Adrift

by Robin Wainwright

“Actually I came to see you. Do you have some time to share a cup of coffee and catch up?”

  “Sure, why don’t we have a seat in the bar where I can keep an eye on everything?”

  The bar was a beautiful space designed to look like an Irish tavern with padded seats and booths done in dark mahogany leather and dark wooden tables. A large fireplace took up one wall, and the room was lit by lights designed to look like flickering lanterns. The bar itself was a beautiful piece of carved wood varnished to a deep glow. The atmosphere invited you to sit back, relax and slow down.

  Once they were settled in the bar Heather sighed and said, “Okay, tell me what you know.”

  “You and Daniel are the primary topic of the Scuttlebutt. The two of you are apparently having a pretty torrid affair.”

  “No! They aren’t saying that are they?” Heather said in horror.

  “Well maybe that’s a little exaggeration,” she teased. “But you have been seen together, a lot, holding hands and on two occasions you’ve been seen kissing, passionately I might add.”

  “Guilty.”

  “Guilty? Nice! Now tell me what the Scuttlebutt doesn’t know.”

  “Well I definitely wouldn’t call it a torrid affair, at least not yet…”

  Maggie waggled her eyebrows, “Not yet. Oh, I like how that sounds.”

  Heather grinned. “I really like him Maggie. I’m just having trouble justifying taking it further. Jennifer and Sarah want me to consider it a summer fling, but I don’t know.”

  “You are over-thinking this. You’ve been honest with him, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And he’s been honest with you?”

  “As far as I know.”

  “Then you both are making an informed decision.”

  “Argh! I know, I know.”

  “To be honest, you’d be doing Sarah and I a big favor.”

  “Say what?”

  “Our love lives are non-existent; at least we could live vicariously through yours!”

  “Oh well then, when you put it that way. After all, what are friends for?” Heather rolled her eyes.

  That night Heather’s sleep was restless; she tossed and turned her dreams filled with stressful images of stormy seas and shadowy figures. As dawn approached these images were replaced by erotic images of Daniel. In her dreams, she allowed herself to experience what she most desired. Daniel’s kisses and caresses.

  She woke up tired and frustrated, not a good combination. After a shower, she let herself into the café and stood behind the counter looking at Betty. She could really use a cup of coffee, but all the knobs and levers were too intimidating. She had just about decided to settle for a cup of juice when Jennifer rushed through the door.

  “Oh thank god Jennifer! I desperately need a cup of coffee.”

  Jennifer laughed, “No problem. Let me put my purse away and Betty and I will fix you right up.” Returning from the back room Jennifer got a good look at Heather and shook her head.

  “Still resisting Daniel’s advances?”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “It’s obvious you didn’t sleep last night and you don’t look relaxed. That can only mean that you didn’t lose sleep because you were having fun.”

  “Daniel may be tenacious, but you girls are relentless.”

  Jennifer laughed and began to make Heather’s coffee. “It’s just because we want you to be happy.”

  “No. Maggie told me the truth yesterday; you all just want to enjoy my sex life vicariously.

  “Ah well that may be the truth, but a side benefit is that you would be happy.”

  “I’m happy!”

  “True, but you’re happier when Daniel is around aren’t you?”

  “Maybe,” Heather grinned sheepishly as she settled down at her customary table.

  Jennifer set a mug of steaming coffee in front of her. “I thought you could use something a little more robust this morning.”

  “It smells good what is it?”

  “I haven’t named it yet, but it’s a double shot of espresso, Mexican chocolate, a squirt of caramel flavor and a dash of chai.”

  “Wow!”

  “Let me know how you like it.” Jennifer moved back over to Betty and started setting up for the day.

  Heather took a tentative sip of her coffee. It was another triumph for Jennifer and Betty. The Mexican chocolate gave the drink a spicy flavor, which the added chai amplified. The caramel gave the drink a smooth taste while the double espresso gave it a real kick.

  Heather looked over at Jennifer who was watching her with a hopeful expression on her face.

  “Well?” Jennifer asked.

  “Amazing.”

  Jennifer grinned broadly, “I thought so too, but it’s good to get affirmation. I still don’t know what to name it though.”

