Love and Lattes, page 1
Love and Lattes
Synopsis
Bonnie James has built her life around her passions—cats, coffee, and community. She rejected her family’s narrow visions of success and instead chose the non-lucrative, fur-filled life of a cat café owner. So what if her decision means she works way too much to have time for true love? She has plenty of friends and cats to keep her company.
Wedding planner Taryn Ritter has a knack for making impossible dreams come true. She might not understand the appeal of getting married in a cat café, but if that’s what her clients want, then she’ll make it happen. She’s not about to let the reluctant café owner stand in her way, so she makes Bonnie an offer she can’t refuse—give her the venue for one day and she’ll find a way to get more cats adopted into happy homes.
When Bonnie and Taryn join forces to help a bunch of shelter cats find their forever homes, they just might discover forever for themselves as well.
Praise for Karis Walsh
Sit. Stay. Love.
“A cute and fun romance set in a small town. Great main characters that are easily relatable.”—Kat Adams, Bookseller (QBD Books, Australia)
“This is a sweet romance about two lovely people growing together and falling in love as they help the people and animals around them.”—Rainbow Reflections
“This is an easy romance to read. It’s not overly fraught with angst, but there are some light drama to keep the plot moving forward. The obligatory separation of the leads near the end of the book didn’t feel eye roll worthy, because, though dramatic, it was set up almost from the beginning of the book. I loved the characters, pacing and plot of this book. Very recommended.”—Colleen Corgel, Librarian, Queens Public Library
Love on Lavender Lane
“Gentle romance, excellent chemistry and low angst…The two MCs are well defined and well written. Their interactions and dialogue are great fun. The whole atmosphere of the lavender farm is excellently evoked.”—reviewer@large
“[Love on Lavender Lane] was very nearly my perfect romance novel. Lovely human beings for main characters who had fantastic chemistry, great humor that kept me smiling—and even laughing—throughout, and just enough angst to make my feel it in the heart. And a cute doggie, too!”—C-Spot Reviews
Seascape
“When I think of Karis Walsh novels, the two aspects that distinguish them from those of many authors are the interactions of the characters with their environment, both the scenery and the plants and animals that live in it. This book has all of that in abundance…”—The Good, the Bad and the Unread
Set the Stage
“I really adored this book. From the characters to the setting and the slow burn romance, I was in it for the long haul with this one. Karis Walsh to me is an expert in creating interesting characters that often have to face some type of adversity. While this book was no different, it felt like the author changed up her game a bit. There’s something new, something fresh about this book from Walsh.”—Romantic Reader Blog
“Both leads were well developed and you could see them grow as characters throughout the novel. They also had great chemistry. This slow burn romance made a great summer read.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)
Tales From the Sea Glass Inn
“A wonderful romance about starting all over again in middle age. Karis Walsh creates an affirming love story in which relatable women face uncertainty and new beginnings, with all of their promise and shortcomings, and come out whole on the other side.”—Omnivore Bibliosaur
“Tales from Sea Glass Inn is a lovely collection of stories about the women who visit the Inn and the relationships that they form with each other.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
Love on Tap
“Karis Walsh writes excellent romances. They draw you in, engage your mind and capture your heart…What really good romance writers do is make you dream of being that loved, that chosen. Love on Tap is exactly that novel – interesting characters, slightly different circumstances to anything you have read before, slightly different challenges. And although you KNOW the happy ending is coming, you still have that little bit of ‘oooh—make it happen.’ Loved it. Wish it was me. What more is there to say?”—Lesbian Reading Room
“This is the second book I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be my last. Ms Walsh is one of the few authors who can write a truly great and interesting love story without the need of a secondary story line or plot.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
You Make Me Tremble
“Another quality read from Karis Walsh. She is definitely a go-to for a heartwarming read.”—Romantic Reader Blog
Amounting to Nothing
“As always with Karis Walsh’s books the characters are well drawn and the inter-relationships well developed.”—Lesbian Reading Room
Sweet Hearts: Romantic Novellas
“I was super excited when I saw this book was coming out, and it did not disappoint.”—Danielle Kimerer, Librarian, Reading Public Library (MA)
“Karis Walsh sensitively portrays the frustration of learning to live with a new disability through Ainslee, and the pain of living as a survivor of suicide loss through Myra.”—Lesbian Review
Mounting Evidence
“[A]nother awesome Karis Walsh novel, and I have eternal hope that at some point there will be another book in this series. I liked the characters, the plot, the mystery and the romance so much.”—Danielle Kimerer, Librarian, Reading Public Library (MA)
