Emma slid a cup of coffee across the counter as she tried, and failed, not to think about today’s date. Doomsday.
“You okay?” her customer asked.
Emma blinked out of her zombie state and realized that it was Sophie Daniels, one of the regulars who stopped in the Sweetwater Café almost daily. “Yes, why?”
“Well, the first tip-off that you aren’t okay was that you asked me what I wanted. You never ask. You always know.” Sophie lifted a pale brow and then looked down at her drink. “And this isn’t what I asked for.”
Emma’s gaze dropped to the caramel-colored cappuccino with a frothy top. “It isn’t?”
Sophie gave her a worried look. “But maybe it’s time for me to try something new.” She started to pull out her debit card.
“I’m so sorry, Sophie.” Emma held up a hand. “Your drink is on the house. And if you want something else, I’ll make that too.”
Sophie shook her head and took a sip as if to prove that she was completely satisfied. “Mmm.”
“I’m just not fully awake,” Emma explained. “I haven’t had my own coffee yet this morning.”
“Well, if that’s the problem,” Sophie said, “you deserve a break and a coffee of your own. Maybe one of those delicious pastries in that glass case too.”
A break when she’d only just opened? Emma guessed that was her prerogative as the café’s owner, but being the boss also meant she was responsible for every little thing that went on here, right and wrong.
Emma forced a smile as Sophie took another sip, obviously for show. “It really is good to switch things up every now and then. Maybe this will be my new drink of choice. See you tomorrow, Em,” she said with a wave.
“Have a great day.” Emma’s smile fell flat as soon as Sophie’s back was turned.
I should’ve stayed in bed.
She turned to call out to Nina as she put her belongings away in the back room. Nina was the only full-time employee here. The café also had two evening and weekend employees, one of whom called in sick as often as she came in. “Hey, Nina, do you mind covering the counter for me?”
“Not at all.” Nina grabbed an apron and pulled it over her head of thick, black hair. At the café, she always wore it neatly pulled back. It was long and silky, and on their far-too-infrequent girls’ nights out when Nina wore it down, she looked like she belonged on a Pantene commercial. All the guys wanted to buy her drinks, and all the women wanted to know her beauty secrets.
No beauty secret could save Emma this morning. She probably looked as bad as she felt. Emma was committed to always greeting her customers at the Sweetwater Café with a smile as potent as her coffee but today her smile felt like a weak decaf.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Emma said as Nina stepped behind the front counter.
“Says the woman who gave me a job and my first paycheck up front to keep a roof over my head.”
Emma smiled. “Everyone needs a little help now and then.” And right now, Emma was the one in need. She yawned as she prepared a cup of fresh coffee for herself and then retreated to a table in the back.
As she took a sip of the French specialty brew, she closed her eyes momentarily. It seemed like she’d had them closed for just a second before Nina tapped her shoulder.
“Are you asleep?”
Emma snapped awake. “No…Yes. Maybe.” She looked at the clock and realized that the morning “rush hour” had passed. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Nina frowned. “That bad review on the A-List site still bothering you?” she asked with a nod as if Emma had already confirmed her suspicion.
The A-List was a popular Sweetwater Springs website, intended to guide and direct tourists to the local hot spots. Emma had discovered a one-star review for the Sweetwater Café yesterday, but that wasn’t what had kept her up half the night. Since she wasn’t telling people today was her birthday though, it was as good an excuse as any. “I guess that’s why.”
Nina’s lips contorted into a perfect pout. “Everyone gets bad reviews, Em.”
This wasn’t the first bad review the café had gotten, but Emma took every criticism seriously. Yesterday’s review had complained of a lack of seating in the café. Well, that was only because the SC was a popular place to get a cup of coffee. It was a good thing, not a reason to