Chapter Five

TESSA

Coffee Has A Hell Of A Markup

The low beeping of the alarm bounced against the walls of the Pen & Prose. I moved to the panel located near the front door and punched in the code. I waited a beat, looking at the lit-up numbers. Maybe I should have an alarm installed at the house.

I shook off the ridiculous idea. This was small-town Tennessee, where the most dramatic thing that happened was when someone had one too many at the Pool and Brew. Hardly anyone locked their doors. The more I thought about it, the more I believed the break-in was a prank done by teenagers, who had way too much time on their hands.

I headed back to the office, turning on lights as I walked past velvet-covered love seats and thick upholstered high-back chairs. My mother had a knack for interior design, and this store was proof of that talent. Torran often said the space felt like an old English study with its dark paneled walls and warm furnishings in shades of scarlet red and thunderstorm gray. The solid dark walnut shelves always polished and dust-free. Mom even set up the register in the center of the room, so it was easy to find, and highlighted a row of displays that featured the new hardcover fiction releases.

This place felt as much like home as my own little bungalow did. A creeping ache filled my throat as I paced around the store and headed back to the non-fiction section. I let my gaze wander along the exposed brick walls, considering how I’d move the shelves, possibly use the space for a coffee bar.

A quick thought doused the idea. Would having coffee here hurt Barb and Susan’s business over at Sugar Rush? Competing with them in any way sent my stomach into a swirl. I’d already lost enough money to the chain stores and online retailers. The idea that I could take anything away from them made me doubt this plan again.

After dropping my bag and keys in the office, I went to the safe and pulled out the cash for the register and returned to the front of the store. When I reached the counter, the bell over the door jingled. I expected Penny’s round, freckled face, but the sound of firm footsteps made my pulse speed up. I’d have known the cadence of that stride anywhere.

‘Hi, Dad,’ I said before he could round the corner.

When he stepped into view, I braced myself. The corners of his eyes pinched. His mouth sat in an unpleasant line. He didn’t have to say a word. It was clear he already knew about the break-in.

‘Tessa.’ His shoulders went tight around his ears, but he waited a beat like he was talking himself out of whatever churlish response was forming in his head. That talk he and Torran had a while ago about easing up on his ‘Mr Mayor’ attitude was taking root nicely. ‘How are you?’ His voice hung heavy with worry, and it knocked me back a bit. He had enough happening in his life with trying to run the bank and the town.

‘By the grim look on your face, I’d say you know about last night.’

He slid his hands over the polished wood on the counter. ‘I may have heard something about it at town hall this morning.’

‘Deputy Ben,’ I cursed under my breath.

‘No. It was actually Stina, last night’s dispatcher. She came in to bring Isabel coffee this morning. She thought I already knew. That my daughter would have called and told me.’

There was the ‘mayor’ voice.

‘Don’t freak out. It was kids playing a Halloween prank. That’s all.’

‘I know it’s kids being dumb. Remember when you and Torran were in high school, and those football boys terrified all the old ladies in town by planting scarecrows in their front yards? Heard about that nonsense for weeks.’

I bit my tongue, not wanting to remind him that even though he didn’t play football, Billy was a part of that stupid stunt.

‘Is it true they broke out a pane in your back door?’

‘It’s fine. When I left the house this morning with the girls, Manny was already there measuring for a new piece of glass.’

‘Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put one of those camera doorbells up at your house. Here too for safety purposes. Maybe Manny could help with that.’

His gaze lingered too long. Like Torran, he’d made more than one comment about Manny’s crush, but I ignored it. I was concerned with exactly three things in my life right now: my home, my business and my girls. There wasn’t room in my life for anything else.

‘About him,’ I started, and his eyes lit up.

Yep. He was definitely Team Manny.

‘Last night after we left the festival, we started talking about new sources of revenue for this place. I mentioned that if we built a coffee bar, it’d bring in more money.’

‘A coffee bar?’ He arched a brow. ‘I think it would be simpler to start with cutting staff. Lowering your inventory numbers.’

‘This is a book store, Dad. Not buying inventory only means people will come in, not find what they want, and turn around and purchase from online retailers. Or, they’ll drive to Nashville and buy from a big box store. The key is to get them in the door and keep them here.’

He ran a hand over his perfectly combed silver-white hair and started to pace. I was sure if I cracked his head open I’d witness his brain smoking from all the overthinking he was doing.

‘How would you pay for it?’

