Chapter 18
eighteen
After what feels like fifty hours of cleaning, the espresso machine sputters to life and makes its first coffee in probably decades on Thursday.
Two days of practicing have made me passable at making coffee.
Between cleanings and coffee brewing, Ace helps me stock the warded containers in the back with all the things Nai Nai ordered.
I should’ve never showed her how to buy things online…
Saturday comes before I know it, and it’s time to open the shop for the first time in years.
Nerves bounce around in my stomach as I run down the stairs from the apartment, my hair still slightly wet.
It’s six-thirty-five and I was supposed to unlock the doors five minutes ago.
I don’t even have the espresso machine on.
I run to the door like I see those kids in movies run for the tree loaded with presents on Christmas Day. Except I’m running to an empty door…
No one. Not a single person waiting.
Well, it’s Saturday and this is a smaller town, not to mention I didn’t get the social media page going until a few nights ago, and, oh, yeah, I haven’t gotten the word out at all.
I really should’ve let Lacey do that campaign at the public library, but it feels wrong to use her so much when all she’s getting is free coffee.
I flip the “Open” sign with a sigh and go behind the counter to start everything up.
Six thirty-five turns into eight, and I spend most of my early morning tooling around with Boogle ads to see if I can get the word out about our grand opening.
I can’t afford any of them, so it’s kind of a waste of time.
The ephemeral bell over the door rings and I jolt up from my phone to see Lacey bounding in with a huge smile.
“Happy opening day, friend!” she shouts, holding up a bottle of champagne.
I beam. “Thank you. Would you like to be the first customer?”
The stairs creak overhead and I hear Ace shout, “No, that’ll be me!”
I snort a laugh. “You and what money?”
“I didn’t say I was a paying customer. Not like Lacey is, either,” he says, scratching his bed head as he approaches the counter.
Lacey hands me the champagne bottle and I stuff it in the mini fridge under the bar.
“So then, what’ll it be?” I ask him.
He grumbles happily, “Caramel macchiato.”
“Coming right up!”
The espresso machine gives me a bit of grief as I try to attach the portafilter, so I mash down the grounds a little harder and try again.
It slots in this time, and I smile, patting the device like a good little boy.
It spits happily and I pour the shot into the cup with two pumps of vanilla syrup.
I heat the whole milk with the steam wand, dipping the carafe in and out to make sure it’s thoroughly fluffed.
“So, Ace,” Lacey starts. “How did you get your nickname?”
I glance over my shoulder at him. I know it’s sort of a sensitive subject, and if he wants an out, I’ll give it to him.
“I have a criminal record, and my record ID has A C E in it, so, Ace.” He seesaws his head, then grins. “But also, I am an ace at the crimes I commit so, it works.”
“Such an ace that you were caught,” I murmur.
He grimaces. “I was only caught because I bragged. I’m smarter than that now.”
I’ve been watching videos on how to make designs in the coffee, but application of learning is a struggle when you don’t have any coffee to waste practicing on…so now’s my first shot at applying all that learning to make something.
I gently swirl the cup twice and then begin to pour the steamed milk. I make the first hump of the heart and come down for the point, but my hand wiggles a bit. Second hump and then pour straight through to the bottom—aaaand…
It’s a penis with a huge pee hole.
Perfect.
“What did you do?” Lacey asks.
“Hacked some stuff,” he says with a shrug.
The “stuff” he hacked were the school records, his lunch account, and the principal’s social media accounts where he committed several acts of defamation, but I’m not going to drag him through it.
I turn my attention back to the horrible latte I have to finish. I drizzle the caramel sauce on top and…
Now the penis is coming everywhere.
I blow my hair out of my eyes and hand the coffee to Ace with a smile.
He looks into the cup and muffles a snort, but his smile can’t be contained. “Nice one.”
“Yeah, it’s a dick, for a dick,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.
He rolls his eyes and takes a drink.
I’m gripping the edge of the counter so hard I think my nails might split.
Finally, his brow rises and he nods a few times. “Not bad at all. I’d pay for this.”
“Oh, could I have a chocolate latte?” Lacey asks with a bright grin.
“Yes, ma’am.” I wink and shoot her a finger gun.
“How much?” she asks.
“Free, remember? You helped me paint and decorate,” I say as I smack the old grinds out of the portafilter into our compost bucket.
