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I looked at the clock. I still had about fifteen minutes until Mike was supposed to get there—not enough time to go anywhere for a stiff drink, but at least enough time to step outside and catch my breath, maybe at least grab a strong coffee from Castle Coffee, since that was apparently going to be the only liquid courage I could get.
Without a second thought, I was up and moving, quickly crossing the shop floor and flipping the sign to “Closed” as I stepped outside into the warm summer air.
For a moment, I simply stood there, breathing in and breathing out, trying to steel my nerves and calm my emotions for the unpleasant task ahead of me.
Getting rid of the shop wasn’t going to be easy, but it was still something I had to do, so I was going to have to come to terms with it—and quickly, before Mike arrived.
Andthatwas going to require some coffee, at the very least.
The aroma of fresh coffee already had me feeling more upbeat as I opened the door to Castle Coffee, and I’d barely stepped foot inside when I heard my name from across the room.
“Brady! Good morning,” Luca’s melodic voice was full of warmth and life, immediately putting me at ease. Well, as much at ease as I could be, given the circumstances. “Gonna have your usual?”
I winced. The “usual” would be two coffees and two bagels, one for me and one for Joanne. I wouldn’t be ordering that again… ever.
“Just one coffee today, please, Luca.”
I tried to smile but gave up after back-to-back attempts just ended up as grimaces.
“Coming right up. Is Joanne sick? Or maybe sleeping in?” Luca tossed me a knowing wink. “It’s not like her to be late, unless of course, maybe she had a late night…”
The innuendo sent a wave of hurt through my body and my stomach clenched as it struck me—again—that this was really happening.
Joanne was out of my life, and I was about to sever the one remaining tie I had to Castle Falls.
“No, she, um…” I swallowed hard, unsure what or how much I should say.Fuck it. Luca would find out soon enough anyway. “Joanne quit yesterday, and I’m going to sign the paperwork to sell the shop today.”
The entire time we’d been talking, Luca had been busy making drinks, his hands moving autonomously from the rest of his body as his sparkling eyes had stayed on me. Now, though, his hands fell still, and the sparkle in his eyes dimmed noticeably. “Joanne quit?”
I nodded, my throat suddenly feeling too tight to speak.
“And you’re going to sell the shop? Today?”
I could only nod again as I watched the cheerful coffee shop owner deflate before my eyes. “Yeah, today. In a few minutes, actually. I’ve just… run out of other options. And I can’t blame Joanne for not wanting to see it turned into a corporate place.”
And even though that wasn’t the entire reason Joanne had quit—not by a long shot—I couldn’t bring myself to say more about it. And while Luca would probably find out more from Joanne herself at some point, there was no need to shout out the sordid details of our—breakup? —to the rest of the patrons of Castle Coffee.
“No, I can’t see Joanne wanting to be a part of that,” Luca said, nodding. “But… was business really that bad? That youhadto sell? It always seemed like you guys were busy, from what I could tell.”
I sighed. Again, more details than I really wanted to hash out while waiting for coffee, but… did it even matter anymore? Was there a point in keeping it to myself?
“Wewerealways busy. And the shop has always operated in the black, since… forever, really. But it’s just notenough. My dad left me with a mountain of debt, and my banker said that maybe if the place was making more—like, alotmore—that we’d have more options, but—”
“Do you still bank with Will downtown?” Luca asked. “I know your dad used to—he’s the one who referred me to Will when I opened this place.”
I nodded. “Yeah, Will’s a friend of mine. He said there really wasn’t anything he could do.”
“Of course, I don’t know the specifics of your situation or your finances, but…” Luca looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. “I just think it might be worth revisiting with Will. I’ve heard through the grapevine that he’s had a pretty rough couple of days—I’m sure he probably told you, since you’re friends—with his relationship and all that.”
Luca really did seem to have his finger on the pulse of what was going on in Castle Falls, but when I thought about it, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Castle Coffee was the only place in town to get a decent cup of coffee, so he’d naturally see pretty much everyone who worked at the nearby businesses on a daily basis.
“Yeah, he was pretty upset when I talked to him,” I said, thinking back to the conversation I’d had with my friend the day before.
We’d both been pretty upset, in fact, but maybe Luca was on to something. Still, there wasn’t really time to call Will again. Plans had already been set into motion.
“It’s just that I’m meeting with this corporate guy in a few minutes and—”
