Chapter 5
Zoe
My eyes scanned the charming little room I’d be staying in indefinitely.
It certainly wasn’t the luxe living I’d gotten used to in Rose Valley Hills, but it was enchanting.
With Jasper Lane being such a small town, there were no AirBnbs to rent, and the hotels weren’t really giving what I wanted them to give.
The best options were the bed and breakfast and a room above what Google said was the town’s oldest and most popular diner.
Since it was the summertime, the bed and breakfast was completely booked, leaving me with a room at the diner.
I was sure it would be small, old, and icky, but that wasn’t the case.
The room was bright, cozy, and super clean.
It even had an attached bathroom so I wouldn’t have to use the shared one in the hallway.
The small-town vibes were getting to me already, relaxing me and keeping me from turning into a bored bundle of nerves since I wasn’t at the office working.
I stayed in the room long enough to shower and change into shorts and a tee before walking down to Grounds, which was only a couple of businesses down.
My heart raced at the thought of being in my sister’s heart again.
Admittedly, I wasn’t completely ready to deal with my feelings yet.
That was why I’d opted out of staying at her apartment.
My parents continued to pay the rent and had kept everything the way she left it.
They’d even gone as far as hiring a cleaner to clean it once a week.
The thought of being in her apartment again was too much.
I was barely hanging on being in this town.
The closer I got to Grounds 4 Love, the faster my heart raced.
The more my palms sweat. The heavier I felt.
All the grief I’d been burying under work and Raymond’s body came rushing back into the center of my heart.
My soul. After ten years, I felt like the twenty-three-year-old who randomly found out about her sister’s cancer diagnosis all over again.
I felt like the little girl who’d watched her sister’s soul leave her body in a matter of seconds.
Everything I’d been working so hard to ignore consumed me and stole my breath.
Leaning against the small round table outside the coffee shop, I forced myself to breathe.
Losing my sister had almost, literally, killed me.
The day of her funeral, I thought I would die.
My heart was beating so slow and my oxygen was so low I ended up having to stay in the hospital for three days before I could even leave town.
My parents were upset I didn’t tell them about the episode after I frantically drove away, but I was so upset with them, a part of me hoped I’d die and they’d find out after the fact because of the secret they kept from me.
As I struggled to breathe, my mind took me back to the day of her funeral.
To Haji grounding me and helping me.
His love.
His care.
His hurt.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I continued to breathe until my breathing lengthened and slowed down.
When I was sure I was okay, I headed toward the door.
The white sign on it made my eyes water.
Zina had poured everything she had into this place, and knowing it wasn’t doing well was like a shot to my heart.
When I stepped inside, I couldn’t ignore how business had taken a hit.
There were only three customers inside. With it nearing noon, the space should have been filled with people grabbing pastries and coffee while on their lunch break.
Instead, there were no workers behind the counter, and the customers seated looked at peace, as if they had nowhere to be.
Grounds 4 Love was still decorated the same—burgundy and cream.
Live plants in every corner; small shelves of games and puzzles by the pastry case; muffins and cinnamon and coffee grounds .
. . the scent that used to ooze from my sister’s pores engulfed my nostrils.
I thought it would break me. Instead, it felt like a hug as I walked to the counter.
There was a small sign that said ring the bell when ready to order, so I did.
Turning, I looked around the space while I waited for someone to come help me.
“Welcome to Grounds 4 Love.”
It didn’t matter how much time had passed, I’d never forget that voice. It was just as deep and raspy but stronger now. Licking the corner of my mouth, I swallowed hard and worked up the courage to face Haji. Slowly, I turned to look at him.
He looked so good my heart skipped a beat. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t dare allow myself to admit Haji was so handsome. He was a married man. Now, I could admit he was the most handsome man ever.
His face looked older but still young and immaculate.
The biggest difference was that he had on glasses now, and they made him look even sexier.
Haji was tall and slim yet muscular. Sleeper build.
I couldn’t see all of him, but I could see that he had more tattoos on his arms and neck.
There were also two initials on the sides of his eyes.
An L and a Z. That broke me a little. Gutted me in the most beautiful and poetic way.
His square head, tapered cut, and thick beard gave him grown man, sexy vibes.
His lips were the same shade as his milk chocolate brown skin.
I loved the black diamonds in his ears and gold chain around his neck.
What I used to love most were his dark, curved eyes.
Today, they were fiery. Angry. It caught me off guard to see that anger directed toward me.
A part of me didn’t even think he’d remember me.
Then again, me and Zina looked so much alike, she would make my face hard to forget for anyone who knew her.
