Sunlight streamed through the yellow curtains, and Nora was alone in her bed. Sweaty and disoriented, she glanced around, wondering what had happened to Kingston, but then her dad’s voice broke through her fog.
“I’ve made pancakes if you’re awake, peanut. Visiting hours start in a bit, and I want to get back there as soon as we can.”
Mom. Nora’s face heated with shame as she croaked, “I’ll be right down.”
Her dad’s footsteps receded, and Nora buried her head under the pillow. What kind of sick person has a hot and heavy dream while her mom is laying in a hospital bed? Hurriedly, Nora stripped off her sweaty nightshirt, grabbed a towel, and ran across the hall to take a shower. But it felt so real, she thought, replaying the dream in her mind before shaking her head firmly. Now wasn’t the time for her to fixate on adolescent fantasies, no matter how gorgeous Kingston was; every fiber of her being needed to be focused on being present for her parents, especially her mom. Nora toweled off deliberately, promising herself that she wouldn’t think about Kingston anymore while she was at home.
***
Nora’s mother was discharged a day later, with a date scheduled for the bypass surgery in a few weeks, and even though Nora’s impulse was to stay home with her parents, her mom insisted that she go back to New York.
“You can’t spend all your time here, Nora,” she’d urged. “That promotion won’t wait forever.”
Nora knew she was right; she’d talked to Todd the first day she was in Pennsylvania, and while he’d said he understood, Nora could tell he wasn’t thrilled to have to postpone her training. Still, Nora worried about her mom the entire train ride back to the city, and she even skimmed the job postings she could find online for work near her parents’ town. There wasn’t anything that jumped out at her, not even any coffee shop or fast food positions, and Nora resolved that at the very least, she would make an effort to call home every day, no matter how crazy her new schedule was. And I’ll ask Todd if I can take the time off to be there for the surgery, she told herself.
Carl was waiting for her in the living room, and he’d pulled her into a tight hug before she was even halfway through the door.
She forced a laugh. “Nice to see you, too.”
He pulled back, studying her face. “She’s fine, right?”
Nora shrugged. “She has surgery later this month. After that, I guess we’ll see.”
Carl shook his head. “She’s fine,” he insisted, “and so are you.”
This time, her laugh was genuine, but halfway out of her mouth, it shifted into a sob, and she buried her face against Carl’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered through her tears.
“Nothing you can do. She’ll be fine,” he repeated, “don’t worry.”
Trying to get a grip on herself, Nora nodded. “Thank you.”
“Of course! I’m just sorry you didn’t wake me before you left; I’d have come with you.”
Nora looked at him in surprise. “Really?”
Carl rolled his eyes. “I practically grew up at your house, Nora. Of course I love your folks.”
She’d never heard him say anything like that, and it touched her. Afraid she might start crying again, Nora broke off the hug and set her bag down. “They’d be happy to hear that,” she said, kneeling down to sift through her bag so she didn’t have to look at him.
Carl rubbed her shoulders. “You’re family, Nor, whether you like it or not.”
***
Once she told Todd she was back, he insisted that she begin her training the next day. “I already had you on the schedule for split shifts all week,” he told her over the phone. “No need to change that now, right?”
Secretly, Nora had hoped he’d give her another day or two off, since her emotions were still a bit of a wreck, but she forced a smile into her voice and said, “Nope! I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.”
She skipped her run that night, but it didn’t matter; she was too keyed up to sleep. When she got to Books and Brew at four-thirty in the morning, Todd was just unlocking the front door.
“Welcome back!” He held the door open for her, and then locked it again once they were both inside. “Don’t want anyone wandering in,” he said in answer to her questioning stare. “No one reads the posted hours.”
Nora nodded, pushing away her worries about her mom and trying to focus on what Todd was saying. “Has that happened before?”
“All the time.” Todd flicked on the light switch near the door. “Make sure you lock up once you start opening alone, but don’t forget to unlock the door and switch on the open sign at five.”
