Sarah Beth~
"I can't believe it! It's finished and we are opening today!" I looked around the completly finished Baroque Brew. the smells of coffee and tea was already floating through the air, thanks to Ashley who had come earlier who had come earlier to get everything started.
"Correction, we are open!" At the front of th shop, ashley turned the big closed sign in the glass door over to oopen. The smile that had been on my face all day spread wider.
"Yay!" The excitment mae me jump onto the stage that already had a beautiful piano that Jeff had found somewhere sitting on it. Rufus, wo had also come along, laughed from behind the counter as Ashley joined me. Once up there,he lifted me off of my feet and spun me around.
"It's going to all work out and we'll get back all of the money we invested, and more!" He kissed me, dipping me backwards a bit.
"I love you!" I said when I came back uup. Ashley kissed me again, then replied.
"I love you, too!" Just then, the bell over the door rang, signalling that someone was coming in. I let g oof my embrace of Ashley and excitidly looked at the door. "A customer!" I exclaimed and jumped off the stage. To my disapointment, it was only Jeff and his guitar with Ben trialing quietly behind him. I could see most of the brusing around his eye was now gone. In fact, he looked much better in general now that his hair was no longer greasy and he had on decent clothes; Jeff was actually doing a better job than we had expected.
"Calm down, Mrs. Lovett!" Jeff laughed, giving me a hug. "You're just making coffee, not pies."
"I can't help it, I'm just so excited!"
"Well, you're not going to have to wait for long! Look!" He pulled out his cell phone and displayed a picture on the screen. I looked closer and saw a picture of a billboard advertising the Brew. My jaw dropped.
"You didn't!"
"I did! It's right when you come into town!"
"You didn't have to do that, Jeff." Ashley stepped off the stage and come to us. Rufus crowded around as well.
"Who's that?" Ben spoke for the first time, looking at Rufus. He was bent almost backwards and his head was all the way back trying to see his face. "He's tall..."
"this is my friend, Rufus!" I introduced. Jeff shook his hand.
"Hello, Rufus."
"Hello, er..."
"Jeff."
"Jeff." Rufus smiled, and looked down at Ben. "Hello."
"You're just so...tall..."
"Yes, we've established that..." Jeff mumbled. Ben continued looking up.
"Are you a giraffe?" Ben asked in wonder.
"Yes!" I laughed. "It's his spirit animal!"
"What's a spirit animal?" Rufus asked but all of us ignored him. Jeff sighed
"I guess I shoould set up." He hopped up onto the stafe and started looking up his guitar. Our little group disbanned and went in different directions. Ashley went to help Jeff, I took Ruffus's place behind the counter as he sat infront of the bar. Ben went off to the side, sat on the ground, took a gameboy from his pocket, and began playing. Everything was pretty quiet besides the sound of testing on teh stage and the hum of coffee brewers.
Eventually, Paige came in, then Cal. Amy couldn't make it because she had to work, but Cal said she'd come when she got off.
Around Eleven o'clock we got out first costumer, and from there many, many more! By one, the place was packed, probably a result of the billboard and the proformance Technical Success would be giving in thirty minutes.
"Good to see you, dear." Some one said as I was filling up another cup. I turned arouund and saw the warm, welcoming face of Mrs. Dursley.
"Awl!" I put the cup down adn reached across the table to hug her. "It's nice to see you!" I called Rufus over as I walked to speak with Mrs. Dursley. She led me to a vacent corner where a man, and woman who looked to be around my age and two young children wer standing.
"Sarah Beth, this was my son Duddley and his wife Heather."
"Nice to meet you." I smiled.
"And my grand children, Jill and Frank. This is Sarah Beth, the girl who worked to the Old Bean."
"So, this is the imfamous Sarah Beth!" Duddley laughed and shook my hand.
"I am so thankful you opened up a new shop!" Mrs. Dursley continued, "After what that mean, old man did to you! I've refused to go. You poor dear."
"Well, we got along. I'm living with Ashley now, and we have a few cats. It's in a nice neiborhood and I won't get shot like in the last one, so it's pretty good."
"I'm glad that you are doing well!"
"And the shop is so lovely!" Heather put in. "You own this all yourself?"
"Yes, well, Ashley and I." I pointed ot him on the stage setting up.
"Is that your husband?" An innocent question, but it sturred up a bit of sadness in my chest. "
"Well, no..."
"Fiance?"
"No, we're just..." I swollowed. "Boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Oh, well, that's...nice." She smiled again. "How long have the two of you-" She stopped in the middle of her statment as we all jumped. The door had been slamed open, and it seemed that all sound seaced besides the tinkling bell on the door. To my shock, in stopped Mr. Dinkleberry, red in the face and looking as angry as ever.
"Cumberland!" He shouted as he got right in my face. "You have the nerve to open up a coffee shop across from my own!" A bit of spit flew from his lips and hit my face. I wiped it off and then retaliated.
"Yes, Mr. Dinkle-" I stopped myself; What was I doing? He wasn't my boss anymore, and although I was raised to respect my elders, I didn't have any respect for him. "Eugene. I have. Would you like a cup of coffee? It's on the house?" This act of kindness only made him angrier than he already was.
"Does it look like I want a bloody cup of coffee?! No, I don't!"
"Oh, well, seeing that this is a coffee shop, and you don't want coffee, what would you possibley want?"
"I'm telling you, Cumberland! You isn't going to succeed! I will run you out of business! Do you hear me?! I will ruin you! I didn't work all these years just to have you knock it all down!"
"Hey!" Ashley was suddenly behind me. He stepped between my old employer and I, pushing me behind him. "Don't speak to her! If you want some coffee, you may have some. If not, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." There was silence again. Every eye was on us. Then, Mr. Dinkleberry leaned in very closely and wispered where only Ashley and I could here;
"You won't get away with this. I will find a way, and when I do, I will have the last laugh." He turned a round that stomped back out of the room. As if it wasn't juvinille enough, he made it a point to slam the door.
Yeah I sneered in my mind, snickering at the tantrum he had just thrown. He's going to ruin us all right.
