Chapter Eighteen - Summer
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Summer
Waking up this morning was terrible. I couldn’t sleep after saying goodbye to Brooks earlier in the day and I was tossing and turning until I bit the bullet and messaged him.
I shouldn’t have done it, I think we both made it as clear as we could without actually explicitly mentioning it, that whatever this was, wasn’t going to happen but I blame him.
He didn’t have to grab my face and place a lingering kiss on my forehead like that before he got in his truck and I watched him drive away into the midday sun.
Texting him was a bad decision on my part, but he didn’t have to then call me . His voice has always been pleasing to listen to, but when he’s tired, ready for bed, his already deep voice turns gravelly and sends goosebumps across my body and I could only imagine what it would be like to hear it in person.
My new espresso machine, and all the accessories arrived yesterday evening and so I spent this morning setting it up so I could have some good coffee to wake me up. I had been using instant coffee to make espresso shots before but nothing beats a freshly poured espresso shot from a coffee machine that cost me an obscene amount of money .
Just as the espresso finishes pouring the cafe door opens, and in walks Fred, carrying a takeout tray of drinks.
“I sure hope that’s some more coffee, old man,” I ask, eyeing the cups, knowing him it’s probably tea and that is not what I need right now.
“You’re crabby this mornin’, not even a hello,”he says sarcastically, placing the drinks down on the counter Brooks and Grayson refurbished. “But, no, it’s tea. You’ll have a heart attack by the time you’re thirty if you carry on,” he says, rolling his eyes, sliding my drink over to me.
I look at the third cup, “Why do you have three?”
“I bumped into Lennon this mornin’ in town and she said she was coming over to help, thought I’d bring one for her too.” He shrugs. It’s news to me, I didn’t ask her to be here but I guess if she wants to come and help then who am I to stop her.
Lennon was apprehensive taking my job offer when I went to ask her, my guess is she didn’t want to leave her comfort zone and that’s fair enough, she doesn’t know me. But alas, after near begging, she acquiesced and I’d hired my first employee.
“She’s a good kid, needs someone other than Grayson lookin’ out for her while Brooks is gone, I love that kid to death but Gray has his own shit to deal with.”
He’s not wrong, Gray is still working through some things with Alex and by the sounds of things it’s going well.
“I think so too. I want to be as much help to her as she will be to me,” I say and I mean it.
I turn to grab the espresso I’d ran earlier, it’s definitely died by now, but caffeine is caffeine and I down the shot, grimacing at the bitterness.
I hear Fred tut in disapproval behind me, “Do you need any help, sweetheart?” he asks, every time he comes over, he asks, and every time I say no.
“I have everything under control Fred, I promise.”
“You got all the plates, cutlery, cups, everythin’?”
I nod, and place my hand over his resting on the counter, “Every thing has either been delivered or I went out to get.”
He looks at me sceptically. “And when are we opening?”
“Mid September, I think. I still have to get all my permits and paperwork and things like that sorted.”
“Okay, well I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anythin’, okay girl?”
“Okay, old man.” He casts a dirty look my way before heading out.
“Bye!” Sarcasm filling my voice. He just waves me off over his shoulder, not even turning around. Now who’s crabby?
I take a sip of the tea. Lavender. Not my favorite but it’ll do.
Not even 10 minutes later, I still haven’t moved from my spot behind the counter, still sipping on my tea, and Lennon walks in. Blonde hair in a high ponytail wearing a really lovely forest green dress with sneakers.
“Hi, boss!” She lifts a hand in greeting and flops down at one of the tables, head resting on the table.
Okay, maybe now I see it just a little bit.
“You okay over there?” I ask.
“Just hungover,” she answers, voice muffled from being face down against the table.
“Well, there’s some tea over here for you.”
She makes a gagging noise. “No thank you, I can’t think about ingesting anything right now.”
I laugh, I’ve been where she is and I’m surprised she’s even up at this time of the day, I for sure would’ve still been wasting away in bed. As my old colleague used to say, be hungover on someone else’s dime. Not that Lennon is getting paid to be here right now. Our agreement was she’d start working the day before opening.
“Well, I’m going to go upstairs and get ready for the day, you good down here?”
She gives me a thumbs up in response without raising her head.
I take it thats a yes.
It didn’t take me long to get ready, throwing on an old t-shirt and leggings; my plans were to deep clean everything and make a list of dry store ingredients to order.
I head back downstairs, Lennon still hasn’t moved from her position slumped over the table and I wonder if she’s fallen asleep.
I walk over to her, tapping her on the shoulder and she jumps up, sitting straight up.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.” I laugh.
“No, you’re good,” she says, waving me off, “Didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“I see. Fun night?” I say, fearing hiring her already may not be the best decision I’ve already made.
She shakes her head. “No, I was with a bunch of assholes who don’t know when to say no.”
Immediately my thoughts turn to the worst case scenario and my hearts starts beating in my chest, “Are you okay?” I try to keep the panic out of my voice but I don’t think it’s working because Lennon looks up at me from her seated position with a frown on her face.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“I’ m fine. Did you get hurt? You know we can always—”
She interrupts my rant. “No, I’m fine!” She laughs, standing. “I just meant that the guys I was with are bad influences on each other, say yes to every drug and drink thrown their way.”
I’m not really sure how to respond, but luckily Lennon carries on. “I do, don’t worry,” she places what’s supposed to be a comforting hand on my shoulder, “I only drink the drinks I buy myself and I know my limit, boss.”
I guess that’s responsible…
“Now, what do you need me to do. I’m all yours for the day!” She seems to have recovered from her hangover remarkably well in the half an hour it’s taken me to get ready.
“About that, you know I said you didn’t start work until the day before we open right?” I ask, brushing off the previous conversation. We’re not at that level of friendship for me to be telling her to be careful and maybe she should get a new bunch of friends.
“Sure, but I have nothing better to do and I know my brother has been helping you out and he’s gone again, so now you can have me instead.” She shrugs, “Besides, I’m much better company.”
I don’t disagree with her, even though in my mind, right now, Brooks is the only person I would want to be in my company.
“He told you about that, huh?”
“No, Grayson did.” She makes her way over to the counter, grabbing the last cup of tea that has to be cold by now, but downs it within a minute flat as I watch with raised eyebrows. She finishes the tea with a satisfied ‘Ah’ and I can only imagine that’s how she got in this hungover state .
“So what do you want me to start with? I’m really good at cleaning,” she says, changing the subject.
“Perfect, because that was my plan for the day.”
She squints her eyes at me as I walk towards her. “I’m not cleaning the oven though, I refuse.”
I laugh. “I’ve already done it, but if I hadn’t you’d for sure be doing it after that.”
“Thank god!” she groans, following behind me into the kitchen. “Do you think you can show me how the coffee machine works?” she asks, “I’m dying for a decent latte.”
I don’t know if this has anything to do with her age or if it’s just her personality but I can tell that managing Lennon is going to be tough, but in a good way. I much prefer when people are honest and while Lennon may test my patience I can tell she’ll always tell me when somethings up.
“How about you get cleaning and I’ll make you a latte?”
She claps her hands together, a grin taking over her face. She has dimples which I never noticed before and her eyes are the same green as Brooks’ maybe a little darker, they actually match her dress. “Even better for me!”