“Yes, of course.”
“Questions about a company you no longer work for,” she reiterated.
I bit my bottom lip before answering. “Yeah.”
“Why would you—”
“Anyway, he had a few questions regarding the Marvins account, and I answered, which led me to postponing my packing. Then I was too tired because I had to clean all day yesterday to prep my home for the renters.”
“Which means you shouldn’t have answered that man’s phone call in the first place.”
“Please, Sharise …”
I moved up until I was the next person in line.
“Hang on,” I told my sister so that I could order a cinnamon latte and one of their cherry cheese tarts.
“All right,” I started once I retrieved my order. “Like I was saying, I ended up oversleeping a little and still had to finish packing, then my Uber driver got impatient and left without me. That’s why I was late and ended up missing my flight.”
“Let’s go back to the part about you answering the phone when you should’ve let it go to voicemail,” Sharise continued.
Sighing, I placed my latte and pastry on one of the tables in a seated part of the airport gates. I was a few spaces down from my gate but could see it.
“Why do you keep harping on this?” I took a sip of my latte, and despite Sharise in my ear going on about how much I let my former employer and colleagues take advantage of me, I relished how the cinnamon enhanced the sweetness of the latte.
“I’m definitely doing cinnamon lattes at my shop,” I murmured, placing my cup down in front of me.
“I’m serious, Mi-Mi,” Sharise started, calling me the nickname she’d used since we were kids. “You worked your ass off at that job for years, brought in countless clients, and God only knows how many millions of dollars you made that company.”
I scoffed. “Not millions,” I mumbled.
“Mi-Mi,” she intoned.
On a huff, I admitted. “You’re probably right.” I was an excellent employee of Corsica Pharmaceuticals for well over ten years. I’d started as a sales rep and worked my way up to national sales manager. But when it came time to promote me to business director, a colleague with half of my experience got the job.
“I’m not probably anything,” Sharise replied, sounding just like our mother. “You know I’m right. But this time is for you. I’m so glad you decided to quit that job and finally take the sabbatical you’ve been talking about for some time now.”
My heart swelled from the pride in her voice. Sharise was always one of my biggest cheerleaders. Along with my best friend, Carlene.
“And you’ll come home and open your coffee shop, and it’ll be a huge success,” she continued. “Your former bosses will wish they’d done right by you.”
Opening a coffee shop had been a dream of mine since college. A desire I’d put off while working up the corporate ladder. Now, that goal was just in reach.
“I love you, sis,” I replied, meaning every word.
I took a bite of my cherry tart. As soon as I started chewing, I frowned. “Oh, I do not love that.” I managed to swallow that first bite but pushed the plate with the rest of the tart away from me.
“What?”
“The cherry tart I just had. The crust wasn’t flaky or buttery enough, and the cherries tasted a little metallic.” I pulled a face. “Not to self: be careful of which vendors I go with for the pastries and baked goods at my coffee shop.”
“See, that’s what you need to focus on,” Sharise pounced. “Getting your mind right to open Cup of Joy.”
“You don’t have to remind me why I booked this trip.” I planned to relax in Tulum, Mexico, for the first month of my sabbatical before heading down to Colombia for two months to stay on a coffee farm. I wanted to understand better where the best coffee in the world came from. And with any luck, I would be able to make some contacts to partner with to purchase my coffee beans once I opened my shop.
“All I’m trying to say is that this time is for you and your dreams. Stop worrying about that job that obviously never gave a shit about you and put you first.”
Sharise was always the blunt one out of the two of us. But her words hit their mark. I’d worked my butt off for Corsica Pharmaceuticals. I’d never done the calculations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if all of the money I’d brought in from new clients and ongoing sales of older clients totaled in the millions.
