34. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Marjorie Brown: Another day, another event at the library! Today’s is a knitting class, taught by our very own resident crafty mother, Virginia Briggs!
Comments:
Grace Day: @Mollie Wilson @Wren Hackett @Jade Day @Piper M WE NEED TO GO! I love it when Dean’s mom teaches crafts.
Wren Hackett: I’m so in.
Piper M: I can’t. I’m gonna be out of town tonight.
Mollie Wilson: Wait, really? For what! Text me!
Jackie Anne: Funny, she’s out of town the same day Theo is off work again. Weird . . .
“We’re here,” I said as I pulled up to Riley’s coffee shop.
Piper looked around with wide eyes. She was as tense as I was, but for different reasons.
“It’s not too bad,” she said. “I think I can go in.”
I would never tell her, but I’d never been happier to hear those words. She grounded me like I did her.
When we walked in, I was hit with the familiar smell of coffee. It wasn’t my shop, but it was close enough.
Riley was behind the counter, working on an order. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and she finished up what she was working on before asking someone to cover.
“Is that the owner?” Piper asked.
“She’s one of them. That’s Riley.”
“She works behind the counter just like you do,” she said.
“Always has,” I replied, smiling as Riley made her way to us.
“Hi,” she said. “I hope your drive was okay.”
“It was fine.” I shrugged. “I made it here.”
“Still, it’s one hell of a drive. I do want to make it out to Strawberry Springs someday.”
“You’re busy.”
“I hear you are too.” She smiled at Piper. “Is this a friend of yours?”
“Uh, girlfriend. She’s here for moral support, and to see Nashville.”
Riley’s eyes lit up. “Oh, fun. You’re from Strawberry Springs too?”
“Just moved in. I’m from around Knoxville. This is all new to me.” She eyed the seating arrangement before her gaze slid to the counter. “How about I get a drink and let you two work?”
“What are you both in the mood for?” Riley asked. “I’ll get it for you. On the house.”
“Oh, it doesn’t have to be,” Piper said. “I’m just a plus-one.”
“And I’ll be fine.”
Riley gave us both a flat look. “First of all, Theo, you came all the way out here. And second, I always treat people I know.”
“You just met me,” Piper said.
“But it feels like I know you. So, it’s free. And you can’t fight me because I’m part owner of this place.”
“First Theo and now you.” Piper crossed her arms. “Is there something about my face that says I can’t pay for my coffee?”
“Maybe people just like to be nice to you,” Riley said. “And consider it a welcome to Nashville. Now, seriously, tell me your order, or I’ll hunt it down.”
Piper and I glanced at each other, and I swore she was asking if we should give in.
I made the decision for us both. “Just black coffee. For both of us.”
“Are you getting the cheapest thing on the menu because you think you should, or because you really like black coffee?” Riley asked, her eyes narrowed.
“We really like it,” Piper said. “Unfortunately, we’re boring.”
“Say no more. Two coffees coming right up.”
Riley only took a moment to grab two cups before Piper excused herself to find her own table. I made sure she got seated before turning back to Riley.
“So, is that new?” Riley asked.
“Yeah. Kind of. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem different than when I met you. Like you’re a little happier. It reminds me of when I first got with my husband.”
There would be no marriage between Piper and me, but for the first time, the idea of it never happening hit me hard.
But I couldn’t think about that right now, so I sat at a table in the back and took a sip of coffee. I liked her blend. It was fruity and lighter than mine, but still delicious, and I was happy to offer it alongside my own.
“You seem busy,” I said. “Hopefully things are going well.”
“They are, but I’ve really been inspired by what you’re doing. I hear The Reserved Bean is already very profitable.”
I immediately tensed. It would do me no good to try to figure out what Riley wanted to talk to me about, but I did anyway. Ideas ranged from her wanting to up how much I paid for my franchise all the way to her wanting to change everything I did.
I’d made money, but not enough to buy myself out of the shop if it came down to it.
“Yeah, it is,” I said slowly. “And I’ve followed everything that you told me.”
There hadn’t been much. Riley seemed oddly open to letting me do whatever I wanted. Still, I always tried to prepare for when the rug would be pulled out from under me.
“You’re doing great, Theo. I have nothing to complain about. What I wanted to talk to you about was something different.” Riley folded her hands and sat up straighter. “Would you be open to letting me buy your blend from you?”
I blinked. Out of all the things I thought she could be talking to me about, it wasn’t this.
“Why would you wanna do that?”
“I’ve heard really good things. Actually, incredible things. My husband stopped in Strawberry Springs to meet up with an online friend. He said it was amazing.”
“Oh, I’m really glad he liked it.”
“I’m sure that he would be thrilled if I just brought some home, but I want to go a step further.
A lot of the reviews mention that your drip coffee tastes like something different.
I know you might not want to share something that makes your coffee shop special, so you can say no, but I really would like to offer it at my shops too. ”
It took me a while to digest what she was saying.
In all of my years, I made all of my own opportunities.
I never had one asked of me like this. I had no idea what sort of money Riley would be offering, but if it was anything like how she had worked with me for the franchise, it would be more than fair.
