Page 21 of Steeped In Problems

Emily nodded, but her gaze stayed locked on Tanner. “That’s a reasonable approach. Are you willing to give it a shot?”

Tanner wanted to say no. He wanted to throw the tablet out the window or tell Joe to shove it and just let his coffee shop die on his terms. But he looked at Kristy, at her hopeful face, and her hands twisted in front of her, and he knew he couldn’t do it.

He exhaled. “Fine. We’ll try it your way. But if it makes things worse, we do it my way from then on.”

Emily smiled, almost genuinely this time. “Deal.”

She sat back down, pulled out a printout, and slid it across the table. “Here’s the new workflow. Let’s start tomorrow morning.”

Tanner didn’t sit. He grabbed the paper and stalked away from the table, the heat in his chest spreading all the way to his fingertips.

Behind him, he heard Kristy say, “He’s not usually like that. He just...cares.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve worked with worse. Grumpy ex-cops come with the territory when you’re dealing with Brave Badge locations.”

In the back room, Tanner found himself staring at the wall. He punched it once, just hard enough to leave a mark. He didn’t care about the pain. He cared about losing the only thing that made sense anymore. He hated to admit it, but Emily had a point. He was bleeding money, and if something didn’t change, he was going to lose this place.

The afternoon was slow. Kristy pretended to clean the coffee bar, but really, she just wiped the same spot over and over. Tanner felt her eyes on him, hovering at the edge of his vision. He didn’t want to talk. Not now.

Emily worked at her corner booth. Every so often, she’d look up and catch him watching, then go right back to typing on her tablet. At two-thirty, she stood and stretched. Walked the perimeter of the shop again, as if she owned it.

When she reached the counter, she leaned in. “Can we talk? Just you and me.”

Tanner didn’t answer. But he followed her to the window booth anyway.

She opened a folder and set a single sheet between them. “This is the three-month projection if things keep going at the current rate,” she said, tapping the paper.

He didn’t look at the numbers. He didn’t need to. He already knew how bad it was. He watched her eyes, steady and dark. He tried to hate her, but it was hard. She was just doing her job. He’d have done the same—once, long ago.

“If we lose another ten percent, Brave Badge will terminate your contract,” she said. “The decision comes from higher up. I’m not the villain here.”

Tanner picked up the paper. The numbers blurred. He dropped it back onto the table.

“So what?” he questioned. “You want me to gut the whole shop? Fire Rhonda for having car problems? Make Kristy do double shifts for minimum wage?”

“No,” Emily shook her head. “I want you to think about what you’re willing to fight for and what you’re willing to change so you can win.”

Tanner almost laughed. “You think I’m afraid of a fight?”

She shook her head. “I think you’re afraid of letting people down. That’s not the same.”

Kristy materialized at the edge of the table, a mug in her hand. “Can I get you anything?” Her voice was light, but her eyes were fixed on him, searching.

Tanner didn’t answer. He didn’t trust himself not to break something if he opened his mouth.

Emily tookthe mug and sipped. “Thank you, Kristy. You’re doing great.”

Kristy looked at Tanner, waiting for him to say something. He just stared at the table.

Emily slid the sheet across the table, closer to him. “Read it,” she insisted.

He did. The numbers were worse than he expected. A slow, steady bleed—expenses, losses, projections in red. There was a list at the bottom: Possible Cost-Cutting Measures.

It was everything he hated. Raising prices. Diluting the menu. Shortening the hours of operation. He felt bile in his throat.

“Is this what Joe wants?” he probed.

Emily nodded. “It’s what will keep the shop open. For now. Things can change down the road, but we need to figure out what to do now to keep this place open.”

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