“Check.” Nora followed him into the back, where he showed her how to count down the cash drawer before the start of business. “That’s one of the reasons the same manager always works open and close,” he told her. “So that he’s the only one counting down the drawer that day.”
Nora nodded, watching as he slid the drawer into the register and turned the key that secured it in place. “It must have been exhausting for you, managing without an assistant.”
Todd tugged on his silver mustache. “I’ve done it before, and once you move on, I’m sure I’ll do it again. Although,” he added with a smile, “I am looking forward to taking some time off now!”
“What else do I need to do?”
Todd glanced at his watch. “Plenty, but we need to get open. I’ll stick around this shift, and I’ll be back for closing, too, but maybe tomorrow or the next day, if you’re ready, you’ll open on your own.”
Nora swallowed nervously. “If you think I’m ready.”
“You will be. We just have to go over stocking and scheduling, and hopefully we can catch that if there’s a lull today.” Todd handed her a key. “That’s yours; don’t lose it.”
Nora couldn’t help herself; she broke into a wide grin. “I get a key?”
“What’d you think, I’d be here to open the door every day?” Todd laughed. “Speaking of, why don’t you go turn on the sign and open up?”
Nora nodded, a tight knot of excitement building in her stomach. She crossed to the window and flicked on the neon sign, and then she turned to the front door. Laurel was standing on the other side of the glass, and she stared at Nora in surprise. Feeling her excitement threaten to shift into fear, Nora took a deep breath and opened the door.
“What the hell are you doing here this early?” Laurel asked as she breezed inside.
Nora squared her shoulders. “I’m the new assistant manager.”
Laurel barked a laugh. “You’ve got to be joking,” she said. When Nora didn’t respond, she narrowed her eyes. “You are joking, right?”
Nora shook her head. “Nope. I started today.”
Laurel crossed the room and grabbed her apron off a hook on the counter. “Like hell I’m taking orders from you.”
Nora’s stomach clenched, but before she could figure out how to respond, Todd poked his head around the corner from the back. “Like hell you aren’t, Laurel; is there an issue?”
Laurel shot an inscrutable look at Nora and then turned to Todd and smiled. “Not at all,” she said, her voice sickly sweet. “I was just surprised is all.”
Todd nodded. “Good. I don’t want to hear from Nora that you’re causing any problems, understood?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said. When Todd had gone back into the back, Laurel glared at Nora. “Just like you wouldn’t dream of making up stories about me, right?”
“I’d never do that,” Nora stammered.
Laurel smiled slowly. “Good. Just so long as we’re clear.”
Nora wasn’t entirely sure what Laurel meant, but she didn’t want to push it. The morning was already off to a tense start. And besides, she told herself, Laurel’s not going to do anything stupid.
Still, Nora was nervous, and she went out of her way to be even nicer to Laurel than usual. That wasn’t too difficult; they were slammed, so there wasn’t a lot of time for the two of them
to interact. Nora worked the register for most of the morning while Laurel made the drinks, only stopping when there was a lull for Todd to walk her through more of her managerial duties. There was way more to the job than he’d initially let on, and when Nora finally left at noon, her head was spinning.
She thought about going for a run in the middle of the day, but instead, she headed home and took a nap on the couch. Nora had to be back for the rest of her shift at five that evening, and between a sleepless night worrying about both the new job and her mom, she slept deeply. Carl got home at four and prodded her awake, which was a good thing, since Nora had forgotten to set an alarm. She grabbed an apple as she headed back downtown, crossing her fingers that the evening would go well.
Laurel wasn’t on shift anymore when Nora got to the café, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Frank, the guy she was closing with, didn’t work that often, so Nora didn’t know him very well, but he was quiet and fairly nice, and by the time she and Todd locked up, she was almost feeling confident.
“You did a good job today,” Todd offered before he left. “Ready to try it alone tomorrow?”
