Chapter 21
21
T he only way this place could improve would be to offer coffee flights ! ~ Café Connoisseur
M onday morning dawned bright and cool—a postcard-perfect October day. When Ginger came downstairs and opened the shop at six, the picturesque scene outside made her pause at the bottom of her staircase. An autumn kaleidoscope of colors had transformed the street overnight. More leaves had fallen, carpeting the sidewalk with an amber, orange, and scarlet blanket. Greenhaven’s scarecrow contest had been in full swing all month, too. Now each unique entry from the residents and organizations added to the festive vibe of the season.
She unlocked the front door and breathed in the scent of beans and the subtleness of yesterday’s pastry selection still lingering in the air. Her attention was drawn to the corner where she and Cal had stood two nights ago, sharing a moment that hadn’t left her mind since they parted. Snippets of their conversation popped into her head.
I’ll see you soon, then?
You will.
Can’t wait.
He’d left her at Coffee Loft to help at the shelter. His confident swagger as he walked out the door left her giddy with anticipation, looking forward to seeing him again before he was even out of sight.
That’s why she’d kept her eyes on the patio all morning, hoping he’d show. The word distracted didn’t even do justice to her state of mind. She filled the milk pitcher with vanilla syrup, locked herself out of the office, and told Mr. Cavallari to have a good night at seven thirty in the morning. Merris and Alice would lose their minds and quit before the day was over if she didn’t get her head in the right place.
“Have you seen Cal yet today?” she asked Alice when they stood side by side at the back counter working on a drink order. It was one o’clock already, and he had yet to show his face. Mondays were the only days she counted on him coming in. His visits during the rest of the week weren’t as regular.
“Oh, he came by the walk-up window when you were in back signing for that delivery.”
Disappointment tinged her good mood.
“He did? Did he ask to speak with me?”
“No, he didn’t. Oh, but he said to give you this.” She slipped a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Ginger .
She capped the cold brew and called out the name on the side of the cup, then unfolded the paper. She looked forward to Cal’s sweet notes now almost as much as she hoped to see the guy himself.
Had to leave town. Talk later hopefully? C. This time he’d drawn a heart around his initial.
Amidst his harried, last-minute schedule, he’d taken the time to come to Coffee Loft and leave her this note. She smiled and hoped he’d make good on his promise to talk later.
“Ginger? When you get a minute, can we talk?” Alice asked.
“Of course.” She prayed Alice wasn’t quitting. Her calm demeanor tempered the chaos of the rushes, and she was a quick study. “When Merris gets back from her break, we’ll head outside.”
Since Alice approached her the first time about her work challenges, Ginger had wracked her brain for solutions to help. Offering her more hours or more money weren’t options until it got closer to Christmas. Merris had seniority, so a raise for Alice meant a raise for Merris. That wasn’t possible.
After Merris came back, Ginger led Alice out to the empty patio. She looked distressed.
“What’s wrong, Alice? Talk to me.”
“The boss at my other job offered me full-time hours. I really don’t want to leave here, but the money is so tempting. That job doesn’t have a future for me, though.”
She sat against the back of her seat, folding her hands on the tabletop.
“What do you want, Alice? Really. You said you wanted a coffee truck to take to art fairs and concerts. But what are you doing in the short term to get there?” She knew what it was like to have a dream, and feeling overwhelmed about making it happen.
“Well,” she said, twisting the end of her braid, “I’m working here.”
She nodded. “A great start. If you quit here, though, how will that help?”
“It won’t.”
“Can I give you some advice?”
Alice nodded. “I’d love some.”
“You need to learn the coffee business top to bottom first. Forget the truck for now. That’s down the road after you learn what goes into a great cup of coffee. From growing beans to brewing.”
“Okay.”
“Have you looked into any kind of coffee education courses?”
“A little. There’s one in North Carolina. My dad lives there…”
“Does southwestern Wisconsin sound a little closer to home?”
Alice nodded.
“It’s where I learned most of what I know about coffee. I didn’t have a mentor, so I had to figure it all out on my own. But you’ve got a leg up on me, because I’m always here for advice.”
