Page 120 of Redeeming Harmony

She turned off the debit machine and smiled at the customer standing in front of them. “What did you order, sir?”

“A large black coffee.” He held out some cash. “I can pay cash if that’s faster.”

“Sure.” Harper quickly rang it through and gave him his change. “Nora, why don’t you pour his coffee while I get the debit machine rebooted.”

“Thanks, Harper.” Nora poured the customer his coffee and joined her again at the till. Thankfully, there was a lull in customers, and no one else was in line.

“Well, is it good news or bad news?” Nora asked. “Am I being fired after less than a week on the job?”

Harper laughed. “You’d have to do a lot more than break the debit machine for Hazel to fire you.”

“She does seem to have the patience of a saint,” Nora said. “She asked me to make a latte, and I made a cappuccino, and she was super cool about it. I worked at a coffee shop in Huntsville for nearly four years. I know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino. I swear I’m not trying to get fired on purpose.”

“You’re doing fine,” Harper said. She smiled at the pretty, curvy woman. Nora had shoulder length bright blue hair, a septum ring, and a wide and generous smile.

“Huntsville is about an hour from Riverton, right?” Harper asked as Nora picked up a cloth and wiped at the espresso machine.

“That’s right,” Nora said.

“And it’s a pretty small town?”

“It is. Smaller than Harmony Falls anyway,” Nora said.

“So, you were looking for a change of scenery?”

“Yes and no,” Nora said. “My brother James got a job as the Controller at that new gaming company that opened up here. Stark something or other.”

“Stark Entertainment,” Harper said.

“That’s right. Anyway, it was a great opportunity for him with a hella good pay hike, and he’s a single dad to his six-year-old daughter, so he really wanted to take it. I told him I’d come with him to help out with Eva until they were settled and had a good routine going.”

“Wow, that’s nice of you,” Harper said.

“It’s what you do for family, right?” Nora said with a cheerful grin. “Anyway, I love Harmony Falls, and so does James. And Eva fits right in at the new school. She’s in grade one, and she loves her teacher. Miss Moore, I think is her name.”

Harper smiled. “Yep. Addison Moore. She’s my best friend.”

“Small towns, am I right?” Nora said. “Anyway, Eva is a doll with the best personality, but she’s also genius level smart, and that can get her into trouble if she gets bored. Miss Moore figured out right away that Eva can handle a little more than the average first grader and has already booked a couple of meetings with James to discuss how she can help Eva thrive. James was super impressed and happy about that.”

“Addison is an amazing teacher,” Harper said.

“Hey,” Nora wiped again at the already gleaming espresso machine before pointing at Harper’s art hanging on the wall, “Seo-Jun told me you drew those.”

“I did,” Harper said.

“They’re, like, so good,” Nora said.

“They’re fantastic.” Hazel pushed through the swinging door that led to the back with an armful of bags of coffee beans.

Nora and Harper hurried to take them from her, and she gave them a nod of thanks before wiping her hands on her jeans. “I’ve gotten tons of compliments on them. Harper, you need to put some of your business cards out on the counter so people can grab one.”

“That would be really great if you don’t mind,” Harper said.

“Wouldn’t have said it if I did,” Hazel said.

“I have some in my bag,” Harper said. “I’ll put them out at my next break.”

The bell over the door jingled. Hazel glanced at the man walking in. “I’ll help this customer. Can you ladies put the coffee away?”

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