Certainly her sales thus far today had exceeded her expectations. Throughout the course of the hectic day she’d recognized the faces of many of her regular customers-Baxter Hills locals and workers whose offices were located in the complex. Everyone from executives to the landscapers who kept the courtyard in pristine condition had dropped into her shop.

But she was even more encouraged by the number of newcomers, many of whom reached for one of the business cards she kept stacked by the cash register. Hopefully those first-timers would come back for more of her specialty coffees, teas and fresh-baked goods. Check out her Web site. Hire her to bake custom items for their next special occasion or party.

She’d worked long and hard to make her dream of running her own store a reality, and all she’d accomplished with Constant Cravings-the personal touches she’d put into the decor and the menu items-filled her with pride. While you couldn’t swing a stick and fail to hit one of the coffee-house franchises that occupied space in nearly every block in the Los Angeles area, she’d worked to make Constant Cravings different in every way, from setting up her store in Baxter Hills-an up-and-coming area on the outskirts of the city-to the decorations, to the desserts she served, to the colorful napkins she used. She hoped the exposure from today’s party would lead not only to those new faces becoming regular customers but to them telling their friends about her shop. Which would lead to even better sales.

Which might finally get Evan Sawyer off her back.

As if the mere thought of Fairfax’s building manager-who, by virtue of that title was unfortunately her landlord-could make him materialize, her gaze happened upon him standing across the courtyard. His features were set in their usual scowl, and she wasn’t in the least bit surprised to note that despite the warm weather and the fact that it was a Saturday and this was a party, he wore one of his uptight business suits complete with a perfectly knotted maroon tie.