Mountain Bean Dream (The Coffee Loft: Mountain Brew Collection)

Chapter One

“Thanks for supporting Coffee Loft.” I handed the unfamiliar customer a takeout cup of our newest creation—Never Bean Kissed—a delicious concoction of espresso, mocha, and secret spices sure to make anyone pucker up and smile in delight. It was a hit on many levels.

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “A friend suggested when I pass through town that this was the place to get the best coffee.” With a nod, she grabbed her package of sweets and exited the store.

A motto the co-owners Elliot and Nina took to heart. Nina loved to order new blends from her colleague at the Ridge Heights location. Carter personally roasted the beans to keep the menu fresh and appealing. This was probably one of the reasons the coffee shop was on everyone’s radar.

Nina had put a lot of time and money into the location, and it really was the best place to visit. Local goods, a cozy atmosphere, and an array of puns to dazzle and delight the customers with.

Oh, beans! I’d forgotten to use any with my last customer. Whoopsie. Hopefully, no one missed that.

I glanced quickly at Elliot, who was tucked into the corner deep cleaning one of the machines, bringing it back its sparkle. He was as obsessive with cleanliness as he was with punctuality.

Something I failed at repeatedly; one more verbal warning and I was getting a formal write-up.

Since that customer had been the last in line for a few minutes—and I needed to prove I was still a good employee, even if I was tardy—it gave me the perfect opportunity to clean the dining area and take out the trash. With a wet cloth and a spray bottle of eco-friendly cleaner, I set to wiping down the first table, making sure I sprayed in the opposite direction of the next table. Only made that mistake once when the overspray landed on the customer’s table and food. Whoopsie.

“How’s your breakfast this morning, Jeremy?”

He took a long, deep breath and answered slowly, as if I was disturbing him and his crossword puzzle and mumbled through a mouth full of food while keeping his eyes focused on his phone. “It’s good, thank you.”

Hmm… he was talkative today as that was one more word than I usually got out of him when he frequented the Coffee Loft. Even when he arrived and ordered, as a long-term regular, like clockwork regular , all we had to ask was if he was having the usual, and that was greeted with a drawn-out please followed by a nod. No more, no less. For as long as I’d known him, that’s just how he was. Even as the motel owner where I rented out a room, he was a soft-spoken man of few words. No doubt he was a great listener, or maybe, he just didn’t care. An ordinary guy who did nothing extraordinary and wore the same type of clothing every day—a white shirt under a grey hoodie with a beige jacket and blue jeans—and sat in the same spot (forty-five minutes, no more, no less) and without fail, ate and drank his usual. Always the same. Predictable. Boring.

“Great. I can’t espresso how happy that makes me.” At least that warranted an eyebrow raise when he tipped his head up and let out a half smile.

I didn’t need to explain to him how puns were part of the job; for many of the Coffee Loft staff saying them was as easy as breathing. However, on the days we were drawing a blank, as not everyone’s personalities were bright enough to carry the load, Elliot and Nina had graciously printed a poster-sized cheat sheet in the stocking area to help us out. Ironically, as quirky as it was, it did help with sales. Most people enjoyed a good pun. And a pun said with a wink and a smile went even further.

I scrubbed the other tables, humming along to the music playing overhead and twirling between the chairs as I tucked them back in. As I made my way back over in Jeremy’s direction, he called out.

“Hey, Molly, you’re pretty smart.”

“Thank you.” I think.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” I set the cleaner and cloth on the table beside him as I rested against it.

He tapped his pencil on the crossword puzzle. “I hate looking up answers on my phone, but I feel I should know this. Are you good with celebrities?”

I shrugged. “I watch TMZ from time to time, so maybe?”

He looked down at the crossword. “People Magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive. Two words. First word has a D in spot two and the last word ends with an A.” He pointed to blank spaces.

I leaned over his shoulder and looked. “Oh, that’s easy. Idris Elba.”

