Maple
"Look at this guy." Daryl said, walking into the coffee shop with a ginger cat in his arms.
"Where did that come from?" Punk shook his head.
"Found him outside." Daryl said, "I think it's a him."
"And you brought him in here because?" Punk asked.
"He was crying down the side of the building. Where the trash cans are." Daryl said, "He feels real skinny, too."
"So, you brought a stray cat into my coffee shop?" Punk asked, "A cat who probably has fleas and all kinds of diseases." He said.
"I brought him in because he clearly needs some milk and some food." Daryl said, "He's not smelly or anything. Cats are good at looking after themselves." He pointed out.
"Are you going to take him home?" Punk asked whilst setting up the register for the day.
"No, my mom is allergic." Daryl said, "I was thinking maybe he could be our resident cat. He'd love this place, don't you think?"
"Are you still feeling the effects of that concussion?" Punk asked, "We're not having a cat prowling around here. It's unsanitary."
"And you and AJ screwing in here isn't unsanitary?" Daryl raised a brow as Punk looked at him, feeling embarrassed and confused.
"Don't know what you're talking about." Punk mumbled, closing up the register.
"Or was it Linda's panties I found here one morning?" Daryl asked, continuing to stroke the ginger cat under his chin.
"You're not funny." Punk shook his head.
"I think we should call him Pastrami." Daryl smiled excitedly as Punk walked over to him, taking a closer look at the cat.
"This is a female." Punk rolled his eyes.
"How do you know?" Daryl shook his head as Punk looked at him with confusion.
"Because she doesn't have boy parts, obviously. And she's saggy… which means she's probably had lots of kittens." Punk said.
"Poor mama." Daryl frowned, "I didn't see any kittens around her."
"Because she probably has them hidden. She was probably out looking for food for them and you snatched her up." Punk said, "Go put her back."
"We could call her Maple." Daryl said hopefully.
"Daryl." Punk said in a warning tone.
"Ok, fine." Daryl huffed, "At least give me a tin of tuna to give her. Poor thing will be starving."
"Fine." Punk said, making his way into the back kitchen, fetching a tin of tuna from the walk-in fridge and coming back out to hand it over to Daryl.
"Mean old man." Daryl muttered, walking out of the coffee shop with the cat as Punk shook his head and carried on prepping the shop for opening.
It had been a few weeks since Daryl had been put through the shop window at the hands of Luke. Thankfully, they hadn't seen or heard from Luke, which they all supposed was a good sign, meaning that he had hopefully taken the cops warning serious.
Punk and the boys were focusing all their energy on preparing for the quiz night they were holding at the coffee shop on Saturday night. Finn was currently putting up flyers to advertise the night and Punk had already stroke up a deal with the town's pizza place to deliver some food for them. It was all very exciting and nerve wracking.
He hadn't just gotten help and advice from Daryl and Finn, but also from AJ, who he pretty much spent every night with now, mostly at her apartment. They'd turned into subtle business companions, offering each other advice and help with whatever situation they were dealing with. It was incredibly therapeutic, and Punk couldn't even remember the time where he would go home to his apartment by himself and have no one to talk to.
Whilst Punk's coffee shop was preparing for a fun and exciting night on Saturday, AJ and the girls at The Brewberry were focusing on Shiv's going away party, which was happening the following Friday night. Everything was certainly full steam ahead.
"What do you guys think of the new flowers on the tables?" AJ smiled, standing in the middle of the coffee shop whilst the girls stood behind the counter.
"Sunflowers? Very appropriate." Lyla nodded with a smile.
"You just love a theme, don't you?" Becca smiled.
"Can't help myself, honestly." AJ nodded.
She tended to go a little overboard throughout the seasons of the year with decorating. In Summer she kept things floral and breezy. In Fall she brought out the pumpkin spiced candles and the fall garlands for around the shop. And in Winter, of course Christmas was the top priority.
"I love it." Shiv smiled, "Attention to detail is everything in the consumer world. Even if it's a coffee shop." She nodded.
"You're such a dork." Becca nodded to her.
"You're going to be so great at college, Shiv. Our little business and marketing major." AJ smiled proudly.
"You really picked the worst thing to study." Becca nodded.
"Are you positive about anything? Ever?" Lyla turned to Becca who just shrugged.
"Have you started packing yet?" AJ asked Shiv.
"No, not yet. Honestly, it's all really overwhelming." Shiv said stressfully. The fact she was leaving for college in just two short weeks was pretty terrifying.
"Why is he walking around with a cat?" Lyla questioned, looking out their shop window, noticing Daryl walking across the road with a ginger cat in his arms, bumping into Mister Eckles who was stopping by to deliver both shops their morning supply of milk.
"He's still concussed, maybe." Becca nodded, "How many years do we think Mister Eckles has left in him?" She asked as they all looked at her, "What? I'm genuinely curious."
"Two." Lyla nodded.
"What age is he anyway?" Shiv asked.
"Seventy-three." AJ answered, "He looks fit as a fiddle to me."
"Have you guys seen his grandson?" Becca asked with fluttering eyelashes, "He's a lovely chap."
"Is he a farmer too?" Lyla asked her.
"Think so." Becca nodded, "He didn't talk much about farming last night." She smirked as they all turned to look at her with raised brows.
"Wait… what?" AJ shook her head as Becca chuckled happily.
"What age is he? You slept with Mister Eckles grandson?" Lyla shook her head.
"He's twenty-four." Becca shrugged, "I popped into the bar on my way home from here last night. I needed a cold beverage. And he was there." She smiled.
"And what? You just decided you were going to sleep with him?" AJ shook her head.
