Hannah frowned, trying to remember. “Oh yeah, the blond lady with the little boy. She told her kid he couldn’t have ice cream later unless he finished his doughnut now! That makes no sense.”
Ashley laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “Welcome to Monday.”
Hannah noticed most of her judginess centered around people’s food choices, which not only made her judgy, but hypocritical.
Living on pennies had her eating crap food all the time, usually the scraps from the shop that were set to be thrown away. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d eaten two-day-old banana nut muffins for dinner. Though, in her mind, that differed from adding a cup of syrup to a cup of coffee or telling your kid if he didn’t eat sugar now, he couldn’t have sugar later. That shit was just wrong.
Hannah set the portafilter to brew and grabbed the gallon of whole milk from the refrigerator. She danced around Leah, who was finishing her order. They worked together like a well-oiled machine.
Only a few more months of this, Hannah thought, going through the automated motions of making the next order, knowing she could do this in her sleep.
Only one quarter away from graduating with her business degree, she’d lived frugally, saved like a madwoman, and finally had enough for a down payment to buy her own coffee shop. Except for all the student loans, she was debt-free and ready for the big time. The barista gig had been a means to an end. The tips were great, and she’d learned a ton about the coffee business, but it was time to move on.
When Hannah confided in Susan, the owner of Grinder’s, that she wanted to buy a coffee shop after graduation, Susan had been thrilled and offered up Grinder’s on the spot. Although they hadn’t told anyone yet, Susan and her husband had recently decided to pull the plug on western Washington and were making plans to move somewhere where the sun shined. Selling the place to Hannah meant she wouldn’t have to hassle with putting it on the market or trying to manage it from afar. The timing could not have been better. By mutual agreement, they had kept Susan’s move and Hannah’s intentions under wraps, waiting for the right time to announce it. Hannah wanted the deed in hand before she said anything to the other employees, and Susan was fine obliging her.
Hannah had worked her ass off to get where she was, but the best part was that she’d done it all on her own, without help from anyone. Not even her parents. Especially not her parents.
“It’s almost nine thirty, Hannah,” Leah said, holding out a large cup.
“Oh shit. I almost forgot. Thanks.” Hannah took the empty cup, placed it under the dark Columbian roast tap, and set the machine to fill a twenty-ounce cup. While it filled, she snuck a five-dollar bill into the open cash register Greg was working out of, took the trash from under the counter, and tied off the bag. Once the machine stopped, she put a second cup over the first, topped it with a plastic lid, and announced she was taking out the trash. Coffee in one hand, bag of trash in the other, she slipped out the back door to the alleyway. When she opened the door, he was already waiting.
“Morning, Hannah.” Her friend Wolfe greeted her with a bright, nearly toothless smile. “Gonna be a fantastic day, huh?”
Hannah chuckled. Rain was coming down in droves, and the same ratty old coat he’d been wearing the day she met him hung off his shoulders, but his happy-go-lucky attitude had her smiling back. Wolfe might have been his last name, or possibly a nickname, but that’s all she’d ever called him. The shabby clothes and malodorous scent hid a very generous and joy-filled man. She double-cupped the coffee at his request, so he could use the extra cup to share it with whomever he thought needed it.
They met downtown several years ago. Hannah had been job hunting, desperate for anything, when he’d stopped her on the street and asked if she was the girl he’d seen sleeping in the blue Honda at night. She’d been sleeping in her car for a couple of weeks, but it wasn’t until that moment, that question, that she realized she was really and truly homeless. The simple question was all it had taken to start a flood of tears. Listening quietly, he let her tell her life’s story before offering her half of his sandwich and some advice. She didn’t remember the sandwich, but she never forgot the advice. Always be grateful. For anything anyone gives you, for every friend you make, for another day of life. No matter how terrible life gets, you can always findsomethingto be grateful for.
That was the day she’d almost broken and gone home, but his kind gesture gave her the courage to keep trying. The very next day was when she applied at The Grinder’s Café and met Holly.
Once on her feet, having found a place to live and work, she made it a point to track down Wolfe. She told him about her new job, and she’d been bringing him coffee and the weather report every day at nine thirty since.
“Lots of rain today. Try to stay dry,” Hannah said, handing Wolfe the coffee and then throwing the trash bag in the dumpster he stood next to.
“Thanks, Hannah. See you tomorrow.” He left with a smile and a wave. Hannah returned to the warmth of the store and jumped seamlessly back into the fray.
“Hey. Have you talked to Holly lately?” Ashley asked, coming up behind her to grab the milk. “I’m attending a friend’s wedding in Spokane the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I was hoping she’d let me stay with her for a night or two.”
Holly was Hannah’s best friend. They’d worked together at Grinder’s, which was also how Ashley knew her. It was Holly who’d given Hannah a place to stay after she’d run away from home and had been living in her car. They’d been coworkers and roommates for a couple of years before Holly got married and moved across the state.
“Yeah. She’s so busy. We only talk about once a month, but I did just speak with her last weekend. I’m sure she’d let you stay there. Just let her know ahead of time. You know how she is.”
Ashley nodded. Holly was meticulously organized and big on planning anything and everything. She didn’t like surprises, which was ironic because both of her kids were unexpected. Nowadays, Holly spent her time running after a two-year-old and a three-year-old.
Hannah was overjoyed for her friend but also a little jealous. She knew one day she’d find love, but it seemed to be taking forever.
“Hey, you think the weirdo in the red hat will show up today?” Leah asked. “One of these days, we should probably confront him or call the police or something. It’s getting kind of creepy.”
Hannah knew exactly who the “weirdo” in question was, but was too embarrassed to tell her friends. It was her ex-boyfriend, Zach. She hadn’t seen him in months, but lately, he’d taken to lurking around the front of the coffee shop. He never came in, just wandered around outside and then left. He was harmless, but she couldn’t tell her coworkers that without admitting that she knew him. She nodded but didn’t comment.
If he’d quit wearing that red hat, nobody would even notice him. But who was she kidding? He’d been wearing that stupid Wazzu hat ever since she’d met him. He thought it was funny because she went to the University of Washington, and Washington State, nicknamed Wazzu, was their rival school. Sure, he was an alum of Washington State, but that didn’t mean he had to wear the damn thing 24/7.
After breaking up with Zach, Hannah began to wonder if she’d ever find love. Perhaps she was too independent, too picky, or too judgmental. But even if she was all those things, she still believed in love. She knew she was a bit of a paradox—fiercely self-reliant, maybe too much so, but also wanting to find someone to share her life with. She’d proven shecouldlive on her own, but that didn’t mean she wanted to.
Thinking about love made her wonder if she’d see her trooper friend any time soon. Not that she was in love with Jake, but he hadn’t been in for a few months, and she wondered if he’d given up on their friendship and moved on.
She’d gone on one date with Jake about a year ago and had liked him. A lot. That was until she’d heard from one of Jake’s female trooper friends that he had a horrible reputation as a ladies’ man. Rather than blindly take her word for it, Hannah had confronted Jake with the accusation. Unfortunately, he’d freely admitted that yes, he liked women and that he rarely settled on one for too long.
Not interested in a meaningless fling, she’d told him she just wanted to be friends, which they’d been ever since. Or so she thought. Maybe she’d been wrong about that relationship, too. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d misread a man’s intentions.
