The Minotaur’s Curvy Barista (Curvy Brides for Minotaurs #5)
Chapter 1
Valencia
Sipping on my morning coffee, I sit out on my patio, watching a fat robin hop around looking for worms. The sliding glass door opens behind me and my forever-friend-since-camp, Kaye, shuffles out with a mug in hand.
“I can’t believe you’re still such an early riser,” she says through a yawn.
“Early bird, you know,” I quip, pointing at my robin friend.
Kaye slouches down in the patio chair and nurses her coffee.
“So, don’t get me wrong, your apartment is adorable. But now that you officially have your inheritance, aren't you looking to move into your own place?”
Drawing the hot, creamy coffee into my mouth, I smile internally because it took Kaye three full days into her trip before asking me about this. My ride or die is learning constraint in her 40s.
“All in due time, all in due time. Plus, it’s not like just because I now have my grandma’s fortune that I am going to become all Rich Bitch.”
“Buying your own place because you can afford it is far from Rich Bitch.” Kaye says with a laugh, “But, anyway, as long as you don’t back out on this tea leaf reading with me, then I’ll leave it alone.”
“So you were serious about that? It wasn’t just the wine talking?”
“Yes! I have always wanted to get my tea leaves read and me discovering that Lady Merla’s social media account on the way to see you was kismet!”
“Fine, fine, but you’re the guinea pig.”
Lady Merla’s shop is in the heart of downtown, not too far from my job at Sea Glass Coffee Roasters. One big reason I am happy to rent in my apartment building is the location. Convenient to work and convenient to most of everything here that isn’t beach-related.
The July morning is already humid when we head out to walk to the appointments Kaye booked for us last night during an online drunken dash. I thought she was kidding, but here we are, a five-minute walk away, and about to pass my favorite house in town.
Turning the corner, Kaye blurts out, “Holy shit, Val. Isn’t that your house?”
“Huh?”
“Your house! Look what’s in front of your favorite house!”
Jetting my eyes to the historic house, I see a For Sale sign dangling from a wooden post.
“Oh, wow! These owners have been here for at least twenty-years.” I say, jogging up to the fence.
“I think you know what I am going to say,” Kaye says, coming up from behind.
“That this is kismet?”
“That this is fucking kismet, baby!”
Walking out from behind the deep red curtains, Kaye grasps my hand with a wild look of happiness in her eyes.
“That was fricken amazing. Your turn, Val. Good luck!”
“Oh, you’re coming with me, lady. I’m not doing this alone.”
Snorting, my friend loops her arm into mine and walks back behind the heavy velvet curtains.
The silver-haired woman with violet-blue eyes looks up at me with a smile and then at my friend.
“Kaye, look at you, already offering support when it arrives at your feet.”
My friend gives her a shy smile as we sit down at the small table.
Lady Merla pours hot liquid from her teapot and hands the mug to me.
I sip the steaming tea, savoring each sip until only the dregs remain, then follow her instructions to swirl the cup three times counterclockwise while focusing intently on the question burning in my mind.
Worried that I am being too basic, I can’t stop asking, “Now what?” in my head.
With trembling fingers, I turn the cup over onto the saucer, feeling the warm liquid drain away, before carefully lifting it to reveal the unusual patterns formed by the damp leaves clinging to the porcelain.
The elderly lady takes my porcelain-white cup and studies the insides with a curious smile on her lips. Her bright eyes jet up to meet mine and I watch her study my face. I feel exposed, but not scared.
“Valencia, the first thing I must tell you is to always trust your gut when you feel unsafe,” Lady Merla says, not unkindly.
“Um, okay.”
“Don’t let society’s expectation for women to be subservient and polite stop you from getting the help you need. Ever. That is key.”
I nod my head, feeling my cheeks burn.
“My girl here used to be in a verbally abusive relationship,” Kaye shares, annoying me.
“I haven’t seen or spoken to Topher since before Grandma died,” I retort irritably.
Lady Merla smiles, reaching her soft, wrinkled hands across the table to cover mine.
“Nevertheless, if you take nothing else from what I will tell you this morning, please hold on to that, my dear.” She says, and her quiet intensity tells me she’s not fucking around.
“Yes, Lady Merla.”
On my first day back to work since Kaye returned home, I stand aimlessly in the break room mulling over the last few days.
My friend made sure to bring up my inheritance and my new multi-million reality every day.
I know she thinks it’s nuts that I haven’t quit my barista job yet, but I enjoy working here.
Plus, I don’t really know what else to do with myself yet.
After leaving the hustle and bustle of the corporate world years ago, I have loved my basic, chill beach town life.
I was okay with living paycheck to paycheck in a beautiful place like Sea Glass.
But Kaye is right. I now can pursue any dream. I just need to figure out what that dream truly is.
“Some guy is looking for you out front,” the new employee, Molly, says when she pokes her head into the break room.
Following her out, my heart lurches into my stomach when I come face-to-face with the person I never expected to see again.
“Toph, why are you here?”
“I heard that rich bitch grandmother of yours died,” he replies, sending sickening pulses of fear into my veins.