Page 1 of You Had Me At No
Quinn
Womp. Womp. Womp.
I groan and feel around for my phone on the bedside stand.WOMP. WOMP. WOMP.The alarm gets louder. Coming up empty-handed, I slowly peel my eyes open and sit up on my elbows. My phone isn’t where I left it last night. I move over to check off the side of the bed, and sure enough, it’s on the floor, still plugged into the charger.
“Dammit,” I mutter to myself. Now I have to get up to grab it because my bed has a tall frame. Maybe I can reach it if I’m careful. I want ten more minutes of sleep.
I slowly inch over the side of the bed and slap one hand to the floor, then reach with my other. Still too far. With both of my hands on the floor, I try to inch closer to the phone that is now blaring.Fuck.I’m going to wake up everyone in this house. I scoot one more inch and my arms give out.Plop. I fall face-first onto the floor. I roll over on my back, grab the phone, and turn off the alarm. “Might as well get up now. Fucking phone.”
I slowly get up, then grab my clothes and toiletry basket off the dresser as I head to the shared hall bathroom. I currently live in my parents’ bed-and-breakfast,The IOP BNB, on Isle of Palms. It’s a small beach town in South Carolina. Every year, a ton of tourists come through, but all the locals know each other for the most part.
The bathroom door is open. Most of the time, I don’t have to worry about someone being in here at 4:30 a.m. People who stay here are usually on vacation and sleep in till 9:00 a.m. or later. But there’s always a random occasion when someone has stayed out all night and they end up passed out by the toilet.
If I didn’t have a business to run, I wouldn’t be getting up this early either. I’m the proud owner ofThe Ugly Mug Coffee Shop, located a few blocks down from the bed-and-breakfast. I opened it two years ago after I got my bachelor’s degree in business.
When my grandpa passed away, he left me a chunk of money. I was able to pay for college and then used the rest to open the coffee shop when I graduated. It had always been my dream to own my own business.
The Ugly Mug Coffee Shopis my pride and joy. We serve coffee out of ugly mugs of all shapes and sizes. My favorite is the alien spaceship with the cow teabag. I found it at a thrift storeon my vacation to the Florida Keys last summer. I also have portraits of adorable cats in suits all over the walls.
I finish getting dressed and make my way out, snagging a muffin off the counter. My parents order a couple dozen assorted muffins every week from a small bakery located in the bookshop a couple blocks down. The guests always love them.
Instead of driving, I choose to walk. It will be my exercise for the day.
I finish cleaning up from the morning rush as Millie, one of my baristas, clocks in to take over for the rest of the day. I usually open, then work until noon. Millie and Rose take turns closing. Sometimes I’ll stay later to do paperwork and help make the fresh dough for the donuts. Also, twice a week, I make biscotti; it just depends on how fast we go through it.
“Hey, girl. How has it been this morning so far?” she asks me as she ties her apron around her waist.
“It’s been steady. I’ve already restocked everything, so you don’t have to worry about doing that.” I smile at her.
“Thank you. Is Rose coming in today?”
I check the schedule. “She’s coming in for a few hours before closing.”
She nods and the door chimes, signaling another customer coming in. I tell Millie goodbye. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” I say over my shoulder as I walk out the door.
The blazing hot heat slaps me in the face. I dig my phone out of my pocket and check the weather forecast. It is ninety-eight degrees, to be exact. Tomorrow it’s going to rain. I should probably spend some time at the beach. The weather here is so wishy-washy. One day it’s hot, the next it’s rainy, then thefollowing day will be chilly. I decide to make my way to the house to throw on my swimsuit and grab some beach supplies.
Time to get a much-needed tan.
Liam
Being the new guy in a small town sucks. Everyone knows everyone and if you don’t, you better work your ass off to get to know them. I chose to move to Isle of Palms, a small beach town in South Carolina, two months ago. Before that, I spent the last twenty-eight years of my life living in California, the complete opposite side of the world compared to where I amnow. Everyone assumes when I say I’m from California that I mean the beach, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
When I say California, I mean Northern California, around Redding. There are woods and mountains, and the perfect day would be hiking through said forestry. Even if it’s raining, when it stops, the sun peeks through and illuminates all the little water droplets. Everything sparkles in its own special way and makes me understand, in the moment, the fascination with vampires.
Now, I’m running my shop, on the beach, and enjoying the weather.
When I uprooted everything, I knew it would have to be well worth it. I rented a shop space that has an apartment above it, so I can kill two birds with one stone. I have a place to stay and the ability to run my own shop,Liam’s Auto Solutions. This place is the only auto body shop in town, so it keeps me busy and the bills paid. Rent isn’t cheap around here, but the majority of people are either rich or tourists, both of which help the business.
The rich drive their nice-ass vehicles around and don’t want to fuck up their pretty fingernails, so the smallest problem is rushed to me. Windshield wipers need to be replaced? Bring it to me. Need more fluid? Once again, just bring it down.
The tourists keep the buggy rental shops busy, so the shops bring their equipment to me to tune up and make sure it’s in pristine condition for whoever comes next. If something breaks, they know I’ll have it fixed as soon as physically possible because I don’t want to have it any longer than they want me to have it. This gives me very little time to do anything other than sleep, work, grab a quick bite to eat, and work out.
I wasn’t born with these muscles and although being a mechanic has kept me in pretty good shape, I can’t get my cardio in unless I make time for it. I enjoy running, despite most people’s feelings toward it. It’s just misunderstood. I goon the same path every time, and it’s good for the soul. We all need some relief, and I chose cardio to be mine. No matter the weather, I go for a run. I might have to do it at insane hours, to beat the heat, but it’ll get done. I take a moment and watch the tide too. The perk to working in a beach town, I guess, since I get the view for free.
“How’s it going, Liam?” I hear from my shutter doors.
I slide out from underneath the Kia I’m working on and see Cameron, my only friend who lives around here, standing there. It’s fairly early in the morning, which must mean he has a new project.
