She’s opened his eyes to the delicious world of tea. Can she open her own heart to his love?

It’s 1967 and young widow Claire is living her dream as the owner of Claire’s Tea Shop, a dream she refuses to give up on again.

Richard is a successful up-and-coming realtor and believes his life is complete. Until he falls cup over saucer for Claire.

Both feel the steam in the room, but Claire fears falling in love again will force her to choose between a second flush on love and her beloved store. Can she find the perfect blend of romance and dreams?

Claire’s Tea Shop is a short story prequel to Tea Shop for Two, the first instalment in Lori Wolf-Heffner’s sweet romance series Love on Belmont. Enjoy this light-hearted dip into love, which will pair perfectly with your favourite cup of tea.

The Store Behind Claire’s Tea Shop

Love on Belmont is inspired by–and in part based on–Belmont Village, a quaint shopping and eating strip in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Although the stores and businesses I use in Love on Belmont are fictional, there may be overlap with a real store. If I feel the story might have an effect on an existing store, I speak with the owner(s) first to ensure they’re comfortable with me moving forward with my idea.

For Claire’s Tea Shop, that store is All Things Tea, owned and run by George Broughton. I’ll be honest: I never liked black tea, so I was a bit nervous about writing a book about a tea shop. But tea goes with books like Lois Lane and Clark Kent, music and dance, winter and snow (at least where I live). I had to open Love on Belmont with it. So, if I was going to write about the world of tea, I had to step out of my herbal/rooibos comfort zone, and I’m so glad I did. George and his wife, Susan Parks, have been extremely supportive in helping me learn about the world of tea. At time of writing, I’m finding myself increasingly drawn to Keemun black tea. It has a clean, floral taste.

Where to Buy Claire’s Tea Shop

If you read ebooks and want to sign up for my newsletter, you can download Claire’s Tea Shop for free here.

The ebook (sans newsletter subscription) costs only 99¢ on all major ebook retailers. The print book costs $5.99 CAD but is available worldwide, including on Amazon.

Live in Waterloo Region?

You can buy Claire’s Tea Shop at All Things Tea in Belmont Village in Kitchener.