake’s mayor were good friends once, the kind who could laugh at everything and nothing at all. Until one night changed everything between them. And now, with Gil supporting the council’s plans, Moira is forced to find another way to save Sweetie’s—and it involves campaigning against Gil. Going head-to-head in a battle of wills reveals more than either of them are ready for, and as the election heats up, so does their attraction. But without a compromise in sight, can these two be headed for anything but disaster?

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from The Good Luck Cafe 

Chapter One
The March sun beat against the top of Moira’s head as she stepped in front of Sweetie’s Bake Shop and pulled open the door. She breathed in the familiar aroma of coffee and pastries as she walked inside, and sighed happily. Home sweet home- away-from-home.
“Moira!” her mom called from behind the counter. Darla Green had bright red hair that she’d kept long since Moira was a little girl. The only hint that she and Moira were even related was the stamp of rust-colored freckles that both women had across the bridges of their noses and cheeks. “You’re running behind, aren’t you? I thought you might not be coming in this morning.”
Moira headed in her mother’s direction. “My shift starts in half an hour. I’m sorry to say I’m getting my coffee and bagel to go this morning.”
Darla frowned as she started preparing Moira’s breakfast. Moira didn’t come in every morning, but two or three times a week she found herself here to see her mom and satisfy her cravings. Call her superstitious, but the fact that it sat catty-corner on Good Luck Avenue always made her feel like there was something lucky in dropping by. Maybe there weren’t the leprechauns of her childhood imagination, but she was fortunate to have a place to come where she could visit with friends and family and get her daily dose of caffeine all in one.
Moira glanced around the room as she waited, spotting several locals in their regular spots, including Reva Dawson, who had her laptop front and center. Reva was undoubtedly working on her latest blog post. Moira did her best to avoid being fodder for Reva’s town blog. Moira kept a quiet life out of the spotlight. As a 911 dispatcher, she worked behind the scenes of the goings-on in town. She knew every bit as much as Reva, probably more, but she didn’t feel the need to gossip like the infamous town blogger did.
Beyond Reva, Moira spotted her best friend Tess sitting at a table on her own. Tess had her phone in front of her and was swiping a quick finger up the screen, a telltale sign that she was looking at TikTok or, in Tess’s case, more likely BookTok. Tess owned the local bookstore a few doors down the street and ran the weekly book club that Moira attended.
“Here you go, sweetie.” Darla slid a cup of coffee and a bagel wrapped in wax paper toward Moira.
“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Darla flicked her gaze at Tess. “You going over to say hello?”
Moira nodded as she collected her breakfast items. “A very quick one. Being late for the dispatch is, in actuality, a life- and-death thing. Or it could be.” Maybe, if Moira didn’t live in Somerset Lake, where the biggest day-to-day emergency was a lack of parking on Hannigan Street.
Darla tsked as a smile spread through her rosy cheeks. “You always have been a dramatic one, haven’t you?”
“I’m not being dramatic right now. A lot could go wrong if no one’s there to answer the call for help.” This wasn’t exactly true. There was always one other dispatcher on shift. Since Somerset Lake was a small town, that was all that was needed. Moira was proud to be one of the few. She loved her job and knowing that she was quite possibly saving people’s lives. Or, more often, kittens that were stuck in trees and couldn’t figure out how to make their way down. But she liked saving them too.
Moira waved at Tess and walked over to where she was sitting. Tess looked up from her phone as Moira paused at the head of her table.
“Hey, you. I was hoping you’d come in today. Have a seat?” Tess asked. Today, her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with a few loose curls framing her face.
“I wish I could, but I have a shift in twenty-five minutes,” Moira said. “I need to get home.”
Tess visibly wilted. “Boo-hiss. I’m so jealous that you get to work from home.”
Moira offered back an eye roll. “Oh, please. You own your own business. It might as well be home for you.”
“True.” Tess grinned. “Tomorrow then?”
Moira nodded. “Sure. I’ll come in a little earlier so we can have breakfast. Sound good?”
