“Yes, I am.” Smiling, hoping they will introduce themselves.
She sticks her hand out. “I’m Joan, the owner of the coffeehouse.”
And it clicks. “Yes, nice to meet you,” I say, shaking her hand.
“I don’t want to talk shop right now, but I’d love to hear about your coffee van adventures, your sister has been telling me about.”
“Want to grab some food, and we can take a seat.” I gesture to the deck.
“That sounds great.” She turns and walks over to the deck. I follow her. We fill our plates and take a seat at one of the tables. It’s slow, but people are finally grabbing food and eating. There are a few games my sister has planned, along with some raffles. Her parties are never dull.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. The barbecue food is making my taste buds dance. The tangy, spicy, and sweet taste of the shredded chicken and brisket, cornbread, and bean salad—it’s all yummy. “This is some amazing barbecue.”
Joan nods her head in agreement.
“Tell me more about Virginia Beach. Your sister gave me some snippets, but she always says, ‘You need to talk to my sister. You’ll love her.’” She takes a bite of her food. Guess it’s my turn.
“The latest trip was by far the largest event for revenue. Everyone loves coffee and books. Or tea, matcha, you know where I’m going with this.” She nods, chewing her food. “I owned a coffee shop with my best friend, and I burnt out quickly. The van was low overhead, and there was no worry about whether an employee would show up for their shift. I can still buy my favorite coffee, New England Coffee.”
She interrupts me. “Oh my, yes, the best coffee around. They have a variety of choices, and our patrons love it. We also locally source our gluten-free treats, and as much as we can, support other local businesses. There’s a local in-home bakery that wholesales to us with items that we don’t offer as part of our regular menu.”
“Funny you should mention locally sourcing items. I do the same thing for Pages & Brew. I have a running list of locally owned small businesses that I can support, depending on location. Customers love it when you have local treats. I do my best wherever I am. Nice to hear you do the same thing. Tell me more about your retention rate. It’s impressive.”
She leans in. “It took a long time to have lower turnover rates, compared to the norm in this industry. If there were anything that would hold me here, it would be the people who work for me. We’ve become family. But I miss my grandkids like crazy.”
“That sounds like a place I’d love to work at, too. So tell me, where are you moving to?” I lean my chin on my hand.
“South Carolina, that's where the grandbabies are, and I’m ready for warmer weather. These winters are brutal for me. The cold never was for me, but now it’s intolerable.” She fake shivers in her seat.
I chuckle and lean back in my chair, thinking about how it would feel to be here permanently. I’d visit, watching my niece and nephew play in the backyard. My eyes glance around the yard. It’s a kids’ paradise. I imagine their laughter as they run around chasing each other. A smile takes over my face. “I’ve considered staying here for my sister and her family. If you have time this upcoming week, I’d love to meet and discuss options.”
“That sounds good. Why don’t we put it in the books? Otherwise, the week will go by and we’ll get busy.”
I pull my phone out as I nod yes. “You’re right. How about Tuesday after the mid-day rush or after you close?”
She moves her finger around the screen. “Yes, Tuesday, at 3 p.m.”
Scrolling over to my calendar, I mark it for Tuesday. My body is vibrating, and my smile hasn’t left my face. I lift myself off the chair, grab my empty plate, and say, “Thank you, Joan. I’m excited.”
“It’s very exciting. You seem like a perfect fit for what I was hoping for when I decided to sell. Enjoy the shower.”
“You too,” I say, making my way to throw away my plate, and I’m met with those crystal-blue eyes that light up when he sees me. He’s over in the corner of the deck. Halted by his gaze, frozen in place, my heart sinks to my belly. Throwing all reservations out the window, I take one foot in front of the other toward him.
Being in his presence again is all I’ve thought about. I like the way my heart flutters when he’s around, the way he focuses only on me when I talk, listening intently and never being distracted. It’s like he always knows what I need, sometimes before I do.
As I move closer, our eyes lock on each other. Then, Dane approaches him, hand in hand with a woman with red hair. It must be Kendall, his wife. Kai breaks eye contact to greet them, and he starts talking.
His eyes swing back my way, and he waves me over. If my heart isn’t fluttering, it is now, like right out of my chest. With the heat rising up my neck, my cheeks must be pink, as Kendall and Dane’s eyes are staring at me.
I see Kendall whisper something to Dane, and he smiles.Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?
When I approach Kai, to my surprise, he grabs me, giving me the most intimate embrace in the middle of the deck around all these people. I revel in his warmth. He whispers in my ear, “I’ve been waiting to hold you, Ava.” And he kisses my cheek.
Barely letting me go with an arm around my waist that keeps this wide smile on my face, he introduces me to Kendall. I already knowDane, since he’s Logan’s brother, but I’ve only heard about the one who hooked the infamous one-night stand guy.
I say as I shake her hand, “It’s so nice to meet you. My sister has told me all about you…all good things. Don’t worry.”
We all chat about the shower and how amazing my sister is. I glance down at my watch, looking around to see if she has made her way outside yet. She’s nowhere to be found.
