Page 12 of Passion in Store

Jimmy clears his throat and continues. “Minnie, I haven’t been around lately because of problems with Harper. Connor didn’t know and I’m sorry I didn’t tell people. I just couldn’t… can’t… handle it. I don’t know what to do.”

Harper? I look at Connor and he clears his throat.

“Harper is Jimmy’s little girl, his daughter. When I found him, they were in the medical center, right here in the mall. Harper’s eight years old and she’s not well at all.”

I can see that Connor is broken up by this, and at the sight of his fearful face, my heart becomes a puddle of warm chocolate.

“I didn’t even know…” I start to say.

“Nobody knew that Jimmy was taking time off work to take Harper to doctors’ appointments, care for her. He’s been angry and confused. Upset. He’s taken it out on his business. On us. He should have told us the truth.” Connor has his hands on his hips and he’s not letting Jimmy off lightly. This tough love from Connor is giving me chills. Good ones.

I look at Jimmy, now sitting with his head in his hands.

I remember that Tor’s waiting to hear from me, so I grab my phone and send her a text.

Me: It’s OK. I’m good. Connor and Jimmy are back now. See you when you get here.

Tor: What happened?

Me: Turns out Jimmy’s daughter is sick. That’s why he’s been such a crappy manager lately.

Tor: I’ll be there in an hour. See you soon.

I curl myself within Connor’s arms again. He’s such a kind person. I know he’s trying to see the good in Jimmy.

“You’re right. We have to help him,” I say. I feel the strength come and I’m ready to help. If Connor thinks it’s right, then I’m in.

Chapter 11

Connor

It’s so good to have Minnie in my arms, to know that she doesn’t hate me for the way I shouted and ran off. When we get to the bottom of all this, I’m going to tell her how I really feel, make sure she understands. After we’ve figured out what to do about Jimmy. His daughter is waiting at the medical center. One of the nurses there is taking care of her while he sorts out what to do with the café. He’s still sitting with us outside the closed doors.

He sighs, looks at us sadly. “We thought it was nearly over, she was getting better. Usually, her mom—my ex, her name’s Jenny—does a lot of the appointments. There are so many tests… the doctors have made it easier and are working with the medical center in the mall so that we can do the tests here. It’s not so scary for Harper, and we—Jenny and I—can get her here easily.”

“Bro, I didn’t even know you had a daughter,” I say again. It’s hard to hide the shock that still hasn’t abated from when I found him at the medical center at the south entrance of the mall. He was sitting in the waiting room holding hands with a pale little black-haired girl.

“Yeah, well I don’t usually have her during the week, but when Harper’s condition got worse, my ex couldn’t do all the appointments herself. It’s hard with the café, running the business and everything.”

I know Minnie’s thinking this through as I can feel her nodding against my chest. I bet her warm heart is touched, too. I stroke her back while I’m standing there.

Then she pipes up. “Jimmy, if you need time off, we can cover for you. But we need a plan. And we need to know ahead of time so we can run the place properly.”

“Yeah, well, I always think we’ll get through somehow. Just these last couple weeks have been worse than usual. We’ve been told she needs to go back to the hospital and Jenny is out of town with a friend in Constellation Bay. She’s burnt out.” His shoulders slump.

Minnie steps out from my arms to look at me and I look at her. I nod, encouraging her to make some of her suggestions.

Jimmy listens with uncommon patience while Minnie and I spend some time pointing out how we could streamline the running of the café, and we are so engrossed in our ideas that I don’t notice when Tor joins us. It seems like Tor’s assessed the situation as she quickly starts making some helpful comments as well.

“Jimmy, I can help with the ordering,” Tor chimes in, smiling and nodding.

Minnie nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, Tor knows so much about catering. She’s working at the Masford Sauce Factory now, but she worked in a famous restaurant for years before that.”

Tor pats Jimmy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. I can also take a shift from time to time. My day at the factory starts early and finishes early, so maybe I can come help at closing time and do preparation for the next day. If we incorporate some of Minnie’s suggestions, I’m confident we can get some high-turnover items more profitable and save you loads of money. We can help you, Jimmy, we just need to know what’s going on.” Tor’s green eyes are flashing as she looks from me to Minnie. I’ve never seen her so passionate, and it makes me wonder what really drives her.

Jimmy stands up, brushing his hand across his eyes. “Well, guys, I don’t know what to say. Thanks so much for your support. Minnie, you’ll be in charge. I’m happy for you to supervise. Tor, it’s great to have your help. I’m going to have to go get Harper from the nurses now, and I can’t come back for a week, as she’s due at the hospital tomorrow.”

He looks stricken, but I give him a soft slap on the shoulder. “Leave it to us,” I say. We do an awkward bro hug.

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