Chapter Six

T uesday morning, Raine walked along First Avenue with a spring in her step. Not all the tension had seeped away, but enough so her muscles felt looser and more relaxed than they'd been in weeks. Not waking up before the sun helped. She'd had no idea how much she needed a break—if only a few hours off—until now.

Raine couldn't explain the difference, but her senses felt sharper. Heightened. Creativity, something she'd struggled with lately, had woken up. Ideas popped in her head. She wanted to experiment with tea blends and find new ways to use pumpkin spice in coffee drinks.

Even the sun appeared brighter and the sky bluer. Dread no longer gnawed at her gut. Having the feeling disappear gave her hope she would survive until the Boo Bash.

Four weeks to the day.

That wasn't too much to ask.

She had one person to thank for giving her the time to regroup.

Her lazy morning, what she called not having to wake up until seven, was courtesy of Timmy, who deserved another raise for offering to open the shop in case Heather called out. His class didn't start until nine, an hour from now.

Raine inhaled, filling her lungs with the crisp September air. She couldn't wait for the temperatures to cool so she could bring out her comfy, big sweaters and knit caps. She wanted to thrive and enjoy autumn.

Given she hadn't enjoyed winter, spring, or summer, it was time.

"Good morning, Raine," Mr. Jones called from the sidewalk outside his hardware store. He held on to a broom. "It's a beautiful day."

"Yes, it is." A decent night's sleep and a full breakfast with protein—in her case eggs—changed her entire outlook. "Have a good one."

"You, too." He rested against the broom handle. "Hope the Boo Bash planning is coming along."

Reality crashed down on her, like a pallet full of candy dropped onto her head. She nearly stumbled, falling face first on the cement, until she stuck her arms out to catch her balance.

Her pulse sprinted as if running away from a guy in a hockey mask carrying a bloodstained machete.

She took a breath and another.

Her breathing evened out. So did her heart rate.

Raine didn't answer Mr. Jones. She continued to her coffee shop. But now, her shoulders hunched, and her head wanted to hide like a turtle in its shell. Her steps plodded. She opened the door and nearly bumped into Robin Baxter, standing in line.

Seeing so many people waiting at this hour surprised her. Yes, eight o'clock was the height of rush hour, but the line reminded her of the crowds during the summer fair, when people wanted to escape the July heat with cool air and a cold drink in the coffee shop.

Timmy prepared drinks at a speedy pace, but parts of the process couldn't be rushed.

Raine hurried behind the counter. "Where's…"

He motioned to the back. "I'm moving as fast as I can. They all came at once. Sorry."

"You're doing a great job." One person could only do so much, which was why she preferred having two people there if possible. "I'll drop off my stuff, wash my hands, and be right out."

Plus, she wanted to see why Heather wasn't out front. The woman had better have a good reason for taking a break now.

The door to the office was ajar.

Laughter sounded.

Raine went closer to the door, but she didn't open it.

"No, I don't have to get back to work." Heather laughed again. "What's Raine going to do? Fire me?"

Raine couldn't see Heather's face, but she imagined a cackling, evil clown drawing polka dots on the shop apron with a marker.

"She needs me. That's why I can come and go as I please. Work when I want to and blow off shifts when I choose. I've got this position locked down."

Raine's muscles tensed, tightening into small cannon balls she wanted to fire at Heather.

Strike that, she wanted to fire Heather.

"Nope. Raine can't hire anyone else. Each time she makes an appointment to interview someone, I call them back and say position's been filled." Heather snickered. "Like I said. Locked down. Solid. Indispensable."

Raine's blood pressure spiraled into the red zone. So did her temper. Desperation had put her in this place, but she'd never thought Heather would take advantage of Raine this way.

"Now, I need to figure out how to get a raise."

Raine's hands balled. She considered herself a relatively calm person, more go-with-the-flow than in someone's face. But her blood boiled. She was ready to erupt like Mount Saint Helens.

She pushed open the door. "Hang up the phone. Now."

"Gotta go." Heather's words ran together. She disconnected from the call and smiled. The plastic grin would have looked phony on a doll. "Hey. I didn't think you were going to be in until eight."

"It's after eight."

Heather blushed. Not unexpected given the circumstances, but the woman, who was in her mid-twenties, should have known she would get caught eventually.

