Page 39 of Coffee Shop Girl
“No.Espresso beans are different from coffee beans. We need to explain that ... somewhere.”
“Craaaap,” Lizbeth growled, her voice echoing in the hollow space that her arms made as she rested her forehead on them. “This is going to take forever. Literally.”
I stood behind the counter, staring at the cash register with a lost expression. HowhadI survived this long? Just dictating all the things that I did in a day had been hard enough—I was a surprisingly busy woman. But then tackling even one task and detailing all the ways it could go wrong made my brain hurt. From there, I still had to walk Lizbeth through each step. Even my hair hurt at this point.
It was only four thirty.
“Take a break,” I said, rubbing my temples. “My mind is mush.”
Lizbeth shoved away from the table with a groan.
In between helping the occasional customer, reviewing what Lizbeth had written, and compiling a separate list of other tasks I’d have to explain, I felt like my skull couldn’t contain all my racing thoughts.
Maverick had poured over my financial situation, calling banks, credit card companies, even one of my suppliers. Around noon, he’d looked at the clock, shoved his computer in his bag, and said he’d be back with a completed report later.
“Keep going,” he called over his shoulder as he left.
In truth, it’d been easier to work without him around stealing all the air. Jerking my attention his way whenever he called someone with that deep voice of his. The most wonderful distraction. Lizbeth had snapped her fingers in front of my face more than once.
My stomach twisted. “Where’s Ellie?” I asked, glancing around.
Lizbeth shrugged, eyeing the hallway. “She was playing with a feather and a fishhook a while ago.”
“What? Where did she get a fishhook?”
Lizbeth yawned. “She’s always finding weird stuff outside. You should have seen her box of treasures at home. I can’t believe she parted with it. She was so in love with that thing. I think she hid it in the barn.”
I opened the drive-through window and looked outside. Sure enough, Ellie was out there, blanket over her like a tent, crouched down. Although I couldn’t be sure, she was either looking for something on the ground or spying on Devin again. Maybe both. He wasn’t in the canoe this time. He stood in the reeds near the reservoir, studying the mountains. She wouldn’t wander far, at least.
“Would you like me to make dinner?” Lizbeth asked as she slid off her chair, stretching her dainty, pale arms toward the ceiling. Sometimes I had a hard time seeing her as sixteen. She seemed more like a young nineteen or twenty.
“We can throw something together.” I waved a hand. “There’s stuff upstairs.”
“I’ll do it,” she said quickly.
“You don’t—”
“I want to.”
I opened my mouth, but stopped. If doing some work made her feel a little more comfortable, I wouldn’t prevent her. Maybe it’s how she’d survived with Jim. “All right.”
Lizbeth hummed under her breath as she moved toward the spiral staircase, long hair shimmering like fire. She carried her open book in front of her, gliding expertly without seeing anything but the words on the page. Maybe both girls had fallen into their own retreats—books or the outdoors—to escape.
A text pinged my phone. I picked it up to see an unknown number.
Meetme at the bar tonight, if you can. I’d rather review the numbers without the girls there to hear.
Had to be from Maverick.He must have pulled my number from the financial stuff. A hot weight dropped all the way into my stomach. Needing to talk at the bar couldn’t mean anything good. Not at all. With a heavy sigh, I texted,What time?
His response was almost immediate.
7:00.See you then.
Grimacing,I shoved my phone into my pocket. My stomach tingled with nerves. I wanted to hide. Too bad it wasn’t a date. I frowned.
MaybeIneeded a romance novel.
When I peered back outside, Ellie had stood up, the blanket draped over her head and shoulders like a nun’s habit. This time, her head poked out. She was staring at Devin—who had slowly started walking away, his back to her—like a lost child.