  “I’ve got an idea, what if we did a contest? We could give out small samples of your new drink and then people could suggest a name. Then we can take the five that we like the most and people could cast a vote for their favorite by ordering it using the name they like best. We could even give them a token that they could place in a jar to show their vote. That way everyone can see if their favorite is winning. It should be fun and it could generate more business.”

  “I like it!”

  “I’ll create a sign, slips of paper and the suggestion box. You take care of the samples. What’cha think?”

  “Let’s do it!”

  Heather was in the back creating the sign when Daniel arrived. Jennifer’s voice rang out in a singsong way, “Heather, Daniel’s here.”

  Memories of last night’s erotic dreams ran through her mind and she began to blush. “I’ll be right out,” she called.

  Deep breaths girl, she told herself, trying to regain her composure. Grabbing the promotional materials she’d been working on, she headed out to see Daniel.

  “Hello,” she said as she walked around the counter toward Daniel.

  “Good morning,” he said as he swept in for a quick kiss. Heather could hear Jennifer chuckling, but she didn’t care. Daniel’s lips were soft and undemanding making her body ache with sweet desire.

  As their lips parted, she looked into Daniel’s eyes and in a breathless voice replied, “Good morning.” They stared into each other’s eyes smiling until Jennifer couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Daniel, would you like to try a sample of our new coffee drink?”

  “Sure.”

  Smiling Jennifer started Betty hissing and spitting as Daniel and Heather sat down by the window.

  “I wanted to firm up our plans for tonight and to see if I could convene a meeting of the lighthouse committee.”

  “Sure. The tough one to pin down is Maggie. She is always working.”

  “Well, what if you and I had a late dinner at the tavern and then Sarah and Maggie could join us after the tavern closes? By then Sarah should have any other visitors she has settled in for the night.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. Let me check with Maggie and Sarah and then I’ll call you with a time for dinner. Sound good?”

  “Sounds really good,” he said in a sexy voice.

  “How can you do that? Turn a simple statement into a flirtation?”

  “Let’s just say you inspire me.”

  Heather shook her head, laughing.

  Jennifer arrived with a small cup and gave it to Daniel. Smiling he took a sip and looked shocked.

  “Wow! There is a lot going on in this little cup.”

  “Do you like it?” Jennifer asked.

  Taking another sip and smacking his lips he said, “I believe I do. What do you call it?”

  “No name yet. In fact, Heather came up with an idea for a contest and you can be our first entrant.”

  “Really,” Daniel said looking at Heather expectantly.

  Heather nodded. “We’re going to run a contest to name Jennifer’s new drink. People who sample the drink can suggest a name and in a couple of wee
ks, we’re going to pick our five favorite names. If your drink name is one of the five, you’ll get a $25 Java Junction gift card. Next, folks will vote on the final name and the winner will win another $50 worth of Java Junction goodies.”

  Heather slid a piece of paper across the table to Daniel and said, “Write down what you think we should name Jennifer’s new drink and we’ll put it in the suggestion box.”

  Daniel sat back and looked up at the ceiling for a long time. Finally, he scribbled something on the piece of paper, folded it in half and slid it through the slot on the top of the box.

  “I better head out to finish up my proposal. I hear the members of the lighthouse committee are a tough crowd.”

  “Give me your number and I’ll call you with a time.” Daniel scribbled his number down for Heather and then held her hand when she reached it. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Till then,” he said, and left the café.

  Jennifer stood looking at Heather with a confused expression her face; finally, she shook her head and said, “How can you resist that?”

  “I’m not sure I can.”

  15

  Heather coordinated with Sarah and Maggie to schedule a committee meeting at the Tavern at 11:00 after the kitchen was closed. Maggie’s bartender, Max, would cover the bar so she could focus on the committee meeting.

  Then, Heather called Daniel’s phone and left a voice message, she figured he probably had his ringer turned off so that he could focus on the proposal. “Hi Daniel. I’ve scheduled the committee meeting for 11:00, so if you want to meet me at the tavern at say, 9:30, we could have a late dinner. If that doesn’t work for you feel free to give me a call back. Otherwise…” Heather wondered how to end her message and finally decided to bite the bullet. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you tonight. Bye.”

