by Harper Bliss
“God no. After the last one… I’ve learned that looks are the most deceiving thing, especially on the internet.”
“I hear you,” Micky said. “And there will be no more dates with any of Robin’s colleagues or any banker for that matter.”
“Don’t you ever think Robin works too much?” Lou didn’t know where she got the audacity to ask, but she was very keen to learn the answer.
“Not really,” Micky said. “I was married to a person for whom the word ‘workaholic’ was an understatement. Compared to my ex-husband, Robin keeps very decent hours. It’s all a matter of perspective really. Like so many things in life.”
They arrived and the elevator was large enough to bring the six of them to the top floor comfortably. When she arrived at Caitlin’s penthouse, Lou could barely believe her eyes. It looked like one of those homes you only ever saw in interior design magazines.
Wine was poured and Caitlin put a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven so they could share a nibble and then they all sat staring out over the city as darkness truly fell.
Sheryl was the only one who didn’t drink, so Lou put two and two together quickly. She glanced at Kristin and wondered if Mia had managed to speak to her yet about a plan to save Annie’s Bookshop.
Lou hadn’t expected to walk up to her and Jo earlier that day, but she had, and she could only conclude that her feelings for Annie getting a fair deal were more important to her than her feelings toward Mia.
“Business at Glow seems good,” Caitlin said to Micky, snapping Lou out of her reverie.
“We truly can’t complain. Although that full class tonight was due to a lot of free trial members that have signed up very recently thanks to the wonders of very localized Google and Facebook advertising. Mia has been a real star for helping us with those.”
“Mia is amazing,” Kristin said. “Very smart, but not in the usual overbearing I’ve-been-to-business-school way, you know?”
“And she’s much nicer to me than you ever were,” Jo said to Micky, throwing in a giggle.
“Impossible. I always treated you like a queen,” Micky replied.
Jo smirked, then said, “All jokes aside, I really like her. Are you keeping her, boss?” she asked Kristin.
Lou sat there wondering whether Micky had set this whole thing up so various people could vouch for Mia’s character in her presence. She was pretty sure Mia was all the great things these women thought of her now, but she hadn’t always been.
“I’m making her,” Sheryl said. “She’s too easy on the eye to let go.”
Kristin slapped her partner on the thigh.
“I’m so disappointed in you, Sheryl,” Jo said. “I might need to get a new thesis advisor. All the things I’ve always believed about you have come crumbling down just with that one shallow comment.”
“Come on, Jo.” Sheryl pointed at Kristin. “Look at my partner. Surely you must have known all along that I appreciate great beauty.”
“There’s no use in trying to flatter your way out of it,” Kristin said.
“Well, you can all sit here and be holier than thou about it, but I won’t for a split second believe nobody else here thinks she’s a real hottie,” Sheryl said.
“A real hottie,” Caitlin chimed in. “That’s not the sort of language we use, Sheryl. What has become of you?” She stared at Kristin. “Is it the change? Has the time come?”
They all snickered and Lou was glad they’d stopped extolling the virtues of Mia’s character. As long as they mainly talked about her looks, Lou wasn’t inclined to see Mia in a different light.
“Her trial period is up at the end of the week and I will not be letting her go,” Kristin said, ignoring Caitlin’s remark. “I’ll need to hire a new barista for the morning shift pretty soon.” She glanced at Micky. “Unless you want to come back?”
Micky pursed her lips together. “Sorry, Kristin. I’m in the yoga business now. We all know Glow would fall apart without me.” Micky glanced at Lou. Was she expecting her to back her up? Or was it an invitation to join in the banter between these old friends, amongst whom Lou still felt like a bit of an outsider?
“I can attest to that,” Lou said and quickly sipped from her wine. “Amber and I would be in ruins if it weren’t for Micky.”
“Thank you.” Micky tilted her head toward Lou.
