This excerpt is from the last part of chapter one. Cheesemonger Willa Bauer and her three employees -- Archie, June, and Mrs. Schultz -- are at her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, and are about to head across the street to the grand opening of their friend's bakery. The plans for it have been kept secret, even more so than Willa realizes...
From BAIT AND SWISS by Korina Moss. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Chapter 1
“Is it that time already? We’d better get down there,” Archie said, taking off his wheat-colored apron. Underneath he wore a Curds & Whey T- shirt and cargo shorts. I knew he wanted to support his friend and former girlfriend, Hope, who owned the bakery.
“I hope it’s a success. I have to admit, I’m concerned for her. She’s taking a very successful business and changing it completely,” Mrs. Schultz said.
“I give her credit for following her passion,” I replied, although I had the same concerns. Rise and Shine was a bread bakery and a staple in Yarrow Glen for over twenty years. It had been a bumpy two years learning the ropes of running a business since Hope took it over, especially because she had her own ideas of what she wanted it to be—namely a cakery that would sell cakes and cupcakes, not breads. “How is she handling her new pursuit, Archie?”
“I know she’s excited about it. She said they painted the inside, and she had to do some renovations to the kitchen, but honestly, she hasn’t said much about what she’s doing.”
“I noticed she even papered over the windows,” Mrs. Schultz commented with an arched eyebrow of disapproval.
“So you weren’t able to peek in then, huh?” I asked her with a wink.
She put a hand to her chest and opened her mouth wide as if she was shocked by my mild accusation. Then she looked off in innocence, fluffing her short curly hair. “She was very thorough,” she replied, breaking into a barely there mischievous grin.
I chuckled. “She is being very secretive. Has she let you see it?” I asked Archie.
“No. I’ve barely talked to her in weeks, but I just figured she was super busy with it.”
“She probably wants everyone to be surprised and impressed with the finished product, especially you,” Mrs. Schultz said to him.
Archie shrugged, apparently uncertain about his status with Hope. Even though Archie had been hurt by their breakup, they’d remained friends.
“I’m sure we’ll all be impressed,” June said.
“I’m sure we will be. I’m more concerned about pulling off our event tomorrow. I hope I didn’t go overboard with all the activities,” I said, beginning to feel overwhelmed as the date grew closer.
“Don’t worry, Willa. We can handle it. Besides, we’ve got June,” Archie said, unfazed.
June smiled timidly.
“We’d better go so we don’t miss it,” Archie said, already at the door.
“I can stay back and watch the shop,” June offered. She was from Lockwood, the next town over, so she didn’t know Hope very well and wasn’t as invested in the grand opening as the rest of us.
“Come with us. We can close the shop for a bit,” I said, as we took off our aprons. I knew we wouldn’t miss any customers in the fifteen minutes we’d be gone—everyone in town would be in front of Hope’s shop.
I hung the Be Back Shortly sign on the front of the teal door before locking it. As soon as we stepped onto the brick-lined sidewalk, the fragrance of the crepe myrtle trees, their pink blooms awakening for spring, was unmistakable. We passed Carl’s Hardware, the shop that shared a building with mine, and crossed the alley to Lou’s Market, which had a cute green awning that shaded today’s fresh stock of beets, carrots, and avocados. Lou, whose white hair and grumpy demeanor made him appear older than his mid-fifties, kept the sidewalk in front of his market meticulously clean and thus was shooing the excess people away with his broom.
When he saw Mrs. Schultz, his bushy eyebrows relaxed, and he greeted us with a smile. Well, he greeted Mrs. Schultz.
“Mrs. Schultz. Beautiful day!” he said as we approached.
“It certainly is. Are you going to Hope’s grand opening?” she asked.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to see what’s going on from here. I have a market to run,” he reminded us unnecessarily.
“Well, I’ll let Hope know you’re sending your support from across the street,” Mrs. Schultz replied with her toothy grin.
He cleared his throat. “Of course. Yes. Please do,” he mumbled, nodding.
We continued to make our way down to the bakery, which meant passing Read More Bookstore & Café and crossing the street. Already a crowd had formed, spilling onto the diagonal parking spaces on the street abutting the bakery’s sidewalk.
