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“You figure anything out?” I asked Christopher when there was a lull.
His shoulders slumped. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”
I rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”
“If it keeps breaking down, maybe we should consider getting a new one. There are a lot of complaints about this brand online.” He tilted the screen toward me.
“I researched this.” The problem was the reviews were a mixed bag.
“Maybe the repairman will have some suggestions.”
“Speaking of,” I checked my phone, “he hasn’t called yet.”
“He probably doesn’t work weekends.”
“That’s convenient. It’s just our two busiest days.” I ran my fingers through my hair, beyond frustrated.
“I’m sorry I called you in.”
“You had to. This is my problem.”
“You hired me to handle things like this.”
“I need to know if the machine is broken. You needed the help. Where’s Heather?” We’d hired a few people to handle the counter during the week so that Christopher could take more of a manager roll.
“She called out.”
My jaw tightened. I’d expected that at some point. It was hard to find good help, but I was so pleased with Christopher that I figured the good luck would continue. I’d obviously been wrong.
“We can sell teas and regular coffee. Just not anything with espresso. We can get through this,” Christopher encouraged.
“You’re right.” It wasn’t ideal. And I hated that some customers would go to a different coffee shop to get what they wanted. I tried to soothe myself with the idea that Brooke would get them, but it wasn’t the best timing, and it would give customers a negative impression of my business. None of it was good.
I could only hope that the repairman would arrive soon.
As I dealt with disgruntled customers, I couldn’t help but think that I was distracted yesterday and that morning when I should have been solely focused on the store. I needed to be focused on making sure things ran smoothly.
It felt like a weight had been placed on my chest, making it increasingly difficult to draw a deep breath. If I focused on the store and getting it off the ground, things would ease up. They had to.
ChapterNineteen
BROOKE
Ishould be focused on work and not on the way Ben’s fingers and tongue felt on my body. My body heated again as I thought about it, but I shook off the thought and brought my attention back to my shop and the paperwork in front of me.
No matter how much work was waiting for me in my office, I liked to be on the floor, greeting customers. That morning, we’d gotten a fair number complaining that they couldn’t get their favorite lattes at Bean Rush.
As much as I wanted to draw customers to my store, I didn’t want it to happen at Ben’s expense. I wasn’t sure when that shift happened. Business was separate from our relationship. He wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of one of my weaknesses.
I’d texted him to ask if everything was okay, but he hadn’t responded. If one of his machines wasn’t working properly, he’d be stressed and dealing with the fallout.
Whenever I competed with Ben in the past, I liked us to be on even ground. A win wasn’t a win if I got it due to circumstances beyond our control, like a broken machine. It was similar to winning a baseball game on a bad call. I wanted to win because we’d both done everything right, and I came out on top.
For the first time, coming out on top didn’t feel quite the same. Not if it came at the expense of someone who’d become a friend, maybe even something more. Not that I’d ever admit that to him. I wouldn’t give him that power over me.
Plus, if my business did well at his expense, it affected Cammie. Instead of spending the day with her father, he was probably working. I didn’t have that issue, given my lack of children or significant other. For the first time, that realization made me feel empty.
Ben was working for a better life. I just wanted money to pay my bills and employees. I enjoyed feeling successful when things went well, but what did that really mean in the grand scheme of things?
