Page 7 of Honey, Honey
“You had me at all you can eat dinner special. I’m free any night since,” I gestured around the coffee shop with a circle of my finger, “coffee is an early bird game.”
“Perfect! Are you free Thursday night?” she asked.
“I am.”
Tiffany pumped her fist in the air with a grin. “It’s a date! I’m so excited. We are going to have so much fun.”
“What’s going on over here?” Gus asked, leaning against the counter to watch while Tiffany broke out into a mini dance.
“Honey and I are going out on a date. It’s going to be awesome.”
Gus nodded his head and smiled, watching Tiffany hop around. “I’m glad you two are getting along. Friends are important,” he said and then he looked my way, “which brings me to this morning. Can we talk a minute, Honey?”
I bit my lip and gave him a quick nod. A wave of uneasiness swept through me but after a reassuring smile from Gus, I forced my shoulders down and took a step towards him. “Sure thing, Gus.”
“I just wanted to say how sorry I am about this morning.”
The breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding left my lungs with a littlewhooshand I came forward until I was at the counter. I set the clipboard on the shiny quartz and shook my head. “It was a lot, please don’t worry about it.”
He held up a hand and shook his head sadly. “I do worry, and it wasn’t okay, not at all. That woman was out of line, Honey. I’m so sorry you had to put up with that and in front of your fiancé of all people.”
The little tightening in my stomach that accompanied a lie came to life but I batted it to the side and gave Gus a practiced rueful smile. I’d perfected this one the summer I had turned eleven and my mama had refused to pay ‘one more dollar for useless activities’ when I’d been set on playing softball in the summer city league. All of her cash was to be spent on getting herself ready for a tour she was certain would be her big break. My slightly embarrassed, definitely sympathy-inducing smile had worked to stave off my coach’s inquiries over league fees for the entire summer. I’d proven to be a pinch hitter that couldn’t be beat, which had been the perfect motivation my coach had needed to ignore my ever increasing balance of dues owed.
I turned that look on Gus now and watched as he softened. “It isn’t your fault. It’s just one of those things,” I told him.
“It is, but even still. That woman should not have been comfortable coming in here and acting that way. She’s banned. I just wanted you to know that.”
“Banned?” I asked, eyes wide in surprise. I hadn’t expected that.
“Yes, banned. I want you to feel happy and safe coming in to work here when you can. You’re Tiffany’s favorite and you’re amazing with the customers. I love having you in the shop.”
“Thank you, Gus. That means a lot.”
“Anytime,” he said, giving the counter a tap. “You are always welcome here. I want you to know that.”
I made a mental note to scoop up any shifts at A Different Brew, each and every one that I could get my hands on. “I do, thank you, Gus. I like working here.”
“Maybe one day I can convince you to take on a permanent spot.”
Unease settled in my chest at his words. I knew he meant them, but settling down wasn’t something I knew how to do. I’d never learned. I held up a hand and waved him off. “Oh, I don’t know, Gus. I like my freedom.”
“My offer stands if you ever get tired of all that freedom.”
“She can’t take on a spot here,” Tiffany butted in. “She’s gotta keep the paps on their toes, Gus. If she locks in here she’s going to blow her cover.”
Gus blinked. “Her what?”
“Her cover, duh,” Tiffany said, waving a hand at him and then pointing out towards the street. “She’s Lawson Sokolov's fiancée, remember? Can you imagine what Page Six will look like if they know where she works?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “I don’t know about that, Tiff.”
“It’s true and you know it. And you’re going to tell me all about it, over all you can eat meat.”
Gus nodded at her, even though I could tell he had zero idea what she was talking about. “I’ll take over that, Honey. You’re out of here now, go enjoy the day and all that sunshine.”
“Sure thing.” I handed the clipboard over to him and made for my purse and hoodie. As much as I liked A Different Brew, I was eager to start my ‘day off’. He was right, it was a beautiful day outside, one that would be perfect for a stroll and window shopping. I might even treat myself to something and splurge in one of the little shops I loved so much. Things were tight with my budget but not that tight, not anymore. I could treat myself. I shouldered on my bag and turned, waving goodbye to Gus and Tiffany who returned it with goodbyes and waves of their own, while Tiffany shouted out about how we were going to eat our weight in Korean barbeque. I paused in the doorway and looked over my shoulder at the pair. Tiffany was chatting while Gus restocked.
He obviously had no clue what she was going on about. Still. But that didn’t stop them. This was a daily occurrence, maybe hourly even from what I had seen while on shift, and I smiled at the familiar little dance the two of them did together.
