You’ll be fine, kitten. You’ll see.
19
Jo left the diner an hour early because Candy practically pushed her out the door.
“Go,” Candy said, already untying Jo’s apron for her. “I’ve got this shift. You have a party to go to.”
Jo pedaled home along Orange Avenue with the afternoon sun warm on her back. She’d spoken to her new personal banker, and her line of credit for working capital had been approved, so she’d immediately placed orders for coffee, merchandise, and shipping supplies for the crowdfunding campaign. With that off her mind, she was looking forward to seeing Maileah and Sailor this evening and celebrating their elopement. That was worth taking off work early for.
She left her bike against the porch rail and went straight inside to her laptop, still in her Cuppa Jo’s shirt, coffee grounds under her fingernails.
She’d promised herself one quick check of her slowly rising crowdfunding dashboard before she showered. Fortunately, the campaign had cleared the low bar, but she wasn’t sure it would reach what she needed.
The screen flickered to life. She logged in, slipping off her sneakers while she waited. Finally, her campaign dashboard appeared.
She inclined her head, momentarily confused.
The numbers didn’t make sense. She read it again, her finger hovering over the trackpad like it might change if she touched it.
The campaign was already funded, of course. But since she’d last checked this morning, the number of pledges and amount of funds had sailed straight past the stretch goal. Her real goal.
The mystery fourth level, the Imperial Cloud Forest coffee, was unlocked.
Jo pressed both hands over her mouth. “Oh, my gosh!” she shrieked. She didn’t know how it had happened, but it was real.
The realization that she’d be able to pay off her second mortgage and have Hugo’s tuition, in addition to repaying the bank loan once she received and shipped her inventory, released an enormous load from her shoulders.
She grabbed her phone to text Junie but tossed it back on the bed. Some news you simply couldn’t text.
She flung open the door and raced across the street in her socks.
Junie opened the door quickly, because Jo was pounding on it with the flat of her hand like the house was on fire. “What happened?”
“The campaign reached my magic number.” Jo grabbed both her hands. “And blew right past it. The Imperial Cloud Forest is unlocked.”
Junie screamed and flung her arms around Jo. They hugged and jumped on the doorstep like teenagers. Junie’s sprinkler kicked on, spraying them, which only made them laugh harder.
“That’s wonderful,” Junie said. “I knew you could do it.”
“We did it,” Jo said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Junie shook her head. “You’ve done most of it. I just shared my suppliers with you.”
Jo knew it would have taken her a lot of time to find and vet good ones.
“I had to tell you first.” Jo was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. “But I still need to get ready. I’ll tell Maileah and Rocky at the party.”
“Go, I’ll see you there,” Junie said, still laughing and wiping her eyes.
Jo ran back across the street to get ready.
Ella’s rose-colored cottage on Beach View Lane had a beautiful garden blooming with bougainvillea and lilies. A curved stone walkway led to the front door, which stood open. Jo stepped inside.
The living room was full, and the party had already spilled out the open doors and into the rear yard. She followed the sound of Adrian’s guitar.
“Welcome,” April said, meeting her in the entry. She was dressed in pink linen with her hair softly styled. “I’m so glad you’re here. Come this way.”
Maileah and Sailor stood in the living room talking to people, and Jo smiled at the sight of them. They wore white, wrinkled linen outfits and still wore the shell necklaces from the wedding photos that had been surreptitiously taken and released.
