Page 32 of Reuniting with Lucy

The mother did a double take and gave Lucy a not-so-subtle up-and-down perusal. Lucy subconsciously swiped at her ponytail, then realized she was wearing a baseball cap to cover her unwashed hair. She’d planned to do that after work. Not her best first impression but too late to fix it now.

“You’re Jack’s Lucy?” the woman asked.

“Well, I don’t actually belong to him or anything,” Lucy said. “But we’re dating, if that’s what you mean.”

“So, you’re a barista?” Her tone and the condescending way she asked instantly put Lucy on edge. What if she was “just a barista”? What would be wrong with that?

“Yep. I love making coffee,” she said. Jack obviously hadn’t mentioned that she owned the place, and if he hadn’t said anything, maybe he had a reason. Let them assume she was an almost thirty-year-old barista.

Jack’s mother tried to hide a sour look, but not very hard and not successfully. She took her cup and didn’t say another word. The dad seemed apologetic and dropped a twenty for a tip, which made Lucy chuckle. How often did he overtip to make up for his wife’s rudeness?

“Have a great day. See you later,” Lucy called after them, adding extra pep.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched them sit at a table in the back and huddle together, whispering about something. Or, more likely, someone. She was curious why Jack hadn’t told them she was a business owner. Was it inadvertent, or had he omitted the information on purpose?

One of the Three Musketeers hollered at Lucy, asking for a refill. She grabbed a pot and went to them. A table away, Jack’s parents watched with interest.

“You do realize this coffee shop doesn’t supply waitressing service, right?” she said with a smile, filling Gene’s cup and topping off the other two.

“You’re so good to us,” Archie said.

“Put it on my tab,” Walter said.

Lucy chuckled. “Nor do we have a ‘tab’ system.”

“Good thing we’re friends with the owner.” Archie smiled.

“What’s going on this week? You betting on anything juicy?”

“Not really. The bet is whether old Mrs. Turnpike finds out her son came to town but left before stopping by to say hello. She’ll be mad as hell if she finds out.”

“How do you know stuff like that?”

Gene used two fingers to point at his eyes, then at Lucy, then at the whole room. “We see everything.”

“That’s creepy.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Walter said, rolling his eyes. “The ungrateful little bugger told us flat out he was avoiding his momma.” Lucy nodded. She could feel Jack’s mother boring a hole into her back, but ignored it.

“All right. You boys good?”

“Oh, Lucy,” Archie said. “You know what would really hit the spot right now? One of those little pink cake balls on a stick. Could I trouble you for one?”

“I’ll bring it in a minute,” Lucy said with an over-the-shoulder wave.

By the time she returned with the cake pop, Jack’s parents had picked up to-go lids, taken their coffee, and left.

“What was that all about?” Gene said, pursing his lips at the table Jack’s parents had just vacated.

“Whatever do you mean?” Lucy said sweetly. “Those were Jack’s parents. They’re in town for his birthday. The four of us are having dinner tonight. I can’t wait.”

Archie laughed out loud. “His mom thinks you’re a barista and not nearly good enough for her son.”

“We may have overheard a bit of their conversation,” Walter said with a sheepish smile.

“Of course you did. Nothing gets past you three,” Lucy said. “That does confirm the overall vibe I got from her though.”

“Why didn’t you just tell them you own the joint and are a respected business owner?” Gene said.

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