5. Willow
Five
Willow
W illow flopped onto her couch as soon as she walked into her apartment. She was covered in a film of sweat that was caused by a combination of the high humidity of Florida’s weather and the workout she’d just completed.
She attended a yoga class biweekly in an attempt to change up her schedule and give her something to look forward to. When she’d first moved to Florida, before she opened her coffee shop, she had been attending weekly yoga classes to tone up her body while making friends. The yoga gave her back some of the confidence that her ex-boyfriend had taken from her, but she was still unable to connect with others.
She had met one girl in class that she would make small talk with, but no one else in the class was overly eager to converse. It seemed that everyone had the mindset that they were there to work out and nothing more. The class had a Zen, non-judgmental vibe, but there was also a loneliness she felt afterward.
She frowned at the thought of friends. Willow had tried her best to build friendships and social connections throughout her life, but it was hard when she had moved around so much when she was younger. And now after her ex had broken her, she wondered if it was even worth it. People, no matter if it was a platonic friendship or romantic relationship, could change you. She was finally developing a sense of safety and trust in herself and didn’t want to risk it even if she was lonely. She found her social connections within her regulars, and that was good enough.
To help ease the loneliness and give her something to look forward to other than work, she had planned to attend the upcoming music festival, friends or no friends. She was nervous beyond belief and assumed the night would end with her being uncomfortable, awkward, and drunk. Deep down she hoped she would meet someone there that would change the course of her current life, but she knew better. Reality wasn’t like that.
Before she could get too comfortable on the couch, she forced herself up and over to the two-story rabbit cage that took up most of the corner by the balcony door. Her rabbit, Snickers, was waiting patiently and stood up on his hind legs when she approached, like he knew it was dinner time.
“What do you think of having a new brother or sister?” She threw a scoop of pellets and a handful of fresh hay on top of his feeder.
The rabbit didn’t move, but continued his empty stare.
“Yeah, okay. Maybe not.”
He turned quickly and started munching on the hay. She’d always wanted to add a new furry friend to her family, but was concerned about how Snickers would react. He had been an only child for as long as she had owned him.
After cleaning up his cage, she immediately jumped into the shower to avoid getting couch lock. She could feel herself losing steam, but still had a full night of running a coffee house ahead of her .
Once at work, Willow managed to drop an entire gallon of milk on the floor, opened a case of vanilla syrup only to find a bottle had cracked open, and did not receive tips all night long. She sighed in relief as she watched John and Ryan walk in. At least she knew she would get a few dollars and have a pleasant conversation.
“Hey guys, are you having the usual?”
“Yes ma’am,” John stated with a lopsided smile. Ryan nodded briskly.
“I haven’t seen you guys in a while, what have you been up to?”
John’s smile became larger and a slight blush reddened his cheeks. “Well, I was on a mini-vacation. I took the girlfriend to Disney World to propose.” He chuckled and his eyes sparkled. “She said yes!”
Willow’s stomach flipped at the realization that she didn’t know these two boys at all. She’d thought she did since they were regulars, but as mean as it was, she’d assumed they were single since they were both nerdy and awkward. She never knew John had a girlfriend, let alone was planning on proposing to her.
She wasn’t necessarily upset, but her loneliness from earlier returned, heavier and more suffocating. There was also a pinprick of jealousy that he had found someone he loved enough to marry. She wondered what having that kind of relationship with another person was like.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” She kept her feelings hidden inside and plastered on her best customer service smile. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, tell me all about her.”
“Well, she grew up down the street from Ryan and they went to high school together, so I guess I have him to thank for introducing us.” He patted his friend on the shoulder.
“So he set you two up on a date?”
“Not exactly. I was at a music festival two years ago when I ran into him with his group of friends. She was with the group and instantly caught my eye, so I ended up ditching my friends for the night to hang out with her. I guess she found me charming enough to give me her number, and the rest is history. We usually attend the festival to celebrate our anniversary.”
“Are you talking about the same festival they’re having next week?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. We’re not going this year since we will be in Colorado to break the news of the engagement to some of her friends who live there. Are you going, Ryan?” He turned to his friend, who shook his head and sipped the coffee Willow had just placed in front of him.
