Page 1 of Massive Size Mountain Man
1
Avalon
I take my rag out of the back pocket of my jeans and throw it into the laundry bin before hanging my apron up on its designated hook. Then, I glance into the foggy mirror in the staff room while patting my hair. No smeared make-up? Blonde hair reasonably neat? Good, good.
Not that it matters because my friend Courtney has come to the café during my break with her new baby, Johnny, and she’s the least judgmental person ever. Court used to work here as well, but then she met the man of her dreams, so she quit and left me all alone! I miss my buddy dearly, and when I said that I had a twenty minute break today, she agreed to bring her newborn to meet me. It’s the only time we could find to catch up, and I’m so grateful to Court for stopping by.
I step from the staff room into the café, and immediately spot my friend. Courtney squeals when she sees me, the baby strapped to her chest.
“Hi Av!” she giggles while giving me a big hug. “Oh my god, you look radiant.”
“No, I don’t,” I say in a wry tone. “I got coffee stains on my shirt through the apron, can you believe it? The Northstar Café is so cheap when it comes to stuff. It’s really unbelievable.”
Courtney clucks and nods as we sit down at a small table, the baby snoozing against her.
“I know, and I can’t believe you’re still here, Avalon. Seriously, Northstar is rough and there are better places.”
I shoot her a wry look.
“You mean, like where your sister, Annabel, used to work?”
Court rolls her eyes.
“Oh my god, don’t even get me started on the Beechwood Cafe. Can you believe that she was propositioned by a run club while on shift? And that her boss expected her to say yes to the gangbang because it’s “part of her job”?”
I shake my head, still aghast at the news.
“No, it’s insane, and I’m glad Annabel’s boyfriend put that café out of business once he found out. It must be so nice to be with a powerful man who can make things happen.”
Court nods thoughtfully.
“Yeah, although my brother-in-law says he didn’t have anything to do with the Birchwood Café’s demise. Hunter says that the cafe was badly mismanaged and went down the tubes all by itself, but I don’t know. You know how powerful men are. They can make things happen through unseen means, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hunter finagled their bankruptcy somehow.”
I shake my head, eyes wide.
“Yeah, it must be so nice to be married to a powerful man like that,” I reiterate. “Speaking of which, you have your own powerful man now! What’s it like, being an old married lady with a baby? Johnny is too cute, by the way. But are we going to wake him up with our chatting?”
Courtney smiles sweetly while cupping her newborn’s head with one hand.
“No, because he sleeps like the dead,” she whispers conspiratorially while giving me a wink. “And I really am an old married lady now, with the emphasis on the word ‘old.’ I feel like I’ve aged twenty years in the last two!” she moans.
I shake my head.
“You’re not old, girlfriend. You’re what, twenty-one? You’re so gorgeous, Court, and no one can tell you’re a mom.”
“Yep, I’m twenty-one,” Court winks. “And everyone can tell I’m a mom because I’m so haggard and tired all the time, not to mention the spit-up staining my clothes 24/7.”
“Baby spit-up is normal,” I say in a mock-stern tone. “And you’re not haggard, Court. You’re just a new mom, that’s all, so it’s normal to feel tired all the time. You look great.”
My friend shoots me a whimsical smile.
“That’s why we’re buddies, Av. Because you always prop me up.”
“We prop each other up,” I retort immediately.
“We do,” Court agrees, musing on something. Then she shoots me a long look. “By the way, have you spoken with Stuart recently?”
I snort.
