Author's Note: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Gold Dust Woman, just on a short hiatus with that one as I have started another story (not a sequel) in the process so there's something to keep you going. Please review if you have a chance, and I thank you for reading! Please enjoy
Chapter One
MAURA
Once I have completed a thorough second round of sanitizing my prep station, I can begin chopping up the fix-ins for the six selections of omelets we have on the menu. As soon as I finish those, I pull out the prepped dough for the freshly baked bread I make every morning to survive the whole day. Then I begin filling coffee beans into the appropriate grinders along the wall and give another wipe down to the espresso machines. My thoughts trap me with thinking about how business has slowed considerably over the past year.
People just seem too busy in their lives. We used to have a line out the door at the breakfast rush. Now they just come in small handfuls. After opening this store myself just four years prior, Monday Morning has become such a big part of my heart. I created this place. It is my hard work, my baby. I am here at 4am each morning prepping for the day and I don't leave until well after seven o'clock in the evening, despite the fact that our hours are 6am to 3pm.
Part of my morning rituals in the kitchen involve classical music in the background. A focusing habit I picked up when attending Harvard Medical School. I usually turn it off as soon as my two staff arrive, but today the younger of the two caught me in action. I spun on my heel to face her.
"Kailin, you're early." I state with that lingering hint of embarrassment before running to turn off the loud Clair de Lune from the portable speaker.
"Yeah… and you're totally rocking out… Is that Debussy?" Her voice slowed inquisitively while I turned back to face her.
I address the young woman who had been wise beyond her years in a lot of ways. Though, that's not why I hired her. I just had an immediate liking to her, and as weird as it was while I still processed this, but I felt like I wanted to protect her. From what, I don't know. From whom, I have not the faintest clue. So I hired the eager eighteen year old one week after opening. She told me I obviously needed someone in there right away. She was snippy, a little rude, and brilliant. I hired her on the spot. She had just finished high school at that point, a short four years ago.
"Yes. Yes it is."
"What has you spazzing out now, Maura?" She waved her hands around me to ward of the bad vibes.
"Nothing."
With a huff she left to put her belongings in the closet in the back. "You know I will find some way to get it out of you. May as well just spill it now."
I went back to the bread prep and dusted some crumbs off the counter. "Just… some financial issues that have come up concerning Monday Morning and it's nothing that I can't handle." I hardly believed myself. With a sigh, I added, "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
When my other employee who had been here for three years, a woman Kailin still refers to as The Newbie, walked in with a chime to the front door I quickly looked to the young woman's direction with a hush to my lips that she need not say anything at all and to keep this between the two of them for now.
"Nina! Good Morning," I patted her shoulder as we passed each other.
"Morning Maura." She smiled a pleasant and welcome greeting. "Hope you had a nice weekend!"
"I did, Nina thank you." I brought my attention to both of them and got back to business as we prepared for the day.
Finally it's after seven o'clock in the evening and I am done cleaning and preparing dough for the next morning's bread, ready to go home and take a bath. Despite the many assumptions people may make of where I live, I have to remind myself that I made the decision out of necessity as there was nothing else at the time. Now I have grown comfortable.
Right before I opened up this little twelve item menu restaurant, my mother had passed away leaving me all of her mis-earned money and condo on Franklin Street in the financial district. It was much too big for me and there were two other bedrooms and bathrooms that I had never even used. In the wake of her death, I was really in a bad place. Had just ended things in my longest standing relationship and was in the middle of trying to figure out my next step. I had completed my degree in the Harvard Medical program with no intent on becoming a doctor, just doing it to get both of my adoptive parent's off my back. For far too many years, I was their show pony. They had never once offered their unconditional love in my direction, they were just two driving forces who turned me into their little robot child to shape and mold me however they please.
My father passed away several years before my mother. He had spent his life as a stock broker who quickly made a name for himself. My mother was a leading art dealer who was known to get her hands on prized pieces no one had been able to touch. They had this incredible condo downtown with just the most breathtaking views that I always loved. That's the only thing I thought to keep when my mother passed. The condo is paid off and all utilities come directly out of an account created by their finical advising team that automatically pays so I would never need to worry. The money they left over to me went donated in their names to five different charities.
I had even purchased my storefront by myself. I had never really needed their support, and this was my chance to prove it to them, and myself. I worked as a tour guide part time all over the city and offered my extensive knowledge to tourists, students, and a surprising amount of locals who knew nothing about the city in which they were born. Though the hours really got to me, I did enjoy the tours. Once they realized how far my knowledge extended, I was soon offered any tour I wanted to lead. I made a relatively sound living off of that until on a whim and with a passion for making breakfast, Monday Morning happened.
