Page 3 of A Spot of Tea
She shot straight up, her hands in the air, her chest tight.
“Not so fast,” he said. “No sudden movements and no phone calls. You get me? I’m trying to make some money here.”
His face shimmered and sparkled in front of her, and Eliza nodded, both hands over her mouth. She sucked in a breath just as the ground lurched beneath her and the bright lights faded to total darkness.
Two
It hadbeentwo weeks since the bank robbery, and people thought they weresoclever, torturing poor Eliza about it.
After a group of three young men strutted into the tea shop that morning, Patty never took her eyes off them. What teenage boys wanted tea and crumpets at nine in the morning?
She’d been right to stare them down. As soon as they’d eaten their plate of chocolate chip cookies, the ringleader boy, the one with the constant smirk, pulled out his phone and started playing a video withthe song.
Oh, Patty hated that song. Some goober on the internet thought it would be cute to take the security footage of Eliza fainting at the bank and set techno music to it. They had added in a scream and a laugh track and now everyone kept playing it like it was the funniest thing since George Carlin.
Patty ripped off her apron, muttering to herself. “The three of you don’t add up to asingleGeorge.”
She had only taken one step before a hand landed on her shoulder. “Now hang on.”
It was her boyfriend Reggie and his gentle, even-paced tone.
“You know Eliza doesn’t like bringing attention to it. She told you to stop yelling at people. Said you don’t understand how the internet works, and it’ll ruin your reputation as the Cute Tea Granny.”
“I don’t give a hoot about my reputation,” Patty snapped. “I care about them playing thatstupidsong loud enough for her to hear!”
It would be one thing if the song had stayed on the internet, but no. Instead, it had made the rounds.
The local news had featured it. Then the late-night talk shows had picked it up. And now brats had brought it into the tea shop, trying to catch her reaction on camera!
Eliza never said a word—just smiled, blushed, and darted away.
It was downright cruel and Patty was sick of it.
“How about you take a walk outside and cool down?” Reggie said. “I’ll go over to the table and start a conversation with them. I’ll bore them into leaving.”
“Like that’s going to work,” Patty snapped, but she knew he was right, and he was already leading her to the door.
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and sent her out into the sunshine.
The sea stared back at her, an endless blue wall of calm. It could teach her a wise lesson about rolling with the waves, but she wasn’t having it. Wisdom was useless when it came to someone she loved being hurt.
She walked down to the water and spied her neighbor Russell standing at his shore, talking to a young man.
Nowtherewas an idea. Patty smiled and walked over.
“Joey, isn’t it?” she asked, inserting herself into their conversation.
“Morning, Patty. Nice to see you,” Russell said with his easy movie star smile.
It was fun to have a movie star as a neighbor. Even more fun since he’d started dating her daughter-in-law Sheila, just like she’d hoped he would.
Not hoped.Knew.In her eighty-one years on this earth, she’d learned a thing or two, even if no one wanted to admit it.
“Hi,” Joey said, sticking out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Patty smiled and shook his hand. “You’re Russell’s new pilot, right?”
She was being polite. She knew exactly who he was. She’d heard Sheila rant about how wasteful it was to buy a seaplane and hire a pilot – and she’d heard Russell’s charming, laughter-filled counter arguments.
