“But?” she kept digging.
“I’m not good at getting new customers.”
Autumn sat up straighter. “Really? Your coffee is the best.”
My ears heated. “Thank you,” I muttered. “It’s more the getting new customers to try my coffee than getting them to buy it after than anything.”
“Oh yeah, I can kind of understand that. I mean, not everyone can deal with your grumpy ass.” Autumn snorted, and I reluctantly joined in the laughter.
“I know I suck at this, believe me, and I tried. I watched lots of videos on Kraken, but when it comes to being in front of an actual person, you know, it’s hard.” I pushed a stray lock of hair back into my bun. “I start to stammer and I forget my words and... Well, the thing is I need more customers to make Wild Bull Roast sustainable and to make enough money to live off it. You know, I’m mainly living off my savings for now, but there will come a time when I need to make money with the coffee roasting business.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“Autumn, would you like me to give you a ride tomorrow too? The commute won’t get any better, will it? The sun will rise even later the more we get into winter.”
“Yeah, I suppose, but I can’t ask you to drive all the way around.” She gnawed on her lip.
“I have to go all the way around the construction site, anyway. It’s no big deal, really.” I shrugged. I didn’t want to pressure her into saying yes, but I never wanted her to go through a panic attack at a bus stop again. “Just give me your address and I’ll come pick you up at five.”
She hesitated for a long moment. And then she gave me a tiny nod.
“Yeah, that would be”—Autumn took a deep breath and a smile fought its way onto her face—“so lovely, Ross. Thank you.”
The next day I got up at four and started the first brew like I did every morning. I showered and took an awfully long time to pick an outfit for the day.
Christ, Ross!
Then I enjoyed the first hot cup of coffee and surveyed my reflection in the terrace door.
Do I look okay?
It was my little ritual before the world outside my windows woke up—the coffee, not the spending an obscene amount of mental energy worrying about the way I looked.
I’d started it after my health cure and had held on to it until now. It anchored me and grounded me for the day ahead. Then, I poured the rest of the coffee into not one but two thermos cups and grabbed my car keys and my coat.
Crisp air greeted me as I stepped into the pitch-black quiet. I got into the van and drove through the empty streets over to Autumn’s place. I’d memorised her address and recognised it as a street not too far from mine.
Autumn waited outside her door, huddled into a button-up coat, a thick scarf, and a beanie. Her breath steamed in front of her mouth as she smiled at me, waved, and dashed down the path the moment I pulled up to the curb outside her house.
“Good morning, Ross,” she gasped as she flung herself into the passenger seat. She gave me a huge smile and buckled up with flying fingers.
“Good morning,” I said, a little overwhelmed by the brute force of this tiny woman’s energy so early in the morning. “I brought you some coffee.” I held up the thermos and suddenly felt a little dumb.
She works in a cafe and you bring her coffee? What the hell, Ross?
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you!” Autumn beamed at me. “It’s pretty nippy already, isn’t it? I could do with a warm drink.” She rubbed her fingers together, accepted the thermos, and then she started talking..
I enjoyed listening to Autumn talk. My mornings usually were quiet and introspective, but she filled the cabin with her boundless energy, and somehow this made me feel more alive than I had in years.
Chapter Five
Autumn
I’d been nervous and bloody cold while I waited for Ross outside my house. When his van pulled up, relief flooded me. A part of mehadworried that he had changed his mind overnight and a text would come through telling me that, unfortunately, he couldn’t pick me up.
I also fretted a little about the ride being awkward. But, it was strangely lovely and a part of me even thought that I could get used to this routine.
Ross brought me coffee to go—with milk but no sugar—exactly the way I took it. Soft music sounded from the radio and I couldn’t get over the way this rough giant man looked out for me.
