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The waitress who called out a greeting was a plain-faced woman in her mid-thirties. She wore her honey-blonde hair twisted in a knot high on her head, two pens tucked into the hairdo. A burgundy apron sat neatly against her waist.
Like everyone else in the restaurant, she looked up when she heard the tinkling bell that rang out as Gloria entered. Her light brown eyes had lit up when she spied Gloria walking through the door. As she crossed the floor to greet her, Gloria noticed that she seemed to be beaming with excitement.
The name tag pinned to the left side of her chest said her name was Adrianna. She widened her arm in greeting as she gestured around her.
“Welcome to the coffeehouse. You want to take a seat? Here.” Adrianna paused, then bustled away, reaching for a laminated sheet tucked by the reg
ister. “Today’s menu. For Halloween, we’ve got pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin muffins, and some apple cider donuts to go with your coffee.”
Gesturing for Gloria to follow her, Adrianna continued, “If you’re looking for lunch, the main house will be pushing out orders by noon. You’re new here, right?”
“Um. Yes. First time.”
“Figured. Any rate, that’s just fine. We welcome everyone at the coffeehouse. Outsider or local, most of us run on caffeine, eh?”
As Gloria slid into the booth Adrianna led her to, she couldn’t help but wonder if the waitress was sampling the goods. Sure, she was super friendly, but she seemed a little wired, too.
“Anyway, I’m Addy. This is my place so, if you need anything from me, you just ask. Gus… that’s my husband… he’s the one cooking up the hot meals in the main house. You’ll see the list of specials on the menu right here.” Adrianna—Addy—slid the menu in front of Gloria. She tapped her pointer finger toward a line near the bottom. “I recommend the chili. It’s been simmering since sun-up. Chill’s coming in early this year and you can’t go wrong with that.”
She was right. Gloria noticed that the wind had picked up a little since she crossed into the small town. Her blonde curls had whipped around her face, smearing her light pink gloss as the wind caused the strands to get stuck to her lips. She’d worn a long-sleeve shirt when she set out that morning and, even on the short dash from her car to the coffeehouse’s front door, she wished she’d brought a coat.
That thought in mind, she made an executive decision. She was supposed to meet her great aunt’s lawyer, but she’d left her apartment with barely any breakfast, got lost and turned the one-hour drive into one that took more than two, then nearly crashed into a teenaged hobgoblin. She deserved some chili.
After Gloria ordered her meal and a cup of coffee, she remembered the rest of the instructions in the letter she left behind in her car. “Addy, hi. Um, I was told to look for you in particular. See, I got a letter. From a Sadie Oliver? She said something about asking you to buzz her or something when I finally had a chance to come see her. And, um, well… here I am.”
“Oh. Oh. Okay. I’ve been expecting you. No problem. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
Patting the back of her head, absently touching both of the pens she tucked in her updo, Addy turned away from the table, hurrying toward the closed door along the side.
A grizzled voice called out her name, and Addy waved him off.
“Hang on, Chester. I’ll get the pot in a sec,” she shot back before swinging the door in and rushing into the backroom.
She returned a few minutes later, holding a tray with an oversized white mug on it in one hand, carrying a pot of coffee with the other. After placing the cup in front of Gloria, she started to pour.
“There you go, hun. Now, I buzzed Sadie to let her know you made it and she said she’s on her way. I also sent a runner back to the main house… that’s where all the hot food gets cooked since I do the baking on-site here… she’s gonna go pick up your chili so you can eat while you wait. Anything else I can get for you in the meantime?”
“I’m good. Thanks.”
“Milk and sugar’s on the table. If you need a refill, just holler. Chili will be out in a few.”
At the reminder of her order, Gloria’s stomach let out an audible grumble. She smiled. “Looking forward to it.”
2
Addy was true to her word. Five minutes after she dropped off the coffee, she came back to Gloria’s table with a steaming bowl of chili. An adorable little girl stood behind her. About eight or nine, she was dressed like a miniature of her mother, down to the burgundy apron tailored to her tiny frame.
“My daughter, Sally,” Addy said, ruffling the top of her hair. “Isn’t her Halloween costume adorable? She insisted on it.”
“When I’m big enough,” boasted the girl, “Mom’s gonna let me take orders. Today, I’m practicing. Enjoy your chili, Ms. Gloria.”
Gloria had been pulling the bowl toward her when she recognized what Sally said. The little girl knew her name.
Her head jerked up, but the mother and daughter had already hurried away. Sally disappeared into the swinging door marked EMPLOYEE’S ONLY, while Addy went to refill another one of the patrons’ coffee mugs.
Deciding the lawyer must have mentioned her name when she spoke to Addy earlier, Gloria let it go. Both the waitress and her daughter were friendly, and if it seemed as if everyone else in the coffeehouse was stealing glances her way, she refused to let it bother her.
The chili smelled delicious. After blowing on it a few times to cool it down, she discovered it tasted even better. Missing a real breakfast had been a major goof. She didn’t notice how hungry she was earlier, but she must’ve been because she plowed through her chili and gratefully accepted a pumpkin scone that Addy brought with her when she came to top off Gloria’s coffee.