This was the part I did not want to broach with him. I’d been up most of the night thinking about it. After Deputy Ben left, along with Torran and Beck, Manny boarded up the hole in the window. A hesitant look, like he wanted to stay, keep us protected, crossed his face, but I pushed him out the door, insisting he take Lou home.

In the late-night hours, I went through my business finances. Pulled out the paperwork on my mortgage. After my mother passed, she’d not only willed me the store but given me a small chunk of money that had been an inheritance from her own parents. With Dad’s blessing, I’d used that money to pay off the mortgage on my little bungalow.

‘I was thinking I could use the house as collateral for a small business loan.’

His pacing in front of the register grew more frantic. ‘I guess that could work, but have you done any research? There are permits required, and you’d have to work with the state on getting a food service license.’

‘Yes, I already started looking into it.’ I moved around the register and walked right into his path. ‘This makes sense. I can operate on a tight budget, and after reading a few things online last night, I learned the markup on coffee is eighty percent. That’s thirty percent higher than the markup for books.’

‘And the construction? It would slow down business here even more. Are you sure that’s what you want?’

‘Manny offered to do the work at night and on weekends when he’s not at the old Thomas Place.’

‘And my guess is your sister would pitch in too.’

‘Not sure I could keep her away,’ I admitted.

His grimace morphed into a faint smile. ‘You’re right about that.’

‘There is one issue I’m worried about though.’

‘Just one?’

I expected his mood to turn sour again, but there was a hint of teasing in his voice. Yeah, the changes in him were still a bit shocking.

‘Barb and Susan. Do you think they’ll be upset about me having a coffee bar?’

He tapped a finger against his sharp chin. ‘They’re only open until two in the afternoon. And I imagine you wouldn’t start serving coffee until late morning, which would mean you’re not taking away their breakfast business.’ He hesitated. ‘But, as a good neighbor and business owner, I suggest you talk to them before you make any firm plans.’

I bounced on my toes, not expecting this kind of response from him. ‘So, you think it’s a good idea?’

‘Let’s run some numbers and see how things look,’ he said in a cautious tone.

‘That’s not a no,’ I said with a little too much hope in my voice. ‘But I insist you treat me like other customers. Put me through the regular loan application process.’

‘Tessa,’ he sighed. ‘Let me give you the money. Consider it an investment.’

‘No. I need to do this the professional way as a small-business owner. And if you won’t consider that, I can talk to some banks in Nashville.’

‘All right.’ He heaved out a weighted breath. ‘I can never win an argument with you girls anymore.’

The bell over the door jingled again. Manny walked into view with Penny on his heels. Her eyes narrowed at the way his butt filled out his cargo work pants.

I pressed my hand to my mouth, shook my head. She wasn’t the only one stunned by the sight.

‘Manny, glad you were there with Tessa and the girls last night.’ Dad stepped forward and shook his hand.

‘Of course, sir,’ Manny replied, fully knowing where Penny’s eyes were still focused. He finally looked over his shoulder, and Penny giggled before rushing off to put her purse down in the office.

Manny shot a quick look in my direction. The pinch to his brow said he was curious as to why my father was here so early.

‘Stina, the police dispatcher,’ was all I had to say.

He gave an understanding nod. ‘I already ordered the glass for the back door, sir. It’ll be fixed by the end of the day,’ he said, anticipating Dad’s next question.

Manny’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he ignored it.

‘To be on the safe side, I’ll have Deputy Ben ask around,’ Dad said. ‘See if he can pin down who broke in. At least if we discover the culprits, we can get them to pay for the cost of the glass.’

‘Dad, please let it go. I’m sure you have other “mayoral” things on your plate.’

That grimace flashed at me again. ‘Yes, that’s true. That Lauren woman from the TV network is coming to the office after lunch to talk about closing the streets to shoot some more footage for,’ he turned to Manny, ‘your second season.’

I expected Manny to smile. He and Torran had been talking about plans for the old Thomas Place for a while. Instead, his face went tight, and his phone continued to buzz in his pocket.

‘Do you need to get that?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said too quickly. ‘Did you tell him about the coffee bar?’

‘Yes. We’ve already agreed I’m going to apply for a small loan.’

‘I can do the work with limited funds, sir. It’ll only take a small crew. We’ll get it done quickly.’

‘Don’t you have a lot on your plate right now?’ Dad said. ‘And for heaven’s sake, stop calling me “sir”. You’re making me feel ancient.’

