Chapter 27 Lola
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lola
Oh my god what did you put in this coffee?
It’s good stuff, right?
Will you be my friend forever?
Sure, why not.
- Conversation between Lola, age 19 and Scott, age 21
I take a sip of the hot coffee, letting it sit on my tongue. I moan at the perfect light body and the sweet cherry notes that linger on my tastebuds. “Oh my god, that’s it, this is the one.”
Skyler puts down the milk jug and makes grabby hands at me. “Let me try, let me try.”
I cradle the mug close to my chest. “No. Mine.”
“I made it!”
“After I told you how to,” I argue then take another long sip. “Fuck, that’s good.”
Skyler crosses her arms. “I can’t believe you own an entire coffee shop and you’re arguing over a single sip of coffee.”
The dismay on her face gets me and laughter bubbles up. I look down at the freshly finished counter and the dozens of half-drunk coffee cups lined up on the surface. “Hey, Skyler, you think maybe we drank too much coffee?”
She taps her fingers against her arm. “I do feel a little like the energizer bunny.”
I laugh again and hand her the mug.
Skyler and I have spent the entire morning trying out the different beans and blends the Oliviera brothers sent, testing various temperatures and calibrating the machine until we had the perfect brew.
Now we’ve finally found it, I don’t want to share, but the caffeine tremor in my fingers suggests I really should.
Skyler takes a sip and moans.
“Good, right?”
“So fucking good.”
I beam. Maybe I’m high on coffee but excitement jitters inside of me. The shop is pretty much finished, all the equipment is installed, Roman delivered the first shipment of apples this morning, and we finally have the perfect cup of coffee.
Now if my brother could just stop being mad at me, life would be pretty perfect.
A buzzing sounds in my ears and I grip Skyler’s wrist. “Okay, I’ve definitely drunk too much caffeine, my brain is buzzing.”
She cocks her head. “That’s your phone you crazy woman,” she says, picking up my phone from where it’s vibrating against the deep oak countertop.
I stick my tongue out at her. “I totally knew that. Ooh, it’s Scott!” I swipe to answer, grinning wide as Scott appears on screen. “Scott! Where are you?”
“On a boat.”
“With Michelle?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Scott smiles at me, bemused. “Maybe. Have you been drinking?”
“Not alcohol, but I may have had just a smidgen of caffeine.” I hold my thumb and forefinger an inch apart, then flip the screen to show Scott the number of cups on the counter.
He laughs. “Oh my god, Lola, that’s so much coffee. I take it the shop’s going well?”
I nod. “We’re opening soon, everything’s actually kind of come together.”
“Tell him about Roman,” Skyler calls over her shoulder as she cleans the milk steamer.
“Tell me what about Roman?”
Skyler leans back so she’s in shot and says, “They’re totally doing it.”
“Shut up, you,” I say, throwing a dish cloth at her.
Scott leans forward. “Wait seriously, you’re actually together?”
I hide my smile between my lips and nod. “Yeah.”
Scott runs a hand through his shaggy hair, dimples in his cheeks as he grins at me. “I’m so fucking happy for you, Lo.”
“Thank—” A text pops up on my screen and my words fall away.
“Lo? You alright?” Scott asks.
I swipe the message away and focus on Scott. “Yeah,” I say. “Sorry, just got distracted. I better go Scott but say hi to Michelle for me— I can’t wait to meet her someday.”
Scott grins. “I can’t wait to meet, Roman.”
We say goodbye and I open my text messages, finding the most recent one with shaking fingers.
Unknown number: Last chance. Leave Pine Rock.
“Lola?” Skyler puts the coffee cup she’s drying down and looks over at me. “What’s the matter?”
I shake my head and click the screen off.
I don’t know who’s sending those messages, but I don’t want to think about it right now.
Not here, in my shop, where everything is perfect.
The smell of coffee rich in the air, the gorgeous distressed wooden flooring, the wall of T-shirts Roman helped me hang.
I’ve built my very own happy place and I refuse to let some anonymous stalker ruin that.