Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
Ava
The day is finally here—the baby shower. I’m awake before my alarm, which is a rarity. Not sure if it’s because of the excitement of celebrating my sister or because Kai will be here. I’m excited, nervous, and maybe a little reluctant.
When we see each other again, will all my doubts vanish?
I start the day with a good cup of coffee and a chapter of my new book. Finally, having time to snuggle up and read, instead of rushing to the next thing. It’s a quiet morning before anyone else wakes up, so I thought.
My sister walks out onto the deck. “Good morning. You’re up early.”
“That’s what happens when you catch up on sleep and your body decides today is too exciting to sleep. What about you?”
“I host the baby shower to have a party, right?” she reiterates as she sits down next to me.
“At this point, everyone knows you love a good party.” I laugh and nudge her shoulder. “Is your sister-in-law, Kendall, coming?”
She beams. “Of course, she loves a good party too. I’ve actually been hanging out with her and her besties recently. They are my kind of people and will all be here.”
“Oh, I’m so happy for you. Do any of them have kids?” I move my body toward her and take another sip of my coffee.
“No, Kendall and Faith are recently married, no kids, but they love Giana. It’s nice to have girlfriends who get you. The moms at preschool…not exactly my people.” She rolls her eyes. There are too many stories about the snobby moms at preschool that we don’t need to head down that path.
“I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to meet the rest of them. Now, are you ready for this party?”
My sister is the party host extraordinaire. Everything is set up in the backyard: the tent, tables, and chairs. We did the decorations last night. The final touches will be confirming the caterer's setup and adding the tablecloths with centerpieces.
She sweeps her arms to the backyard. “Yup.”
Logan strolls onto the deck, stretching his arm and holding his coffee in the other. “You two are up bright and early.”
We both shake our heads yes and sip on our coffee.
“Ava, did your sister tell you the Saxville Coffeehouse is for sale?” he asks, raising his eyebrows and smirking, then taking a sip of his coffee. It's almost like he’s waiting for my reaction or my sisters.
I whip my head toward my sister. “You did not tell me!”
“It definitely slipped my mind with being exhausted and my mind consumed with this party. With that said…is it something you’d consider? I mean, then you could be here full-time. And there’s plenty to build out a decent-sized bookstore.”
I hum, thinking about what fell into my lap. It’s been weighing on me, not being here as my niece gets older, and the new baby is almost here. Maybe it’s a sign to consider my options to stay in Saxville. “You know how to pull the puppet strings. Coffee shop and bookstore…”
“Persuasive. The owner told me that she’s had some turnover, but significantly less than the industry standard. To top it all off, the two managers have been there for over three years.”
Definitely food for thought, especially with having an established team that is working. “Why is she selling then? It sounds like a perfect setup.”
She sips her coffee and says, “They want to move down south to be with the grandkids.”
I shake my head. Doesn’t that sound familiar? “Family matters.”
My sister agrees. “Uh-huh.”
“If you need an angel investor, we have your back.” Logan stares at my sister like she is the only person in the world for him. They must have talked about it because she’s smirking back at him. “The owner will be here today, too.”
Now I’m feeling like this is an ambush. “Please tell me you didn’t invite her so I could chat with her.”
My sister jumps in. “No, no. She’s become a good friend and wanted to be here. It won’t hurt to meet and get to know her before talking business…”
I am intrigued by the possibilities. A conversation can’t hurt, right?
Guests start arriving about twenty minutes before the party begins. I’m helping show people to the backyard where we will be celebrating. The DJ is tucked away in the corner, with soft music playing. With the sun shining, I can tell it’s going to be hot, but this backyard always has a nice breeze.
The caterers are moving food to the deck, where we will have people line up and load their plates. No one leaves hungry after one of my sisters’ parties.
As more and more people arrive, the gift table is practically overflowing. I move some of the larger ones to the ground on the side of the table to make room for the rest.