“Who’s that?” He penciled in the letters. “It fits.”

“Seriously?” I grabbed my supplies and stood on the opposite side of the table. “He played Charles on The Office ?” No spark of recognition. “You never watched that show?” It was the best comedy series out there.

Jeremy shook his head.

“Wow,” I said with a hint of shock and surprise in my voice. “Okay, Idris was in that movie with Kate Winslet. They were trapped on a mountain…” Waving my hand through the air, I tried remembering the name. It wasn’t nearly as good as the book—movies rarely were—but the actors gave solid performances. I snapped my fingers when it came to me. “Oh yeah, The Mountain Between Us. ”

“Is that a chick’s movie?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s probably why I don’t know that name. That’s not my genre.”

I propped a hand on my hip. “Well, I’m sure he’d been in other things, but that’s what I know him for.”

“Cool. Thanks for the help.”

“Yeah, no problem. If you need any more assistance, just holler, but I’m only here for a little while longer.” My workday was nearly done.

Wednesdays were the best, mainly because I only had a four-hour day. Start at seven (or in my case 7:20 today), done by eleven. It gave me time to run errands and occasionally meet my boyfriend for lunch, if he was off shift.

However, today I was going to surprise Derek and arrive unexpectedly at his work.

It was our two-month anniversary, and I had ordered flowers for him to mark the occasion. Two months was a big deal for me. In all my twenty-five years, of which only six could truly be stamped with the so-called dating years , hitting the two-month milestone had only happened a couple of times.

Derek was different. He was older, a doctor at the hospital, and seemed to check all the boxes I wanted:

Educated.

Smart but not in a chest-puffed-out, egotistical way.

Owned his own place (aka, didn’t live with his parents).

Good-looking, bordering on handsome.

Had a slight accent since he was from Newfoundland.

Funny with a dry wit that I didn’t always catch, but he did make me laugh on occasion, which was important in its own way.

He seemed to like me for who I am, not who I am. He only knew me as Molly, the small-town barista.

And he wasn’t someone I expected to connect with, since I wasn’t sure how long I was planning on staying in Jasper.

The door to the Coffee Loft opened, and as I glanced at my smart watch— right on time— in strode a woman carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a big cardboard box, all wrapped in clear cellophane. My package had arrived.

“Molly Griffith?” She read off the paper receipt.

“That’s me.” I scooted past Elliot and over to the lady, lifting the box. It was bigger and heavier than I had anticipated and had nearly cost me a day’s salary, however, Derek would love it. I hoped. The flowers were in some of his favourite colours, except for black. The floral shop didn’t carry black flowers and dead ones didn’t count.

I set the package on the table beside Jeremy and signed the delivery receipt, handing the unit back to her. “Thanks a latte.”

The sharp rise of her eyebrow indicated she was not a frequent guest of the Coffee Loft.

“Would you like a coffee for the road?” I asked.

“No, thanks.”

“How about one of our pastries?” Like a game show model, although the furthest thing from that, I swung my hand out to point out the fully stocked display case.

She spun on her thick-soled boots. “No, thank you.”

Well, can’t say I didn’t try. I sighed and turned to admire the beautiful box of flowers.

Elliot walked over and inspected the package. “Those are nice. Who’d you get them from?”

“Not from, for.” I removed my Coffee Loft apron and hung it on the rack near the office door, leaving the flowers on the table. “They’re a gift for my boyfriend. It’s our anniversary.”

“Well, congrats!” Elliot gently clapped me on the shoulder and opened the office door. “See you Friday, bright and early. Seven o’clock.” He stepped into his private space.

Shifting on my feet as a tinge of heat rose like a thermometer in my chest, I swallowed down my daily shame, and raised my voice so he could hear. “I’ll set two alarms. Maybe three.”

Exiting the office, he gave me a gentle head bob and stepped behind the counter, assisting Annie with the orders.

