payment. Not surprisingly, the customer took her change and put it in her purse rather than the tip jar.
After the microwave beeped, Jasmine collected the muffin, placed it in one of Steamy Beans’ signature containers made from recycled materials, and handed it to the woman. “Here you go. Enjoy.”
The woman looked at Jasmine, opened the container, and stuck her finger into the muffin. Pulling her finger back, she said, “This has been overheated. I want a fresh one.”
The gathering line of customers behind the woman issued a collective groan. Jasmine took the muffin back from the woman when it was shoved at her. For a few seconds, she could only look at her in disbelief.
“I’ll take care of you over here, ma’am.”
Jasmine glanced over as Tobias came out from the kitchen and headed straight to the second register. He winked at her as he passed, telling her that he, too, had overheard the exchange and he wanted to spare Jasmine more stress.
Thank you, she mouthed with her back to the customers. Then she turned back around to greet the next person in line.
Yep. That one definitely went to the top of her list.
She tried to get the negative experience out of her mind as she continued with her shift. It wasn’t like that woman had been the norm. List aside, the truth was the majority of Steamy Beans’ customers were genuinely friendly people. Some of them were generous tippers, and nearly all of them were grateful and had something nice to say.
That didn’t mean Jasmine was any happier about her circumstances. Yes, this job was bringing her closer to her sister, whom she’d probably seen more in the past month than she had the entire year before. She was also getting closer with Danny and Tobias. The two of them had been delighted to welcome her into their little “family” when May approached them about Jasmine living with them for a while. They’d even started spoiling Jasmine’s cat, Dido, who didn’t seem to know what to do with all the attention.
But as she built those relationships, Jasmine’s dancing dreams faded more and more by the day. She hovered on the edge of serious depression.
There was only so much she could do within the confines of her physical therapy. She exercised daily. She practiced positioning. She did the lower-impact dance movements that Everly had approved. As she did them, she told herself she was taking the steps needed to fully recover and get out to auditions.
Then her knee would twinge painfully, telling her she was deluding herself.
The sound of a bell chiming alerted Jasmine that another customer had just walked in. She looked up from where she was clearing a table to issue a greeting and realized she recognized the person.
“Hi,” she said. “It’s Sierra, right? I met you once at Dr. Parker—er, Everly’s house. You were delivering some framed photographs.”
Jasmine remembered the brief encounter because she’d been so awed by the poignant family photos. She had later Googled Sierra Stratton and discovered that she was a talented and successful professional photographer.
“That’s right,” Sierra said, giving Jasmine a cheerful dimpled smile as she raised her sunglasses to the top of her head. “I remember you. The ballerina.”
Being called a ballerina while she stood there holding a coffee tray and wash rag caused Jasmine a different kind of pain. Something about how Sierra’s head tilted in consideration told her she hadn’t hidden it very well.
“Yep,” she said in an overly chipper voice. Her gaze shifted down to Sierra’s swollen belly. “Why don’t you take a seat? I can grab whatever you’d like and bring it to you.”
“That’s really sweet but you don’t have to do that. I’m meeting a couple of friends here and they’re going to want to get something for me so they feel useful. No one warned me that when I got this close to my due date, everyone would be hovering.”
Her light laugh told Jasmine she didn’t really mind.
“Okay, well, just flag me down if you need anything.”
“Why don’t you sit with me for a couple minutes?” Sierra said before Jasmine could turn away.
“What?”
Jasmine barely knew her.
“I love meeting new people and it’s quiet in here right now. Come sit with me.”
Sierra walked—well, waddled—over to one of the tables beside the large glass window at the front of the bar. She eased herself into the cushioned chair and waved Jasmine over. Jasmine looked around the empty dining area and shrugged.