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The silence of the coffee shop this morning was more than welcome.
I quickly slipped into my normal—before Alesha—routine and went about firing up the oven, prepping a few trays of premade scones and muffins to pop in the oven once it reached the correct temperature, and then turned my attention to stocking the case and making wraps, sandwiches, and salads while everything baked. Closer to opening, I went out front and started the massive coffee pot to make the house blend and the carafe of decaf. Next, I turned the espresso machine on to get it warmed up and humming. And lastly, went to check that the bathrooms were stocked and cleaned.
While a lot of people would complain about working on the weekends, I actually preferred the weekend shifts. The shop opened an hour later than during the week which left me with more time to get ready and I could take things a little slower and more relaxed. The energy of the guests was different as well. Everyone was more relaxed and at ease, soaking up their laid-back weekend, and most people were more patient and easygoing since they weren’t in their usual rush off to work.
A tap on the back door pulled me from the beat of music I’d been lost in, and I went to open it, brushing my hands off on my apron as I went. Alesha was standing on the back steps, shivering like a purse-dwelling Chihuahua, in nothing but a pair of denim cut off shorts that were so short the liners of the pockets hung down an inch below the hem and she’d paired them with a crop top halter tank that displayed at least three inches of her stomach.
I crossed my arms and stared at her. “I’m not a prude, Leash, but what the hell are you wearing?”
She rolled her eyes and pushed past me. She went to stand near the oven, warming herself as though it were a fireplace. “I just came by to tell you that I’m not going to be able to work today.”
“Oh really?” I closed the door and went back to the workbench.
“My friends are going paddle boarding in Stallion Bay.”
Stallion Bay was a very hoity-toity resort town a little way up the coast. “Is this gonna be like last time when you quote, unquote went surfing and ended up stoned out of your mind on the Santa Monica boardwalk?” I asked, my tone pointed as I turned to look at her.
She scoffed and threw her hands in the air. “That was a year ago, Carly. You have to let it go sometime! I’m just going out to have some fun. Hanging around here with you all day is getting old!”
Her words stung, but I masked the lash of pain and stared at her. “I know it wasn’t your choice to come out here for the summer. I get that you’re pissed about it and working through some stuff right now. But, Dad left you under my care, and I’m not going to let you run all over and do whatever the hell you want. Even if that would make me your cool big sis. I care too much about you to not worry and ask questions. So deal with it.”
Alesha sighed. “I just don’t get why you don’t trust me…”
“Alesha,” I said softly. I didn’t want to unpack all her transgressions. We’d been there, done that. It would only make her angry. “I want to. Okay?”
“Then let me go with my friends.”
I considered her for a long moment, mentally weighing my options. If I refused to let her go, I’d have to send her back to my house since she’d just sulk around the coffee shop and bring down the good weekend vibes. And if she was at home, I couldn’t keep an eye on her, anyway.
“All right. Let’s start with a clean slate then. You can go with your friends, but you have to promise me that you’ll keep your cell phone on you. And be back by ten. And if anyone starts drinking or smoking pot, you are to call me right away and I’ll come and get you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, mom.”
I ignored her barb and picked up a still-warm muffin and handed it to her. “Here, take something for breakfast.”
She waved off the offered muffin in my hand. “No. I already feel fat…”
“Fat?” Both of my brows shot sky high and I gave her another once over. She was probably a buck ten soaking wet. How could she possibly think she was overweight?
She pressed her hands to her flat stomach. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just bloated. Too many carbs around here.”
I rolled my eyes and broke off a piece of the muffin and popped it into my mouth. The buttery cinnamon flavor burst on my tongue and I held back a moan of delight. “Have a good time,” I said around the last of the bite. “I’ll just be here in carb heaven.”