After slipping on a thick spring jacket in my favourite hue of army green, I unclasped my reddish-brown hair, letting it fall behind my shoulders. “It would mocha me so happy to be here for the weekend rus.”

I didn’t miss the side-to-side head shake from Jeremy, who was eyeing me and the flowers.

Elliot chuckled. “Glad Puns 101 is finally paying off for you.”

“I’m a slow learner.” I winked and lifted—with a slight grunt—the box of flowers, hoisting it to my hips like I was carrying a small child. “Have a good day, Elliot.” I moved toward the front of the store. “And you too Jeremy. Do some research on Idris. The Office is fabrewlous.”

* * *

In my knee-high suede boots with barely any tread left on the soles, I strutted down the snow-edged street, feeling the hem of my pretty floral dress brush across my knees while also watching for any residual icy patches. Although spring was on the approach, and the air was fresh and crisp, we’d just had a fresh blanket of wet, heavy snow two nights ago but the daytime warmth was melting the snow off the sidewalks. Longer, warmer days were coming, and spring was one of my favourite seasons with the whole rebirth and renewal thing going for it. As I continued toward the hospital, deep in my soul, I could sense my own rebirth.

Mostly revolving around Derek and taking our relationship to the next level. Our first major public event was a fundraiser for the hospital. Although I was playing in the jazz band that evening, it would be only a small part of that evening’s entertainment. The plan—our plan—was to walk around arm-in-arm, like a couple truly in love, showing each other off, even if there weren’t many people for me to show him off to. I’d kept a low profile so far.

Although it wasn’t a long walk from the Coffee Loft to the hospital, it was enough that a painful cramp had built in my arms by time I’d entered the main doors of the hospital. With a thud, I set the box with the heavy vase on the security desk and shook out my aching limb.

“Can I help you?” The security guard peered over a set of glasses bridged precariously on his thick nose.

I dismissed his question with a wave. “I’m here to see Dr. Davidson.”

“You have an appointment?”

“No. I’m his girlfriend.” Which was met with a condescending glance. Yes, there was a bit of an age gap, but ten years wasn’t much when you’re nearing the end of your twenties. “I’m here to bring him these flowers.”

He turned and pointed a finger at the sign behind him stating no scents allowed. It’s not that I missed seeing it, I just didn’t think I had to follow it. I wasn’t wearing perfume, since I knew that was against the code, but honestly… no flowers?

“But the flowers are wrapped.” I tugged at the plastic covering to further my point.

His gaze fell to the computer screen. “You can leave them here, and Dr. Davidson can move them out to his vehicle.”

Well, so much for my big romantic gesture.

“Fine.” I slid the package to the far end of his desk. “Please make sure no one takes them.”

“You have my word.”

Taking a sweeping glance down the hall and out toward the parking lot, I figured they were safe. It’s not like the area was overrun with patients and visitors. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Squaring my shoulders after another quick shake of my arm, I left the reception area and headed down the short hall, taking a right turn toward the patient’s rooms.

The nurses’ desk lay beyond a couple of offices and one on call room. Typically that’s where Derek hung out, reading charts and chatting up the other doctors and nurses.

An unfamiliar doctor walking toward me popped into the first office after a quick assessing nod in my direction.

As I neared the nurses’ station, the steady hum of fluorescent lights and the faint beeping of monitors filled the corridor. I stopped mid-step, my pulse freezing when Derek’s unmistakable accented voice drifted out of the office door, clear and sharp, like a shard of glass slicing through the sterile air.

“—Just put in the offer.”

The offer? On a house? My mind spun. Was he planning something for us? A surprise, maybe? My chest tightened in anticipation as I remembered his casual mention of an important conversation over dinner tonight. My fingers brushed my lips, the subtle stickiness of my grape-flavored lip balm grounding me. I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he wanted us to move in together, a fresh start just outside of town.

