The Cinderella Bride (NaNoWriMo14)

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

“A cup of coffee, please.” I say, looking at the menu of the quiet little cafe, making sure to cover my face with the menu so the waitress can’t see my face.

“Only a cup of coffee?”

“Yes.”

“Wait, why does your voice sound so familiar?” The waitress asks.

Still hiding my face behind the menu, I answer her, smiling slyly “I don’t know, maybe you’ve met someone with the same voice?”

“No.” She says, and pulls the menu away from my hands, she gasps, “Ava? Is that really you?”

I grin, “The one and only, in the flesh!”

She drops her notebook and pen, and proceeds to hug me, “Where have you been? You haven’t been answering any of my calls, I read this crazy article that said you got married to that Richmond kid, is that true?”

I pull away smiling, “Yes, Gracie. It is.”

Her eyes widen, “What the hell? How did that happen?”

I shrug, “I honestly don’t know, it just did.”

“Hmph. Fine then, I’ll wait till you’re ready to tell me what really happened.”

Gracie Young had been a co-worker of mine back when I was still working at Bloomsbury, she’s a year younger than me, but she is as competent as any of the older employee’s, including me.

There’s only one other employee that worked with us at Bloomsbury, her name is Melissa, and she’s the barista and the baker. Melissa’s family actually owns Bloomsbury; speaking of which, I don’t see her around.

“Where’s Melissa? She doesn’t seem to be here.” I ask, trying to shift the subject from my marriage with Carter to something else.

“She just left, actually. Grannie Rosa had a health scare and she went to go see her.”

The Grannie Rosa Gracie is referring to is the owner of Bloomsbury, she’s also Melissa’s grandmother.

“So she left you in the shop, alone?”

She nods, “Kind of, the cakes and little pastries were already made.” She bends over to retrieve the pen and notebook she dropped before, “All I had to do was make the drinks, and Melissa taught me how to brew the coffee a day or two ago, so I just had to put what she taught me to use, since you were missing.”

I run my hand through my hair, “Yeah, sorry about that. I should have given you guys some kind of notice.”

“Don’t apologise to me, apologise to Melissa, she was pissed when she read the papers.”

She walks over to the counter where the pastries are stored, leaving her pen and notebook there, and she takes a slice of chocolate cake out of the fridge. The cold air leaving the fridge is almost tangible looking, it cools the room and relieves it of the heat that fills the air.

Which is weird because the air conditioning at Bloomsbury is always working, and this place is always, at the very least, colder than it is now, “Gracie, what happened to the air conditioning? Why isn’t it on?”

Gracie walks over to the table I was sitting at, “It’s busted, the guy that’s supposed to replace it is supposed to come today,” She looks at the window, which is right next to our table, “I just don’t know where he is.” She shrugs, “Oh well.” She then places the slice of cake on the table.

“Gracie, you know we aren’t allowed to eat the pastries made for the customers.”

She smiles, “Oh, this is for a customer, you. You aren’t working here, so you’ve gotta pay up after this.”

I chuckle, “Fine.” I take a piece of the slicked cake and eat it, the chocolate melts slowly into my mouth and cools it as well, “Oh, damn. This is good.”

Gracie looks at me hopeful, “Really?”

I nod, “Yeah, who made this?” I ask with my mouth full of the cake piece.

“I did, Melissa has also been teaching me how to make cakes, and I’ve been making a few for the customers, and they seem to like them.”

I chuckle and look around the deserted Cafe, “Well, the invisible ones seem to love it.”

She rolls her eyes, “Well, the people who actually come here like it. Anyway, stop stalling, where are you living now, with your new husband?”

I nod slowly, “Yeah, kind of.”

“Ooo! You must have people waiting on you hand and foot!”

I shake my head, “Not really. There’s only a few people that work there. A maid, Anita. The butler, Mason, and the driver; that’s pretty much it. I actually like it that way. I feel very uncomfortable when people pamper me.”

“Well, you should get used to it, you’re a rich guy’s wife now.”

“No. I’m not. I’m still the same Ava you’ve always known me as, Gracie.”

“Yeah, the same rich Ava.” She replies teasingly.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.”