Page 50 of Second Chance with Seth

“It wasn’t about me feeling neglected. Not really. And I didn’t mean to issue any ultimatums. It was just that, when I got around to it, everything came out wrong. I’d planned to offer my help, even if only in finding someone from outside to share the load down here, but it came across as resentment for all the hours you were putting in.”

“Yeah, it did.”

“That was wrong of me. I should have made it about us, but I made it about this place. I wasn’t asking you to choose. Honestly… I wasn’t. But the time you spent away from me seemed like a manifestation of everything that was going wrong between us.”

I lean back slightly, glancing up at the coffee shop behind her, my blood cooling and then freezing to ice when I look back down, and see her shaking her head.

“We don’t stand a chance,” she whispers, as my heart stops beating, too.

“Why not?”

“Because my life is even busier now than it used to be. I might have Owen, and obviously I’ve still got Monica and Barbra filling in the extra hours…”

“You have? I haven’t seen either of them. Didn’t Barbra used to cover Saturday lunchtimes?”

“She did.”

“And what about at breakfast this morning? I seem to recall that was her shift as well.”

“It was, but she’s on vacation until the end of the week, and Monica has never worked either weekends or Mondays.”

“Oh, no. I remember now.”

“Don’t get too used to the routine, because it’s all changing soon.”

“It is?”

“Yes. Starting next month, Barbra is going to take over my weekend shifts, working alongside Owen all day on Saturday and Sunday morning.”

“You mean you’ll have weekends off?” I say, amazed by this revelation.

“Yes, and in return for that, Barbra won’t cover Tuesdays or Wednesdays at all, and Owen will have Thursdays and Fridays off.”

“How does Tomas feel about this?”

“Absolutely fine. Owen’s been working weekends since he got here.”

“So, when do they see each other?”

She smiles at me. “Tomas has always worked weekends too, and he’ll keep on doing so. The only difference is that his days off have become more set, rather than being haphazard, and Owen wants his to be the same.”

“I see. And Monica? What’s she doing?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know Monica. She’s sticking to her routine, so she’ll cover lunchtimes, Tuesday thru Friday, just like she’s always done.”

“And you’ll be working Monday to Friday?”

“Yes, but I’ll probably get fewer breaks because there won’t be three of us during the busy times of day, only two.”

“Whose idea was this change?” I ask her and she tips her head to one side.

“Like most things around here, it was a collaborative decision, but I knew something had to give. I couldn’t keep working seven days a week. Not with a three-month-old baby.”

“I’m surprised you’ve managed it for as long as you have… but what I don’t understand is why you’re saying we don’t stand a chance.”

“Because it’s not just the coffee shop that takes up my time, it’s River, too. If you were feeling neglected before, Seth, it’s only gonna be worse now.”

I shake my head at her. “I’ve just explained… it wasn’t about me feeling neglected. It was about me feeling shut out. They’re two entirely different things.”

---