But then, another voice broke through the fantasy, low and unfamiliar. “When are you leaving?”

Leaving? My breath hitched, the word echoing in my head like a ricocheting bullet. I leaned closer, the coolness of the wall pressing against my back.

“If my conditions are met, June first. Why waste time?” Derek’s tone was so matter-of-fact, it didn’t match the hopeful, dreamy man I thought I knew.

A sharp pang lanced through my chest, quick and unrelenting. June first—only a couple of weeks away. What conditions? Where was he going?

“What about your house? Are you going to rent it out?” The other voice sounded eager, almost too eager.

A harsh, dismissive laugh from Derek sliced the air. “Assuming I get the job—and there’s no reason I wouldn’t, considering my terms are beyond reasonable—I’m not coming back. I’m done with this small-town crap. Everyone knows everyone’s business, and I’m moving on up. Big things, you know?”

The bluntness of his words twisted the knife already lodged deep in my chest. A faint metallic tang coated my tongue as I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to stifle the sudden surge of nausea.

Then, like a final blow, he added, “I’m meeting the realtor tonight to start the process of getting my place listed. As soon as the acceptance letter comes through, it’s gone.”

The floor beneath me seemed to shift, unsteady and cold. My knuckles brushed the seam of the wall as I leaned harder against it, like the hospital itself was the only thing keeping me upright.

“Oh, dang,” Derek continued, his voice dripping with nonchalance. “I’m supposed to meet Molly for supper tonight. Some romantic dinner she wanted. Oh well, I’ll have to push that back.”

The casual dismissal, the oh well , seared through me.

“She moving with you?”

A snort followed, low and derisive. “As if I was interested in that.”

My stomach turned to lead.

“She works a dead-end job at that coffee shop and rents a rinky-dink room at the motel off 93A. There’d probably be more for her in Calgary than here, but then, I’d have to take care of her until she got on her feet. That’s too much work for someone I’m just passing time with.”

The words exploded in my chest; a series of shrapnel wounds I couldn’t escape. Just. Passing. Time. With. Each syllable landed like a blow, relentless and unrelenting.

My vision blurred, and I realized I’d been holding my breath. A lump of pain clawed its way up my throat, burning and raw. Slowly, I pushed off the wall, my legs trembling beneath me. The air in the hallway felt stifling now, the once-calm hum of the hospital turning into an overwhelming roar.

I made it a few steps toward the entrance before the anger boiled over, hot and sharp. I froze, swallowing hard, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. Turning back on my heel, I strode toward the nurses’ station, jaw clenched, shaking my head. If Derek thought he could dismiss me so easily, he had another thing coming.

My thoughts were erratic and my heart was pounding so hard it drowned out the idle noise of the area. Leaning on the desk, I glanced around for a nurse, wondering what I was going to say to Derek when I saw him.

A hand tapped on my shoulder, and I whipped around.

“Hey,” Derek said as a charming grin filled his clean-shaven face. Dang, he was so calm, it was hard to be all fired up in his presence. “I called out to you but you didn’t hear me. You okay?”

I dropped my gaze down to his soft button-up shirt and over to the lab coat emblazoned with the hospital’s name before reconnecting with his dark brown eyes, the kind that normally put me right at ease.

Dang, how could I have been so foolish to believe that we’d been something special? To have thought he liked me for me? He had seemed so different from the others, and yet, here I was needing to cut the ties. Again.

“I, ah, yeah. I have some bad news.”

“Oh?” His features morphed into seriousness and the vee on his forehead deepened into a crevasse. “Everything okay?”

“No, actually.” I shook my head and wrapped my fingertips around the edging of the countertop on the nurse’s desk.

“What’s going on? Do you want to talk about it in the office?” He glanced down the hall. “I think one’s available but Casper is in the other.”

The lump in the back of my throat formed thorns, scratching with each swallow. My legs felt like spaghetti and my breathing rate was nearly cardio limits.

