Page 87 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
Annie rolled her eyes. ‘He has been ordering books for weeks now. Random books, Jeanie! Like I don’t even think he looks at the title before he buys them. All just so he has an excuse to go in and see her.’
‘That’s so romantic!’
Annie scowled. ‘It’s painful. He should just ask her out and put us all out of our misery.’
Jeanie laughed, climbing back onto her stool. ‘And what about you?’
‘What about me?’
‘You and Mac.’
Annie’s jaw dropped and then snapped shut. ‘Me and Mac are mortal enemies so I couldn’t possibly imagine what you are talking about.’
‘Right. Sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
‘Stop smirking, Jeanie.’
‘I’m not smirking.’ The laughter was clear in her voice.
Annie narrowed her eyes. ‘Just ride off into the sunset with Logan and leave the rest of us alone.’
‘Of course. I plan to.’ She took a bite of a snickerdoodle and grinned at Annie. Her new friend glowered back at her.
It was lovely.
* * *
‘Where is he?’ Aunt Dot stormed into the café on a quiet afternoon in November, her wool wrap flying out behind her like a cape.
‘Aunt Dot! You’re back!’ Jeanie ran around the counter to greet her. Dot pulled her into a patchouli-scented hug, one of her enormous earrings smacking Jeanie in the face. Jeanie breathed in memories of her childhood visits here. The Pumpkin Spice Café and weekends with Dot used to mean freedom and fun and endless cups of cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate. It meant different things to her now. It was belonging, and satisfying work, and friends just a few steps away. It meant stumbling down the stairs in the early morning hours to share a cup of coffee with Logan before he drove back to the farm. Those quiet, pre-dawn moments were her favorite.
Her aunt’s strong grip remained on Jeanie’s arms as she pulled away from their hug, holding her niece still as she inspected her.
‘You’re happy?’ she asked, her face softening as she took in Jeanie’s smile.
‘Very.’
Dot nodded, the starfish dangling from her ears swinging to and fro. Her salt-and-pepper hair was swept up into a topknot and she sported a golden tan. She even smelled like coconut. But Dot’s face was anything but relaxed. In fact, her expression had slipped back into the determined one she wore when she first burst through the door.
‘It looks beautiful in here.’ Her aunt turned her attention from Jeanie to look around the small space. She tucked her arm through Jeanie’s. ‘You’re keeping the place up nicely.’
Jeanie flushed with pride, temporarily forgetting to ask what was bothering her aunt. ‘Thanks.’ For the past few weeks without Norman, Jeanie had been perpetually worried she was one false move from running the café into the ground. But as it turned out, her years of working for Marvin had taught her to be organized and efficient. She was good with people, even the prickly ones. And she worked well in chaos and high-pressure situations. Maybe she hadn’t given herself enough credit to begin with. Maybe she, Jeanie, was the right choice to run the café after all.
Maybe Dot had known that all along.
Adelyn, one of the café’s newest baristas, smiled from behind the counter. ‘What can I get you?’
‘Peppermint tea, please,’ Aunt Dot said, her gaze still flitting around the room. She was practically vibrating with nervous energy, and peppermint tea was another sign her aunt was keyed up about something. Dot always claimed peppermint calmed her nerves. And she was looking anything but calm at the moment. Jeanie had never seen her like this before.
‘How was your trip?’ Jeanie asked as they settled in at a table in the corner.
‘It was good. Very nice.’ She finally turned her intense gaze to Jeanie. ‘I’m just so sorry I left you in such a bad situation.’
Jeanie winced. She’d told her aunt about Norman a few days ago, and she certainly hadn’t been expecting a surprise visit.
‘It’s fine. Really. Everything is straightened out now.’
Her aunt huffed, as though in disagreement.