Mounting Danger
“A mystery, a woman in a uniform and horses…YES!!!!…This book is brilliant in my opinion. Very well written with great flow and a fantastic plot. I enjoyed the horses in this dramatic saga. There is so much information on training and riding, and polo. Very interesting things to know.”—Prism Book Alliance
Blindsided
“Their slow-burn romance is a nuanced exploration of trust, desire, and negotiating boundaries, without a hint of schmaltz or pity. The sex scenes are sizzling hot, but it’s the slow burn that really allows Walsh to shine…the deft dialogue and well-written characters make this a winner.”—Publishers Weekly
“This is definitely a good read, and it’s a good introduction to Karis Walsh and her books. The romance is good, the sex is hot, the dogs are endearing, and you finish the book feeling good. Why wouldn’t you want all that?”—Lesbian Review
Wingspan
“I really enjoy Karis Walsh’s work. She writes wonderful novels that have interesting characters who aren’t perfect, but they are likable. This book pulls you into the story right from the beginning. The setting is the beautiful Olympic Peninsula and you can’t help but want to go there as you read Wingspan.”—Romantic Reader Blog
The Sea Glass Inn
“Karis Walsh’s third book, excellently written and paced as always, takes us on a gentle but determined journey through two women’s awakening…Loved it, another great read that will stay on my re-visit shelf.”—Lesbian Reading Room
Worth the Risk
“The setting of this novel is exquisite, based on Karis Walsh’s own background in horsemanship and knowledge of showjumping. It provides a wonderful plot to the story, a great backdrop to the characters and an interesting insight for those of us who don’t know that world…Another great book by Karis Walsh. Well written, well paced, amusing and warming. Definitely a hit for me.”—Lesbian Reading Room
Improvisation
“Walsh tells this story in achingly beautiful words, phrases and paragraphs, building a tension that is bittersweet. As the two main characters sway through life to the music of their souls, the reader may think she hears the strains of Tina’s violin. As the two women interact, there is always an undercurrent of sensuality buzzing around the edges of the pages, even while they exchange sometimes snappy, sometimes comic dialogue. Improvisation is a true romantic tale, Walsh’s fourth book, and she’s evolving into a master romantic storyteller.”—Lambda Literary
Harmony
“This was Karis Walsh’s first novel and what a great addition to the LesFic fold. It is very well written and flows effortlessly as it weaves together the story of Brooke and Andi’s worlds and their intriguing journey together. Ms Walsh has given space to more than just the heroines and we come to know the quartet and their partners, all of whom are likeable and interesting.”—Lesbian Reading Room
Love and Lattes
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By the Author
Harmony
Worth the Risk
Sea Glass Inn
Improvisation
Wingspan
Blindsided
Love on Tap
Tales from Sea Glass Inn
You Make Me Tremble
Set the Stage
Seascape
Love on Lavender Lane
Sit. Stay. Love
Liberty Bay
Love and Lattes
Mounted Police Romantic Intrigues:
Mounting Danger
Mounting Evidence
Amounting to N othing
University Police Romantic Intrigues:
With a Minor in Murder
Love and Lattes
© 2023 By Karis Walsh. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63679-308-5
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: January 2023
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Ruth Sternglantz
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design by Jeanine Henning
eBook Design by Toni Whitaker
Chapter One
Bonnie James unlocked the outer door of her café, shutting it carefully behind her before she crossed the tiny foyer and opened the second door. All along Sumner’s Main Street, she saw other people entering their small businesses, taking advantage of the early morning hours before customers appeared. Stolen, quiet moments to prepare for the day ahead, breathe in the tranquility of peaceful solitude, reflect on the day’s goals and life in general…
Those people didn’t have twenty-three hungry cats waiting for them.
Bonnie waded through a sea of tuxedoes, gingers, and calicos, all of whom were vying for a piece of real estate on her calves to either rub against or claw, depending on their individual inclinations. Parade master to a chaotic swarm of felines, she walked down the hallway with slow, measured steps to avoid stepping on a cat or an unexpected hairball. She smiled at the cacophony of meows—ranging from raspy yowls to tiny mews—as they trotted along with their furry tails waving like banners in the air, trying their best to trip her up.
When she had first come up with the idea to open a cat café, she had quickly realized that the typical retail space wouldn’t be suitable for her needs. The logistics of trying to fit cats, the paraphernalia associated with keeping so many of them, a human kitchen, and room for her customers into a single place had seemed impossible until she had stumbled across this two-story house. On the edge of the small Washington city’s business district, its block had recently been rezoned from residential to commercial, and the four-bedroom, two-bath home had seemed perfect to her.
