2. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor: Everyone! I have news! Someone finally moved into that apartment above the coffee shop!
Comments:
Jade Clark: Damn, I was hoping that would stay empty.
Kerry Winsor: Growth is good! And we need something for Wren to do.
Wren Hackett: I don’t love agreeing with Kerry, but I agree with Kerry.
Jade Clark: No, you’re right. But who knows if we’ll like them, you know?
Tammy Jane: Who knows if Theo will like them, you mean. I bet they’ll be running into each other a lot. Anyone know who it is? If it’s a nice young lady, we should warn her.
Jackie Anne: Unless someone finally changes his mind. @Theo Murf, any chance of that?
Theo Murf: No.
“There he is!”
A voice made me jump. This time, Marjorie was hiding behind a trash can. I hadn’t seen her when I walked up to the store.
“Fuck,” I said under my breath as I pressed a hand to my chest. “Do you really have to do this every day?”
“How else am I supposed to talk to you? I’m a busy woman now.”
“Can you at least pick the same spot?”
Yesterday had been the corner. One time, she hid behind another car just to pop out the second I opened my door. For a while, she liked the potted plants on the square.
Years ago, she would have had fewer options. The square used to be dark and empty. The color on the buildings was faded, and there wasn’t a single decoration or potted plant in sight.
I wasn’t sure when it started to change, just like I wasn’t sure when I decided to stay. But slowly, I saw the buildings get repainted. Then the pots appeared. And now, the square lit up at night like a dream.
The change should’ve scared me off, just like the new attention almost had. I was supposed to leave this place years ago.
And I opened a coffee shop instead—one that was doing well.
There was something about this odd little town that made me want to try.
It rendered me helpless whenever I tried to leave.
Before I’d even decided to, I was saving every dollar I had and researching how to make coffee.
Then I got the chance to franchise a larger shop out in Nashville, and suddenly, The Reserved Bean became a reality.
I’d done all of this the right way.
Every part of this was legal and mine.
Now I just needed it to last. Sometimes, I swore I heard a clock ticking, just to remind me that I was overstaying my welcome.
Then Marjorie would pull me into one of her weird conversations and the sound would disappear.
She had slowly worn me down over the years. Every time I mentioned I was about to put my house up for sale, she came up with some lie about how shitty the market was to get me to stay. “Come on in, Marj.” I opened the door for her. “I’ll get the coffee started.”
“Thank goodness,” she said. “I can’t function without it. And making you sweat a little.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s your favorite pastime.”
“Technically, my favorite pastime is pissing my wife off.” She smiled fondly. “But I have to limit myself or she’ll actually leave me.”
There were plenty of people in town who didn’t understand how Marjorie and Henrietta stayed together, but for all their teasing, they loved each other. I was just lucky enough to see it.
Back before I had the coffee shop, I helped them maintain their house. Every time I got done with something, they would con me into dinner, and I got the chance to see them in their element.
These days, I didn’t get that time, and I missed it more than I expected.
“You know Hen isn’t gonna do anything.”
“Probably not, but she’s always slow to get started in the morning. You know how she is. She’ll be a little better with a hot drink.”
“Getting that started right now.”
“I don’t usually hand out compliments, but this place is a godsend. Do you know how long I’ve waited for coffee that doesn’t taste like piss water?”
“Shit water is more apt.”
Marjorie laughed. “You and your descriptors. Still, I tell you this every day—”
“You do.” And it warmed my heart every time.
“I’m just proud of you, you know. Who knew that little anxious kid would turn into this?”
“I was twenty-seven when I moved here.”
“Just a baby,” she said with a laugh.
The people of Strawberry Springs had been ready for a coffee shop. And I made it happen. Kind of.
Technically, a nice woman in Nashville named Riley had given me the building blocks to make it happen and allowed me to franchise through her to cut some of the upfront costs, but I had the idea.
I’d worked with Wren, the woman who was fixing up most of the town.
Between her and her contractor, Dean, we’d turned an old, dilapidated building into a decent-sized coffee shop with a roasting space in the back and an apartment upstairs.
Wren had worked on that space later, and for a while, things were loud as they fixed that up.
So far, no one had moved in, but that could change at any moment. I wasn’t looking forward to having a neighbor, but I would deal with it.