Nai Nai is convinced the espresso grinds will give the rubber plant the energy it needs. I hope it gets some positive energy radiating toward me, knowing I’m the one feeding it. Crotchety old plant.
“Please, I want to pay,” Lacey says with a whine.
“No way, not until you’ve had at least thirty coffees,” I say.
I turn on the grinder to drown out her next pleading request.
“What?” I say, pointing to my ears. “Can’t hear you.”
She mimes shoving a five somewhere unpleasant and I laugh.
Nai Nai comes down the stairs carrying an old kimchi jar that’s been painted red and gold with a big, black “TIPS” on the front. She sets it down on the counter and Lacey beams, shoving her money inside.
I make the second coffee with a little more confidence and try for a leaf design this time. It resembles a penis even more than the heart had, thick veins running along it, and my mind goes somewhere else.
It’s been five days since I’ve seen or heard from Rhazan, and part of me—some small part—is very unhappy about that.
The rest of me knows this is for the best. This isn’t a permanent situation, and we’re literally different species.
He’s a hundred million years old and I’m twenty-two.
He’s trapped in his bar, and I have to take care of my family.
I hand her the coffee and she smirks. “It’s a…feather?”
“A leaf,” I say.
She nods a few times then mumbles, “Well, this’ll be the first one of these going in me.”
I laugh and she tries not to spit coffee through her nose as she takes a drink.
“You’ve never had coffee before?” Nai Nai asks.
Lacey laughs harder as she pulls the drink away, but not quick enough. A spurt of coffee comes flying out of the cup. She swallows hard and Ace pats her on the back. I grab a rag and help clean up her hands.
“Want one, Nai Nai?” I ask.
She waves me off. “I’ll have tea.”
I skip down the bar and whirl the little plastic tea display around. “Which one?”
She looks them over with narrowed eyes. “Tea bags. Jiahui…” She changes to Chinese. “How are we going to enlighten people if we give them tea bags?”
“Elder Feng, looseleaf tea is more to clean up, and takes a practiced hand to get right. Most of these people prefer a bag of tea.”
She snorts coldly. “They won’t after they’ve had my tea. I will make a pot every other hour and give it out for free. Everyone will want some, and then we can charge.”
I cross my arms and sigh. “Have it your way, old crone, but I’m not cleaning your pots.”
The bell over the door chimes again and a wash of cold northern air pushes into the shop. A woman who could only be described as the embodiment of “quirky anxiety” steps in.
She’s layered in shawls of different colors over a shin-length dress that covers worn leather boots.
Her glasses seem to encompass her entire face and amplify her eyes to unnatural proportions.
A coiffed bun of graying-brown hair sits piled on her head in a bun that looks more like a nest. Various pins stick out of it at different angles to keep it all in place.
Something about her is familiar, though…
“Welcome to the Cosmic Café,” I say after shaking myself from the entranced stupor. “What can I get started for you?”
“Hot water, please, if I can,” she says in disjointed stammers that mirror her peculiar look.
“Find a spot to sit and I’ll bring it to you,” I say with a smile that feels way too big.
First customer. Hot water.
I sigh as I turn to the espresso machine.
I dump the grinds and push down the button on the electric kettle.
It has a cool LED light ring around the base of it that makes the water look like a lava lamp, and the more it boils, the crazier the light show gets.
It was a pretty neat find on Lacey’s part, and I’m glad she brought it in for us.
I look over my shoulder to see where the woman is sitting, but she still hasn’t picked a spot. She’s going from chair, to booth bench, to chair, touching them and closing her eyes. Not the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen by far, but still strange.
The kettle makes a cute chime and clicks off.
I pour the water into a blue and purple nebula cup and put it on a black, star-speckled saucer, then head out to her.
The woman makes a relieved peep when she seems to find the spot she likes.
She jerks a little as she reaches into the layers of her shawls and produces a book and a bagged tea packet.
Nai Nai clears her throat and heads into the back.
“Here you are,” I say, setting the saucer down at the table painted to look like Jupiter.
“Very nice theme,” she says, her head snapping from the table to the ceiling then back to me.
“I’ve always liked space,” I say with a shrug.
She hums. “What’s your name?”
“Jade,” I say, reaching out to shake her hand.