“I’ll look forward to it.” Tess checked the time on her phone’s screen and heaved a sigh. “I need to get to the bookstore any- way. Lara doesn’t mind opening for me, but I don’t want to take advantage of her. She’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a while. I don’t want to run her off.” Tess stood and pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder.
“Don’t you mean River Harrison is the best thing that’s happened to you?” Moira teased. River was Tess’s fiancé, and Moira was sure she’d never seen her friend so happy. The fact that her best friend had found love—for a second time— did Moira’s heart good. Those who wanted a life partner should have one. Moira, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in sharing her home, her bed, or her life with anyone. Maybe it was because she had grown up as an only child. It hadn’t made her spoiled, but it had definitely molded her into a fiercely independent woman who didn’t mind being alone.
“You’re right. River is the best thing, and Lara is a close second.” Tess laughed as she collected her trash to discard on her way out. Then she and Moira waved at Darla before pushing through the exit doors. “So tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here. See you then.” Moira started walking. The parking on Hannigan Street was scarce, which meant she’d parked the length of a football field away. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but she was glad she’d chosen sneakers when she’d left the house this morning.
Moira started hurrying toward her vehicle when her cell phone pinged from the front pocket of her purse. She fumbled with her coffee and bagel, shifting them to one hand so she could free up the other and dig inside her purse. When she pulled out her phone, there was a text waiting for her.
Dad: Did you see your mom this morning? How was she?
Moira frowned at her dad’s message. Her dad didn’t usually check up on Darla. He’d retired last year though. He seemed to be loving his newfound freedom, but Moira thought her mom seemed to be struggling with the fact that he was discovering new hobbies while she was working long hours—although it was doing what she loved.
Hugging her coffee to her side with the bagel resting on top, Moira used her opposite hand to tap out a return text with her thumb.
Moira: I just left Sweetie’s. Mom seemed fine to me.
Moira didn’t have time to wait for her dad’s reply. She picked up her pace, still holding on to her phone and breakfast. The aroma of the Asiago from the bagel wafted up to her nose, making her belly grumble. Then a gust of wind blew her hair into her eyes and mouth.
Ugh. She didn’t have a free hand to swipe it away, so she blinked through the curtain of dark hair, spotting her car up ahead.
“In a hurry?” someone asked.
The unexpected voice startled her. She whirled to find its source, her subconscious already matching the deep voice to a name before she looked into the man’s bright blue eyes. The sudden movement made her bagel tumble off the top of her coffee cup, where it was balanced. Moira tried to snatch it out of the air before it hit the pavement, which made her coffee slip from her grasp.
Gil Ryan attempted to catch the bagel and drink as well. He lunged toward Moira and stretched out his hand, bumping his forehead into hers.
“Ow!” She straightened and pressed a hand to her fore- head, her eyes open to see the rest of the ordeal pass in slow motion.
Gil caught the bagel—success!—but the coffee hit the pavement and exploded like a water balloon, dousing both of their shoes.
Not my new Converse sneakers! Coffee stains will be the death of them.
Gil straightened, holding the bagel with one hand and his forehead with the other, his gaze trained on her. “At least your breakfast was salvaged.”
Moira hesitated before taking it, feeling awkward. She’d always felt this way with Gil, knowing he had a crush on her that she didn’t reciprocate. “I wouldn’t have dropped any of my breakfast in the first place if you hadn’t startled me,” she snapped. The awkwardness frequently made her come off as defensive and maybe a little cold. She knew this about herself. “Of course I’m in a hurry. That’s why I was walking so fast. Reason would tell you not to call out to a person who looks like they’re on a mission, unless you have something important to tell them.”
It was like she couldn’t control her mouth when Gil was around.
“I’m sorry. Why don’t you let me buy you another coffee?”
Gil was pretty much a saint. Everyone thought so. She’d never known him to do anything wrong, unless he could be found guilty by association with his former roommate, whom Moira wished she’d never met. A person couldn’t rewind time though. If they could, she’d dodge the handsome town mayor and have her coffee back this morning.