Pleasant Avenue was a hodgepodge of mostly older flat-roofed buildings, which had been renovated into shops and cafés with second-story offices or cozy apartments, such as mine. The shops were uniformly connected in pairs with alleys in between the buildings separating them from the next pair of shops. Hope’s bakery was the exception. It was located in a single-story cottage with faded clapboards. The new bright pink awning shaded the door as well as the two oversized six-over-six-paned windows to the right of the entrance.
Today, brown butcher paper covered the windows to keep us from peeking inside, as Mrs. Schultz had tested, and a long piece of fabric covered the sign above the front door that used to read Rise and Shine Bakery. We’d all put up flyers in our own shop windows to announce her grand opening, so I was glad to see she was getting a good turnout.
I recognized most of our shop neighbors, except for a guy in his twenties wearing sunglasses and overly gelled hair slicked forward who weaved through the crowd toward the bakery. In one hand, he held a camera; in the other, he held up a name tag from a lanyard around his neck.
“Move aside, please. I’m from the press,” he announced as he pushed his way through.
The only press around here was our free newspaper, the Glen Gazette, but I knew the reporter who covered most of the town’s events and she certainly never behaved like that.
Finally, the door to the bakery cracked open, and Hope squeezed through it to get outside, revealing as little as possible of the inside. Archie’s eyes lit up upon seeing her. She closed the door behind her. She looked possibly nervous but excited, repeatedly running her pink polished nails through her blonde pixie-styled hair with its matching pink streak. Finally, she shoved her hands into her pink overalls and spoke to the crowd.
“Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for coming!” She waited for the chatter of the crowd to ease then raised her voice. “I’m so excited to unveil my new shop, starting with the new name. Are you ready?”
We all applauded, Archie perhaps the loudest.
Hope grabbed the cord to the fabric covering the sign and pulled, causing it to slip off, revealing Hope’s Cakery in fat pink lettering with a rosette tacked to the end of the y. More applause resounded. I wasn’t sure if Hope was blushing from the praise or if it was the reflection of all the pink, but I was happy to see her looking so proud.
When the applause died down, she continued: “That’s not all. Inside, you’ll see the new look of Hope’s Cakery, but there’s also one more surprise you’ll find. I’ve paired up with another shop to offer you the sweetest deals. Ready?” Hope knocked on the window, and from inside, the paper on the glass was torn away, revealing another new sign hanging in the window: Chocolate Bliss.
It was a name and logo I recognized. My stomach lurched. “No way,” I said under my breath, not believing what might be happening.
My ears started to buzz as Hope announced, “Ready to replicate the success of their Oregon shops in our town, meet Yarrow Glen’s newest chocolatiers!” The door behind her swung open and a man and woman emerged, hand in hand, smiling and waving like the president and first lady.
I didn’t have to meet them. I already knew who they were: my ex-fiancé and my ex-best friend had secretly set up shop right here in Yarrow Glen.
From BAIT AND SWISS by Korina Moss. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Cheese Shop Mysteries #6
In Korina Moss's Bait and Swiss, Yarrow Glen’s newest business gives one unlucky resident the swiss of death.
It’s been almost two years since Willa Bauer opened Curds&Whey in Yarrow Glen, and both cheesemonger and cheese shop are thriving in the Sonoma Valley. While Willa doesn’t eat chocolate, it’s true that life is like a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, life’s latest curveball is that Willa’s ex fiancé and ex-best friend—the reason for her chocolate aversion—are opening a chocolate pop-up shop across the street. By the end of the shop’s first day, the town’s newest reporter is the victim of death by chocolate. Now Willa’s ex wants her to be Swiss Congeniality, solve the case, and save the day. As much as Willa wants to hit him with the nearest cheese wheel, she can't stop herself from saying yes. And it’s not long before tourists decide to stay clear of town until the killer is caught. To save Yarrow Glen, Willa and Team Cheese have some work to do.
Mystery Culinary | Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [St. Martin's Press, On Sale: April 29, 2025, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781250893949 / eISBN: 9781250893956]
KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series (St. Martin’s Press) set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, CHEDDAR OFF DEAD. Her books have been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction. For more information about Korina and her books, and to subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website.
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