She recoils for a moment and then seems to remember what a handshake is. Her fingers are adorned with so many rings it’s a wonder she can lift her hand. Her skin is weathered, but not papery, and her grip is stronger than I’d have thought.
“I’m Deelia,” she says.
Her name sounds familiar, too…
“It’s very nice to meet you.”
She makes another hum that could be dismissal as she rips open her tea packet.
“Have you lived here long?” I ask. “We just moved in.”
“Yes, I know,” she says, dunking her baggie of leaves.
I wait a few seconds to see if she’s going to engage, but she doesn’t. All right then…
“Let me know if you need anything else,” I say, turning away.
“Wait,” she calls.
I turn back and she’s holding out a dollar. “Tip, tip please.”
I grin as I accept her money. “Thanks very much.”
She watches me walk back to the bar, so I make a show of putting her dollar in the tip jar. She gives a little jerk of her head and then shoves her face into her book.
What a weird one.
“So, about that scooter,” Ace says as I come back behind the bar.
I look around for Nai Nai to help, but she’s nowhere in sight. My gaze falls next to Lacey. She shakes her head and tucks into her cup.
“What about it?” I ask, busying myself with cleaning the milk-frothing pitcher.
“It’s down to two hundred, and I checked with the guy—it still runs well. I have my permit from Boston, and I’m in the process of transferring all my driving hours…”
My gut clenches in worry as an icy prickle hits the back of my neck.
“I’m not sure I love the idea,” I say.
“But you said you would help.”
“With your permit, of course I will. But a scooter—” I sigh, trying to defuse the growing tightness around my diaphragm. “I’m just worried.”
“I’ll get a helmet—a new one. And I’ll always wear a jacket, long pants, and gloves. Gotta keep my money-makers pristine,” he says, wiggling his fingers with a smile.
Why doesn’t any of that make me feel better?
Nai Nai comes out from the back with a traditional teapot on a tray with two cups. She walks confidently toward Deelia and gets too far before I can stop her. I watch their interaction from the corner of my eye as Ace goes on, telling me all the ways he’ll be very safe on the scooter.
“Plus, it only goes forty-five miles per hour,” he says, finishing his case.
Nai Nai pours Deelia a cup of tea and sits down in the chair next to her.
“Jade?”
I blink and look at Ace. “Sorry, bud, I’m distracted. Let’s talk more over dinner, okay?”
“You got it.” He smiles and hops off the stool, leaving his empty cup behind.
I snatch it and give it a thorough wash.
Lacey leans forward on the counter. “Must be hard.”
I look at her curiously. “What?”
“You’re his big sister, but kinda…more like his mom.”
I shrug the comment away. “Temporary guardian.”
“Where’re your parents?”
I grab a cloth and dry his cup, trying to decide how to answer.
“If it’s touchy—I mean, you don’t want to—I’m sorry,” she murmurs, staring into her coffee.
A niggling sensation tells me that I can trust her. That telling her about this won’t come back to bite me. But should I? Telling her about me, about our family, that’s a bit familiar. We’re not staying long…
But that dejected look on her face is so pathetic.
“They got wrangled into some debt to start their kung fu studio. They were paying their bills on time, but the guy who gave them the loan wanted more.”
Not more money…but more of their time. More of their skill.
He wanted them in his gang, working for him.
I wish I could wipe the memory of their final argument from my mind.
They thought they were being quiet, that the clanking of dishes in the sink was loud enough to drown out their words.
My mom just wanted to do it, give Zhao Shang what he wanted.
My dad refused. She threatened to leave him and take us away.
She was so scared of Shang.
“Jade?” Lacey’s gentle voice snaps me back to reality.
“Sorry, squirrel brain. Must’ve slept bad.”
“Are you okay?”
I smile. “Very fine. The finest.”
She makes a pained expression. “Are they…” She mouths the word dead.
I shake my head. “No, just in China, working off debt.”
She nods, her eyes pointed at my wrist. “And does that have anything to do with it?”
“No.” I roll my sleeve down and cover it. “Truly, not at all.”
The brush of cloth against the spot has me itching to touch it. To summon him.
To see him.
But I know I can’t. Five days and no word. He’s getting on fine without me, and I can get on fine without him.
The bell over the door rings again and I smile on instinct. “Welcome to the—”
My heart leaps into my throat at the sight of the man taking up the frame. Dark suit, darker hair, and the darkest of expressions.
Zhao Lei.