Lou couldn’t help but smile. Outsider status or not, it felt good to slowly become part of a group of friends here in Sydney. Mixing business with pleasure was part and parcel of being a yoga teacher, because regulars she got along with would often become acquaintances or more. That was the nature of the practice. Despite the matter of Mia, she was actually glad that Glow and the Pink Bean were two businesses so intertwined, they might as well have been dreamed up by the same person.
“Mia will do the morning shift for a while longer, but not too much longer,” Kristin mused. “No offense to either of you, but I do feel her talents are wasted behind the coffee machine. In fact, she’s pitching me an idea tomorrow.”
Lou could guess what that idea was. She was also secretly relieved that the meeting between her, Jo, Kristin, and Mia hadn’t been set up yet. It was all well and good to walk up to Mia and Jo spurred on by worry in a brief moment of temporary insanity, but Lou wasn’t sure what actually sitting at a table with Mia would do to her. Although she figured she would need the practice. If she wanted to make her way from the outskirts of this group of friends to being warmly embraced by them, she would need to learn to at least be around Mia without flinching or giving away that there was no love lost between them.
Kristin was definitely hiring her. She would be at the Pink Bean regularly. It was simply the way things were. And the very last thing Lou wanted to do was cause a rift in this group. The ones who liked Mia—which turned out to be most of them—against the ones who didn’t—she and Amber—who were unwilling to openly state the reason for their dislike.
“None taken. I mean, I grew out of my job behind that coffee machine in no time,” Micky said. “Although, strangely, I do miss it sometimes. Not the getting up early, of course, but just being in the Pink Bean, hanging out with my buddy Josephine.”
“Meeting hot ladies who order wet cappuccinos,” Jo said.
“Just the one was fine with me,” Micky said. “But really, working at the Pink Bean has changed my life.”
“Opening the place has changed ours,” Kristin said.
“We wouldn’t know most of you if we hadn’t,” Sheryl said. “Although my hackles did go up once Kristin started talking about expansion and a liquor license and a new store.”
“But that’s why we have Mia,” Kristin said.
“She can get quite obsessive about new projects, to the point that she neglects her wifely duties.” Sheryl grinned at Lou.
Lou felt a mild blush creep up her cheeks. The Pink Bean might be a magical place for all of them, but it was decidedly not for Lou.
“Oh, stop it, you.” Kristin patted Sheryl on the knee.
The banter continued, and Lou enjoyed being part of it, but she couldn’t help but think it would all be so much easier if it wasn’t for Mia Miller.
After the brief chat with Mia and the previous night’s jolliness between the Pink Bean owners and a few of its patrons, Lou didn’t feel so uneasy about going into the coffee shop. Mia never served her, anyway, and Lou was usually with Amber, who seemed to be warming up to Mia a little of late.
Lou hadn’t spoken to her boss about Mia again, figuring she had already been enough of a nuisance to Amber. Apparently Mia was really helping Amber out. Some of the people in her classes were only there because of the ads Mia had set up. That was probably why Amber threw Mia a smile now and again and, earlier when they’d just arrived, had struck up a short conversation with Mia.
“I have to go,” Amber said to Lou. “I’m meeting with a new ecological towel laundry service who want to flaunt their wares at me. Are you going to be all right on your own? You can always joi
n me, if you like that sort of thing.”
“I dislike sales pitches from the bottom of my heart,” Lou said. She cast a glance at Mia who was sitting at a table working on her laptop. “Besides, I can always leave.”
“That you can.” Amber got up, said her goodbyes, and left.
Truth be told, Lou was glad for some time alone at a table in the Pink Bean. It gave her a chance to get used to being in the same space as Mia, without having to talk to her.
She delved in her bag for her book, but instead of opening it, the book drew her mind to Annie and her shop again. This, in turn, made her glance over at Mia, who was deeply focused on whatever she was doing on her laptop. Maybe she was working on a plan to save Annie’s shop at that very moment. Most likely she was working on the idea she was slated to pitch to Kristin.
“Hey.” A voice came from the other side of Lou’s table. A voice she vaguely recognized.
Lou turned away from Mia and stared into Meredith’s face.