Nora swallowed, but she said “Sure!”
Todd patted her shoulder. “That’s my girl. I knew you’d be a natural at this.”
Nora wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t want to contradict him. Besides, it hadn’t been that bad. What could possibly go wrong without Todd?
Plenty, it turned out.
First, her key got stuck in the lock when she got there to open up, and she didn’t get inside for fifteen minutes. By the time Laurel sauntered in an hour after the store opened, Nora was covered in espresso, the floor behind the counter was slick with melted ice, and a line of angry customers stretched to the door.
“Weren’t you scheduled to open?” Nora asked, catching herself narrowly from wiping out on the floor as she turned from the counter back to the register.
Laurel shrugged. “I figured you could handle it. Besides,” she added lowering her voice as she tied her apron on, “what are you going to about it?”
Nora gaped at her for a moment. Was Laurel seriously testing her like this? “Nothing, right now. Can you grab register and I’ll keep making the drinks?”
Laurel looked like she wanted to argue, but finally she shrugged and dropped it.
Nora quietly fumed as she made the drinks, wondering why Laurel had decided to act like such a bitch. She’s always been that way, Nora realized. Ever since my first day here. She’d never known why, and she’d always been too shy to ask. But now that Nora was assistant manager, she didn’t want to put up with it any more.
Laurel’s laugh cut through Nora’s thoughts, and she glanced back at the register. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Kingston standing there looking at Laurel with a wide smile on his face. Nora hadn’t been back to the running group since the steamy cool down and even hotter dream, and her palms started to sweat seeing him again. Would he recognize her now? And do I even want him to?
When Laurel called his order over her shoulder, Nora busied herself with the espresso machine, trying not to notice the way Laurel was flirting with the handsome Texan. The girl was practically laying on the register, thrusting her chest toward him like some ridiculous bird performing a mating dance, and Nora bit her lip. Surely he isn’t the kind of guy who wanted a girl to throw herself at him, is he?
Finally, another customer coughed loudly, and Kingston gave the man an apologetic smile before moving down the counter. Nora smiled at him when she handed him his drink, but her hand was shaking.
Kingston grinned down at her. “Thanks, hon! Haven’t seen you for a few days.”
Does he mean here at the shop, or running? “New shift,” she finally said, playing it safe. “I got promoted to assistant manager.”
His perfect smile stretched even wider. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”
She beamed at him. “Thank you. It’s only my second day,” she admitted, “and I’ve got a lot to learn.”
He waved his hand. “You look like you’re doing a mighty fine job to me.”
Laurel called down the next order, and Nora wished for a moment that she could freeze time and just stand there smiling at Kingston, watching him smile at her. “Thanks,” she offered, pushing her glasses up her nose. “I’m trying.”
He winked. “Keep it up, hon.” With a wave, he headed back out into the city, and Nora stared after him for a moment, watching his broad shoulders. When Laurel called down the same order again, with an edge to her voice this time, Nora gave herself a mental shake and got back to work, but her brain kept turning their encounter over and over. Did he realize she was in the running group? He’d seemed happy to see her, almost like he knew her, but maybe that was just the way he was with everybody. Nora worried it to death, and by the time she went off shift, she’d pretty much forgotten about Laurel’s power play that morning, but she was no closer to an answer about Kingston than she had been when she’d been at work. There’s only one way to tell, she mused. No matter how tired I am, I better lace up my running shoes tonight!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kingston’s heart had started beating fast when he spotted a familiar face behind the counter on his coffee break. He’d mostly been able to keep his thoughts away from her while his parents were in town, mainly because he’d spent his lunch hours with them, catching little glimpses of the city. They’d taken a taxi to the airport that morning, so Kingston had reverted to his old habits, half expecting the illusive barista to still be gone. He’d been pleasantly surprised when he saw her, and he thought she’d seemed happy to see him, too.