‘I can always make time for Tess, sir.’ Manny paused. ‘What I mean is, it should be an easy build. And the bar will create the influx of cash Tess needs.’ This time, his watch beeped, and again, he ignored it. ‘What spot were you thinking about, Tess?’

‘Over near the non-fiction shelves against the wide brick wall.’

‘Good. I’ll head that way.’ He gave a nod to Dad and strode toward the back of the store.

‘It’s nice you have someone like him on your side.’

‘Goodbye, Dad. I’ll call you later, and we can talk more about the loan.’

‘Tess,’ he started. I waited for him to say something about how I was in over my head on this. How I should make better business decisions. Instead, he said, ‘I’m glad you and the girls are all right. I was worried.’

‘We’re okay. Thanks for coming by.’ I reached out and squeezed his hand. He gave a quick squeeze back and left out the front door.

Penny moved out of the office and headed for the register, getting everything set up for the day. She’d graduated from Lipscomb a little over a year ago and still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She was into reading and had a pretty robust online presence where she talked all things books. I’d have loved to keep her as an employee for as long as possible, but there was a sparkle in her eye that warned she was meant for bigger things than Ivy Falls.

I met Manny at the back of the store. He mumbled under his breath as he took notes on his phone.

‘Thanks for your help with my dad.’

‘He’s a good businessman. Give him time, and he’ll get on board.’

‘I hope you’re right.’

Even though I tried to hide it, he heard the tremor in my voice.

‘Tess, I’ve got your back on this. We can make it work. Once it’s done, it’s going to be perfect.’

I gave him a reluctant smile, and turned my attention to the shelves and displays that would have to be moved.

Another quiet beat passed before he said, ‘Okay, what’s really bugging you?’

I held on to my spiraling thoughts, not wanting to sound defeated or scared. This was my business. I should be confident. Self-assured. But there were still moments when I questioned whether my mother had made the right choice in giving me the store, running something that was precious to both her and the community.

‘Tess, you can tell me anything.’ His intense stare said I didn’t have to hide what I was feeling. That he was always a safe space to land.

‘Do you think people in this town believe I’m weak? That they tell all the details of my life to my father because they feel like I can’t handle my own problems?’

‘No. People don’t see you that way.’ He brushed back a stray hair from my cheek, sending a snapping heat across my skin. ‘They’re like me. They care about you. Want to make sure you’re okay.’

‘I guess you could be right.’

He tipped up my chin. His breath soft on my cheeks. ‘You’ve got this. We’ll do it hand in hand. You won’t be alone.’

We stared at each other for a long beat. The flicker of many things washing across his face. Hope. Encouragement. Desire. I wondered if he could see the same things in my eyes.

His phone buzzed in his pocket again, and he let me go. The heat of him slowly fading in a way that made me ache. He turned away, focusing back on the wall. That faint buzz continued in an annoying rhythm.

‘Why aren’t you answering your texts? Torran will be mad if you keep ignoring her.’

‘They are not texts from your sister,’ he grumbled like a tired old bear.

‘Who are they from?’

‘No one important.’

I didn’t like that he wouldn’t look at me. A sudden thought made my heart skip a beat. Was he dating someone? Torran told me the guys on their crew kept saying he needed to set up a profile on a dating app. I tried not to picture him with other women, but he was an attractive guy, and I was sure he was tired of waiting on me.

‘Manny.’ My voice went thin. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I’ve been meaning to ask you about how to do that Dutch braid. Lou keeps talking to me about it.’ He frantically scratched his hands through his dark hair. ‘I swear I’ve watched those YouTube videos dozens of times and still can’t figure out how they get the hair to look good.’

Another deflection.

I finally reached out and touched his hand. ‘Who are the texts from?’

His shoulders gave just enough for me to know he was carrying so much weight. Guilt clung to me. He was already busy with the new house, and Lou, and here I was asking him for one more thing. Taking up even more of his time.

‘They’re not texts but social media notifications,’ he finally confessed.

His phone buzzed again. Once. Twice. Three times. I hated to admit his answer was a relief.

‘How many are you getting a day?’

‘I’m not sure if there is electric or water behind this wall. I’ll have to look at the original plans to see.’

Did he really think I was going to let this go?

‘Manny.’ I stepped into his space. The delicious scent of him – soap and steel – washed over me. ‘How many notifications?’

He held out his phone like it was a poisonous snake. As soon as I touched it, the screen lit up with over two dozen alerts.

Well, shit.