"Pretty much." Becca nodded, "It was fun."
"Are you going to see him again?" Lyla asked, "God, everyone is getting fucked apart from me. This is so tragic." She folded her arms.
"Uh… hello? I'm not." Shiv said.
"Please, Daryl is one smile away from you dropping your underwear." Lyla scoffed.
"That's not true." Shiv defended, "Just because I checked on him at the hospital doesn't mean anything is going on."
"Ok." Lyla rolled her eyes.
"I might see him again. I don't know." Becca spoke up.
"I don't think I've even seen his grandson before." AJ admitted, "What's his name?"
"Patrick." Becca said, "He's just got back from college. Realised it wasn't for him and the farming life is his destiny." She nodded.
"I bet he stinks." Lyla said.
"Yeah, of sweat after last night." Becca smirked as AJ rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the opening door of the coffee shop where Daryl walked in, still holding the cat in his arms.
"What are you doing with a cat?" AJ asked curiously.
"I need you to convince Phil to let me keep her at the coffee shop. I think she should be the resident cat." Daryl nodded, showing his newfound friend to the girls as they aww'd at her.
"It's too early for this." AJ groaned, rubbing her hand over her forehead tiredly.
"I've named her Maple." Daryl told them.
"She's so sweet." Shiv smiled, wandering over to Daryl and scratching the cat under it's chin as she purred happily.
"She's got saggy tits." Becca said as they all turned to her, "Which means she's got babies out there, probably. You should put her back."
"That's what Phil said." Daryl scoffed, "But there weren't any kittens with her."
"She's probably got them in a little burrow somewhere." Lyla said, "Becca is right, you should put her back."
"I don't want to." Daryl whined, "AJ, you can convince Phil to do anything. Tell him he should let me keep the cat at the shop. I'll get her all cleaned up. I'll take her to the vet and see if she's chipped."
"Oh my God, I'm not your mother." AJ said, "You can do what you want."
"Phil only listens to you, though." Daryl said, "How cute would she be just sitting over by the fireplace in our shop? I think it's meant to be."
"It's a little unhygienic." AJ said, "She's a stray."
"Exactly. She needs a home." Daryl said, "And don't talk to me about unhygienic. I found your underwear when I was opening up the shop last week."
"What?" Lyla gasped.
"April." Shiv turned to AJ with surprise.
"I love it." Becca clapped whilst AJ placed her hands over her very red face.
"Daryl, can you and your new friend please leave my shop." AJ mumbled through her hands.
"Please convince Phil to let me keep the cat." Daryl said, "I don't care what you have to do to convince him… if you know what I mean." He smirked.
"Alright, get out." AJ shook her head as the girls chuckled, watching Daryl leave the shop with Maple.
"You had sex in his shop?" Lyla chuckled, "April Jeanette." She tutted.
"Wait… have you had sex in here?" Becca questioned, immediately taking her hands off of the front counter whilst Shiv looked around the shop wearily.
"Let's just get this place opened, ok?" AJ nodded.
"Ew." Shiv groaned, "So he was butt naked here? In our beloved safe space?"
"What does the sign say, April?" Becca pointed up to the sign above the coffee machine behind the counter, pointing rather aggressively.
"No boys beyond this point." AJ nodded whilst Lyla just chuckled.
"You are a woman of loose morals." Becca nodded, "I am shocked."
"Can we just get on with some work, please?" AJ nodded to them all.
"So was his junk all over this place?" Shiv sighed with disappointment as Becca laughed loudly.
"I'm ignoring you all." AJ shook her head.
"What did you do with the cat?" Punk asked Daryl whilst they were closing up the shop later that night.
"Put her back where I found her." Daryl shrugged unhappily.
"Why the hell do we need a cat in this place?" Punk shook his head.
"I just think she needs a home, and this could be a good place for her. Look at that fireplace." He said.
"Ok." Punk nodded, looking over to the fireplace in the coffee shop.
"Don't you think there should be a cat sleeping on it?" Daryl asked as Punk rolled his eyes.
"I don't think it's necessary, no." Punk shook his head.
"So, you're an animal hater?" Daryl asked, cleaning the coffee machine down.
"Wrong. I love animals. A lot." Punk said, "I just don't think there should be a cat in here."
"Fine." Daryl huffed, willing himself to drop the subject.
"But… she's been crying at the back door all day." Punk rolled his eyes as Daryl turned to him, "I think you gave her false hope."
"She has?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "She's probably still there right now." He said, watching Daryl rush into the back of the shop, opening the back door which led them out to the trash cans and noticing Maple sitting meowing.
"Hey there." Daryl smiled, picking her up and heading back into the coffee shop, wandering through to the front where Punk was standing.
"Told you." Punk said with a small smile.
"So, we can keep her?" Daryl asked.
"You can keep her. She's your responsibility." Punk made clear as Daryl nodded along, "You'll need to take her to the vet first. To get her checked."
"I will. First thing in the morning." Daryl nodded, "Damn… what freaky shit did AJ do to you to convince you to let me keep her?" He chuckled as Punk scoffed, although his lunch break had consisted of AJ convincing him to let Daryl keep the cat, with various other activities in her apartment.
"Just make sure she doesn't go feral on the customers." Punk shook his head.
"She's a sweetheart. She just wants some love." Daryl said, scratching the cat as she purred, "We'll need to get her a little bed."
"You." Punk reminded him, "She's yours. Not mine."
"Whatever." Daryl scoffed, "C'mon Maple, I'll give you the tour." He hummed, wandering off with the ginger cat as Punk shook his head and chuckled.