20. Tobias
CHAPTER 20
Tobias
G oth Girl had a plethora of goodies dropped off for my staff twice this week by Marie. It’s a sweet gesture, but I’m not sure why she does it. Especially since I made it abundantly clear I wanted her to stay away. Yet here we have a whole plate of crullers with a few scones mixed in. Just the smell of it reminds me of Harmony. And nothing good happens when my mind returns to her.
Now that I’ve pushed her away, it seems all I do is end up in the same public places she is. And it’s killing me slowly.
She volunteers for the Christmas Planning Council, where I’ve been a long standing member. She’s at Gerard’s testing the avocados for ripeness every time I’m there grocery shopping. She’s at the post office, chatting with the postmaster’s wife when I go to mail out a special edition book. It’s weird how I never used to see her around town and now she’s every damn place I go.
Marie says she refuses to come over herself. While I know Jerry, Marie, and the other staff enjoy the pastries she gives us, I don’t like the reminder of her or our last interaction constantly hanging over my head. I didn’t really want to distance myself from her. The hurt and confusion was present in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Now she doesn’t even glance my way. I’m already a major shithead for alienating her like that, but the constant goodies she’s sending over make it a hundred times worse.
It doesn’t help that Port Haven’s rumor mongering is alive and well regarding us being linked to one another. Someone saw us together in the cafeteria at the hospital, and ever since, there’s been chatter about us being a couple. It’s absurd—I haven’t been actively linked to anyone in quite a while, so why now? They have no idea of the amazing night, the amazing connection, we shared. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
It also doesn’t help that I keep seeing those blasted pink to-go cups of hers all over town. It’s clear my show at the town hall meeting backfired. Instead of the townspeople and tourists boycotting the café, they’ve fallen even deeper in love with it and her. The more SeaSong cups I see, the less support I’ll have when it comes to blocking her liquor license.
But I’m adamant about expanding Kelleher’s. The only other way to go is up. I don’t think a two-story bookstore would go over well with the planning commission since they are notorious for wanting to maintain the look and feel of our quaint downtown district. Plus, I’d have to get an elevator installed. It would be a pain in the ass and cost more than tearing a wall down.
“Tobe, you going to eat this poppyseed scone?” Marie asks, standing by the latest SeaSong tray she was tasked with bringing over. She’s got this sass about her lately and is always rolling her eyes at me when I decline eating one of Harmony’s creations.
“No, I don’t like poppyseeds. I don’t like scones. And I don’t like stuff from that café in here,” I snap, my irritation coming through clear as day as I speak. I’m perpetually grumpy since I pushed Harmony away and I know it, but I don’t know how to change it without welcoming her back into my life.
Marie chuckles and takes the scone, wrapping it in a napkin. “Great, I’ll have it for a snack during first period. See ya, Jerry. Bye, Tobe.” She scoots out the door a moment later, leaving me to figure out how to rectify my bad mood in silence.
Jerry eyes me after Marie rushes out. “You’re still against the SeaSong, huh?” he asks as he lifts his bright pink coffee cup to his lips. I scowl at the blasted cheerful cup as if it personally victimized me.
He continues. “It’s popular. Harmony’s a sweet girl once you get to know her. And howdy, that girl knows her coffee! Did you know she can tell you the different notes in all the blends they offer in both coffee and tea?” He stops to take a long swig of his favorite warm beverage, purposely showing his support of Coffee Girl and how much he loves to irritate me.
Jerry shrugs and smirks at me. “She’s finally becoming part of this town. We all seem to enjoy her and the café, except you. She told me just yesterday she’s been busier than ever after that meeting with the town hall.”
He takes another slow sip of his coffee. How can I explain this without sounding like a petulant teenager?
“She doesn’t deserve it,” I huff out. “She didn’t work for what she has. Her rock star daddy bought it for her and helped get it fixed up. I don’t like that…that level of entitlement in Port Haven. She didn’t build it up herself like every other business has done here.”
Jerry coughs and spits some of his coffee on the counter. “And you did? This place was handed to you by your father. You didn’t build it or its reputation. Your father and grandfather did that. You stepped into it and took it over after they did all the hard work.”
“I was here learning the ins and outs before I could ride a bike,” I interject, my defensiveness damn near boiling my blood.
“And she didn’t have that luxury,” Jerry tells me. He acts like he’s known the girl since she was a child. Like he’s known me . Yet here he is, defending her instead of having my back. “She’s still in the building-something-new phase and learning from her mistakes. All I’m saying, Toby, is to give her a break. Besides,” he takes another lengthy sip, and I’m beginning to think he’s doing this because of me, “none of us know that girl’s life. They might think they do because of her looks but none of us have any idea of the kind of life she’s lived.”
“That space should be mine, Jerry.”
“Would it have been nice for you to have? Yes. But there’s nothing wrong with adding new businesses to town—new life to Port Haven. And that girl does it in spades. It’s about time you got your head out of your ass and realized it.”