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“It’s true, I’m a dream boss.”
She said it to remind herself of what things were between them. With the sparkling lights and music from the fair, the smell of sugar and smoke in the air, and the little pink teddy bear still clutched in her hand, it was easy to forget. It was good that Emile hadn’t kissed her on the Big Wheel. She couldn’t forget herself, even if the day had been magical. Tomorrow would always come and the consequences would be too great.
As they walked back up Main Street towards the cafe, Kate continued to point out people that she knew to Emile so he would recognize them. At this point, she’d introduced him to half the town and most of the cafe regulars waved to them as they passed by. Without speaking, Emile and Kate had agreed to just wave back rather than stopping to talk; their progress was already slowed down by the crowds and attractions, and if they got into conversation with everyone they passed, they might not make it home before dawn. Emile was still curious, though, asking questions about everyone.
“That’s Mrs. Hernandez.” Kate gestured to where an older woman was manning a stall selling empanadas. “She’s a widow and retired, but she pulls out her empanada recipe once a year for the Street Fair.”
“Who’s that with her on the stall?”
“Her neighbor, Grace.”
The teenager was chatting animatedly to Mrs. Hernandez, who was nodding as she folded pastry on the table in front of her. They made an odd couple. The elderly Hispanic woman in a brightly colored floral dress, her gray hair cropped close to her head. The teen dressed entirely in black, studs decorating her ears and nose, her long hair in two plaits. Kate knew that Grace’s mom would have bribed her into helping out for a while in return for being able to stay out late, but the two looked content together as they cooked and served customers. An easy camaraderie that no one would have expected, but which worked out all the same.
Kate sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Emile asked, looking concerned.
“That’s what I want.”
“An empanada?”
Kate laughed. “No. Just seeing them together, reminds me of what I want to happen at the cafe.”
“Tell me more?”
Kate looked up at Emile, and she could see genuine interest in his face. She hadn’t shared her idea with many people. It felt like some private, precious thing. A little flame that she was nurturing, and if she exposed it to the world, it might go out. Whether she was afraid of being laughed at for having such a foolish, idealistic notion, or mocked when it eventually didn’t come to pass, she wasn’t sure, but she’d kept it tight to her chest as she tried to search for the money. The time would come to tell people, when it was happening, she had reasoned. But what harm was there in telling Emile? He worked at the cafe after all, and after his flattering words about her earlier, she didn’t think that he would laugh at her plans.
“I’d like to build a community hub at the cafe. Well, next door. The unit has been empty for a while and we could knock through and expand. I have this dream… well, it’s a little silly…” She trailed off.
“Your dreams are never silly, Kate.” Emile’s seriousness made that little flame burn just a little bit brighter. No, it wasn’t silly, was it?
“You’re right. I have this dream of creating a place where different generations in Miller Springs can come together and build community. Work on problems together or just hold events or find a place for hobbies. The cafe is wonderful and I love running it, but every day people tell me about their problems and I think if we could all come together a bit more often, we could find solutions to those problems and everyone would feel a little bit less alone. That’s what they get already, I think, from coming to the café, but I think it could be more than that.”
Kate could feel the passion for her idea fizzing in her veins. It was empowering, to speak it out loud. The idea didn’t sound so farfetched when she said it all like that.
Emile was clearly on the same page.
“I think that is a wonderful idea,” he said. “When are you going to open it?”
“It’s not as simple as that, Emile.”
“It’s not?” He looked genuinely confused.
“No. I need the money to be able to do the work. To knock through. Maybe hire a few more people. There’s a lot of steps along the way.”
Sometimes it felt like too many steps, like she’d never reach the top.
“Ah, that’s what the bank meeting was for?”
“Yes. They weren’t so enthusiastic about the idea, or my ability to pay them back.”
“So they didn’t give you the money?”
“No, they didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“They didn’t think it was a wise financial investment.” Kate tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