“I don’t mind sharing it at all. I just .
. .” I took a second to think of my words.
This was something good for once. I almost wanted to ask her again if she was sure about doing this.
She waited patiently while I thought, and I knew I couldn’t make her wait forever.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m glad we can work together. ”
Riley smiled and started detailing her plans, and my worries finally receded. I focused on figuring out how much of my blend I could get to her right away, and when I could take some time from the front to make more.
It took a few hours to get everything settled, but when it finally was, my head was spinning at the rate Riley wanted to pay me, and the fact that this happened at all.
Piper was still at her table, frowning at her computer.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She blinked and looked up. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“I’m fine. This was a good meeting.”
“Good.” She shut the laptop. “Just got some character questions that I don’t wanna answer.”
“Put work away for a little bit.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. Is the hotel ready?”
“Not yet, but I have other plans.”
“Business plans?” she asked.
“No. I think you’ll like it.”
“Let’s do it then,” she said as she chucked the computer into its bag. She gave Riley a wave before we walked out of the shop.
“So, is this the part where you tell me what the meeting was about? You guys were talking for a while.”
“She wants to buy my blend.”
“The good one?”
“Hers is good too.”
“It is, but yours is really something else.” She smiled over at me, and I swore the sun shone through the window, making her grin brighter.
My heart skipped a beat and I had to remember what we were talking about.
“It’s for all of her coffee shops too. Which is triple what I usually sell, and she’d be paying me a lot for it.”
“Theo, that’s amazing. I didn’t know people could even buy it. Maybe I should do that.”
“That would mean you could make it at home, so no. And I’d never considered selling it, or that anyone would want it.”
She turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Say that again?”
“Sorry. No negative talk in front of you.”
“How about at all?”
“I’m working on that,” I added. “And you’ll be proud of me. I only questioned it once, but I didn’t harp on it like I usually would’ve.”
“Look at that. Progress.”
I turned onto the road where our next destination was. “Speaking of progress, are you ready for what I’ve planned?”
“I’m trying to be.”
“It’s up ahead on the right.”
Piper leaned forward in her seat, eyes widening when she saw the sign for Nashville’s largest used bookstore. “I’ve heard of this place before. It’s supposed to be huge.”
“It is,” I replied.
“It’s really busy.”
And it was. The parking lot was packed with cars, though it wasn’t as bad as it could get.
“This is a slower time for them, though the small parking lot doesn’t do them any favors. I’ll make sure no one gets close.”
“And how will you enjoy it?”
“I’ll enjoy it if you do,” I said. “I figure this will have a few books the library doesn’t.”
She eyed all the people walking in and out. “You really think I can do this?”
“I do.”
Piper bit her lip as she considered it, but then she nodded. “Let’s try it. You won’t judge me if it goes wrong?”
“I would never.”
That was enough for her to finally step out of the car. She lingered near the door, still unsure, and I offered my hand.
With one stabilizing breath, she took it, and we walked inside.
I didn’t love reading as much as she did, but this was incredible, even for me. Piper watched everyone else for a long moment before she finally took in all of the books.
And at the adorable way her eyes went wide, I knew I’d done the right thing.
“Holy shit,” she said.
“Buy whatever you want. I’m paying.”
She slowly turned to me, jaw hanging open. “Do you know how hot that sentence was?”
“I have an idea. And I’m serious about it.”
“You know how to treat a woman.”
“I know how to treat you. Enjoy yourself, love. I’ll keep an eye out.”
That was all Piper needed to hear before making a beeline right for the romance section, pulling me with her. She stopped at two tall shelves packed with books and slowly started going through them.
I stayed next to her, ready to warn her when someone was squeezing past. I would put a hand on her lower back to move her so she would be out of the way.
At first, she jumped each time, but then we found a pattern.
She figured out it was me and let me adjust her to wherever she needed to be to avoid strangers.
A new sort of trust grew with each moment. Slowly, she relaxed and was able to focus on what she was doing, and I made sure she enjoyed herself. By the time she had a massive stack of books, she was acting the same as she did in Strawberry Springs, with no signs of tension at all.
“I think I might have enough,” she eventually said.
“That stack is almost as tall as you.”
“You said I could get what I wanted.”
“And I stand by that, but we’re about to ruin a poor cashier’s day.”
Piper only shrugged and tried to make it out of the aisle. She stumbled with her pile of books, and I took some from her, still sticking close.
After I paid, we stacked everything in the back seat before she turned to me with bright eyes. “Can we go to the hotel now?”
“Have big plans or something?”
“I’ve never stayed in a hotel, so I’m excited. I’ve only seen pictures.”
“It may not be as fun as you think.”
“But it’ll be new, and that’s fun to me.”
“Fair enough. I think it should be ready now, so let’s check in and then get dinner.”
“Will you keep guard like you did today?”
“Always, love.”
Piper stepped close and hooked her hands behind my neck. “I love it when you call me that, you know.”
“I know,” I replied, running a hand over her warm cheek. “You blush every time I say it.”