John continued, “The lineup didn’t seem that good this year, so I don’t think we will miss out on much.”
Willow shrugged, not feeling like taking offense that one of the bands on the lineup was her favorite. “I’m planning on going, this will be my first-ever music festival on a beach. I’m looking forward to getting drunk, playing some slots, and rocking out with sand between my toes.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Slots?”
“Oh, the man can speak! Yeah, I saw a flyer on the boardwalk that the casino is going to have a tent set up and had a few slot machines brought in for people to play.”
John’s smile disappeared. “Oh yeah, I know what you’re talking about. I’m not trying to sound like your dad or anything, but I wouldn’t recommend going to that tent. A man name Clay owns it and his—”
“I know Clay!” She cut him off with a smile. “He’s my landlord and has been so sweet to me.”
“So you know he owns half of Vista Maria and is friends with the people who own the other half? He’s mega rich, like billionaire rich, which makes him untouchable. He can do anything and get away with it.”
“Clearly you are all for the ‘eat the rich’ idea.” Willow smirked. “Clay doesn’t seem like the type to be evil, though. He helped me fix up this place and checks up on me every once in a while.”
“That makes me really nervous.” John frowned. “He’s probably trying to get close to you so he can eat you.”
Willow gave a confused laugh. “What an odd thing to say. I thought we were supposed to eat the rich.”
John gave her an equally confused look back, but before he could explain, the bell on the front door chimed and all three looked up to watch a pair of nurses walk in, signaling the beginning of the breaks at the hospital.
“I’m about to start getting busy and won’t have time to talk soon. Here, keep this.” She tossed the money they had paid her back at John. “Your coffee is on the house today as a way to celebrate your engagement. Congrats!”
The nurses that had walked up to the register cooed at the news they overheard before placing their orders. John’s blush returned and the two left before the hospital rush could overwhelm them.
The rest of the night flew by, and before she knew it the sun was beginning to rise. Things had slowed down, and Willow was pleasantly surprised to find her tip jar close to full. She was so pleased that she did not even mind when a girl walked in as she was going to lock up for the day.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were closing so early. I forgot you have odd hours.”
“That’s alright, you can be my last customer.” Willow smiled. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, is this your first time in?”
“It is. I couldn’t resist stopping in once I saw the name Coffee House Bunny. I just adore bunnies.”
“Aw thanks, I named it in honor of my pet bunny, Snickers. There’s been a few creepy male customers that try to make a joke about me being a Playboy Bunny, so sometimes I regret picking out the name.”
“Well, I think it’s adorable. Actually, this whole place is adorable. I love the retro vibe it gives off. It’s refreshing compared to the normal hipster places I usually go.”
Willow beamed at the compliment—refreshing was exactly the vibe she was looking to create. “My name is Willow, by the way. So, what can I get for you?”
“I’m Marla, it’s nice to meet you! I’ll take a caramel macchiato if that’s not too much trouble. Again, I’m really sorry. I used to work in food service and absolutely hated when people would come in last minute. You know what, I can always just go to the café down the street.”
“Nonsense, their caramel is not as good as mine. A macchiato is easy enough to make, and I have zero plans after work, so it’s not like you’re keeping me from something.”
Marla chewed on her lip and watched Willow make the drink. “Hey, this is probably going to seem super bold, and maybe even super weird, but I was on my way to this new pottery shop that opened down the street. Since you said you don’t have any plans and you seem like a pretty cool person, would you want to go with me?”
Willow looked at her, but before she could respond Marla waved her hands in the air. “Actually, forget it. That was super weird of me, I am so sorry. My therapist has been pushing me to be more outgoing and make friends, but it’s been royally backfiring.”
“Girl, calm down. I was just trying to think of what pottery store you were talking about. I would be more than happy to go. I’m somewhat new to the area and work too much, so I don’t have any friends either. Let me lock up really quick.” Willow handed her the drink and untied her apron, throwing it on the counter.
