Page 11 of It's a Brewtiful Day
The coffee queue had wound down, but the place was still busy, and every table was full. Sadly, it was time for me to head to work, so I gathered my things. Balancing the newly created gift for Elliot in one hand, I walked to the side of the counter with my empty plate and mug in the other, setting them into the bus tray. Most customers left their dishes on the table, but I preferred to ease the barista’s clean up.
Elliot came over. “How was your coffee?”
“Perfect, thank you.”
“And the donut?”
“Filling. I’m going to have to do loops around the town to burn it off.” A shy smile spread from cheek to cheek as I rocked on my feet while the sweet sugar surge built.
He locked his gaze onto mine. “Or around Pyramid Island.”
Pyramid Lake was a beautiful, glacier-fed lake just outside of the town of Jasper’s boundaries. The water was crystal clear and made for the most stunning pictures with the mountain range in the background. To get to the island area on foot, it was an easy walk from the nearby parking lot over packed trails and across a wooden bridge. When I was stressed or needed a whisper of time to think and breathe a little deeper, I’d sit on the bench and stare at the water until the calm washed back in. In thatspot, it didn’t take long.
My body melted slightly at the thought of Elliot being there at the same time. “One of my favourite spots to visit, but it’s a smidge too far to walk to.”
“From here, sure, but we can drive.” The words hung there for a moment. A sweet moment to which I craved a longer response. What was he thinking? Was he subtly asking? Or was I reading way too much into things?
Nina walked by. “Hey, Sage, before you go, I need to talk to you real briefly about a joint project between us and Pages & Dreams. Oh, Elliot, Molly’s on a break so keep your eye on the door please.”
I nodded at Nina and thrust my paper craft at Elliot. “This is for you, as a thank you for the coffee and treat.”
“Thank you.” His head tipped and his beautiful mossy-green eyes narrowed a touch. “It’s very unique.” Leaning closer, he lowered his voice. “What is it?”
The deep baritone sound sent a flurry of butterflies launching around my gut at warp speed. Taking a full inhale, I breathed out with a grand smile. “It’s a book tree, silly.”
“A book tree silly,” he repeated with a grin. “Thank you.”
The door opened and a big man, perhaps a biker since he was decked out in full leathers, stood at the doorway for a half second.
Elliot quickly tossed a look at the customer. “I need to go.”
“You do.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“Of course.” I stepped away, silently cursing and begrudging the customer sauntering up the counter for taking away my favourite barista. “Oh, wait, I don’t work tomorrow. But Friday?”
“Friday it will be.” Elliot turned to the customer. “Welcome to the Coffee Loft, it’s a brewtiful day. What can I get started for you?” He sent a charming wink in my direction and dagnabbit, my heart did that weird fluttery thing again. Perhaps it was time to book an appointment with the doctor.
I was headed toward the door when Nina called out my name. Right, I’d forgotten she wanted to see me.
“Hey. I was talking with Harvey, and he thinks it would be a great idea to have a few of the older, less popular titles from Pages & Dreams stocked here. More of the coffee table type of books. I was thinking of making our own take-one-leave-one shelf, like the Little Free Library up on Elm, but tucked away in the coffee shop as a perfect blend between books and caffeine.”
“I’m listening.” Anything to get books into readers’ hands.
“I don’t have a huge shelf, it’s only about yea high…” Her hand leveled out at hip height. “But I was thinking maybe here.” She waved her hand through the air and directed me over toward the door. “What do you think?”
I studied the space. It was okay, but wouldn’t be easily accessible to everyone, especially if someone was sitting at the bar table beside the area. “Does this spot get a lot of use?”
She looked around and nodded. “Yeah, I see what you’re getting at. Where do you think would be a good space? I have the bookshelf in the back. I just finished painting it in an espresso finish. Did you want to see?”
There wasn’t a lot of time for me to play interior decorator, so I shook my head. “If it’s standard size, I’d say maybe against that wall, leading toward the bathroom? It’s out of the way, isn’t blocked by any table, and when customers are ordering, they can see it beside the pickup station.” I shrugged. “You want everyone to have easy access to it.”
“Good point.”
“Or…” I turned to my favourite area. “You could put it over there by the wingbacks. Just move them back a touch and set it between the chair and that bar table. I’m sure those that will be sitting there will be more relaxed, and those chairs are perfect reading chairs.”
“Oh, that’s a perfect spot.” Tapping her finger against her dimpled cheek, she whispered under her breath. “I’d just need to move the fake tree, maybe over by the hall to the bathrooms, ormaybe…” She patted me on the shoulder. “Sage, that’s perfect. Let’s put it there.”