“I doubt it.”
“Not with that kind of attitude. We’ll talk more when I drop Kori off. Go find Danny. Kiss and make up.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know where to find him.”
Melody laughed. “If you think hard enough, you’ll know where to look.”
Kelly hung up and walked back into the café, her mind reeling with questions, but needing to keep her focus on the café. She’d be open for the rest of the afternoon, serving coffee to anyone who needed a pick me up. She stood in the doorway and watched as people strolled up and down the boardwalk by-passing her little shop. Not a single one of them giving her a second glance. It was too warm for hot coffee and right now that’s all she had to offer.
She quickly grabbed her wholesaler catalog again and made a quick list of everything she’d need. She was going to expand her drinks menu immediately. Java Hut would become a hot spot for tourists and residents, even if she went bankrupt doing it.
With her list in hand, she called and placed the order. After, she looked around her work area, wondering where she was going to put the flavoring for the Italian Iced drinks and the blender for her frozen drinks. “You didn’t think that one through very well,” she mused aloud.
“Talking to yourself?”
Kelly looked up at the sound of her dad’s voice. He came around and gave his daughter a hug. “How was opening day?”
“Busy, but since noon it’s been dead in here. I don’t have anything to offer past the breakfast rush. I spoke to Chad earlier about my plans to expand with a lunch menu and I just placed an order for an assortment of drinks, but the space as is doesn’t allow for it.”
Her dad, a jack of all trades and local handyman, pulled out his measuring tape and started mumbling to himself. “How much decaf did you sell today?”
“Maybe a pot, why?”
“Here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s move the decaf to the back, which will open this space here for everything to shift down. You’ll want your cold drinks to be made near the ice machine anyway. Tonight, I’ll build you a cabinet to put at the end there that’ll give you some additional storage, with extra countertop space. Unless you want to close down for six to eight weeks and let me do a full remodel.”
The sound of closing made her heart hurt, but she loved the idea of a full remodel. The café wasn’t functional in its current state, at least not for what she had planned. The space was odd, and a different configuration utilizes the space better. “Closing would be out of the question. I’ll miss the height of tourism season.”
Her father leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’d never let you close right now, but come this winter, I think we should look at it. Until then, let me make sure everything is functional.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
“You’re welcome. Now, how about I run over to Pete’s and pick us up a pizza to share?”
“Sounds good. Better grab some sodas while you’re there, unless you want coffee.”
“Soda and pizza. I’ll be right back.”
Kelly followed her father out, stopped and leaned against the doorjamb. She looked out toward the ocean, she could see people surfing and the parking lot off to the side was full of cars. It’d be only a matter of a few days until the streets became so crowded the locals didn’t dare venture out. Surprisingly, she was looking forward to it. Late spring and summer had always been her favorite time of year in Gray, and now she was in the heart of it all.
6
Danny
Danny walked to his office in a stupor, trying to reason how or why he spent hours sitting in a café letting his coffee grow cold, yet still drinking it, instead of going up to Kelly and speaking to her. For the life of him, he couldn’t come up with a healthy explanation. He could say it was because the girl who he once considered the love of this life was in the same general location as he, a woman he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years but thought of often. She was right there, within arm’s reach, and earshot of hearing him if he were to speak, sweeping the floor and all he could do was glance at her in quick succession.
How had he not heard that Kelly had bought the café or that she was even in town? Not a single word or warning from Chad, who certainly knew, or anyone else in Gray. It would be completely out of character for Kelly to do anything unplanned, unless of course she’s changed. Time does that to people, change them. But that doesn’t negate the fact that her return stayed tightlipped. It’s one thing for someone new to move to town, it takes a while for the wildfire of gossip to spread, but not the reemergence of one of their own. This is front-page news, headline making. Yet, he was the last to know.
He was surprised a parade or party wasn’t planned to welcome her home. Maybe there was and the notice was in his pile of junk mail. Not likely since Martha would’ve told him because the Women’s Guild would definitely have a float made, that was their thing – over the top celebrations. Nope, a parade wasn’t Kelly’s style. She’s the least unassuming person he’d ever known, being one of the attributes that drew him to her. They could hide in the shadows together, yet be a formidable couple when need be.
Danny vaguely remembered the walk from Java Hut to his office and was happily surprised when he looked down to find Rambo sitting by his feet, waiting for his master to open the office door. He turned and looked out to the front of the street, wondering where he left his van, and hoped it’s at the beach. Of course, that’s where it is, becoming annoyed with his state of confusion. He felt around his pocket for his keys but found nothing.
Damn.
He opened the door to office, and welcomed the quietness, which he’d learned to love about having a small-town practice. Busy, he was not, and right now, he needed a moment or two to gather his thoughts to try to remember where it was he left his belongings. Unfortunately, for him, the peacefulness lasted only seconds with Martha’s voice rising to an octave he hadn’t ever heard come from her.
He almost fell to the ground when she tackled him, which was her attempt at a flying hug or some new technique she must’ve learned at her ninja class. He groaned and bent over, trying to catch his breath, which he knew wasn’t how things worked. It seemed that all his doctoring skills were going out of the window, along with his ability to remember where he left his keys.
“Isn’t she beautiful? Did you ask her out?” Martha’s words came at him rapidly. She clapped her hands together, waiting for him to respond.