Sinful Dreams (Book 1): Miss Fortune World: The Cappuccino Posse, #1

By J.K. Hage

Pepper Monroe needed a new life, she just didn't know it yet.

Then her cousin Francine called to beg for help running the café in Sinful, Louisiana.

Pepper recognized the request as a flashing neon sign to break out of her boring routine, so she hopped into her car and made the journey south to Sinful. She imagined spending days at the café while learning about the relaxed southern lifestyle from retirees Ida Belle and Gertie.

However, Sinful isn't the sleepy little town she expected. While Pepper is busy trying to educate southern taste buds about the beauty of sweet iced coffee, she also ends up in the middle of murder and kidnapping.

And she meets Jaxson, the hottest man south of the Mason-Dixon line. Problem is, Pepper has just decided to get her life together without a man.

But this Yankee schoolteacher can't stop herself from dreaming…

• Language: English
• Publisher: J&R Fan Fiction
• Release date: Aug 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386205319

J.K. Hage

J.K. Hage believes the world is a better place when you take the time to enjoy humor, coffee, and plenty of chocolate. Bitten by the writing bug in elementary school, Julie spent much of the eighties filling notebooks with romantic ramblings and story ideas before joining the “real world” of college, marriage, children, and working to pay the bills. But she never lost the desire to tell stories. Many years later, thanks to an inspirational friend, she took the plunge and began writing fiction for a wider audience.   If you were to visit Julie at home, you would probably find her writing a new story or blogging on her laptop while sipping a tall mug of sweet and creamy iced coffee. In her spare time, she loves reading or binge-watching her favorite television series with an orange tabby cat on her lap and the world’s laziest Jack Russell terrier snuggled in next to her.

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Copyright © 2017, 2018 by J.K. Hage

(First published under the same title in May 2017.)

This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, certain characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

This story is based on a series created by Jana DeLeon. The author of this story has the contractual rights to create stories using the Miss Fortune world. Any unauthorized use of the Miss Fortune world for story creation is a violation of copyright law.

Sinful Dreams can be read at any time during the Miss Fortune timeline, but it was written to take place after the first Miss Fortune book, Louisiana Longshot. Any variances in characters, timelines, or relationships after that point in the Miss Fortune series have not been incorporated into this spinoff series.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author and the publisher, J&R Fan Fiction, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Prologue

FRANCINE’S VOICEMAIL held an edge of panic. Pepper, please call me back as soon as you get this! Luke was in an accident at work, and we don’t know how long he’ll be at the hospital. I need to go be with him. My regular waitress Ally left last week to do her culinary dessert internship in New Orleans. I haven’t had time to hire anyone else. There’s nobody to run the café. Please help!

Pepper Monroe’s serious brown eyes widened in surprise. First, because her cousin Francine’s husband Luke was the most careful person in the world. The news that he had been seriously injured was disturbing. Second, because she wondered why in the world Francine had thought to call her. Then she sighed a little—probably because Francine knew Pepper always put everyone else’s needs before her own. And since today was Pepper’s final workday of the school year, she had eight weeks of free time ahead of her.

She hoped Francine hadn’t called because she remembered Pepper’s year of waitressing at Denny’s back in college. Those were some long-forgotten skills she had never expected to revive. And cooking? She hadn’t done much of that either in the twelve years since her husband had passed away.

Pepper thought about ignoring the call, but Francine had never directly asked her for anything, and she really didn’t have any summer plans. Good Lord, though, heading to the Deep South during the summer? However would her Yankee self survive? Still, it had been 20 years since she visited her cousin’s home. Trying not to overthink the matter any longer, Pepper hit the button to call her cousin, calculating what to pack and how long it would take her to drive from Battle Creek, Michigan to Sinful, Louisiana.

After talking to Francine, Pepper was still not sure she had made the right decision. When Pepper asked why Francine didn’t just close the café for a couple of weeks, her question was met with some southern expressions she’d never heard before. And then, Oh, no no no. Some of my customers just plain wouldn’t eat if we closed the café. I can’t be responsible for the deaths of all those senior citizens.

Pepper doubted it was quite that extreme, but she agreed to do what she could to help, promising to arrive the next day.

Chapter 1

PEPPER CRANKED THE radio volume up and sang at the top of her lungs as she drove her brand new midnight blue Chevy Camaro convertible into Sinful. The car was Pepper’s fortieth birthday present to herself, one she had been saving for over several years and proudly paid cash for. It was as close to having a baby as she ever hoped to get.

In the 24 hours since she had spoken to Francine, Pepper’s attitude about the world had completely changed. Last night, Pepper had realized how bored she was with her current life. The call from Francine now seemed like a way out, a giant flashing neon sign to move on.

Little did everyone back home know, but she had already written her letter to resign her teaching position at the suburban junior high where she had been employed for the past 15 years. The plan was to mail the letter immediately after