"Guess I should get out front." Heather took a step toward the door.

Raine blocked her. "You're fired."

Heather's jaw dropped. "Say what?"

"You're fired." Repeating the words didn't lessen the knots in Raine's shoulders. Breathing, however, came easier. "Get your things and clock out. You'll get your final check next Friday."

"B-b-but… I had to take that call. It was important."

"I hope so because it's the last you'll ever take here."

Heather scoffed. "You can't fire me. You can't run this place without me."

"I've been running it without you, and now that I know you're the reason no one's showed up for their interviews, I have a feeling I won't be alone much longer."

As if on cue, crocodile tears shot from Heather's eyes. They streamed down her face in black mascara-tinged streaks. "Please don't fire me. I need this job."

No apology. Just how this affected Heather.

Raine's final breakup with Emmett had been that way, as if she weren't a participant in the conversation—or their relationship. His wants and needs had been the only topic.

Raine raised her chin. "You should have thought about that before you chose to play games. Don't use me as a reference unless you want me to tell them the truth."

She wanted to say more, but she held back. Heather hadn't acted like an adult. Raine wouldn't make the same mistake.

"Get your things, clock out, and leave." Raine kept her voice steady and professional. "If you won't, I'll call the sheriff."

Heather sneered, her face squishing up like a cartoon villain. "You wouldn't."

Raine stared down her nose. She didn't blink. "Try me."

Heather stood there as if considering it. Then, she huffed and went to the employee lockers to remove her jacket and purse.

Raine watched Heather's every move. She'd forgotten something. "Take off your apron."

Heather nearly ripped off the waist ties, pulled the apron's neck strap over her head, wadded the fabric into a ball, and threw it against the floor.

"You can have it." Spit flew out of her mouth. "I wouldn't want the ugly thing anyway."

Heather held on to her things, clocked out, and rushed out of the office.

As Raine put away her purse and tied a clean apron around her waist, she peered out the door.

Heather remained behind the counter. "Raine fired me. Can you believe she fired me?"

"About time." Timmy didn't glance her way. He set a drink on the counter. "Pippa."

The florist, who wore a cheery daisy-print dress, stepped up. "If you'd worked for me, I would have let you go a month ago."

The crowd in line murmured their agreement.

Heather harrumphed on her way out of the shop, nearly ripping the front door off its hinges. As soon as the door closed and the bells stopped ringing, everyone in line applauded.

Raine hadn't been expecting that reaction. She joined Timmy. "Guess I was wrong thinking customer service would suffer without Heather."

"If you weren't here, Heather barely helped." Timmy made a herringbone design in a latte. "You kept saying you needed her, so I figured you saw something in her that I didn't."

Idiot. Keeping Heather had only made things worse. "I should have trusted my gut."

"Next time. She's gone now." Timmy placed the drink on the counter. "Anna."

Anna, the dog groomer who worked for Callie, stepped up and grabbed her drink. "You got rid of a dead weight. Don't think twice about firing her. She deserved it."

With that, Anna left.

Good advice. Raine glanced at the clock. It was later than she thought. "I'll wash my hands so you can get to class. I don't want you to be late."

"Take your time." Timmy worked on the next drink. "I have a few minutes."

Raine returned two minutes later to find Timmy had gotten through more of the line, but a few customers still needed to order. "Thanks for opening today. Now go."

"See you this afternoon, Boss." Timmy went into the back.

Two minutes later, on his way out the front door with his backpack on, he waved.

As soon as things slowed, Raine would call the applicants who she'd thought ghosted her, explain the situation, and ask if they were interested in interviewing. But that still left her with…

Hope the Boo Bash planning is coming along.

Nope. Not thinking about that today. She hadn't even had time to open the bin Margot had dropped off and the first of October was only three days away.

Raine finished the caramel macchiato Timmy had been working on. She placed the cup on the counter. "Lyndsey."

She returned to the cash register.

Robin Baxter stepped forward. Her chin quivered. "H-hello."

Raine had to ask. "You okay?"

"Thought about the job." Robin bit her lip—something Raine had never seen the normally flawlessly put-together woman do. "If you're still hiring, I'm…interested in applying. I'm a quick learner and free to work after I drop off the kids at school until they get out. And I can work other shifts depending on when Nick has Savannah and Nicky."

