Chapter 8
Haji
I was as excited as Norbit was about his Tuesday date with Kate to see Zoe today, and that truth made me feel guilty.
I wouldn’t suggest I hadn’t entertained women over the years.
When I wanted companionship, it didn’t last more than a few months.
I did have sex with women, but no one ever made me desire more.
Then came Zoe, and with her being here for just a few days, she made me curious.
She made me want more.
I knew logically that Lianne would want me to be happy, and if that happiness meant being with someone else, she would approve. But it was my choice to not give another woman access to my heart. I’d promised it to Lianne, and for a really long time, I felt like it died right along with her.
That changed when Zoe gave me roses.
It changed when I smiled at her.
When I almost let her kiss me.
When I acknowledged the fact that I wanted her to kiss me.
I didn’t know how deep things would go while she was here, but a little over a month seemed like enough time for me to get my fill of her without feeling like I was giving a woman too much of my heart.
Plus, I was curious about if there were parts of her that were like her sister.
I missed my best friend. Zina and I had a true platonic relationship.
A lot of my most memorable memories were made with her.
She was one of the coolest chicks I’d ever known.
We’d never found each other attractive, which was why it was so odd to me to be attracted to her sister.
Either way, I’d been looking forward to seeing Zoe, and I couldn’t wait for her to arrive.
Apparently, there was a new drink being offered from our competitor that had their line wrapped around the building.
The people who didn’t have the time or desire to wait came to us, so we were busier than we’d had been in a while this morning.
I hated that our increase in sales was a result of their overflow, but I was no fool, so I wouldn’t complain.
By the time things had finally died down behind the counter, Zoe was sauntering her pretty ass into the shop.
She was dressed in a two-piece shorts and blazer set that drew my attention to her thighs and hips.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she took the blazer off and tossed it on the empty chair at her table.
Once she had her tote opened, she pulled out a notepad and laptop, then headed toward the counter.
At the sight of me, she smiled.
Precious.
“Hi, handsome.” She greeted me once she made it to the counter.
“Hey, Precious.”
Her smile widened. “You’re the only person to ever call me that.”
“Not sure why. That’s what you are. Precious. Treasured. Not to be handled carelessly or with no value.”
“And you realized that, spending a grief filled week with me ten years ago?”
“I guess. Perceptively, I’d say I realized that, being in your presence and seeing into your heart for a week, ten years ago.”
Her eyes softened as she pulled her hair behind her left ear. “If you talk to me nice like that, it’s going to be hard to handle business.”
“Then let’s quickly handle business so I can talk to you how I want to. Grounds will be around. I only have you for what, . . . a few weeks?” Zoe’s smile widened, and when I realized she was too shy to speak, I asked, “Did you want to order anything before we got started, Zo?”
“Yes, actually. I don’t like super strong lattes or the taste of black coffee. What would you recommend?”
“You’ve been gone for a while, but I want you to try everything.
At least all the special blends. Even if you aren’t a black coffee drinker, I think you’ll like ours.
Hot or the cold brews. Your sister had a science when it came down to her coffee beans.
That’s actually what set us apart. While a lot of people go to the competition for lattes, our best sellers are our coffees. ”
“Yeah, I saw a review about that. Let me have a cup of whatever your bestselling coffee is, but make it sweet, please. Either with cream or sugar. Just no black coffee straight up.”
Chuckling, I nodded as I turned and looked over the options. “I got cha. You want a pastry?”
“Oh yes. We love a sweet treat. May I have the plum and cream cheese pastry?”
“Yeah. Go ahead and get comfortable. I’ll bring it to you.”
“How much is it?”
Her question made me cut my eyes at her. “Girl, go sit your ass down somewhere. I’m not making you pay for shit.”
“Okay, okay, sheesh,” she said through her giggle, taking a few steps backward.
I decided on a medium roast that wouldn’t be too strong for her and sweetened it with vanilla sweet cream and our homemade simple syrup. After making my own cup and warming her pastry, I joined her at the table.
“Mm, that looks good,” she said, swiping the plate and pulling the pastry closer.
“It is. It’s our summer bestseller.”
“Zina’s recipe?”
“Yep.”
Her mouth twisted to the side, and even though she wasn’t looking at me, I could tell by how rapidly her eyes were blinking that she was fighting back tears.
It didn’t take a genius to know she left to avoid her feelings, so I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her to be back.
The only thing that kept me from losing my mind after losing both Zina and Lianne was actively sitting in my grief.
