Against All Odds

Chapter Thirteen

The past few weeks have been hectic. Autumn has always been the busiest season for the coffee shop, and subsequently, the book store. But since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, both shops are closing early today. The new kid is doing his first solo shift today, since Xania asked for the day off, which means I had to come in to supervise. He isn't doing too bad of a job, actually, allowing me to focus on the books.

But my usual exhaustion has started to creep up again. The last week or so, I feel like I can never get enough sleep. No matter how early I go to bed or how late I sleep in, I end up needing a nap by noon.

This has been hell since the book store and coffee shop are always busy. Usually, I am being called from the office to help, and while I love that we get so much business, I am just tempted to close the store for a few hours.

"Joey, you doing alright?" I call over, loading the last few drinks onto my tray.

"Yep," he says, eyes not wavering from the drink he is making.

Seeing that he seems to have everything under control, I grab the tray, moving out from behind the counter. "Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes. Just going to run these drinks out and bus a few tables." My eyes flicker over to the large antique clock above the door connecting the shop to the book store. We are closing at noon today, meaning the shop is only open for another forty minutes. "Have you started closing?"

"Already on it," he says, putting the last drink on my tray and wiping his hands off. "Almost everything is clean, and I just have to count stocks."

Giving him a smile, I watch as he gives a bright one in return. "You're doing a great job, Joey." A light blush spreads across his cheeks at my words, and he nods his heads. "Now, go ahead and start packing up whatever is left of the pastries. Anything that wasn't made this morning, put on the fifty percent off tray."

He nods his head again before going off to do what I said. Winding through the coffee shop is difficult. Every available seat is taken, a few people even choosing to stand around the couches or lean against the wall. It brings a smile to my face, seeing my business like this.

In the beginning, I was losing money, never making enough to make ends meet. But instead of closing shop like Aaron had asked me to do on multiple occasions, I kept persevering. It took a full year for me to finally break even, and now, business is booming. This is the only coffee shop in this small town, the nearest one being a ten-minute drive out of town to the closest fast food place.

Nearly everyone stops to greet me when I give them their drinks, chatting with me for a few minutes about the most inane things, while also complimenting the drink. It is nice to work someplace where I know nearly everyone's name, which is why I am completely thrown when I go to the owner of the last drink on my tray.

"Janette?" I say, watching as the women startles slightly, putting down her book before looking up at me with a wide smile and bright eyes. They are dark brown, framed by square glasses, making them seem to pop even more. Everything about her is delicate, the perfect epitome of an omega. "Decaf cold brew with vanilla cream?"

"That's me," she says, voice surprisingly deep for such a small thing. She takes the drink easily from me, setting it on to the table. It isn't until she looks down, giving me a perfect profile view, that a stirring of recognition settles in me. Something about her is familiar, but I can't quite place it.

"My fiancé thinks I'm crazy for drinking cold things when its raining outside, but I can't help it. This little gal makes me crave anything cold." She pats her stomach, drawing my eyes down to the roundness of it. She is so small it is easy to see her bump once I look, but the way she sits with her jacket resting over her lap hides it from view until she points it out. "And the coffee here is wonderful. I haven't been able to find anyplace that makes such a flavorful cold brew."