JANE
I am surrounded by idiots, I think to myself as I pace in front of the floor to ceiling windows looking out sixty stories down on Washington St. The fluorescent lighting in this board room was doing nothing to appease the throb in my head. While the grown men bickered back and forth becoming louder by the minute, I found myself back at the head of the table with a fist as my gavel.
"Gentleman," I stood back up to present my tall status, "l understand that social media is a nasty one night stand that can ruin you completely. That's why we have let those two millennials go and replaced them with two more. Bill, Ted, how you two hanging in so far?" Before they had a chance to answer I continued on, not phased by their presence one bit. "Fantastic. I would like to have a competition of sorts. You can all break up into teams or go solo, I could care less, and find a small business, keep it local, all American Boston-Like. Got it?"
I watched the slightest bit of nodding around the room. "Wonderful. I want something by the end of the week and you will present it to me." I let a bout of silence waft through the air as I looked to each of them individually. Frankie, one of my younger brothers, was the only one to look determined. Barry and Vince would likely get bored with this task. And the two young additions would probably choose something of their liking, not something that would be beneficial to the company. Can't blame them too much – I was just like them at one point. Just with less electronics and real words.
I had created Rizzoli Properties when I was still in college while working the rental market for students and first time movers and my passion for real estate only launched from there. I went from working out of my parent's basement to my very own high rise and the journey was nowhere near complete. In light of some not so great press we received, I knew we needed to ramp up the nurturing side of this company and invest in smaller, local businesses to improve our sensitive image.
MAURA
Most of the time, it feels as if no time has passed since I was last here doing prep work, but today seemed different in a way. I hadn't slept well at all what with the crunching of numbers all last night and trying to figure things out. I had run myself ragged. And it hadn't gone unnoticed like I had thought it would.
"You look like shit, Maura. Did you not sleep at all? And how come there is no music playing?" Kailin bombarded the kitchen with her loud presence and I tore my focus from the chopping board in front of me. When I didn't answer immediately, she came right up next to me. "You would tell me if I need to worry, right?"
I smiled a reassuring smile, "No, I don't think I would." The small smile caused a crack to my stoicism and I loosed up.
"That's more like it." She left to put her things away with an extra pep to her step as Nina stepped through the kitchen to clock in for the day.
"Morning ladies."
"Good Morning, Nina." Kailin and I chimed in at the same time.
I tightened my apron and stood up a bit straighter to help me get through the day.
As soon as ten thirty rolled around, there was usually a half hour lull where we re-stocked everything to get ready for the brunch and lunch crowd. I turned away from the front of store as a customer entered. Giving a look over my shoulder, I smiled at the man and motioned for Nina behind the counter.
"Nina, will you help this gentleman while I begin brewing some more coffee?"
Her chocolate colored skin gave a noticeable blush. This man had been in three to four times a week for the past few months to flirt with Nina. He seemed nice enough. Always in an expensive suit and freshly cut hair. He had a young face with kind eyes. He may look like wall street, but the way he carried himself said boy next door.
"Well good morning Frankie, and how you are this morning."
"Even better now, Nina."
"Glad to hear it. Now could I interest you in some fresh from the oven blueberry and lemon zest scones?"
I listened to their banter only for so much longer before Kailin caught my attention back in the kitchen. While Nina had been distracted, she thought this would be the best time to grill me about having any ideas on how to fix the financial turmoil of this place. I knew I had been getting rather loud and defensive when I saw the male customer and my other employee shoot daggers back at me.
I gave apologetic eyes as I watched the man reach to the inside pocket on his Armani suit. He extracted a business card and slid it on the counter in my direction. I placed an index finger on the card and slid it right back.
He cleared his throat with a gentle understanding. "It may not be my place, ma'am, but my firm is seeking to invest in small local businesses. I think yours may be good fit, your location is excellent, and if you're willing I'd like to present this to the owner…" His eyes sparkled at Nina. "Who also happens to be my sister."
I interrupted their puppy dog eyes to each other. "Not interested."
His body took a pleading stance. "I would ask that you reconsider. Look, I just found this place a few months ago and it's literally on my way to work every day. The coffee is the best around, and given I have never sat here to enjoy an omelet or any of your egg dishes, the pastries are incredible. And I know those have got to be made in house."
He could tell I was beginning to take his words into consideration. "We are deciding at the end of the week."
A small nod was all it took before he gleefully left, not without a wink in Nina's direction and a promise to see her soon.
