Page 124 of Daily Grind
But two days from now, that was the plan.
He stood in his shop, scanning the darkened space, and his heart sank straight to his feet. The thought of coffee made his stomach roil even though he knew he needed the caffeine.
Given the shaking in his hands and the buzzing in his blood that sent spikes up his spine with every step, he wouldn’t survive the day. Not when his heart was full of regret and his brain churning.
His stomach was a mess. His mind. Heart. Everything. Verging on tears if he thought too much—which he couldn’t stop doing.
Brian took a deep breath. There was no one to call to fill his shifts—that’s why he was working them, after all. He rubbed his hands against his jeans and glanced at his watch. Still thirty minutes before the shop opened.
He had bills to pay and he needed to take a good hard look at the menu and see if he could cut anything. Figure out how to entice people back.
Except without Rob in his life, he wasn’t sure fighting to save Grounds N’at was worth it. Wouldn’t help if he kept the shop but lost his heart.
He pushed a hand through his hair. Family and love were what Anita had wanted from him. He couldn’t give that to her and she’d found someone else who could.
Before Rob, he’d never thought about a time after Grounds N’at. He couldn’t run the shop forever. Someday he’d retire. Who’d he spend his days with? Who’d help him make pasta? Watch old movies? Go on long walks?
He bit back a sob. Better if he let Rob go. When his chest tightened and eyes watered, he gulped air. Nope. Wasn’t an option. Saturday then.
Or— Today. He could go apologizetoday. Head down to CirroBot like Len had suggested and talk to Rob. Get this all worked out now. Today.
Maybe then his head would be in a better place to solve the issues with the shop. Or he could close the damn place once and for all before it killed him.
Brian headed into the back. Paper. A Sharpie.
He wrote the date, then wrote in big block letters:
closed today due to personal emergency
After grabbing a roll of tape, he stuck the sign up on the front door. He could do this… he was the owner, after all. The world would survive one day without Grounds N’at.
Though the edges of fatigue nibbled at him, he didn’t make a drink for himself, just reset the alarm, locked the door, and headed back to his apartment.
Too early to head down to CirroBot. He’d have to wait a couple of hours—but better that than two days.
Rob was far more important than Grounds N’at.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The lobbyof CirroBot was huge. Bigger than the entirety of Grounds N’at, even when Brian included the back room. Its vast space, sparse layout, and chrome-and-glass accents made Brian feel entirely out of place. Everything screamed high-tech, not earthy coffee shop.
This was the place Rob had built. So different from the one Brian had crafted. He pressed his lips together. Maybe this hadn’t been the best plan. Still, here he was.
A receptionist sat behind a large desk plunked down in the middle of the space. A little farther back, near the elevators, sat a security guard.
Pretty obvious you needed to work here to get to the elevators, which made sense, but also meant Brian couldn’t just wander up—even if he had any inkling of where Rob’s office was.
Receptionist it was, then. He squared his shoulders and headed to the desk.
She had short black hair, dark eyes, and a friendly but professional expression. A tiny red rose tattoo on the side of her neck matched the color of her lipstick. “May I help you?”
“I hope so. I’d like to see Robert Ancroft, please.”
The friendliness vanished. “Do you have an appointment?” From the sounds of it, she already knew the answer.
Ofcourseit wouldn’t be that easy. He took a breath. “No, I don’t. I—It’s a personal matter.”
“I’m sorry, sir. You’ll have to make an appointment with Mr. Ancroft’s personal assistant. Or contact Mr. Ancroft himself.” She paused. “If this is a personal matter.”
