Apple Cart County Character Side Stories: Sweet Southern Romantic Comedy Collection, Signed Paperback

Brewin' Up Love

My new adult life is going as planned . . . until my boyfriend gets drafted.

Luckily it’s just baseball, not war.

Although I’m fighting pretty hard to make a long-term relationship transition seamlessly into long-distance.

One minute Nate and I are headed to college. The next he’s joining a minor league team in Atlanta. The only part of my life not changing is my family’s apple orchard and good old Apple Cart, Alabama.

Mary’s Diner and Piggly Wiggly are still the hub of downtown, and the General Store is still selling “everything from a cradle to a coffin.” (A rather morbid marketing tactic if you ask me.)

Part of me is ready to spread my wings and see what the rest of the world has to offer. Like the chocolate coffee Nate and I discovered recently. But Nate’s the other part of the equation—the solution to the “x” that was missing in my life. One that I pray never becomes an “ex.”

When we were only sixteen, we made a promise to love each other forever. That’s a promise I know I can keep.

But can that promise outlast us chasing separate dreams?

*Part of The Coffee Loft shared author series.


Baking Spirits Bright

A handsome, single stranger is attending the Apple Cart County Christmas Bakeoff—on purpose. This must be a Christmas miracle.

I came up with the perfect plan to launch my career as a marketing professional and put my family’s apple orchard on the map. Then my quirky old landlord stole my idea to declare an official Apple Cart apple dessert and suggested a county-wide bakeoff.

That leaves me to defend my family’s desserts among others in town. For better or worse, it brings more exposure to Apple Cart.

It also brings a handsome man my age to town.

But there has to be a catch since he’s not visiting family or just passing through. Not until I’ve bared my soul to him for days do I discover he’s a famous Southern food blogger. Was our connection genuine, or was he playing me for intel on Apple Cart?

That leaves me trying to not love and hate him at the same time.

Guitars and Sandbars

Chasing their dreams lands high school sweethearts on the same shoreline.

The last person I expected to see on a music video set was my high school boyfriend.

Okay, so it’s not totally unbelievable since we parted ways so he could pursue music. After high school, I headed south to attend culinary classes while he moved to Music City. The last time I saw him was in our hometown Dollar General over a Christmas break.

Until this week . . .

What are the odds that we’d end up on the same beach years later?

I landed my first big catering gig for the set of his first music video. That’s got to be fate, right?

Guitars & Sandbars was previously featured in A Splash of Romance multiauthor anthology, published by Banter and Blushes.

Chapter One (Guitars & Sandbars)

Tiffany

I flip the sign to closed and shut the window on the food truck. 

“Genesis, did you update our hours on socials?”

“Huh?” 

Genesis and I met in college. I was studying culinary arts, and she was a self-proclaimed sixth-year senior, having changed her major more times than I can remember. She is both the best and worst thing that happened to my business. 

When she ignores me for well over a minute, I turn off the radio. Genesis sings a few more lines of Kenny Chesney before turning around. 

“Did you update the hours for the week on our social accounts?”

Her eyes grow big as quarters. I palm my face. “Genesis! You had one job.”

“I’m sorry.” She throws her hands in the air. “You gave me so many different times, I couldn’t keep up.”

“I wrote them down.” I point to the large note written in permanent marker on the refrigerator. “And I texted them to you.”

She winces. I sigh and reach for my phone. It takes me all of two minutes to post this week’s hours. Then I open the door to a family outside browsing the menu. 

“They never close this early,” I hear one of them say.

I shake my head and approach them. “Hi, we’re working different hours this week.” I point to the sign opposite the menu. Yet another place Genesis could’ve noticed the times. “Sorry for any inconvenience. The hours are now posted on our social media too. I can get you some coconut crisps for your trouble.”

“Thank you. That would be great. My mom was wanting to try them.”

An older lady smiles. 

“Meet me at the window.” I smile and hurry inside, then raise the window. I hand the man three wrapped packages of coconut crisps, my popular concoction of coconut cookies with a crispy bite. 

“Thank you. How much?”

“On the house.” I push back his hand holding up a twenty. 

My stomach pins against the countertop as the truck jerks forward. The family stares in shock as I bounce back against the wall and the window slams shut. 

“Genesis!” 

“One on the dot, boss. That’s what time you said we were leaving.”

I secure the window latch and make my way to the front of the truck. She smirks from behind the wheel. 

“Now you’re remembering numbers?” I plop down in the passenger seat and buckle up. 

“It’s easy to remember one number, especially when the one number is one.”

“Maybe the free cookies will make up for our lack of customer service.”

Genesis says nothing as she fumbles with the radio. 

“Slow down, we’re going to miss the turn.”

She laughs. “Oh yeah, I forget it’s this way.”

Her family owns tons of property around here, and she’s lived at the beach her entire life. But I keep that to myself. Best not harass the person driving my life savings—and my life.

Genesis turns on two wheels, tires squealing. I grab the “oh crap” bar near my window and hold my breath. Temporary gates appear with signs designating filming locations. 

She slows when we come to the main gate, and an important-looking guy walks to her window. I lean over to talk as soon as she rolls it down. “Hi, Tiffany Rivers with The Sandbar. We’re here for catering.”

“Perfect. Once we open this gate, you can go to the left. There will be a spot for catering and craft services.”

I yell, “Thank you,” as he unlocks the gate. 

Genesis drives at an acceptable speed and finds the “Craft Services” sign. “We’re not doing crafts, are we?”

I laugh. “No. That was how the snack-foods service was listed in my contract. I assume it’s showbiz lingo.”

She shrugs. “Who is this video for?”

“Colt Stallion.” 

“Never heard of him.” She scrunches her nose as she parks the truck. 

“Neither have I. He’s a new country singer recording his first music video.”

“Cool.” Genesis pops a piece of gum in her mouth and hops out. 

I go through the back, straightening whatever fell when she abruptly jerked us into drive. Then I open the back door and pause before stepping out. 

“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Genesis lifts her sunglasses and leans closer to me. 

I’m frozen in the back of the truck, wondering if I really see what—or whom—I think I see.