He’d been too fixated on seeing her again to realize that he’d forgotten to ask her name until he was three blocks away, and he cursed out loud in frustration. “You can’t even remember this one simple thing; how are you ever going to get up the nerve to ask her out?” A few people on the sidewalk gave him the side eye, and he shook himself, wishing he hadn’t spoken out loud. Rounding a corner, he considered going back to the coffee shop and asking her once and for all, but just as he made up his mind to do it, his phone rang insistently in his pocket. Even though he’d seen people hurrying along the sidewalks with their phones pressed to their ears, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. Too old fashioned to multi-task, he thought with a smile as he spotted a metal bench just up the street. Answering the phone, he strode to it rapidly.
“Uncle King?” A small voice asked.
Kingston sat down, looking at the phone in surprise. “Yes. What’s up, kiddo?”
“It’s Shell.” The little boy cleared his throat. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, but Shell, buddy, aren’t you supposed to be in school right now?” At seven, Shelton was the older of his two nephews, and he’d been proud to tell Kingston all about first grade when he’d seen the boys over Christmas.
“I stayed home sick,” the boy said, “but I’m not really sick.”
“Uh-huh. What’s wrong, then?”
There was silence on the line, and then Shelton sighed. “Are Mama and Daddy getting a divorce?”
Kingston raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you ask them that, buddy?”
“I don’t want to make Mama cry.”
Kingston’s heart clenched. “Has your mom been crying?”
“Yes. She’s in the bathroom right now, and I heard her through the door. That’s why I called you.”
Kingston glanced at the caller I.D. on his phone and realized his nephew had swiped Rachel’s phone to call him. “I can’t really do anything, buddy. I’m in New York now, remember?”
“Can’t you come home, just for a visit?”
Kingston looked around the busy street. “I wish I could,” he admitted, “but I’ve got a job to do here.”
“Oh.” His nephew was silent. “Will you tell Mama and Daddy not to fight anymore?”
“Let me talk to your mom, okay, buddy?” Kingston wheedled, hoping his nephew wasn’t feeling defiant.
&
nbsp; He wasn’t. “Okay.” There was a shuffling sound, and then Rachel’s surprised voice came on the line.
“You don’t usually call during daylight hours; you okay?”
Kingston leaned his head back against the bench. “I didn’t call. Shelton called me.”
“What? Shelton Stevenson, you’ve got some explaining to do!” She hollered, and Kingston cringed.
“Not his fault, Raye. The boy’s upset about you and Mark.”
She sighed. “I’m upset, too.” There was a pause. “King, I think he wants a divorce.”
Despite what his nephew had said, the truth shocked Kingston. “Has he said as much?”
“No,” she said, drawing out the word, “but Marcy saw him out last night with a leggy redhead.” Her voice caught. “That doesn’t sound like he’s honoring his marital vows to me.”
Kingston shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, not sure what else he could offer.
“Yeah. Lots of sorry going around right now, and it doesn’t do anybody any good. What did Shelton say to you?”
“He asked if you were getting a divorce,” Kingston told her, and then he added, “and he said you’ve been crying.”
He heard her swallow a sob. “Well, he’s observant, I’ll give him that.”
Remembering his nephew’s request, Kingston asked, “Would it help if I came home?”
“What good is that going to do? You can’t save my marriage,” she said softly.
“No, but do you need any help with the boys? You know I love spending time with them.”
Her voice softened. “I know. But I’ve got it under control. Besides, Mom and Dad are here if we need anything.” Changing the subject abruptly, she said, “and the job has daycare.”
“You got it? Raye, that’s wonderful!”
Her voice almost sounded normal again. “I start in two weeks. It’ll be a change, but good Lord, I’m ready for something different.”
“I’ll take you out to celebrate the next time I’m in town,” he offered, beaming. “I’m proud of you, sweetie.”
“Thanks, King. That means a lot.” Her voice was thick with emotion, and Kingston tried to play it off.
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