The Reserved Bean was worth it. I’d done all the painting and decorating myself. There was a single exposed-brick wall on one side, and I’d brought in plants and pictures of Strawberry Springs to decorate it. Tables filled the open space and a long bench took up the other wall.
Half of the coffee served was made by Riley’s shop, but she also let me put my own personal blend on the menu that was exclusive to The Reserved Bean.
After turning on the lights, I grabbed the coffee beans from under the counter and poured them into the grinder. Once they were the correct texture, I put them in the industrial pot and started it.
Marjorie only went for the blend I made. Crafting it took a lot of trial and error, something I did while the shop was being worked on. But when I had it right, it was perfect. She said it was the only coffee she could drink black.
Henrietta felt bad that Riley’s brew didn’t get as much love, so she ordered that one. Marjorie told me more than once that she’d caught her wife taking sips of mine, though.
“Got any plans this afternoon?”
“Just work.”
“You know, there’re a lot of cool things happening at the library. You could come in.” She leaned on the counter. “And then maybe you’ll meet a nice girl. Or boy. I won’t judge.”
Dating wasn’t going to happen. Not with a past like mine.
I barely handled keeping the town out of my business, and that was with Marjorie and Henrietta covering for me in the ways they could. Whenever people asked, they’d steer it to something normal. Neither of them knew the true extent of what I’d been through, but they also didn’t ask.
Love went deeper.
“I’m fine on my own,” I said. I’d said it a hundred times before.
“Yeah, right.”
I poured two cups of coffee and set them down. “I’m serious.”
She pulled out a twenty. “Sure you are.” She smacked the bill down. “Keep the change.”
Marjorie always did this when she came in. She’d overpay for the coffee, telling me to keep the rest.
“You know this is too much.”
“Can’t hear you! I’m old!” she said as she walked out the door.
I sighed when she was gone and broke the bill. The extra I put away. One day they would need it, and I’d pay it back to them.
For a few hours, I was alone. I took the time to make sure everything was clean and ready for the day. Kelsey came in at eight and immediately clocked in.
Even though I wasn’t the best talker, I still managed the front so she would be able to do what she was comfortable with.
It was something that worked. She hadn’t done well at the diner, but I didn’t blame her. The menu was massive and the customers were demanding. I handled all of that here.
The main thing was that she could make good drinks quickly. And she did.
I could tell she wanted to do more, but I was holding out. All I needed was help with drinks. Everything else I could handle on my own.
“A tenant moved in,” she said.
I paused. “Someone has the apartment upstairs? I didn’t see a moving truck or anything.”
“She didn’t have much, but she was sweet.”
I filed that away for later. The town would be interested to meet the newest person living here. I didn’t envy her.
“Cool.”
“Come on, aren’t you a little bit curious?” She raised an eyebrow. “I met her yesterday. Wren had a good excuse to knock on her door.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then I’ll tell you anyway. We had a plan to offer to help, but she had it all done. She’s a fast worker. Nervous, though. So, you’ll have to work on your mean mug.”
“I don’t have a mean mug.” At least I hoped I didn’t. My size and tattoos didn’t help anything, but the landscape painted on my arms was better than the homemade ones my brother had given me when we were waiting for Dad to be done with a deal.
“You have a bit of resting bitch face.”
I sighed. “Thanks.”
“I’ll do the talking. She seemed to get used to us after a bit.” Kelsey leaned forward on the counter. “You wanna know the best part?”
“What?”
“She’s hot.”
I blinked. “You know I don’t care about that.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes. She’d met me and instantly joined Marjorie in trying to set me up. She’d grilled me about all the single women in town, trying to figure out my type.
Little did she know I wouldn’t go for any of them.
I didn’t date. I didn’t sleep with people. I just didn’t.
Nothing would change that.
“One day, we’ll find the woman who makes you tongue-tied. And I’ll never let you live it down.”
I rolled my eyes and focused on the front.
Dr. Henry Connor came in before the clinic opened and got a flat white. Kerry came in for her peppermint latte right after. Jackie got her pumpkin spice latte. Midway through the morning, Grace and Dean walked in with Sammy, their young son.
Dean was the most recent addition to the town. Wren had brought him in when working on my shop, and the two of us got along decently well. I’d had an inkling he and Grace were having some kind of fling when she came in to get him coffee, but I kept that to myself.
I could tell Dean wanted to be friends, but I kept them both at the same distance I tried to keep everyone else.