1.Tabitha Nunez- end of September
Iwas late.
Again.
But then again, I was always late.
I scanned the busy coffee shop and smiled the moment I spotted my friends. More than friends, they were all I had as family.
Rosie, Ember, and Abby were sitting at a table in the back patio area of Pine and Grind, our small mountain town’s local coffee shop. Ember’s light blue eyes lit up the moment she saw me. She waved, and I pointed at the menu, letting her know I would join them as soon as I got my coffee. She nodded, and my other two friends smiled in my direction.
The line moved faster than expected, and my attention jumped up to the menu. I took a deep breath, loving the touch of cold and cinnamon swirling in the air along with the coffee. What could I say? It was officially my favorite time of the year.
Everyone was back to school, and the high temperatures were finally dropping. I contemplated the new fall drinks and chewed on my bottom lip. I was a creature of habit, my abuela used to say before she passed away. I always ordered the same thing until October first.
“Next!” the girl at the counter called out, and when my eyes connected with hers, I smiled.
“Well, this is my lucky day!” I grinned at Candy Kane, not only one of my favorite baristas but someone I had gone to high school with.
“They’re waiting for you.” Candy pointed towards my girls. I giggled.
“I know.”
“School crazy already?” she asked, making small talk despite the long line behind me.
“Believe it or not, it is.”
“And the school year just started!” Candy laughed. I nodded, unable to wipe the smile off my face.
I loved teaching, and I loved my class so far. Even if it felt like they were a little more rambunctious this year compared to last.
“How are things at your uncle’s store going?” I asked.
Candy loved the coffee shop but had been working at Rusty’s Hardware, our Moonlit Pines’ very own home improvement store her uncle had been running forever now. He was ready to retire, allegedly, and since his kids didn’t want it, he had offered to hand over the reins to Candy. A challenge and project she was more than ready for, but for whatever reason, her uncle hadn’t let go of the reins just yet.
“They’re going.” She shrugged. “But he isn’t letting me be in charge yet. So, for now, I’m here and there.”
“I’m sorry. I bet that’s exhausting.”
“Kinda, but I don’t mind. I love it here.” She smiled. “So, what can I get you?”
“A caramel latte with oat milk, please,” I ordered.
“I got you. Would you like it hot or cold?”
“Cold, please.” Soon enough, Moonlit Pines would be too cold to enjoy anything over ice. I didn’t care what Ember said. She might drink iced coffee year round, but that was not for me.I paid for my drink and waved goodbye before I moved to the end of the counter and wait for my name to be called.
I loved our small mountain town.
It was quiet and happy. Slowly coming back to life after the economy took its jabs at it. It was a good place. People looked out for one another for the most part even if they gossiped just as much.
I picked up my drink and headed to the patio tables outside to sit with my besties. Our little group made no sense, but that didn’t make us any less family. We were misfits of our own who somehow came together in high school. I had been shy and introverted, usually always in the library. Especially back then. Rosie had been in drama, and Ember had been a cheerleader, while Abby had been all about art. Somehow, we’d become not just friends but best friends and had figured out a way to stay that way even after we graduated and each of us went in different directions. Ember and I left for college, Rosie travelled, and Abby had stayed home.
When we returned one by one, each of us for a different reason, our little group picked up where we had left off. Except now, we were grown up, able to drink, and had adult money.Kinda.
“Hey!” Roise smiled. Her dark red hair was piled high on top of her head. On me, that would have looked like a disaster. But on Rosie? She looked ready to walk down a couture runway. “You’re late,” she pointed out with a playful wink. It was a running joke between us. I winced.
“I know. I’m sorry!” I bent to hug Abby and then Ember before taking my seat next to Rosie. “Work was crazy today, and then I got suckered into joining a committee for career week.”