Someone taps me on the shoulder and says, “Excuse me, are you Ava?”
“Yes, I am.” Smiling, hoping they will introduce themselves.
She sticks her hand out. “I’m Joan, the owner of the coffeehouse.”
And it clicks. “Yes, nice to meet you,” I say, shaking her hand.
“I don’t want to talk shop right now, but I’d love to hear about your coffee van adventures, your sister has been telling me about.”
“Want to grab some food, and we can take a seat.” I gesture to the deck.
“That sounds great.” She turns and walks over to the deck. I follow her. We fill our plates and take a seat at one of the tables. It’s slow, but people are finally grabbing food and eating. There are a few games my sister has planned, along with some raffles. Her parties are never dull.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. The barbecue food is making my taste buds dance. The tangy, spicy, and sweet taste of the shredded chicken and brisket, cornbread, and bean salad—it’s all yummy. “This is some amazing barbecue.”
Joan nods her head in agreement.
“Tell me more about Virginia Beach. Your sister gave me some snippets, but she always says, ‘You need to talk to my sister. You’ll love her.’” She takes a bite of her food. Guess it’s my turn.
“The latest trip was by far the largest event for revenue. Everyone loves coffee and books. Or tea, matcha, you know where I’m going with this.
” She nods, chewing her food. “I owned a coffee shop with my best friend, and I burnt out quickly. The van was low overhead, and there was no worry about whether an employee would show up for their shift. I can still buy my favorite coffee, New England Coffee.”
She interrupts me. “Oh my, yes, the best coffee around. They have a variety of choices, and our patrons love it. We also locally source our gluten-free treats, and as much as we can, support other local businesses. There’s a local in-home bakery that wholesales to us with items that we don’t offer as part of our regular menu. ”
“Funny you should mention locally sourcing items. I do the same thing for Pages no one is here.
“I don’t think I can hold back with you.” His lips brush mine; sparks ripple over my lips and down my spine. To show him I can’t hold back either, I press my lips harder to his and swipe my tongue over his lips. He opens for me, and our tongues dance over each other with a frenzied energy.
When we finally break away, his pupils have taken over those blue eyes of his. He takes his fingers and tugs on my hair. “You are stunning.”
“Thank you.” More heat is making its way to my cheeks, turning them red again.
Dragging his fingers down my cheek and running along my neck, he says, “Now, I’ll let you get back to what you’re doing. I’ll be outside catching up with Dane and Kendall. When you’re free, come find me.” I run my fingers over my tingling lips, savoring this moment.
Once he leaves, I take a few deep breaths to ground myself after being lifted to heaven for a few minutes when my lips fused with his. Everything I’ve been worrying about drops to the floor, stuck in a daze.
When I finally leave the kitchen, I check the living room first. My sister sits on the couch.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?” I jog over to her.
“Oh, yeah. I’m resting for a few minutes before I head outside to mingle and entertain guests. I figured they are all eating now, then I’ll put on my host hat soon.” She leans her head on the back of the couch and lets out a big sigh. “Did you talk with Joan?”
I lower myself onto the couch next to her. “Yes…We’re meeting on Tuesday.”
Her head pops up off the couch, and a smirk tugs on her lips. “I love that for you.”
“I’m not making any decisions. I have to investigate it further, meet the employees, take a peek at the books, and see if there’s room for expansion that would include my bookstore.
” I rest my head on her shoulder, and she rests her head on mine, like when we were younger and watched TV together on the couch. It’s comforting.
She rubs my arm. “Whatever will be, will be.”
I say nothing else on the subject. “I’ll keep you posted next week.” She’ll be the one I bounce it all off of, but today, today is for her, Logan, and my nephew to be.
What it does bring up is Kai. I say, “Kai’s here.”
Turning her head, she kisses my forehead. “And…did you talk to him?”
I recap what happened in the last fifteen minutes. She squeals, “He’s head over heels for you and you…” she giggles. “You’re so gone for him.”