  Heather tried to stay busy to help the day pass more quickly, but she couldn’t stay focused.

  Heather’s interruptions and fidgeting, drove Jennifer to distraction and finally she said, “Look, I’ve got this, go be nervous somewhere else!”

  Somewhere else? She tried going up to her apartment and watching TV, but she couldn’t sit still. She chose her outfit for later that night, a slinky black dress with some sexy undergarments. It didn’t mean that anyone else was going to see them, but she wanted to feel as sexy as Daniel seemed to think she was.

  Then there was nothing else to do in her little apartment. She decided to take a walk on the beach, slathered on some sunscreen, put on her hat and headed out.

  Her feet took her back to the lighthouse station. She stood outside the light keeper’s cottage, glanced up at the window of the room with the stuck door, and thought about what Sarah had said.

  A ghost saved me from falling. I guess that could be possible, although it’s weird. But why would she pull me back from the edge and then slam the door to her room? Maybe she didn’t appreciate the intrusion. Heather could understand that. But what is up with the lighthouse, surely that isn’t a personal space. Why would she try and keep me out of there? Heather shook her head, who could understand the mind of a ghost. Then she laughed at herself and her train of thought.

  She didn’t want to fall asleep again, so she didn’t settle down on the bench. She also felt a little too scared to explore the cottage or lighthouse too closely so she decided to wander around the grounds. She found remnants of a vegetable garden outside of the cottage kitchen but not much else. The property really had been abandoned and left to fall into ruin.

  Feeling like someone was watching her every move, she decided to head back to the village.

  As she approached Java Junction, she was startled by a large crowd that was gathered outside the café. As she neared, she realized that the crowd was actually a huge line that came out of the front door of the Junction and wove around the outside of the building.

  Heather slipped in through the back door and rushed in to check on Jennifer.

  “Oh my god Heather! There you are.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I did, but all I got was voice mail.”

  Heather pulled out her cell phone and checking it said, “I don’t understand, it’s fine. Maybe there is no cell service by the lighthouse.”

  “You were at the lighthouse? Yeah there is no cell service out there.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry you couldn’t reach me. What can I do for you?”

  “First, we’re running out of entry forms and the box is jammed full.”

  “Okay, I can take care of that.”

  “And, I haven’t been able to bus the tables.”

  “Okay I’ll take care of that too.”

  “Then if you could take orders and work the register that would be a huge help.”

  “You’ve got it. I’ll take it in that order.”

  The afternoon rushed by in a blur of smiling faces, a ringing register and the delicious smell of coffee. They ran out of croissants and other goodies long before they ran out of patrons. Heather found herself making multiple trips back to the office safe to drop off large piles of cash.

  They locked the door at 6:00, and fell into chairs with exhausted sighs.

  “I’d say your new drink is a success.”

  “So is your contest. Amazing. I’m used to being busy, and dealing with rushes, but I had no clue it could be like that. By the way, we’re about out of those little sample-sized cups.”

  “I’m sure that’s not all, I’ll take inventory before I lock up for the night.”

  “I’d make you a cup of coffee to tide you over, but I’m not sure I can stand up.”

  “No worries, we still have some fresh drip. For a change why don’t you let me get you a cup of coffee?”

  “I’d like that,” Jennifer said smiling.

  Heather filled two cups with coffee, grabbed the overflowing tip jar, and headed back to the table.

  “Look at how much you made in tips!”

  “Wow, I didn’t even have time to look at that. But I’ll split it with you.”

  “No way! You did most of the hard work. It’s yours. I’d love to see Mrs. Abers’ face when she sees how much money we made today.”

  Jennifer just smiled tiredly.

  “Well I’ve got a 9:30 dinner date, so I better get a move on.”

  Heather straightened up the back room while she checked the inventory and made a shopping list for tomorrow. She took the wads of cash out of the safe, and shaking her head at how much money the store had made, she prepared the bank deposit.

