Chapter 31

GEORGE

“George?” I finished pouring milk into a takeout cup and looked up to find Mom grimacing. “I accidentally typed in the wrong numbers and charged Mrs. Seabourne four hundred dollars for her cappuccino instead of four dollars. Can you fix it?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. As much as I appreciated Mom helping out while my staff were away, day one of working together was off to a shaky start. A tray of cookies had already been dropped on the ground when Mom was placing them in the display case, and two people had received the wrong orders.

“No problem. I’ll put through a refund. Do you mind taking the eggs and bacon over to Mr. Goldsworthy in the corner?” I tilted my head in the direction of Rory Goldsworthy, pushing down my guilt at asking Mom to interact with one of my most difficult customers.

I processed the refund for Mrs. Seabourne and made her coffee, keeping an eye on Mom and Rory in case I had to intervene. To my surprise, they seemed to be chatting. I blinked. And laughing?

After handing Mrs. Seabourne her takeout cup, I ignored the tables that needed clearing and checked my phone instead. I’d spoken to Hannah last night, and while she’d sounded a little more upbeat after the meeting with her editor, I was worried about her. She had meetings with her agent and publicist today, so I was keeping an eye on my phone in case she called. At least, if all went to plan, she thought she’d be back in Sapphire Springs tomorrow. My chest lightened at the thought. I couldn’t wait to see her.

Mom’s comments about Hannah being famous and drawing similarities between her and Alexis had tugged at me uncomfortably while we’d made the cake last night. The media attention Hannah was getting as a result of her real name being made public and her absence was dredging up some unwelcome memories of Alexis.

At least speaking to Hannah before I went to sleep had eased my worries. While Hannah had understandably been preoccupied with the major events that were going on in her life, she was still…Hannah. She’d still asked me to say hi to Mom, and pass on her apologies again, and to give Max a head rub for her, as well as asked how my day was. Needless to say, I hadn’t told her how hectic things were with both her and Ben away and how Mom was stepping in to help out. I didn’t want to add to her stress. When we’d said goodnight, her voice had hitched as she said she missed me and couldn’t wait to come back home to Sapphire Springs.

“George, did you want to take your break now? It’s quiet, so I should be fine on my own. You need to eat to keep your energy up,” Mom said, reappearing next to me.

I surveyed the café. Everything seemed under control. The lunch rush would start soon, and if I didn’t eat now, then I likely wouldn’t get a chance until after 2 p.m.

“Okay, I’ll have a quick bite, and then we can swap. But if you need help with anything, just let me know, and if anyone needs an espresso, I’ll jump up and make it.”

I grabbed a pre-made BLT bagel and took a seat at a table facing the counter so I could keep an eye on things. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Mom, but getting up to speed at the café was a steep learning curve, and I didn’t want her to get too far outside her comfort zone without me being there to help.

Almost as soon as I’d taken the first bite of my bagel, Rory approached the counter, holding some books. He put them in front of Mom and started talking. My eyes narrowed. I should have sat closer to the counter so I could hear what they were saying. Oh no, he’s not… I suddenly recognized those books. They were the same ones he’d tried to return a few weeks ago. My jaw clenched. He must have waited until I was away from the counter to try to take advantage of Mom. I pushed back my chair, about to stand, when Mom firmly slid the books back to Rory, speaking to him with a stern expression on her face. Rory frowned and reluctantly picked up the pile of paperbacks. But instead of stomping off in disgust, he leaned in, a smile on his face, and started talking to Mom. To my relief, after a few minutes, he paid for his meal and left without making a scene threatening legal action like last time.

Despite my concerns, Mom managed fine while I wolfed down my lunch. At one point, she got a little distracted, chatting to the book club, a group of five ladies in their sixties who met at Novel Gossip once a week, and didn’t notice a customer was waiting to order until they rang the bell on the countertop, but other than that, it was completely uneventful.

Once I’d finished eating, I went back behind the counter and took advantage of the café being quiet to make us both coffees.

Mom leaned on the counter, dusting some cocoa powder off her shirt, while I frothed the milk. “You know what? I’m really enjoying this, George. It’s so nice chatting with people and bringing them delicious food. The book club even invited me to their meet-ups whenever I’m in town. Maybe I should look into getting a part-time job at a café when I get home. It’s not like I need the money, but it would be a nice way to connect with more people and add some structure to my day.”

I laughed. “Why not?” I bit back saying that was exactly what Hannah did, in case it gave Mom additional reason to think that Hannah wasn’t as committed to me and my career as Mom thought she should be. “I saw you had a run-in with Rory. I hope he wasn’t too much of a pain.” I poured the milk into our coffee mugs, handed Mom one, and took a large gulp of mine.

“Oh no. He asked me out on a date,” Mom replied casually.

I almost spat out my coffee. “He…what? Did you say yes?” An image of Rory as my stepfather sent chills shooting down my spine.

“God no,” Mom laughed, shaking her head. “He seems like a real curmudgeon. But it’s nice to know I’ve still got it.”

I burst out laughing, immediately wishing Hannah was here so I could share the latest update on our most difficult customer with her.