She could clearly remember the feeling she had when she stood in the empty living room for the first time, imagining the bare hardwood floors covered with cat toys and small tables, filled with customers drinking coffee and playing with kitties. Falling in love and adopting them into forever homes. She had been blissfully caught up in the dream of her café and had significantly underestimated the amount of work involved in just the basic day-to-day running of the place.
Fortunately.
If she had been more realistic in her understanding of what she was taking on, she might never have gone ahead with her plans and would have instead walked out of this house and run back to her old, predictable job.
She dropped her sacks of groceries on the kitchen counter and then went into the small downstairs bedroom behind the kitchen that she used as the cat pantry. The shelves were piled with cat food and tubs of litter, and the floors were covered with umbrella stands full of feathery wands and baskets of felt mice—all the delicate toys that would be destroyed in minutes if left with the cats overnight. Some of the cats were distracted by the toys and started batting at ribbons, giving her a little more freedom to move as she piled a tray with cans of food and stacks of stainless steel bowls. She carried the tray into the main room of the café and scattered the bowls around, plopping scoops of wet food into them as quickly as she could. After some brief squabbling, the cats settled into their preferred feeding arrangement, with a few pairs sharing meals and the others zealously guarding their own space.
Bonnie paused for a moment and caught her breath as she watched the breakfast being greedily consumed. In her first week, she had tried to feed like she did with her personal cats at home, lovingly scooping out each meal and arranging it on the dishes in an appealing mound. The region below her knees had become a battleground as cats fought to be closest to her and first to get fed. She had learned that the faster she raced across the room and haphazardly dumped food into bowls, the faster the cats were to find their places and start eating in relative peace.
She sighed and headed up the old-fashioned and steep staircase to continue feeding. She had a dozen cats who got along relatively well and had the run of the house—minus the kitchen and cat pantry—overnight. The smaller upstairs bedroom was home to three senior cats and two younger ones that were too timid to handle the more roughshod downstairs group without supervision. Bonnie fed the five—a much more relaxed experience than the frenzy below—and shut the door again. She’d let them out when customers started to arrive, but they had their quiet space for eating and sleeping.
Lastly, Bonnie carried the nearly empty tray into what had been the house’s main suite. She held it under one arm as she opened the door and unlatched the baby gate, scooting past the eager kittens that came to greet her. She shut the gate behind her and sank onto the floor, letting the kittens climb on her lap and try to scale her shirt and get to her hair. She cuddled each of the six one at a time, giving them a quick once-over and nuzzling their soft fur.
Definitely her favorite part of the day.
She reluctantly set the last kitten on the ground and scooped their food into shallow bowls. She had originally planned to live in this suite, that she’d move herself in after the three kittens she’d had in here temporarily were adopted, but that first litter had been replaced by another.
And another and another.
Until it had become the official kitten room. She had started by letting potential adopters come see the kittens, then had begun to bring them food and drinks while they were visiting. The experience had become so popular that Bonnie had turned it into a more structured event, and now, although the kitten room wasn’t accessible to everyone, it could be reserved for a limited number of customers for afternoon tea. The kittens received good socialization for short periods of time and were seen by potential adopters, but without the higher traffic of the downstairs public areas. The concept had been a good business decision for the café, and the money those afternoon teas generated made it more cost effective for Bonnie to rent a small house nearby rather than living here.
Bonnie pushed herself off the floor. She would gladly have spent her entire day here, but she had a long list of chores waiting for her. Funny how she had imagined that the main duty of a cat café owner would be playing with cats or reading books with them on her lap. Her pre-café self had been woefully naive. She wouldn’t change a thing, though, even now when she was all too aware of the reality of this lifestyle, and even when knowing that the next chore on her list was to clean about a billion litter boxes.
She tidied the kitten room, cleaning up spilled water and straightening rumpled bedding. The space would be more thoroughly cleaned and set up closer to the tea guests’ arrival, but for now she just made sure the kittens would be comfortable. She closed them in their room and opened the other door so the quiet-room cats could roam the house, then went back downstairs with her tray of empty food cans and dishes.
She finished her morning chores on autopilot, cleaning boxes and hiding away some of the more bedraggled—but much loved—cat beds. The cuter, less frayed ones remained scattered around the room, ready for daily cat naps. She filled the dishwasher with cat bowls and started it before checking the whiteboard to make sure she was ready for the rest of the day.
She did her best to ignore the note reminding her that this was a nail trim weekend. What was an ordeal with one cat was overwhelming when she was facing hundreds of tiny claws. Still, it was a necessary chore since bleeding customers didn’t tend to be happy ones.