  She emerged to find that Jennifer had been busy as well. The café was back to its usual organized and clean state. Big Brass Betty was gleaming with fresh polish, and the goodie display box was ready for fresh baked goods in the morning.

  Jennifer and Heather smiled at each other and then hugged.

  “Good job today Jennifer.” Glancing over at the espresso machine Heather laughed. “You too, Betty.”

  “Do you think it will be as busy tomorrow?”

  “It could be. I don’t have anything happening tomorrow so I’ll plan on spending the day here in the café. Do you think we should try and get someone in to help?”

  “I can talk to my niece. She has helped me before and is willing to work for a cut of the tips.”

  “If she is available why don’t you have her come in tomorrow for a trial run. It would be nice to have someone clearing tables and such. If she works out I’ll 1099 her and she can work hourly as needed. How does that sound?”

  “I think she’d like that, she’s been working odd jobs to save for her kid’s college tuition.”

  “Even better. Well I’m off to clean up and get ready for my dinner.”

  The idea of spending time with Daniel gave her the energy she needed to shower and change.

  After swinging by the bank to make the deposit, she walked to the tavern with a spring in her step. After the day she’d had, she was ready for a quiet dinner with an attractive man.

  Daniel wa
s waiting for her in the reception area with a hand held behind his back.

  “This is not a bribe for a member of the committee,” he said as pulled his hand out from behind his back and presented Heather with a beautiful bouquet of red roses. “These are for the beautiful woman who was in my thoughts all day.”

  Heather’s breath stopped at the romantic gesture. “Daniel they’re beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you like them. Care to join me for dinner?” he asked extending his arm.

  Smiling, Heather looped her arm through his and let him lead her toward the back of the restaurant to what was becoming their regular booth. But tonight the booth was decorated with a scattering of red flickering votives.

  Daniel took the flowers from her, placed them in the empty vase on the table, and waited for her to slide into the booth.

  Maggie appeared with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. Smiling she opened the wine and poured. “Hello, my name is Maggie and I’m your waitress. Tonight we are serving a delightful tossed apple and walnut salad with a cranberry vinaigrette followed by the main course of filet mignon, string beans with almond slivers, and a baked potato smothered in butter. For desert, something a little different, a Kahlua mousse cheesecake and Keoke coffee. Your salad will be out shortly. If there is anything else you need please don’t hesitate to ask.” Winking broadly, she spun away and out of the room.

  Heather looked at Daniel with her eyebrow raised. “You ordered dinner?”

  “I did.”

  Heather hesitated and then raised her glass, “To going with the flow.”

  “To going with the flow.” They clinked glasses and sipped their wine.

  Then Daniel smiled sheepishly, “Normally I wouldn’t have assumed, but the kitchen closes in 30 minutes and I wanted to relax and enjoy our evening.”

  Heather relaxed and laughed, “Good. I wasn’t sure how to react. It seemed a little heavy handed and yet romantic at the same time.” Laughing they smiled at each other and sipped their wine.

  Over dinner, they talked about their day. Heather shared her busy day and they laughed at the craziness that the coffee naming contest had generated.

  Daniel had spent the entire day in his room working on his proposal for the lighthouse renovation. He was excited about the possibilities and said he couldn’t wait to share his discoveries with the lighthouse committee.

  The conversation was light and comfortable, and by the time dessert was served they were holding hands across the table, smiling and laughing into each other’s eyes.

  All too soon, they looked up to see Sarah entering the room; she smiled and walked over to their booth. Daniel stood up and put out his hand to greet her, and then surprised Heather by sliding into the booth next to her instead of returning to his side of the table.

  With a grin, Sarah slid into what had been Daniel’s side of the booth and leaned forward to smell the roses.

  “Nice,” she said looking at Heather. Heather just smiled.

  Maggie appeared with a tray of regular coffee and placed it on their table. “Hi guys, I just have a couple more tables to wrap up and then I’ll be able to join you. Don’t start without me.”

  “No worries,” Daniel said, “I want you all on board with my proposal and the best way to do that is to give everyone on the committee all the details at the same time.”

  “Okay, keep yourselves entertained,” Maggie said, shooting Heather a wicked look, “and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Heather was having a hard time focusing on