Coffee Shop

Chapter 18

Cat and Amelia were getting ready for bed when Cats' Mom came in the room.

"Hey, Amie, honey, can we talk to you for a second?" She was wringing her hands. Amelia felt uneasy.

Following Cats' Mom downstairs she prepared herself for the worst. Amelia found it ironic that she had to remind herself to breathe considering that's an involuntary  action, it became voluntary in the matter of minutes.

Once they got to the living room they sat down on the couch and Amelia sat down on the coffee table.

"We want to help. We love you and we know that your father hasn't been home long. Cat told us while you were showering what happened tonight. We believe Greyson is best off at your grandparents and that you did the right thing by not staying there. We want you to stay here as long as you'd like. You're like a daughter to us and we want you safe. " Amelia started tearing up and smiled. They had a group hug and Amelias uneasiness fell away. She knew she could count on them. Plus Cat is closer to the café than she was so she can still walk to work and not bother anyone about a ride to work.

"I- I can pay ya'll rent and help with food and what not. " Amelia wipes her nose on her sleeve.

"Nonsense."

"No really. Ya'll didn't have to take me in so I want to."

"How about this? If you insist give us two- hundred a month for rent, utilities and to go towards food. But that's at the most. We don't want to take anything from you."

"Okay. That's fine. I can do that."

Amelia was happy and even though she was afraid that she was going to get hurt somehow she knew she was better off in the end by being out of the house.

Amelia woke up the next morning and yawned. She checked the time and it was four- fifty. Amelia slowly got off her air mattress and walked to the bathroom. She sighed happy she forgot her bag in the bathroom last night. She slipped out of pajamas and into her work clothes. She was trying so hard to be quiet. She didn't want to be a nuisance her first day.

She tiptoed downstairs to make her a piece of toast or grab a pop-tart and walk to work. She ran into Cats Mom in the kitchen. 

"Hey. I'm sorry did I wake you up walking down the stairs?"

"No honey. I'm always up around five. Is everything ok?" 

"Oh yeah. I have to go open the café every morning now so I can get that promotion. Um.. do ya'll have pop-tarts. I was gonna grab one. "

"Yeah. In the pantry. We moved some things around last week. Feel free to rummage. We have plenty of food."

Amelia started to walk away and stopped short. "You can call me Mom you know. Do you want a ride to work?"

"Okay Mom. No thank you. It's not a far walk."

"Okay. Send me a text when you get in and the door locked please? I don't want anything happening."

"Will do." Amelia and her second Mom traded numbers so now she can text her when she gets in and let her know she is okay.

Amelia heads out and looks around at her surroundings. From her house the café is a twenty-five minute walk and from Cats it's a ten minute walk. Amelia started feeling a little uncomfortable however so she pulls her phone out and dials Benjamin. She hoped she wasn't bothering him but Cat is horrible if yo wake her up before ten on a weekend. 

"Hello?" Amelia heard Benjamin answer groggily. He sounded adorable when he was sleepy.

"Hey. It's Amie."

"Hey. Is everything okay? Why are you calling this early?"

"I'm heading to the café to open up and was feeling kind of skittish." She was embarrassed but she always seemed to be embarrassed when she talked to him. She had no clue what was up with that. Things had turned back to normal with Benjamin after her drunk escapade.

"Oh. I live about five minutes away do you want me to meet you there?" Benjamin asked. He still sounded sleepy but perked up a little.

"Um... after I open the drawers I'll text you. It'll take about ten minutes to count the drawers then I can let you in."

"Where are you?"

"I'm about five minutes away from the café now. Um.. my boss is supposed to be there so I'll be fine at first. I don't think he's staying long though."

"Okay let me know after the drawers are counted. I'll head your way."

"Oh you don't have to do that. I just wanted someone to talk to on the way there."

"Well you can wake me up every morning if it would make you feel better. I know where Cat lives. I could walk you to work if you wanted. I think Cat and I would be in agreeance on that."

"Oh Ben don't worry about it. I'll call you instead. No need for you to leave your bed before you have to."

"It's really not a problem."

"Well I'm here now. I need to let Mom two know I made it safely. I'll text you once the drawers are done."

"Okay. Bye Amie."

"Bye Benjamin."

 Slipping her phone into her pocket she pulls the door open. "Hey boos man I'm here. I'm gonna take you up on that offer. "

"That's great Amelia. I'm so happy. Okay let me show you how to do the orders. I need to do them this morning anyways and I haven't started them. I got here a few minutes before you." Amelia followed him into the office and watches as he starts the orders. She listens intently so maybe she can do it next Saturday.

"Do you think you can do it?"

"Yeah. It's simple enough. We do weekly orders so at the end of every week we check our inventory and order what we need and order some extra of what we may run out of during the week. "

"Okay. Just make sure you don't go out of our budget. You have five hundred dollars to use for a week. That should do you. Now go count up the drawers." Amelia nods and opens the safe. Counting the drawers she notices there was a twenty attached to a five and let her boss know. She gave him the five because that's all they were over in drawer one. 

"Are you going to be okay by yourself until nine? I can stay?"

"I'll be fine. A friend of mine said he'd come by after we opened and keep me company until then. Plus this morning is normally slow. It's not until mid- morning that we get busy by then the other manager will be here and I'll be leaving in an hour after that when her help comes in. "

"As long as you're sure."

"Go home. Get some rest. You need it more than I do on a weekend."

"Okay." Amelia watches as he walks out of the store locking the doors behind him. She pulls her phone out and calls Benjamin. 

"Hey you still up?"

"Yeah I'm slipping some shoes on. "

"Okay well I'm almost done and I let the store manager know that you were coming by to keep me company."

"Okay. How was it at Cats last night?"

"It was nice. I didn't have to worry about my father getting mad over something or try to stop me from coming to work this morning. However, I'm worried about my Mom and Greyson."

"Well isn't Greyson at your grandparents?"

"Well yeah but it wouldn't surprise me if my father decided that Greyson had to come home immediately until I was dealt with."

Amelia felt a sense of calm and happiness wash over her and she kept talking to him while she heard him brushing his teeth telling his parents where he was going and asked if they wanted anything.