“Can we talk for a minute?” Meredith asked. “Can I get you a coffee? I owe you for dinner.”
“You don’t owe me a thing.”
Meredith pulled back a chair and sat down unbidden. “You won’t reply to my messages, not even the ones I’ve sent through Robin.”
“That should make things loud and clear.” Instinctively, Lou leaned away from the table they were now both sitting at.
“I’m really sorry about having to rush off like that last Sunday.” She paused while her glance skittered away, then landed back on Lou. “I really, really like you, Lou.”
“How did you even know I was here?” Lou didn’t like the urgency in Meredith’s tone.
“Your schedule is online. I figured you’d be here between classes. This is where everyone hangs out, isn’t it?” She tried a smile. If she was going for disarming, it wasn’t working.
Lou felt ambushed. She didn’t want to talk to Meredith. She hadn’t given her much more thought. It was a done deal for her.
“Look, will you go out with me again? We can just go for coffee. Just… let me prove to you that I’m not that person. We had chemistry. You can’t deny that.”
“I would like you to leave,” Lou raised her voice only a fraction.
“Everything okay here?” Out of nowhere, Mia had appeared next to their table. She fixed her gaze on Lou. “Are you being harassed?”
“Harassed?” Meredith said. “We’re just talking.”
“Seems to me Lou doesn’t feel much like talking.”
“And who are you?” Meredith hissed, then narrowed her eyes. Maybe she recognized Mia from her Tinder picture and from seeing her at the cinema. “Are you two a thing now?” she asked. “Is that what all the misplaced chivalry is about?”
“I can handle myself, thank you,” Lou spoke up. Oh, the irony of having Mia come to her rescue. “I would like you both to leave me alone.”
“Ah, so not a thing. Are we both vying for your hand?” Meredith said.
“Neither one of you is vying for anything. I’m not interested, Meredith. I thought I had made that clear. And you.” Lou looked at Mia, who had taken a step back. “Just… don’t.”
“Fine.” Meredith rose, the feet of her chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Your loss,” she mumbled and made her way out of the Pink Bean.
They both watched her skulk off. Then Mia said, “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”
Lou sighed. “Oh, it’s fine. It’s just, well, you know.”
“A little bit ironic given our history,” Mia said.
Was she really going to go there?
“Quite.” Lou didn’t know what to say.
“Now that we’re, uh, talking…” Mia shuffled her weight around. “I know I haven’t gotten back to you about Annie’s. I’m working on something, but I’d like to talk to Kristin about it in private first. Then we can discuss it further with you and Jo. I hope that’s all right.”
“Yeah, sure. I haven’t been able to come up with any brilliant plans myself so… all our hopes rest on you.” Lou actually felt compelled to smile at Mia.
Mia smiled back. “No pressure then.”
“None.”
“Micky tells me you’re responsible for all those new people turning up in my classes. I, er, really appreciate your help. So does Amber.”
“It’s just a few ads.” Mia waved her comment away. “It’s really nothing.”
“I just wanted you to know that your efforts are appreciated.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Another smile. “I’ll leave you to it now.” Mia started walking off.
“Mia…” Lou suddenly thought it wholly unfair that she was the reason Mia was barely allowed into Glow.
“Yes?” Mia turned around and slid her hands into her jeans pockets.
“If you want to take some classes at Glow, please feel free to come.”
Mia sent her a crooked grin. “That’s okay. I’m not that much of a yoga person, anyway. But thanks for offering.” Mia slunk off, looking like she had shrunk a few centimetres since she had stood towering over the table, trying to scare off Meredith.
Lou watched her and wondered if this was perhaps equally hard on Mia. To come face-to-face with a part of her past that must be difficult to reconcile with the person she had become. Because if there was one thing shining through as time progressed, it was that Mia Miller was a good person now. Either that, or she had half the population of Darlinghurst fooled—Lou included.
Chapter Fourteen
“My idea is perhaps not in line with your vision for the second Pink Bean coffee shop, but I wanted to bring it up anyway,” Mia started her pitch to Kristin. The idea had finally crystalized in her mind on a bus ride between the Pink Bean and her home.
