Page 28 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see you around. And if you ever want to stop by Dragonfly for a drink, it’s okay. You probably won’t even see me. I’ve finally got a full-time bartending staff, so I’m only filling in shifts here and there.”
Lauren couldn’t contain her smile. “I’m so glad. I know that was your goal.”
“Yep.” There was no mistaking the look on Josie’s face as anything but euphoric. “This was my dream, and I’ve finally achieved it. Now I can focus on my kitten rescue…and my wife.”
“Congrats about that, by the way,” Lauren said. “It was Eve who had you all starry-eyed when I worked for you, right? That’s why you wouldn’t tell me her name?”
“It was Eve,” Josie confirmed. “We had to keep things under wraps for a while because of our contract for her show.”
“You hid it well. I had no idea, not until Mia told me you were married. I’m really happy for you both.”
“Thanks.” Josie’s phone rang in her pocket, and she pulled it out. “Speak of the devil, that’s Eve now. Well, I’ll see you around.” With a wave, she connected the call and headed down the sidewalk.
Lauren started speed-walking toward the café, feeling lighter on her feet than she had since…well, probably since she robbed Josie’s bar. She’d never dared to hope for Josie’s forgiveness, and now that she’d received it, she felt like she’d regained a bit of herself that she’d lost that night.
She was panting for breath by the time she yanked open the café’s front door, but the clock on the wall read 1:58, so she wasn’t late. Thank God.
Mia looked up from the drink she was mixing, waving over her shoulder at Lauren.
“Hi,” Lauren said. “Sorry for cutting it so close. I bumped into Josie on my way here.”
“She just left the café,” Mia said.
“Yes, she mentioned that.”
“All good?” Mia raised her eyebrows.
“Yep. She’s been incredibly great about this whole thing.”
Mia nodded. “I’m glad it all worked out.”
“How are you feeling today?” Lauren asked.
“Much better, thanks,” Mia said with a quick smile, returning to the drink she was making.
“I’m glad.” Lauren hurried down the hall to leave her bag in the break room and then went into the cat enclosure, where Wendy was waiting for her. She gave Lauren a quick rundown on the new kittens, who’d been integrated into the room that morning, before heading to her job at the theater, leaving Lauren on her own with the cats.
Two tables near the front were occupied with customers, sipping drinks and sharing conversation as they watched Chaos and Mayhem scamper over the cat tower in the window. A single woman about Mia’s age sat at a table in the corner, working on a laptop.
Lauren went into the alcove in back to check on the cats’ food, water, and litter. She swept the space to clear away crumbs and cat hair, and then she made her way around the room, introducing herself to each group in case they had any questions about the cats.
“Also, please let me know if I can bring you anything from the café,” she said after she’d introduced herself to the woman with the laptop.
“I’ll take another coffee, please.”
“Sure,” Lauren said. “What’s your name?”
“Beth Pfeiffer.”
“Got it, Beth.” Lauren let herself out of the cat enclosure and walked to the counter. Mia kept a tab open for customers while they visited with the cats, and it seemed to be a good idea if yesterday was any indication. Lauren had brought a steady supply of drinks and pastries to customers in the cat enclosure.
“Coffee for Beth Pfeiffer,” she told Mia.
Mia nodded. “I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”
That was different. Lauren had provided all the table service herself yesterday, but maybe this woman was a friend of Mia’s or something. “Sure.”
She went back into the cat enclosure. Chaos darted over to greet her, and she bent to pet him. “How’s your first day in the café going?” she asked. She didn’t really know how to talk to cats, so she just talked to them like they were people, and it seemed to be working.