“Um . . .” Clearing my throat, I ran my hand down my neck as he continued to frown down at me. “Hi, Haji. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Zina’s sister, Zoe.”
“Of course I remember you. You look just like her.”
“Yeah.” Chuckling nervously, I squeezed the back of my neck. “I tried so hard to get away from her memory so long, but I could never run away from seeing her in my face.”
When he reached his hand out and cupped my cheek, my eyes fluttered closed.
I shivered under his touch. Haji tilted my head, and I imagined looking at me felt like looking at my sister, so I gave him the space to do that.
It wasn’t until his hand dropped that I opened my eyes and looked at him.
He still looked angry, which still threw me off.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not necessarily with an attitude, but with enough bite in his voice to not sound friendly.
“Mama called and told me the shop isn’t doing well.”
Haji chuckled. “Yeah, well you can see that for yourself now.”
“It’s always like this?” I asked, looking around again.
“Unfortunately. You’d know that if you hadn’t left.”
Sighing, I decided to let him get out what he needed to get out.
“I know you didn’t ask for this responsibility. Zina wanted me to run this place, and because I left, it fell on you. I didn’t think you’d do it, but I’m glad you did. Go ahead. Yell at me. Get it all out.”
Haji took his glasses off and squeezed the bridge of his nose. His jaw clenched as he put the glasses back on.
“You don’t get to walk in here and demand I yell at you after a decade of being gone. I’ll tell you how I feel about what you did when I feel like it.”
He probably hadn’t meant for that to make me smile, but it did.
“Fair enough,” I muttered with a smile. “I’m gonna take this place off your hands. Business is horrible, and my sister’s memory deserves better. I’m gonna sell it, and you won’t have to worry about this place anymore.”
Haji made his way around the counter, and my heart raced for a different reason now.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, Zoe?” He seethed quietly, closing the space between us. “You don’t get to come in here and make a decision like that.”
“Actually, I do. She left this place to me.”
“Yeah, but I’m the one that’s been running it since you left. Business is trash, but I’m not giving up on this place. I know how much it meant to your sister, and while you might not give a fuck about that, I do.”
Scoffing, I clutched my chest as my head jerked from his audacity.
“Of course I care. I care so much that I’m not going to let what my sister loved more than anything die right along with her. This place should be packed with customers, but it’s not.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what I already know!
” he yelled. “Now if you want to help me restore this place to its glory, cool, but I’m not going to let you give up on it.
On her. If that’s what you came here for, you can take your ass wherever the fuck you’ve been hiding for the past ten years.
I won’t deny that business has taken a hit, but I’ll get it back if that’s the last thing I do. ”
Before I could respond, he was walking away.
I understood his anger, but I wasn’t expecting so much of it.
Then again, Haji was entitled to more. He’d taken on the responsibility of this shop, without question, for Zina and, in a way, me.
My parents weren’t stable enough to do it, and I allowed my anger to keep me away.
His love and loyalty for her allowed him to step up in a way I was unwilling to.
Maybe I hadn’t gone about this the right way. I should have thanked him for his service and sacrifice instead of coming in telling him I was going to sell the place. With a groan, I headed out of the shop. I’d have to apologize and make things right with Haji, but for right now, I’d give him space.
My tears poured rapidly as I stared at the box that held my sister’s coffee and pastry recipes.
I’d put my big girl panties on and gone to her apartment.
As I suspected, grief hit me hard, but once it settled, I was consumed by the warmth and happiness that could only come from being in her space.
The apartment was a memorial for her, and it made me love and appreciate my parents a little more for keeping it.
My fingers ran over the mission statement she’d created for Grounds 4 Love. Attached to it was a note that explained the name.
I went to school to become a lawyer.
Late nights in the diner drinking coffee while studying fueled me.
Working as a barista made me happy.
I passed the bar, tried my first case, and realized I loved coffee more than I loved law.
Grounds 4 Love isn’t going to be just a play on words legally, but it’ll also play on coffee grounds and my love for them. My passion. My purpose—using my coffee shop to provide a safe space for anyone in need of an escape. In need of fuel. In need of inspiration.
I want students to come here and feel recharged.
I want working people to come here and be able to escape.
I want them to feel my love and be inspired by it.
I want them to spend their days, their lives, doing what they are most passionate about.
Life is too short for anything but!
Xoxo, Z.
My tears pouring this time weren’t out of sadness.
They came from pride. From inspiration. From happiness.
My sister spent the last years of her life doing what she loved, and that made me happy.
She loved what she’d created with her coffee shop, and I wouldn’t let that die with her.
I had just under six weeks before I had to go back to work, and now, I was determined to spend that time saving my sister’s dream.