“I’m all ears,” Kristin said.
“There is this women’s book shop in Newtown, Annie’s.”
“I know Annie’s. I went there quite often when Sheryl and I lived near the university. Lovely woman, even though I haven’t been there in a while,” Kristin said.
This sounded like a promising first reaction to Mia. “The thing is, Annie’s Bookshop is not doing very well and is about to close or be sold to Pages. I’ve been in plenty of bookshops that have a nook set aside where customers can buy a cup of coffee while they peruse the book they’ve just bought, or might buy if they got to hold it in their hands for a while. Even the big branch of Pages in the CBD has one.” Mia paused for a beat. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the Pink Bean and Annie’s Bookshop could be a match made in heaven. An LGBT-friendly coffee shop plus a women’s bookshop. A university with a thriving Gender Studies department a stone’s throw away. If there’s one thing students don’t economize on—nor anyone else for that matter—it’s a good cup of coffee. The Pink Bean could have its perfect Newtown venue and Annie’s could survive.”
Mia watched Kristin’s face for signs of excitement or dismissal. But Kristin was a master at not showing her feelings and didn’t give much away of what she thought about Mia’s somewhat crazy idea.
“So how do you see this working practically? Would the two businesses be co-existing in the same location?”
“That’s one option. We could lease part of the space from Annie and draw customers to her bookshop. Or we could buy her out and have her lease the space from us. I have done the numbers for both scenarios. But, perhaps, some sort of trial run first would be best.”
“In theory, it’s not a bad idea,” Kristin said, not dismissing the idea outright, “but I’ll need some time to mull it over, talk to Sheryl, visit the shop.” Kristin wasn’t one to bubble over with enthusiasm at the most festive of times, so Mia considered this a win.
“Of course.”
“Can you find out how time sensitive this is?” she asked. “Is Annie on the verge of accepting an offer or just considering it?”
“I’ll go by later today and find out for you.”
“Thanks.” Kristin painted a big smile on her
face. “On another note, I’m very happy to inform you that when your trial period ends later this week, I would like to make you an official employee. If you’re interested in becoming a permanent member of the Pink Bean team, that is.”
Kristin had invited Mia to dinner to celebrate her trial period being over. Mia had been up to the flat before, but she’d never been afforded the opportunity to take such a long, satisfying glimpse into her employers’ private lives.
“Champagne or no champagne?” Sheryl asked.
“Champagne, of course. This is a celebration,” Kristin said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Sparkling water for me.” Sheryl grinned at Mia, her eyes lingering a little longer than Mia thought perhaps necessary. “I prefer to be upfront about this to erase the speculation from people’s minds: yes, I’m a recovering alcoholic. No, I don’t mind you drinking in my company.”
Mia nodded. “Got it.”
Kristin returned with the champagne, popped the cork, and poured Mia a glass.
“To Mia Miller,” she said.
“Thank you very much.” After taking a quick, polite sip, Mia said, “I must say this is the first time an employer has cracked open the champagne for an occasion like this.”
“We’re lucky to have you,” Kristin said.
“I’m just glad she likes you,” Sheryl said. “Kristin is just as much a recovering workaholic as I am a plain old alcoholic. She needs someone like you working at the Pink Bean.”
Mia noticed Kristin shooting Sheryl a look she couldn’t quite decipher.
“And I hear you have big plans,” Sheryl said.
“Nothing bigger than is expected of me.”
They spoke about the prospect of the Pink Bean merging with Annie’s Bookshop for a while and forged a plan for Sheryl and Kristin to stop by over the weekend, without Annie being informed of their potential interest. Simply to look at the place with a different mindset, to walk in and imagine if it was possible.
“I take it you’re enjoying working at the Pink Bean?” Sheryl, the more overtly inquisitive of the couple, asked. She had a very different way of asking questions than Kristin. More direct and, somehow, more probing. More demanding of a direct answer.