Raine's gut screamed to hire her on the spot. She wouldn't ignore the instinct this time. "You're hired."

Robin flinched. "Just like that?"

Raine nodded. "If you can stick around, I have paperwork for you to fill out. But it'll be a few minutes until I can get it."

Robin laughed. "I'd rather hang out here than go home and try to keep everything spotless in case a real estate agent has a showing."

Raine fixed a quick coffee with cream and sugar. She handed the cup to Robin. "Have a seat. I'll be with you as soon as I can."

One employee fired, one hired. That helped. Now to find at least two more.

She smiled. "Welcome to Tea Leaves and Coffee Beans. What can I get you?"

Keaton Andrews stood there. His laptop bag hung off his shoulder. "Your smile's a great start."

Her breath caught. She must still be trying to calm down after Heather.

"Hey. I didn't see you come in." Raine had been focused on making sure Heather left. "Sorry for the wait."

"Not a problem. Quite a morning you've had."

"How much did you see?"

"Enough. You okay?" Keaton asked, his tone concerned.

"Yes." But her staffing issues might be behind her. A warm, fuzzy feeling, as if she'd sipped a hot cocoa drizzled with hot fudge sauce and candy cane sprinkles, flowed through her. "An Americano this morning?"

"I want to try another pumpkin spice drink. Something different from the lattes yesterday."

"There's plenty to choose from on the menu."

"Surprise me again."

"Living dangerously?"

"It appears so."

She ran through the pumpkin spice drinks. "I know exactly what you need."

"And so do I." His face reddened. "I mean what you need."

Her heart thudded.

Whoa.

That was a strange reaction. Keaton's words sounded a little flirty. But he wouldn't, would he?

His smile wavered. "I want to offer my services."

The words hung in the air between them.

Raine thought she'd heard him correctly but maybe not. "Your what?"

"My services."

O-kay. Except it wasn't. "You lost me. Not surprising given you're a professor and I'm me, but what services?"

Because after yesterday, she couldn't imagine him working for her as a barista. Strike that. She could imagine it. He couldn't. Wouldn't. Of that, she was one hundred percent certain.

"At dinner with my family the Boo Bash came up," he clarified.

"You mean, the thorn in my side."

"How would you like help pulling out that thorn?"

She was missing something. It wouldn't be the first time given how long she'd missed the signs of Emmett's unhappiness in Silver Falls and with her. "Huh?"

"I want to help you organize the Boo Bash."

The words rushed out as if he were nervous, so much that Boo Bash sounded like one word. The result was adorable.

He adjusted his glasses. "That is, if you want help organizing it."

"Are you kidding? They gave me a bin of stuff, and I haven't opened it. The event is four weeks away, but I have no idea where to start. No time…"

It was her turn for the words to gush out one on top of another. She didn't care. An unlikely hero was stepping in, and she couldn't be more grateful.

"I'd love your help. Like love it so much you're my new best friend, and I want to name a tea blend or coffee drink after you."

He laughed. "There's no need for the latter, but a person can never have too many friends."

She nodded, back and forth as if her head had turned into a rocking chair. "Like I said we have some time…"

"I'm the planning type so what if we get started sooner rather than later?"

Raine needed the help. Somehow, she would have to make time to work on the Boo Bash. "Sure, when?"

"Today."

She swallowed.

He laughed. "Don't look so worried. The Boo Bash doesn't have to be built in a day, but it'll be October soon."

"I didn't realize I looked worried."

"When your eyebrows draw together, little lines form above your nose. That suggests worrying. Or at least contemplation. And not in a positive way."

"No one's mentioned that before." She touched the spot to double-check. "I was worrying."

"Stop. You're no longer on your own."

With each of his words, her stress lessened.

"I'm working here this morning," Keaton continued. "When things slow down, we can discuss the first steps. How does that sound?"

Like she wanted to drop to her knee and propose on the spot.

Okay, not really, they were too different, but a part of her was in shock. The other part would be eternally grateful to him. "Sure. Sounds great. Thanks. Your drinks are on the house."

That was the least she could do.

Reality, however, wouldn't let her enjoy this unexpected windfall.

A little voice inside her kept her suspicions on high alert.

What does a professor know about Halloween? Why would he offer to do that after dissing baristas yesterday?

Unfortunately, another voice answered back.

Margot.

Raine didn't like that.

Not at all.