AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Allie
Today will provide an opportunity to practice the art of looking on the bright side, Leo. -Allie’s Horoscope, February 1st
My mind reels as I jam my fingertip onto my phone screen’s End Call button. Fuck that guy.
Pulse pounding, I close my eyes and take one long, deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. It does not work.Suck it up, Allie. You’ve got a business to run.This problem will have to wait its turn.
Fortunately, there’s nothing like helping customers to take my mind off my problems. Unfortunately, there are no customers that need my help right now, so I’m left with cleaning to keep my mind occupied. I reach for one of our brandedTurbine Cafécappuccino mugs that’s still on the bar from the morning rush, which promptly slips through my fingers and shatters on the floor.How poetic.
By the time I’ve retrieved a broom and dustpan from the back, Hector’s already made his way up to the counter. He andhis husband, Brian, spend the mornings of their Palm Springs retirement atTurbine. Brian reads the paper in the comfy chairs by the front windows, and Hector usually ends up sitting on the barstool next to the register, keeping me company while I work.
“You alright, Allie?” Hector leans both tawny forearms onto the counter between us. “What happened?”
TheTur Candbine afépieces stare up at me mockingly as I sweep up the remains of the wide-mouthed cup. “I accidentally dropped this mug.”
Hector leans across the counter, eyeing the ceramic shards at my feet. “Yes, Allie, I can see that. I meant what happened on the phone call.”
My head swivels in his direction, sending the tail end of my ponytail tangling into my eyelashes. “You heard that?”
“You had the conversation at sharing volume.” Hector waves a hand to gesture at the rest of the shop. “We all heard it.”
Carefully unravelling my hair from my lashes, I cringe. “All of you?”
“All of us.” Hector nods.
I shouldn’t be surprised. No one’s ever described me as quiet. Loud, bold, outspoken? Absolutely.
At least, ‘All of us’ doesn’t include many people this morning. A tiny silver lining. Brian’s in his favorite orange chair next to the giant potted palm, completely unbothered as usual. Another regular, a pink-haired retiree named Daisy, draws in her sketchbook on the opposite side of the room. She can’t hear too well anymore, and even if she could, she’s slow to judge.
Actually, the only people in here who don’t bring me gifts during the holidays are a couple that’s in town from Minnesota on vacation. They wouldn’t be out of line in leaving a review to the tune of “The shop owner had a loud argument on the phone for ten minutes. One star.”Yikes. I’ll bring them some freecookies.
Hector waves a hand to get my attention. “You’re not getting out of telling this story. What’s going on?”
“Fine,” I sigh. “You know how Mel always said he’d sell me Station 19 when he was ready to retire? And I’ve been saving forever, waiting for him to finally give up the building?” Hector nods along impatiently, already knowing all of this. “Evidently, Mel lied.” I brace my hands on the counter in front of me and squeeze the edge. “He called to tell me I’ll meet my new landlord today.”
“New landlord? Today?” Hector’s incredulous voice carries through the entire coffee shop.At least I’m not the only one.
“Exactly. It’s bullshit.” I start pacing back and forth behind the register. “Some guy made Mel an offer without Station 19 being listed, and he just sold it to him. Never gave me a chance.”
“That’s so slimy,” Hector gasps. “Why would he do that to you?”
“All he said was he couldn’t turn down a good offer.” I stop pacing and try leaning back against the counter next to the espresso machine, which lasts about ten seconds before I start pacing again. “I don’t get it. I asked him every time we talked when he would be ready to sell, and all he would say was ‘someday’.”
Hector slides onto a barstool, propping his chin up with a palm while his elbow rests on the bar. “I know you wanted to own it, but would it be so bad to keep renting from the new person?”
“Mel said the new guy wants both sides. He has to honor the rest of my lease, butTurbine Caféwill be gone in six months.” Station 19 is split into two units, separated down the middle by a glass wall. My coffee shop is on one side, and Mel runsa touristy gift shop on the other. Or at least he did until this morning.
The glass wall is technically a wall of windows that start a few feet above the ground, just higher than the tops of the row of white, tulip-style, pedestal tables that line it on this side. Brass frames separate the windowpanes from top to bottom every five or six feet, but the overall effect is like having one long window between the two spaces.
Mel’s tacky gift shop was such a waste of a unique building design that no one ever bothered looking through to that side more than once. I’m just now noticing the cheap straw hats and palm tree keychains are gone, leaving only empty, dusty glass shelves. He must have done that last night when I wasn’t here, so he wouldn’t have to face me in person.Coward.
My best friend and roommate, Devon, was supposed to move her interior design firm next door when I bought the building. She designedTurbineso it blends in seamlessly with the building’s mid-century architecture, using pedestal tables, knock-off Herman Miller Eames chairs in sea-foam green, and those funky sputnik chandeliers with bulbs sticking out every which way in a spiky starburst to pull it together. She’s had a perfectly coordinated design for her office in her back pocket for years.That she’ll never get to use.
“Sounds like we have six months to come up with a solution, then.” I don’t miss that Hector saysweinstead ofyou. He’d do anything to help me, but he shouldn’t have to. He’s my customer and my friend. It’s not his job to figure out my business woes. Still, he’s in fix-it mode, and there’s no turning that off. “What do we know about the new landlord?”
“All I know is I’m supposed to write my next rent check to Lucas Pine,” I say with a sigh and a shrug.