“Derek, I’m afraid…”

“What?” He placed a manicured hand on my arm and I stared at it, looking at the lines carved into his finger joints and the small valleys between his knuckles.

I could do this. I had to save face. I couldn’t just be someone to pass the time with, not when I had thought he was my everything. I wanted to storm in here and give him a piece of my mind, but now I felt like a beginner trying to play chess against a grandmaster. His calm was maddening—it made me question everything I was feeling. But I couldn’t back down now. I couldn’t let him see how much he’d unraveled me.

“I’m… I’m breaking up with you,” I blurted, then immediately hated the way it sounded—too final, too bold. My palms were clammy. Was I really doing this? “I mean, I have to. I can’t keep doing this if I’m just…” My voice wavered, and I could feel my face heating up. “If I’m just someone you’re passing the time with.”

His hand fell to his side and like a kaleidoscope, his features changed again. “What? Why?”

I glanced back to the office doorway where his true thoughts had been vocalised.

Inhaling a courageous breath, I exhaled and stared at his chest, slowly rising to meet his steely-eye stare. “I’m sorry, but not really.” I shook my head. “It’s not going to work out, you and me. Not when I heard what you just said to your buddy back there.” Like a major idiot, I pointed to the office with a shaky arm. “Just so you know, I like working at the Coffee Loft and my apartment may be a monthly rental, but it’s my place, and I think it’s cozy and perfect.” I blinked, unsure what part of my mind was taking over, because I’d never been so bold as to toss back what someone has said about me. “And I wouldn’t like Calgary anyway. Too big a city for me. Jasper is where I am—not that you had planned on asking me to join you or anything. It’s over.”

His jaw dropped and he stepped back, tipping his head to the side. “Really? You’re breaking up… with me? Over something you think you think you overheard?”

I’d like to think he hated how I beat him to the punch, but at that moment I wasn’t sure. My brain felt like it was shutting down after having spewed out its last thoughts.

He stood there, huffing and pulling back his shoulders. In another breath, he swiped his hands over his face and up through his short, dark hair. “For real?”

“I can’t be a person someone just passes the time with.” From out of nowhere, tears built and I tipped my head down. There was no way I was going to let Derek see how he had managed to hurt me. Blinking rapidly and telling my lungs to breathe helped. But only a little. “I deserve more than that.”

His stance faltered, and for a split second, I thought the mask slipped, until he straightened, shoulders back, lips pressed into a tight smile. “Yeah, you do, and we had a lot of fun together, right?” His tone was coaxing, like he was trying to calm a panicked patient. “Remember the falls?”

It pained me that there was a ribbon of hurt on the tip of his tongue. And it was true, he had been a decent boyfriend. The falls had been the first place he’d kissed me, so tender and full of promise. In that moment, I believed in him and us. That I could be more than just a means to an end.

Until now.

“But you were using me. To just pass the time. You told your buddy that.” Don’t cry. I blinked rapidly.

“Well, I…”

“Are you denying it?” I was a little taken aback by my inner strength; something I hadn’t had to tap into since I’d broken up with my family some nineteen months ago. My spine straightened and I tipped my head high, internally begging my tears to dry up. “Is there more to us than you’ve led your friend to believe?” Or what I had thought?

A nurse walked over to the desk and stared at both of us.

Derek passed her the chart. “Room 110 needs a saline drip started.”

“Yes, sir.” She scurried away.

“Derek? Tell me the truth.”

He took a couple of backward steps, truly putting distance between us. Leaning on the countertop, his Adam’s apple bobbed. “No.”

Wide-eyed, my jaw unhinged. “No, you won’t tell me the truth?”

“No, there isn’t more to us. I’m sorry.”

I scoffed and narrowed my eyes. “Nah, you’re not truly sorry.” I studied his face and there was nothing there that had an ounce of apology. However, there was something else. “You’re just sorry I found out this way.”

