“Sure thing.”
The fringes on her jacket swing as she makes her way through the parking lot into the tiny yellow coffee shop.With my window open, I hear the chime of the front doorbell as she walks in.
This solves today’s problem, but what am I supposed to do the rest of the week?I can’t exactly wait for a good samaritan every day, can I?
The woman comes back in record time, a brown paper bag in one hand and a yellow travel mug in the other.
“Thanks,” I say, my lips kicking up into a smile.“Sorry, I never got your name.”
“It’s Lily Jane.”
“I appreciate it, Lily Jane.”
The first sip might not be as hot as I’m used to, but it’s still a damn good cup of coffee.A bunch of screaming cats kept me up half the night, so caffeine isn’t a luxury today; it’s a necessity.
“Whatever you did to that sweet girl must’ve been pretty bad if she banned you from Mugs,” Lily Jane says.
My smile fades.I wouldn’t say it was bad at all.
Do I feel mildly guilty for being rude yesterday?Maybe.But the sentiment came from an honest place: a boss should be held at a higher standard than regular employees.They’re responsible for the entire operation.If they’re not there keeping an eye on things, shit can go wrong fast.
Lily Jane blows out a breath, no doubt hoping for some scandalous tale instead of silence.
But what happened between Chloe and me is no one else’s business, no matter how much they might’ve helped me out.
The woman chuckles to herself but still doesn’t leave.“Same time tomorrow?”
I blink at her.
“From the way you groaned when you took that sip,” she says, “I assume you’re gonna want more coffee tomorrow?”
I did not groan.If I did make a noise—and I’m not saying I did—it was probably more of an appreciative hum.
I don’t want to bother this lady any more than I already have, but I’ve been told I’m even less pleasant when I’m not caffeinated.Maybe I’ll be doing everyone a favor by taking her up on the offer.
“How about eight?”I’ll be up at the crack of dawn, but I can hardly expect her to be the same.I’ll grab some instant coffee to get me by until then.
“Eight it is…?”She glances at me expectantly.
“Ethan.”
“See you here tomorrow at eight, Ethan.”
“See you then.”With my window back up, I take another deep sip.
Maybe lukewarm coffee isn’t so bad after all.
The wheelon my shopping cart squeaks like a rusty hinge as I push it down the cereal aisle.There are brands here I haven’t seen in years.I didn’t even realize they still made Lucky Charms.As kids, my brothers and I used to love this stuff.How we got away with eating a bunch of freeze-dried marshmallows for breakfast, I’ll never know.
Wyatt would get a kick out of this.Maybe I should grab a box or two… or three, since they’re three for two.I won’t eat them for breakfast, but cereal makes a great late-night snack, and heaven knows I’ll be working hard enough to earn it.
Now to grab some milk, and I’ll be all set.
I round the corner only to collide straight into another cart that happens to be driven by a certain smiley barista.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”Chloe chirps, pushing off the handle and slipping her foot from the rung beneath her cart.When our gazes meet, her eyes narrow.“Oh, it’s you.”
I recognize that stance.Wyatt was a fiend for riding around on Mom’s shopping cart.“Were you just riding on your cart?”I say.
