Run: 2026-03-03-01KJTYP52CVCH9C51C2DYHYA60

The scent of warm apple cider doughnuts clings to the gingham curtain over the back service door, and the espresso machine puffs soft steam that fogs the edge of the glass pastry case. A crumb-strewn linen towel slumps over the edge of the mixing station, and the tin that usually holds the shop’s hand-stamped star-shaped cookie cutters sits empty on the counter. “They’re not back in the dry goods bin, either.” “I checked under the front counter twice already. Thought maybe a kid swiped it under cover of grabbing a chocolate chip cookie.” “Mrs. Peabody was in here yesterday muttering about how her own star-shaped cutter broke while rolling gingerbread for the town festival.” “Wait, she asked to borrow mine last week, said she’d lost a full set in the spring flood. Needed matches for her grandmother’s vintage pair.” “Would she really take it outright? She’s brought you free blackberry jam from her orchard every Saturday for six months.” “Maybe she panicked? The festival judges keep gushing about the uniformity of her cut-outs, and she kept fretting over plain round ones.” “Let’s leave a note taped to the door. Say we’ll trade it back for a free box of cinnamon rolls, no questions asked. She won’t turn those down.” “Smart. I’ll grab a marker right now. Also, can you top my latte with extra foam? I’ve got a long afternoon sorting book sale donations ahead.” “Consider it done. And if she leaves it in the drop box by the door tonight, I’ll throw in a free sprinkled doughnut on top.”