I'm English, so I hope you forgive me if I've used terms which are a little too English for American characters. Stick with me and follow Bella's adventure where, inevitably, somewhere along the way, she'll meet a certain bronze haired man. It'll all be cannon.
I got exceptionally hungry whilst writing this chapter.
"You know I don't like spontaneity, Alice."
"Bella! When are you going to wake up and smell the coffee, sweetheart?"
I take a deep breath. "I'm smelling it. I'm smelling it right here, Alice."
She gives me one of her evil sidelong glances as she eyes up a guy at the counter.
"Don't play smart arse with me, Bella. You know full well this job makes you miserable as sin."
I sigh and roll my eyes as I get up and swipe my empty coffee mug off the table.
"I might be in a bit of a rut, but it's a damn comfortable rut. My break's over. I'll see you this evening,"
"This argument isn't over Bella!"
"Whatever," I mumble as I tie up my apron. Alice storms out the coffee shop and into the rain. The guy she was eyeing up earlier watches her run past the window, then focuses on stirring his coffee.
Gretta's Tea Cosy is a comfy little coffee shop situated in a little backstreet in downtown New York and resembles the kind of cosiness you expect to find in a little English cottage. With dark oak furnishings and an array of mismatched cushions, rustic sofas and a grand fireplace flanked by magnificent oak beams , Gretta's is a place for those who desire a slice of tranquillity pie to accompany their daily mundane routine.
Bella has been working in Gretta's since her college days, and now at the age of twenty two, she has long since graduated and put her partying days behind her. When old Gretta decided to hang up her apron for good, Bella had been offered a full time position and like any student who still wasn't sure on what to do next, she accepted the job, grateful for the money and the security it would bring.
And here she is slogging away from eight in the morning to six at night Tuesday to Saturday. Days are long and exhausting as heavy streams of customers flow in and out every day. She isn't on her own all the time. Jess, a bubbly girl with a young daughter, and Angela, a shy but bright girl take it in turns to assist Bella over the busy morning and lunchtime shifts.
She looks at the clock. It is nearing 4pm. Only another two hours until she can collapse on the sofa with a cool beer she mentally cheers, before the chime of the door opening brings her back to the present time.
"Billy!" She welcomes him with a warm smile, but he notices her eyes are as lifeless as a brick of coal. "Wait, lemme think! A black filter coffee and one of Gretta's freshly baked rock cakes?"
"You got it, Bella," he says as he wheels himself over to the corner. "Oh, could you also bring over one of your chocolate milkshakes- you know, with the ice-cream and little bits of chocolate brownie blended up with it? My grandson Jake is coming to meet me today."
"Sure, Billy."
Bella gets to work scooping up chocolate ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup and a deliciously moist brownie into the blender before filling up Billy's cafetiere with granules and hot water. She pours the glugging milkshake into a tall glass and puts them both on a tray, along with a rock cake, before taking it over careful, as always, not to trip on the edges of any of the rugs covering the wooden floor.
"An angel Bella, thank you. Keep the change." He says, and places a ten dollar bill on the table. He looks towards the door just as a lanky boy with beaming white teeth lumbers in, ducking slightly to mind the low ceiling. He flashes a smile at Bella who had just finished emptying the contents of the tray onto the table, then at his Grandpa.
"Jake, it's been a long time my boy. Gosh just look at how much you've grown. And you were a gangly thing the last time I saw you too. What must you be now six two?"
"I'm six four, Grandpa and still counting." He winks at Bella. "I see Grandpa got me a chocolate milkshake. Still thinks I'm six, bless him." He sits down and takes a long slurp. "This is delicious; I may forgive his choice just this once. Thanks…"
"Bella."
"Well, thanks Bella." He flashes her another smile. Bella begins to blush, so she nods her head, accepting the gratitude, before swiftly turning away from the two men to the attention of a new customer admiring the delectable assortment of baked goodness on display on the counter.
At around five o'clock, apart from Billy and Jake, the last of the remaining customers filter out as they watch Bella spraying down all the tables and foiling up the cakes ready to be stored till the next day. Her gaze often peers over to where the grandpa and grandson sit in the corner, the low notes of a chuckle, or a thin, tanned arm wave out as Jake explains something with the greatest enthusiasm. They look so content in each other's company, she thought. She hardly wanted to hurry them out. But she was tired, and her feet hurt like hell.
"Billy, I'm closing in ten," she said picking up a chair and placing it on top of the table.
"Okay Bella, we'll be out your way, now." Billy calls over with a smile.
Bella suddenly remembers a bunch of iced buns that she had set aside for the trash. Gretta had baked some fresh ones for tomorrow.
"Hang on a sec, Billy."
A few minutes later, Bella returns to them with a brown bag full of the treats. "They were only going to be wasted; you might as well take them,"
Jake snatches the bag from her and peers inside. "Jesus, Bella. Those cakes'll do me for breakfast tomorrow," he winks and laughs as he sees her expression. "Okay, I might be able to save a few for dinner too," he takes an iced bun out and crams half of it in his mouth in one go. "What? I'm a growing lad," he says his mouth full of cake and noting Bella's look of astonishment. "These are delicious! On second thoughts, they might not even last till tomorrow. Hey," he says, his mouth still full of cake, "you don't have any jobs here do you? Only it suddenly occurred to me I'm meant to be looking. It's the summer vacation soon and I want to save up some money to buy a motorcycle." He swallows the rest of the bun.
"Umm…" momentarily lost for words, Bella's eyes flicker between Jake and Billy. Finally she is able to register all that spewed out of Jake's mouth and she walks over to the counter, takes an order pad and a pen then hands them both to Jake. "Here, write down your number and I'll talk to Gretta, see what I can do. And call you tomorrow."
"Gee, thanks Bella," Jake says, writing his number before handing it back. He begins to wheel Billy out the shop. "I'll hear from you tomorrow, then."
"Yes," Bella smiles. "I'll see you soon, Billy."
Once the door closes, the shop begins to ring with an eerie silence. Like a faint echo of the day's conversations, the walls hum as they release all that they have heard.