"There's inventory that needs your signature."
"Be right in," she said as she closed her notebook and took another look around. They would have to do something with the large trash bin and the smell. But this could work. She'd need to put it through town zoning, but she had been there before and knew the red tape involved.
When she found Ursula sitting in one of the pink velvet, high-backed chairs at the end of the bar her mouth split into a large smile. Next to her was Jen, her braided hair twisted onto the top of her head, making her slender neck look positively regal.
"Damn, it's good to see you," she said, leaning over the bar. "Being a grown-up and seeing your favorite people at a place you love working at has got to be in the top ten best things."
Jen lifted her pink glass, shaking it. "And a pink glass filled with an iced cinnamon latte. If you wanted to get me another, I would not be upset with you."
"On it," Bess called from behind her.
"Thank you, baby," Jen said.
"So what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Jen and I are working out a business deal for brown bags of my produce for her clients," Ursula said. She had a notebook, that Eloise knew had beautiful and colorful plants on the cover.
"Nice and smart. Your client list is really growing," she said to her friend. Ursula's face took on a beam of pride and it made something warm fill Eloise's ribcage.
"We should go out and celebrate, new business deals, growing cafe," Jen said then leaned over lowering her voice conspiratorially, "I got another date with the hot redhead."
Eloise and Ursula made oohing sounds as Bess set down a fresh pink glass in front of Jen.
"Hot redhead, huh?" Bess asked. "So, what's your type?"
Jen made a knowing face. "Emotionally available."
They laughed with full understanding.
"I thought dating women would make that easier," Bess's perplexed look made Jen smile. She was wearing a black cropped sweater and loose jeans that Eloise noticed looked more loose than usual. Ursula confided in Eloise the other night that she was worried about her, about rumors and kids in school talking about her. Bess had started becoming less open, less vocal. Her usual ease around them diminished and she was keeping to her room more, or the greenhouse with a cat and a book.
"Believe it or not, lesbian does not automatically mean they're better at the emotional baggage than men." She smiled with a humorless laugh and added, "In fact, sometimes it means a whole lot more emotional baggage with a lot less stability."
"Dang," Bess said, then turned her head when an irritated Tess called for her motioning to the line forming at the front. "Alright, well, duty calls. You really need to hire someone and fast, El. Too many people like us."
She laughed and saluted the teen as she joined Tess. Eloise watched her thoughtfully. No eye roll. No snarky remark. She wondered when, or if, she should sit her down and see what she could draw out from her. Or leave it to Ursula, which seemed like the wiser choice.
"Alright, so celebration at The Dancing Snail?" Ursula asked pulling her back to her friends. "And you can tell us all about your hot redhead."
"You are on. I'll text the others."
"Did you all get a call from an SPD officer to talk about those boys again?" Jen asked.
Ursula and Eloise checked with each other before both shaking their heads.
"They want me to come down and talk to them."
"Seriously? They still think we have anything to do with that twerp, who honestly deserved it?"
"Maybe you should stop referring to him as a twerp who deserved it and they'll move on," Ursula urged.
Eloise's catlike smile made Ursula roll her eyes.
"Again, I only have said it in the privacy of our house, or," she looked around at the full cafe then back at Ursula and Jen who were giving her a look. "Okay, I'll stop saying it. But my question stands."
"I don't know. should I cooperate or ignore them?"
"Up to you. We're innocent but cops can be tricky asshats that like to withhold important tidbits like your rights when it suits them, " Eloise said.
