SHOT IN THE DARK: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle
EXCERPT
"Shot down again . . ."
My ex-husband dropped his hard body onto the soft stool at our crowded coffee bar,
the thorny end of a long-stemmed rose still pricking his hand.
"Three strikes in one night," I said. "Does that mean you're out?"
"No, Clare. That's another kind of ball game."
"I hope you're talking about the Yankees."
"What do you think?"
"I think you should give up pitching woo and pitch in behind this counter…”
We were short-staffed this evening with every café table occupied, the coffee bar
packed, and a line of customers spilling into the chilly West Village night. Couples
who couldn't find seats were sipping their lattes on the cold sidewalk.
According to my young baristas, the reason for this bounty of business was a hot new
"dating game" application for smartphones. Hot was the operative word, since the app
was called Cinder. This one included "user ratings" for the best public meeting places
in the city, and we currently ranked in the top three.
Now that our landmark coffeehouse was a hookup hot spot for digital dating, my
quiet evenings at the Village Blend displayed all the tranquility of a Times Square
crosswalk.