And it only got worse from there.
“I’m not good at making friends,” I admit, embarrassed by the fact that I can’t name anyone besides Ava that I would consider a friend. Not Reagan, the other barista. Not Ava’s friends from her women’s fiction book club whom I’ve met a few times when it’s her turn to host. Not even the girls I worked with at the restaurant in Minneapolis.
There’s only Ava.
“Like you said, I’m your friend,” Ava replies. “You made a friend in me, and you can do it again.”
I let out a groan. “Yeah, but do you really even count? We’re friends because my nurse—your youngersister—knew I didn’t have anyone else and apparently thought you’d take in a stray.”
Ava throws a stuffed animal back at me, tossing it over Evee’s head. “Enough of the excuses. You’re coming to Lenny’s with me tonight after the staff meeting.”
“What? No. What about Evee?” The monthly meeting we have at Hey Honey’s is always followed by a drink or two at Lenny’s, but I always politely decline the invite from Ava, Annie, or any of the others who join the meeting.
“She can come with us.”
“I have the opening shift tomorrow.”
“Don’t act like you don’t stay up reading your vampire smut books every night regardless of when the shop opens.”
“You said you wouldn’t call them that anymore!”
“I won’t if you come to Lenny’s. And talk to someone other than me,” she says. Then, before I can rebuttal, she adds, “or, you can join my book club.”
“Hell no. I refuse to read books without a guaranteed ‘happily ever after’.”
“Then it looks like you’re coming tonight.”
I hesitate before finally agreeing, knowing she’ll drag me there by the hair if she has to. Once Ava sets her mind to something, there’s no point in trying to go against it. “Fine.”
Ava lets out a little cheer, making Evee clap her hands even though her Auntie Ava is evil in ways she won’t understand until she’s older.
“I still can’t believe you read those and have never readTwilight.”
I groan. “We’re not having this argument again.”
CHAPTER 7
RUMI
The weightof a sleeping Evee against my chest makes it hard to keep my eyes open as I lean back in one of the chairs at the tables we pushed together to account for all the people at tonight’s Hey Honey’s meeting.
I take the last sip of my iced dirty chai, the taste of cinnamon and cardamom with a subtle nuttiness from the almond milk never gets old, the bite from the espresso waking me up just a bit—I need to stay awake so I can listen to my boss and his social media manager argue on whether or not we should keep one of our spring menu items on our summer menu.
Luke says yes.
Mia says no.
My eyes volley back and forth, along with our third barista, Reagan, who’s seated next to me.
“Lavender is a spring flavor,” Mia argues. “And with how nice the weather has been, I think it’s time to transition to more summer flavors.”
“Our lavender chai was our best seller for March and April,” Luke counters.
“Specials are only special if they are available for a limited time. Plus, it makes sense to have something similar to Lenny’sspecials for May and June. We want consistency with all the shops, right? Isn’t that the point with these meetings?” Mia gestures to all of us watching them and solidifying her argument.
Luke and Mia are sitting next to each other across from me, an empty seat on either side of their missing partners—Annie is in the bathroom, and Mia’s husband, Eddie, took their twin girls, Nadia and Naomi, for a walk to the park across the street.
“Whatisthe Lenny’s drink special for the summer?” Luke asks, looking past Annie’s empty seat to the owners of Lenny’s, Drew and Emmett Ryan.
