Mindy Taft stood beside her daughter, with Melody on the other side. The three of them were quiet for a moment before Kelly proudly said, “It’s time to open.” Much to her surprise, when she unlocked and pushed the door open, there was a line. She greeted each person with a smile, a handshake when they offered one, and thanked every single one of them for coming. She wanted to give everyone a hug but didn’t want to send the wrong message. She was grateful. Not only for the support the community was showing her but for the long line that stretched to the end of the block. Of course, being the only full-fledged coffee shop in town helped. Sure, the local diner had regular coffee, but Kelly was taking the town’s caffeine jolt to another level.
While Mindy, Melody, Chad and Kelly’s dad Norman worked the counter, Kelly stayed on the floor, engaging in early morning conversation. The rumor mill was hard at work, and while people asked what Kelly had been up to, she kept her answers vague. Her life was private, and she wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. In hindsight, it’d be about two or three weeks before someone figured everything out, in which, Kelly would brush it off as if her being home with her daughter was no big deal because that was how she’s going to treat it.
With the mad onslaught of people winding down, Chad and Norman excused themselves and headed to their respective jobs, leaving the women to clean up and re-organize before the lunch rush. The three of them sat at one of the wire tables, sipping on their preferred beverages. Kelly with her sweet tea, something she couldn’t get up north, Mindy with her coffee, and Melody with an iced mocha.
“I don’t think we could’ve handled that any better,” Mindy said in between sips.
“I agree. Have you thought about adding a lunch menu?” Mel wanted to know.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “We just opened, and there’s barely any pastries left. How can I manage a lunch menu with no staff?” As much as she wanted them to stay and help, her mom and best friend would have to go back to their jobs, leaving her to manage her business on her own, which is the way it should be.
“Did you place an ad in the paper?” her mom asked.
“No, it seems like a waste of money. Word of mouth is free. I’ll tell one of the chatty Cathy’s from the Women’s Guild. They’ll spread the word like wildfire.”
Mindy set her hand on top of her daughter’s and gave her a soft smile. “Buying and reopening the Java Hut was a good idea, a great investment. Your dad and I are so proud of you.”
“And,” Melody injected. “Chad and I are as well, and we’re here, for whatever you need.”
“I know and thank you both. I don’t know how I would’ve done any of this without your help.” Kelly looked around her small little store and felt a sense of pride. Days of hard work, broken fingernails, paint in her hair and pounds of flour spilt onto the floor was going to be worth it.
After the women left, Kelly started researching basic sandwich making, along with the wholesale cost of meats, bread, cheeses and all the necessary vegetables and condiments needed. She also looked at the price of installing a proper counter in order to serve more food. It’s something she could do, if she had help.
And she needed help. There were going to be times when Kori would be sick or had an appointment. She couldn’t very well expect her mother to drop everything to take care of her daughter. More help meant longer hours. A full day meant more profit especially during the summer.
She picked up the phone and called Chad. Being one of the accountants in town, she hired him to maintain her books, to make sure she was making money instead of throwing it away. He was also handling the money from her settlement so she wouldn’t spend it on frivolous items like the three-hundred-dollar ballet flats she had grown accustomed to or running up a tab at Barney’s. No, those days were long over, and it was time to live within her means.
“Chad Hudson,” he answered.
“Chad, it’s Kelly.” She sighed. “I have a question.”
“If it has to do with money, expense and profit, I’m your guy.”
That made her smile. She could trust him. “This morning went really well, and Mel wondered about a lunch counter. I looked at some preliminary costs and wondered what you thought. Would it be feasible?” she gave him the rough start-up numbers and waited. She could hear Chad’s fingers pounding on his calculator and what she thought was his pen writing.
“Do you still plan to hire?”
“Yes, a couple of part-time people. No one full-time because I can’t offer benefits. I thought someone in the morning and then again in the afternoon.”
Again, there was the clicking sound of his fingers pushing the buttons of his adding machine, and the telltale sign of the machine printing on the paper. “It’s feasible, and likely very profitable especially until about October. Once the tourist season stops, I’d suggest cutting back to one person. Maybe even hire a college student who is home for the summer, this way, you’re not forced to fire someone.”
“So, hire someone permanent and one seasonal?”
“Two seasonal, if you don’t plan to work there.”
“I’m going to work.” She would because it saved money, although having a day off would be nice. It’d give her a chance to explore with Kori, to teach her how to surf and snorkel, and to spend some quality time together whether on the beach, at the library or cuddled up on their couch watching a marathon of movies. “Okay, so maybe two seasonal and one permanent.”
“You can do this, Kelly. I’ll start asking any of the staff if their kids are coming home this summer, get the word out.”
Kelly smiled as she closed her eyes. This was going to work. “Thank you, Chad.” She hung up and gave herself a high-five.
4
Danny
Rambo shook his Shepherd’s fur back and forth, spraying Danny with droplets of water. He wouldn’t care, if he hadn’t already taken off
his wet suit, but his dog had a knack for having the worst timing ever. And if he wasn’t mistaken, Rambo smiled. “Thanks, bud.” He reached into the back of his van for the towel he threw in there this morning and wiped away the water. He was pleased that he’d been able to actually get to the waves after yesterday’s fiasco. “What do you say, think we should head over and support the new owner of the Java Hut?” Rambo looked at his owner and wagged his tail. That was enough for Danny.