“Thank you,” Alice said with a nod.
“There’s a roastery there, but they also run an education program. Most of the classes are online, but there are three to four in-person classes a year in the two-year program. ”
“That sounds amazing.”
“If you want, I can get a contact name for you if you have other questions.”
“Is it…expensive?”
Of course, that was a concern since this conversation started because of her lack of funds in the first place.
“I’m not sure what tuition is now, but it was reasonable when I went through the program. Tell you what, why don’t you look into the classes first and talk to my friend. Then we’ll worry about the money afterward.”
“Okay, but what if I took this other full-time job? Would I still be able to work part-time here?”
“Are you sure you can handle sixty-plus-hour work weeks? Plus classes?”
Alice gave her a resolute nod. “My mom works twelve-hour days. I don’t have a boyfriend. Or even a pet.”
Ginger laughed. Pets could monopolize a person’s life if allowed, all right.
“I want to make this work,” said Alice. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
After Alice left her on the patio, Ginger’s mind whirled with possibilities to help her. Alice’s predicament was so similar to her own story. If someone had held her hand along the way, what a world of difference that would have made. She’d wasted so much time figuring things out on her own without direction from someone who’d already walked the path. After her divorce, all she’d known was that she wanted a coffee shop and didn’t want to rely on anyone else for her well-being ever again. It’d been a frightening time in her life.
Her desire to help Alice gave way to another feeling, one she’d felt after taking care of Peaches overnight for Cal—contentment. It was so much more satisfying to look outward instead of focusing on her own needs, problems, and insecurities.
If, by chance, she was chosen for the larger Forty Under Forty award, the prize money would go a long way toward expanding the business. Reinvesting in Coffee Loft was her goal, after all. Expanding with a mobile truck might be her answer for growing and helping Alice at the same time.
Now there’s a thought.
T hat night, Ginger loaded the empty tea mug into the dishwasher and started the wash cycle. Daisy wound her body around Ginger’s legs, reminding her that it was dinner time. After filling Daisy’s dish with food, she settled once again at the counter, this time to finish paying bills.
Her phone chimed.
A text from Cal. She smiled. He’d made good on his word.
Cal: Did Alice give you my note today?
Ginger: She did. Thank you for giving me a heads up.
Cal: I had to make a quick trip out of town. Not happy about the last-minute timing, but hey, it pays the bills.
Ginger: Where are you ?
Ginger pushed her paperwork aside and cupped her phone in both hands.
Cal: New Jersey, the land of liberty and prosperity.
Ginger: What’s it like? I’ve never been.
Cal: Well, I’m looking out the window right now. I see clouds, clouds, and more clouds. Oh, and a bird is sitting on the window ledge looking at me.
Ginger: Either that, or he’s admiring his own reflection. When will you be back?
Cal: Hopefully sooner than Friday. It’s hard to predict these types of jobs. What, do you miss me?
Her mouth went dry. She stared at his casual-but-loaded question. Her fingers typed a response, deleted it, typed something else, erased it. She finally settled on: You can’t even imagine LOL.
She gritted her teeth, watching the little dots dance up and down as he typed his response.
Cal: I can hear those words dripping with sarcasm, even without the LOL.
Fingers hovering above the keyboard again, she weighed her response. Her chest swelled with emotion. Sarcasm was her second language, but tonight she was speaking fluent honesty.
Ginger: Or maybe not.
Cal: Are you saying I have no imagination or you’re not being sarcastic? Please clarify.
Ginger: The latter.
She worried when he didn’t reply right away, that maybe she’d scared him away. But her fear was unfounded a minute later.
Cal: Don’t make me get on the next available flight. Because I will.
A tingle of delight zinged through her. She giggled.
Ginger: Finish your job. I’ll be here when you’re done.
Cal: I’m going to hold you to that.
Ginger: Good night, Cal.
She placed her phone back onto the counter as a sweet effervescence churned within her chest. It wasn’t like her to wish the days away, but the gala on Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.