The Perfect Gift

Chapter Thirteen

Sarah

As I step into the cozy café, I'm greeted by the strong, intoxicating smell of freshly-brewed coffee.

"Wow," I hear Ems say beside me. "Yeah, wow." The interior is so welcoming I instantly feel at home. I inhale deeply letting the incredible scent raid my senses.

We walk to the counter where we see an elderly woman looking through a book.

"Excuse me, we saw a sign outside about a job offer and I'd like to apply. Do you mind directly me to the manager?"

Her face lights up with a smile as she says, "I'm Elaine, the manager. Let's sit over there and talk, shall we?"

She points towards the end of the café and I follow her lead. 

Apparently, she needs someone who can work the evening shifts from 5 pm to 9 pm during the weekdays; someone who is great at making coffee. Both of which I'm really I am.

I tell her a little about myself and we discus the pay. 

After about thirty minutes, she says, "Okay, dear, all that's left is for you to sign the employee's contract," she passes me a paper which I read and sign.

Elaine beams. Getting up, she stretches forth her hand to shake me. I mirror her action and smile widely unable to mask my excitement.

"Welcome to Elaine's Café."

"Thank you so much, Elaine . I won't let you down," I ramble animatedly.

"I don't doubt that, dear," she says chuckling.

I look for Ems who was taking pictures of the café with her Canon camera. I tell her the good news and we leave the coffee shop elated.

For the past week, I've been working at Elaine's Café and it's been amazing.  I really like Elaine and I've gotten to know some more about her in the first week.

She lives with her grandson, Tyler who's six years old. She and her husband started Elaine's Café twenty years ago before he died.

Tyler's parents are both medical doctors and they belong to an organization called Doctors Without Borders. They always travel to less developed countries helping sick people. 

Because of their constant traveling, they decided that Tyler would be better cared for with Elaine. 

I have met Tyler and he's a really sweet kid. His parents, Dave and Gabby come back to Forks as often as they can, usually during the holidays so they can spend time with him.

There are four baristas working in the café. Zoe and Matt work during the early shift on the weekdays. The shift last from 7 am to 5 pm when I take over. And Jackson is around during the weekend.

There aren't usually a lot of customers in the evenings so my workload isn't too much. Mum's been to there a couple of times, she loves the café and she has also taken a liking to Elaine so she doesn't complain anymore. 

Also, it doesn't hurt that it's a ten minutes' walk from our house.

I hear the closing bell on Tuesday and I let out a sigh of relief. The time is 3 pm so I have about two hours to kill before I go to the café. 

I catch a ride home Josh and change into fresh clothes. My hair is tied into a tight bun because I don't want it getting in my way while I'm making coffee.

Mom's not around yet and she probably won't be until 8 pm. I'm hungry, I realize. So I take out a can of Dr. Pepper and chug it down my throat. The time is 4 : 30 now.