“I have to get home for work at nine. In fact, thanks to you, I’m running late.” She turned and started walking toward her car without a proper goodbye, which made her feel like a jerk. She immediately regretted the whole interaction with Gil, but if she turned around now, she’d be late to dispatch. So she kept walking.
•
Gil stepped inside Sweetie’s Bakeshop and headed toward Darla behind the counter.
“Hey, Mayor Gil,” she said with a broad smile. Unlike her daughter, Darla was always happy to see him.
“Morning, Darla. Can I get a hot coffee with a squirt of chocolate syrup?” he asked.
“Only you.” She laughed, reaching for an empty cup off to her side. Then she prepared his drink as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I had a little run-in with Moira before walking in.”
Darla glanced over her shoulder as she poured from the pot on the back counter. “Oh? She was just in here.”
“Yeah. We bumped into each other. I kind of spilled her coffee. Or she spilled it, but she firmly blamed me.”
Darla chuckled. “Well, you know Moira,” she said, as if that explained her daughter’s attitude.
He did know Moira. She was as nice as her mother, to everyone except him. Somehow he’d found himself on her bad side, and that’s where he stayed no matter how hard he tried to win her over. And he did try.
Gil was a people pleaser, and he knew it. It bothered him when a person didn’t like him, especially someone whom he’d grown up with. And admittedly he’d had a crush on Moira Green since kindergarten when she’d sported long, black pig- tail braids with green ribbons tied at the bottoms. While the other girls declared pink as their favorite color, Moira had always chosen green. While those pink girls had played hopscotch and dolls, Moira had dominated the swings and monkey bars.
Moira didn’t do what was expected, especially back when she and Gil were growing up. She was an outlier, which some might call a negative. Not him though. Moira had caught his eye when they were only kids. “You know what, Darla?”
Darla slid his coffee across the counter toward him and raised a questioning brow. “What’s that, Mayor?”
“Can you make me whatever kind of coffee Moira had this morning? She didn’t have time to come back in and get another. It’d be a shame for her to work her shift without caffeine.”
Darla’s green eyes narrowed. “You’re going to drop it off at her house?”
Gil nodded, warming up to the idea. Maybe he’d finally win Moira over this morning. She didn’t have to reciprocate his attraction, but getting off her bad side would be nice. And he kind of was to blame for causing her to dump her coffee. He’d called out to her, seeing that she was obviously in a hurry. What was he thinking?
“I don’t know, Mayor Gil. My daughter doesn’t like unannounced visitors.”
He could guess as much. Moira wasn’t an introvert, but she was a private person. “I won’t stay. I won’t even go inside. I know she’s working. I just want to bring her a replacement coffee. She can’t fault me for that, can she?”
Darla looked skeptical. After a long pause, she grabbed a cup and set about making another coffee for Moira. A minute later, she slid it toward him. “That’ll be four dollars and seventy-six cents.”
Gil zipped his card through the reader, tapped in his PIN, and collected the two coffees. “Wish me luck.”
Darla shook her head on a soft chuckle. “Good luck, Mayor Gil. I think you’re going to need it.”

Excerpted from THE GOOD LUCK CAFE by Annie Rains. Copyright © 2022 by Annie Rains. Reprinted with permission from Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
 
 

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Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains lives in a small, coastal North Carolina town, full of lovable folks, scenic downtown areas, and nature—similar to the towns she writes in her books. Annie’s love of reading and writing books grabbed hold of her at a young age and never let go. Her first book was published in 2015 and she’s been writing heartfelt, page-turning stories ever since. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s reading from her never-ending TBR stack on her bedside table, taking long walks while plotting her characters’ happy endings, and living out her own happily ever after with her husband, three children, feisty rescue cat and mischievous dog.
Annie’s latest release, The Good Luck Café, is a sweet small-town romance packed with sparks and easy on the spice. Learn more at: http://www.annierains.com/the-good-luck-cafe

Buy link with retailer tabs here: http://www.read-forever.com/titles/annie-rains/the-good-luck-cafe/9781538710081/