“You don’t have to clean up?” Marla looked at her like she couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Nah, I’ll come in early tomorrow to clean up. For now I’m going to worry about making a new friend and going home after to pass out on my cozy bed.”
“Are you the only one who works here?” Marla asked as Willow followed her out and locked the door behind them.
“Yeah, just me. I know I should look into hiring someone, but that’s a lot of trust to put into a stranger, plus it requires a lot of time to interview. Then there’s the whole legal aspect, with taxes and employee benefits. I don’t know how any of that works, and could really use a mentor.”
Marla scrunched her face. “None of that sounds particularly fun, I think I’ll stay an employee instead of an employer. How long have you been running The Coffee House Bunny?”
“Not long, only about two months I think. My time is running together and every day is the same, but I can’t afford to take a break and shut down my café for very long. How does that saying go? No rest for the wicked?”
“You don’t seem like a wicked person.”
Willow clenched her jaw, but didn’t respond. She stared ahead at the sidewalk that was beginning to fill up with pedestrians as people walked into their various jobs. The street her café was located on was mostly filled with businesses, from flooring stores to small law offices.
“So where do you work?”
“A boring old retail job. I used to work three jobs, one at a small boutique, the other as a waitress, and the third was a night shift at a gas station. I didn’t stay at the station long, though. I had one too many scary interactions with some creeps. As burned out as I was back then, I do miss all the money I had. It was easy to save it since I didn’t have the time to spend it!”
Willow nodded and gave a lopsided grin. “I used to work at a gas station, too! I guess that’s one way to look at working yourself to death—it’s a great way to save up money.”
They rounded the corner and the pottery shop came into view. They were about to open the door when a short, bearded man grabbed Marla by the shoulder.
“Don’t go in there! You’re supporting them .”
She shook him off. “Ew, get off of me!”
“Leave us alone.” Willow scowled at him and threaded her arm through Marla’s arm.
“I mean no harm, I only want to save your soul. If you support them by buying their goods, you’re basically letting the devil right into our own backyard. We have to keep our land safe from those filthy leeches.”
Willow scoffed and went into the shop, noticing a Mexican male was behind the counter watching the ordeal. “I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t have to put up with racist old men like him.”
“Racist? He wasn’t talking about me, he was referring to the owner. Unfortunately there’s some close-minded people out there that don’t like her kind. But me, I don’t mind. She’s never hurt me.”
Willow wanted to ask what he meant by “her kind,” but was pulled down an aisle by Marla. The strange encounter quickly left her mind as she watched as the girl’s face lit up at the sight of an entire row of mugs decorated to look like they were covered in ombre dragon scales. They were organized from dark to light, and the forest-green one caught her eye.
“I think I might need this.” Willow began to reach out for the mug but stopped when she heard Marla gasp behind her. She turned to find a mug decorated in fat rabbits two inches away from her face.
“No, you need this .”
“Holy crap, that’s adorable.”
The two grinned at each other and continued their exploration of the store, constantly showing each other the prettiest items they could find. It wasn’t long before they each had a handful of pottery to purchase .
“I didn’t know retail therapy was what I needed, but I think this has cured my burnout,” Willow said.
“Shopping and making a new friend can really cure anything,” Marla added.
“Hey, I really don’t feel like making anything to eat when I go home, so I was thinking of stopping by that restaurant across the street. Would you want to join me?”
“Heck yeah, do you think it’s too early for a beer, though?”
“Well technically this is my dinner time, so I won’t judge you if you order one.”
“Sweet, I’m getting a large then.”
While at the restaurant, the two girls realized they had more in common than either of them thought was possible. They both were somewhat new to the area, though Marla was from Missouri whereas Willow was from Michigan; both were boyfriendless and friendless; and both were hopeless romantics obsessed with anything in the romance genre. It was obvious to Willow that the two were meant to meet, so they swapped numbers and decided on a day to check out a Mexican restaurant that supposedly had the best-of-the-best Verde sauce. It was so delicious, the reviews claimed you could pour it straight into your mouth.
What Willow was most looking forward to, though, was that she could finally say that she made a friend, not just a new regular.