The glugging staccato of the low reverberating rumble was the unmistakably sound of a motorcycle—something she had become good at detecting as of late. Not daring to open the curtain, she listened to the heavy roar of the engine stop just outside her window, making her freeze. With only the sounds of her music playing and the heavy thumps of her heart, Sapphire sat like a statue as the engine cut off.
Were the bikers arriving early? She thought the event, or whatever it was, was on Saturday.
She sat and strained to hear as the door to the front office jingled open before going back to silence.
After a few moments of tense silence, Sapphire debated with herself whether to pull back the heavy curtains and risk a peek at the bike or maybe even catch a glimpse of the biker, but before she could decide, the engine roared to life again, causing her to jump. She felt the vibrations of the powerful machine vibrate through her chest as it backed out and pulled away from the motel. Risking it, she opened the curtain just enough to see the red tail lights streak away and down the dark highway.
And there was supposed to be a whole bunch more of them this weekend, she thought with a sigh. What would keep this rickety place from vibrating off the foundation with that many? Double-checking the locks on the door, Sapphire walked across the dimly lit room and past the flickering screen of the TV into the bathroom. Setting her phone on the sink, she reached into the shower and turned on the water to let it warm up.
The phone in her room rang.
The shrill, old-timey ring startled her. She had honestly forgotten about the phone. Walking over to the nightstand, she picked up the heavy plastic receiver.
"Hello?" she answered.
"You still lookin for a job?" Herman asked, not bothering with a greeting.
If she wasn't so stunned by the out-of-the-blue question, she would have smiled at his cantankerous tone. She was still looking for a job, but the town's newspaper only ever listed postings of farm work and positions at the meat packing plant, and both of those were not an option. Was he offering a position here at the hotel? Cleaning rooms, maybe? Sapphire grimaced as she thought of the damage that would be wrought after this weekend's event. She wasn't sure she had the stomach for what she would no doubt see in the rooms.
Tentatively, she replied. "Yes."
"Well, there's an opening at the coffee shop in town. It's in the old downtown part, off main street," he explained. "Be there at four."
Herman didn't even wait for her to respond before hanging up the phone. Still with the phone to her ear, Sapphire just sat there for a few moments before hanging up the receiver.
For the first time in what felt like a long time, a true smile played over Sapphire's lips as she considered this fortunate turn of events. Finally, a bit of good luck.
Chapter seven
Coffeeshopsnormallyhadkitschy little names likeThe Split BeanorThe Dream Beanbut never had Sapphire seen one calledThe Grind. The name reminded her more of a nightclub than a coffee shop.
Following Google Maps, she found herself in old downtown Holter with nearly fifteen minutes to spare. Looking down at her black pants and her blush pink blouse, she checked to make sure there wasn't any dust from the long walk over still lingering on her pants.
She ran a hand through her wavy curls once more before checking her phone as she stood off to the side in front of the gift shop next door. She waited anxiously for the minutes to count down closer to her interview time. Didn't she read somewhere that arriving too early for an interview was nearly as bad as arriving late?
Again, she looked at her reflection in the gift shop's window before letting herself look through the glass to the store beyond. Clearly marketed toward older ladies, the shop was filled with an assortment of things she imagined the provincial women of this town gravitated toward. Long formless dresses covered in a floral print that somehow came off garish yet drab all at once lined the closest clothing rack she could see. The wall to the right was covered in miscellaneous bible covers decorated with ornate crystal-studded silver crosses and candles with what Sapphire could only assume were scripture verses embossed in gold calligraphy. There were even canvases with giant stenciled words that readLive, Laugh, Love.
Sapphire shook her head. If Mr. Hodgson's nosy wife was anything to judge the women of Holter by, then the store was perfectly on brand.
Sapphire glanced at her phone again, and her stomach tightened a little at the time. Okay, it was time. With only a few steps, she was pushing her way through to the heavy wood and glass door of the coffee shop. The bells above jingled, signaling her entrance.
Unlike what the nightclub-like name would have one believe, the café was completely normal. The front door led a visitor directly into the middle of the large dining room area with tables and small couches on either side. In front of the dining area was a long countertop that stopped just short of the wall allowing enough room for one to walk back behind the counter and directly through a set of white swing doors into what Sapphire assumed was the kitchen.
Standing at the counter was a woman with short brown hair and glasses, looking at her expectantly.
"Hi," Sapphire said as she stepped up to the counter. "I'm here for the interview with the owner."
She hated that she had no idea what the owner's name was. Herman just grunted at her that morning when she tried to ask for a little more information about the place. She wanted to be prepared, or at least have a little more information under her belt besides all the things she Googled last night about working in a café.
"Hi, yes." The woman's eyes lit up in realization. "You can just step through there." The woman smiled kindly at her as she indicated to the swing doors. "The owners are waiting for you in the kitchen."
Owners—as in more than one. Great, Sapphire thought with a sigh, a panel-style interview, something else she had read about in her search last night. Taking a deep breath, she gave the woman a tight smile in return before going through the swing doors.
The kitchen was massive. Judging by its long shape, Sapphire could tell it easily ran the length of the narrow building. The stainless-steel appliances and pristine butcher block tables, however, hardly registered to her as she focused on the two men in the back of the room near an open back door.
Bright sunlight and crisp air streamed through the screen door that remained closed. Sapphire had to force herself not to slow her pace as she felt their eyes lock in on her as she walked the rest of the way to them. Stopping at the edge of the butcher block counter, she gave them both a tentative smile while trying to control her face from showing her shock.
These two men did not look at all like coffee shop owners. The dark-haired one sat on a tall stool with one booted foot resting on the rung while his other leg stretched out toward her. Seemingly immune to the cold air whisking through the screen door, the man sat there in a black t-shirt that clung to his large frame and accentuated the dark tattoos that covered his exposed arms. The other man, the blond, stood leaning casually against the gleaming stainless-steel counter behind him as he kept his arms folded across his wide chest.
