Zoe
The End of Week One
I didn’t think Haji was prepared for business to pick up in a matter of days, but thanks to my ideas, it had. So much so that today had been so crazy I had to help. What I recommended he do immediately was do a rush print order for loyalty cards and to start giving free coffee totes to offices and hospitals.
The loyalty cards had people coming in daily, and the free coffee totes had people coming in to buy what they’d tried while at work. In five days, business had already picked up to a steady flow. Today it was particularly busy because every fifth visit gave the customer a free pastry or cup of coffee.
After an unexpected eight hour work shift, my feet were killing me, but there was a smile on my face and pure joy in my heart. This was literally the beginning, and once we got promo up and rolling along with the events, I couldn’t wait to see how many people started to pour in.
I was so deep in my thoughts I didn’t notice Haji had come from the back after locking up the tills. When he picked meup and swirled me around, I squealed before erupting into a fit of giggles. With my arms and legs wrapped around him, I surrendered myself to the pleasure of being in his arms.
“You’re a genius.” Haji complimented me before kissing all over my face. “In five days, we’ve made more than we have all month thanks to your ideas. Thank you, Precious.”
“Aww, you don’t have to thank me. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to help. The biggest problem is competition, and with my expertise, there’s always a way around that.”
“Where are you staying?” he asked as he placed me on my feet.
“I have a room above the diner. Didn’t think I could handle staying at her apartment.”
“That’s fair. Can I walk you there? Massage your feet? Dinner will be on me.”
“That’s an offer I definitely won’t refuse, because my feet are killing me. I loved every second of being behind the cash register though.”
“I appreciate your help. You didn’t have to step in. Thank you, Zoe. Seriously.”
“Of course. It was fun. Frantic and crazy but fun.”
Haji took the time to finish shutting down before we left. As we started our slow walk, he said, “It’s clear you’re phenomenal at what you do. Is there a reason you’re taking a six-week break?”
Yikes.
There it was.
I knew this conversation would come up, especially if we got closer.
“Long story short, I overworked myself and fainted during an important presentation. My boss, who was also my fiancé, reacted in a way that showed me for the last time he wasn’t thekind of man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He told me to take four weeks off and then do two weeks virtually. I got the call about Grounds and decided to spend that time here.”
“Sorry to hear about your health and your breakup.”
“It was for the best,” I admitted with a shrug. “Truthfully, my world has revolved around Raymond and marketing since I ran out of Jasper Lane. It’s not even that he’s a bad man. He’s just not the man for me. He was never the man for me.”
“Then why’d you agree to marry him?”
“I didn’t want to be alone,” I confessed. “Didn’t want someone else to abandon me. I felt like my parents and my sister had abandoned me, and . . . I didn’t want him to as well. But in my attempt to make sure he didn’t abandon me, I abandoned myself. I stopped being loyal to myself to keep him, so I settled for less than I deserved. I settled for a man who wasn’t soft and caring the way I wanted. He wasn’t romantic and gentle. Very firm and about his business. I just couldn’t ignore the fact that I wanted different. More.”
“So when you go home, that relationship is done completely?” Haji asked, looking down at me.
“Yep. That’s over for good. Leaving him was my return to me. I’d rather be single than be with a man who doesn’t treat me the way I want to be treated.”
“You’re wobbling,” he noticed.
“I—oh.”
I yelped and laughed when he picked me up and put me on his back. “You can’t carry me the whole way, Haji.”
“Did you forget I was a fireman before I took over Grounds?”
“I did, actually. Why aren’t you doing that? Don’t tell me you quit to manage the coffee shop.”