I gave myself no choice but to sit in that shit. Otherwise, it would have consumed me.
Zoe gently lifted it and took a bite. Her cheeks lifted as she smiled. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away with a giggle.
“That girl would find any way she could to add extra cinnamon or nutmeg to a recipe. I taste her in the cinnamon.” Her breath came out shaky as she set the pastry down.
“Damn. My sister’s really gone. I haven’t just .
. . been ignoring her for a decade because I was mad at her about leaving me. She’s really not here.”
“Zoe—”
“It’s fine,” she said, voice cracking. Her head shook as she licked the corner of her mouth. “Um, let’s just get started.”
She opened her notebook as she sniffled.
“Hey,” I called softly, covering her hand with mine. “I won’t let you do that.”
“Do what?” she asked with a chuckle as she avoided my eyes.
“Ignore how you feel.” Turning her head in my direction, I wiped her tears. “Good and bad.” Her eyes closed, and she pulled in a deep breath as I cupped her cheek. “Take a moment, and then we’ll start.”
When she shifted her head slightly and kissed my palm, it reminded me of Zina’s repast.
“This is why you’re dangerous,” she almost whispered, opening her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“You calm my anxiety. Help me breathe.”
“Why is that dangerous?”
As her eyes softened, she licked her lips. “Because it makes me feel safe with you.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Seeing as I’ve never felt that way with anyone else, . . . yeah. It is.”
I lowered my hand, and that time, I allowed her to open her notebook.
The first thing she covered was a rebrand.
Not to redo what Zina started but to remind the town of it.
She wanted to zero in on a target audience of college students and office workers.
Then, she’d let them promote through word of mouth and a loyalty program.
“You’ll need to hire a social media manager and promoter,” she continued. “With Jasper Lane being a small town, I would suggest appealing to people traveling through the town to get to Memphis and Rose Valley Hills as well, so you’ll need a stronger social media presence.
“Once you get the new customers in, you’ll keep them with the loyalty program.
They’ll drive in traffic with referrals.
Outside of that, I also recommend hosting events and doing cross promo with other small businesses in the neighborhood.
And I know it might not be in your budget right now, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into getting a small coffee cart to have in the office district a few days out of the week.
A lot of your business will come from there and the college, so you need to actively go there to find your audience.
“I made a list of ideas for the events you could host. Don’t think of this as just a coffee shop.
Offer more. Karaoke and open mic night would be a great place to start.
Host author and book club events. Take coffee totes to hospitals and other traffic heavy locations.
Let them try the coffee, and they’ll come back for more. ”
“Speaking of which . . .” I bobbed my head toward her coffee cup.
“Oh yes.” Zoe lifted the coffee and sniffed it.
“Well, it smells better than the coffee I get at the grocery store.” I watched as she took a small sip, and then two more.
“Okay, wow. This is really good, and I’m not just saying that.
This is the best coffee I’ve ever had. And the fact that it’s not a latte loaded down with milk and sugar allows me to not only savor the flavor but not feel so guilty about having a second or third cup too. ”
“That was what your sister wanted,” I shared.
“She wanted her customers to actually taste the grounds. The coffee. The unique flavors in each blend. She exchanged her coffee grounds for their love, and when they loved what she made, it made her day.” A smile lifted my cheeks as my eyes shifted toward her bell.
“Zina would ring that bell when a customer tried something new and loved it. She celebrated every time with everyone. A lot of people came in and tried something different, just to have that moment with her.” Zoe looked at the bell and released a shaky breath.
Not wanting her to get back in her feelings, I swallowed mine down and continued.
“Anyway, the coffee will give them the same energy as espresso with less calories and not as hard of a crash because of all the syrup.”
“This is the brand,” Zoe said, setting the coffee down. “People need to be reminded of that. Of how good this tastes. Mm.” She clapped her hands softly. “I’m excited!”
“Good. I am too. Your ideas are really amazing, Zoe. Thank you for agreeing to help.”
“It’s truly my pleasure.”
A customer coming in kept me from replying. Business was so slow I only had one cashier and barista on the clock today, and since the cashier was on break, it was up to me to take the orders until she came back.
By the time I was done, Zoe had started writing out social media manager referrals.
My heart warmed at the possibility that we could potentially pull this off.
Not just keeping Grounds open but positioning it to be a success again.
Knowing we could do that for Zina filled me with pride.
And for the first time in a long time, I had something positive to look forward to.