“That’s not true. I do like you, and for the most part, I enjoy your company, you’re just not…” He straightened up and his face took on a serious look—the kind he’d likely give to patients when delivering bad news. A gentle sigh blew out of him and he folded slightly. “I have big dreams, and my time in Jasper was longer than I wanted it to be. I need to take the next step, and that means moving to Calgary. I don’t think I can give you what you deserve, and I can’t pretend otherwise.” He placed his hand on top of mine. “Truth be told, we hardly know each other anyway.”

I pulled back in shock. “What? That’s not true.”

“Molly, we’ve been dating for two months, and I know nothing about your family. I don’t even know when your birthday is.” He leaned on the counter, tipping his head to the left as he stared.

Like a movie on repeat, I ran through some of our conversations, and where I had picked up a little intel on him, I’d redirect my answers; a skill honed over the course of my acting career for fear of being exploited.

When I realised Derek was right, a hard lump formed in the back of my throat.

“It hurts me to say it,” he paused and searched my face before settling back on my eyes. “You’re not the type of person I see a future with, even if I’ve enjoyed my present time with you.”

Bam. Hit me where it hurt most.

Pretty much all the guys on my dating resume had said something similar, however, they were after what I could provide for them—other celebrities to meet, or sweet perks regular folks couldn’t get—they hadn’t seen me for anything more than a toy to be played with and tossed. And here, I’d thought Derek had been different.

Swallowing down a morsel of insecurity, I focused on the stethoscope earpieces hanging just above his heart, trying to figure out what my next move was. “Well, thanks for that honesty.”

I needed to leave.

Now.

And never come back.

Somehow, I made my body turn and put one foot in front of the other, breathing harshly with each step. Tears escaped their hold, but at least he couldn’t see.

“Molly, I’m sorry I hurt you.” His voice was loud, and it sounded like it was echoing down the short hallway.

I snorted and closed my eyes briefly but didn’t turn in his direction, keeping my focus on the hall leading me away. “It’s hard to hurt someone you don’t even know.” I squared my shoulders and slowly turned, after first wiping my face.

“Should I find someone else to go to the fundraiser with?”

“You’d better. I know I’ll be bringing someone else.” But I wasn’t sure who. It was a tongue-in-heated-cheek comment.

I didn’t know anyone here as I kept to myself. There was Elliot, but he was taken as he was madly in love with Sage. Perhaps Jeremy, a customer who probably didn’t even own a tie, judging on the standard issue hoodie and work boots he always wore. I doubted he was the demographic the fundraiser needed. That pretty much wrapped up the men in this small town I’d acquainted myself with. Unless I took Annie. That could be fun.

Oh, sometimes I missed my personal assistant. Had she been here, she would’ve vetted the guys and made my dating life easier. Probably helped me to find some friends too.

“Oh, by the way, I’m uninviting you to the concert this weekend. You don’t get to see me play.”

The only thing that would’ve made that sound more childish was for me to stick out my tongue. And I was super close to doing it too. So much for being a grown-up.

“Yeah, well, if we’re both going to the fundraiser, pretty sure I’ll hear you play there.”

“Humph.” He was right. Again. There wasn’t much I could do about that.

Rather than taking the low road and actually sticking my tongue out at him, I took another step, and then one more, and put distance between us, turning back to the main entrance and walking out the door.

As I stormed out of the hospital, my mind raced. Who would I even bring? Not that it mattered—this wasn’t about Derek anymore. It was about showing myself, and maybe the whole town, that I didn’t need someone like him. A fake boyfriend would do just fine. Too bad I didn’t have one of those lying around.

Spinning rapidly, I marched back in and over to the security desk. “These are mine.”

I yanked my scented surprise off the desk, forgetting the weight and nearly dropping the bouquet in my dramatic move. When I finally stormed back to my car at the Coffee Loft and drove home, I dumped them into the garbage and broke down. Being all alone sucked.