There’s a rustling in the woods by me, and I stop and peer through the leaves.Is someone there?
But no, it’s probably just a wild animal.A fox, a squirrel.This early, no one’s out.No one except a certain young doctor, returning from a hospital shift…No, I’m not going to think about him.
The bell over the door jingles when I enter the cafe.Normally the daisy-themed decor would cheer me up, but right now, it's too bright.Too much.
I head right to the back and get to work pulling stuff out of the freezer, turning on the oven and pulling the sheets of scones out of the refrigerator that Ryan prepped the night before, so Jenny can bake them in the morning.
The front door jingles, and someone calls, “Maisy?”
I frown.It’s too early for Jenny to be in, and that sounded like my grandmother.
It is Daisy.She’s at the front door, stomping her boots on the mat to shake the snow off them.Then she heads right to the thermostat and cranks it up.
“What are you doing here?”
Daisy isn’t a morning person, and she hasn't covered a dawn shift in years.I made a point of taking over this as soon as she trusted me with opening on my own.
“Good morning.Good to see you up and about.”She gives me a smile that softens her brisk tone.She wanted me to take time off, so I shouldn’t feel guilty about wallowing for the past few days.“I texted Jenny yesterday and gave her the morning off.Figured she could use a break since she’s been covering for you, and you do the work of six people.”
“I don’t–”
“You do.It’s time we all recognized that.Come here.”She heads to the office, beckoning me to follow her.“I have something to show you.”
I trail behind her.Even though I’ve slept a lot these past few days, I feel foggy.I need some cold brew before I can match even half of Daisy’s energy.
The cafe office is tiny.I try to keep the place neat, but there’s always stacks of paperwork, payment stubs and tax forms and glossy brochures from our suppliers overloading the desk.Daisy takes the chair behind the desk and motions me to sit in the only remaining one.
“This is a long time coming.”Daisy starts clearing papers, stacking them into piles.I should stop her–she just mixed some employee W-2s with our quarterly tax filing.She actually seems nervous.“I should’ve done it years ago.I should’ve…well, never mind.If anything, the past few days have been a wake up call.”
I frown, trying to figure out what she’s talking about.My brain can’t keep up with this conversation.
She lays a leather bound folio between us.“This is for you.”
I make no move to take it.“What is it?”
“My last will and testament.You’re my beneficiary, of course–”
I’m shaking my head.“No, we don’t need to talk about this.”
“Maisy, we do.When I realized you were gone.”Her voice catches, and her eyes take on a haunted look, “well, I realized just how much I’ve been taking for granted.How much I lean on you.No,” –she holds up a hand– “listen to me.I’m ninety-two.I don’t have time to beat around the bush.”She flips open the folio and hands me something.It’s her mortgage statement.
“I just found out that you’ve been making extra payments on the mortgage.You didn’t have to do that, Maisy.”
“I wanted to help,” I say.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a granddaughter like you,” Daisy says.
I tear up.
“What I really want to do right now is this.”Daisy hands me a piece of paper.
I skim it but can’t comprehend the legalese.Daisy Day Cafe owner split.And my full name,Daisy May Bennett.
“As of today, you are a co-owner of the cafe.Fifty-fifty.Now, I know you work here a lot more than me, but I’m willing to sign off on anything you want to do…” She keeps talking, but I can’t hear her.
I set the paper down.I’m breathing hard.“You’re not dying.”
“I hope not.But we never know how long we have.And the one thing I promised when you were gone–” her voice wavers again—“was to make sure you knew how important you are to me.To this town.”
