8: Disappointment Laced Apple Pie Tarts (Lucky's POV)
I awoke with a start and looked at the clock on the wall. It read 4:53. Exactly two hours before I was officially eighteen. At least I could start this day off like any other and just go to work.
Maybe I could make it be mundane by just keeping my head down all day. Mike wouldn’t be in until around 1PM, so I had some time to just be alone with my thoughts, which would either be really good or really bad.
After brushing my teeth quickly, I tossed on my work uniform of black pants and a black top. I tossed my hair up rather haphazardly and started toward the stairs. As I reached it, I looked back and saw the phone screen glint in the early sun. I sighed and grabbed it before bolting out the door and downstairs. Now that I’d started to use it, it made sense to me to keep using it. Though, I would have to talk to Wyatt about the bill. I didn’t care how much money he made, I wanted to pay him back and take over the bill.
I took in a deep breath as I stepped inside the already unlocked cafe and sighed with contentment, “Adam? Is that you?”
He poked his bald head out the kitchen door, “What gave it away?”
“Apple pie tarts,” my mouth watered, “I can smell them.”
“You want one for breakfast?” he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
I nodded enthusiastically as I stepped up to the counter, “Yes, please. Want me to open the counter and dining area today?”
He came out of the kitchen with two plates, “Yes, I do. But first,” he set them down on the counter, “Happy birthday, Lucky.”
Adam pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around him, still surprised after three years by how lanky he was. Him and Sandy were two of the sweetest people I had ever known, and were one of those annoying couples that you could tell just actually loved each other from the moment they met. They had both welcomed me with open arms and minimal questions. I’d learned a few things about them over the past three years, which was more than they learned about me: they weren’t able to have kids, they’d never been able to travel prior to helping me, and they frequently got called away for their side hustle. Their side hustle had surprised me, as I was convinced they could make a lot more money doing it full time than doing the cafe full time. They were ‘vet techs.’ However, they were so secretive about it that I frequently joked with Adam that they were actually drug dealers.
Much to my dismay, he would just laugh it off and did nothing to actually dissuade the thought. Who was I to judge though, if they were? I was a rogue beta on the run and definitely wanted dead or alive. Honestly, I probably put them in more danger as a rogue werewolf than they could ever put me in as drug dealers.
I shook my head as I pulled away from Adam, “Thank you, but you know I don’t want to celebrate.”
“Oh, come on!” Adam practically whined, “Eighteen is a big one! A regular right of passage!”
The clock ticked loudly and I looked at it hanging securely on the wall, not a care in the world: 5:34 Soon, we would know how much of a right of passage it was going to be for me.
I smiled at Adam, “You’re right. It’s a big one.”
We each ate an apple pie tart in silence. While we ate, I thought about what I was so nervous about. The worst thing that could happen was I would spontaneously have Reika back and get caught as a rogue and murdered. But nothing could happen too. Maybe I was thinking about it all wrong and nothing happening was the worst thing that could happen?
As I took my last bite, I took care of the paper plate Adam had brought it out on. He stepped back into the kitchen silently as I started the counter preparations. I counted the drawer and made sure the front refrigerated part was on and stocked. I added baked goods to the glass case as Adam brought them out. All syrups, juices and types of coffee were stocked. As it hit 6:30, I started to brew a few pots to make some iced coffees.
That was when the nerves returned full force. It was like I was suddenly buzzing with anticipation. I could barely catch my breath or stop the sinking feeling in my stomach. There was nothing but dread in my body. It was like watching a car crash from across the street– I couldn’t stop staring at the clock, giving me some kind of internalized countdown.
The pots stopped brewing at 6:35 and I slowly started to mix our three iced coffee flavors: hazelnut, mocha and raspberry. Before I’d started working here, the idea of raspberry in coffee sounded disgusting. It was a staple in Blackwater Falls though, and was the best selling in every type of coffee beverage they offered.
6:45 was the next time I looked at the clock and I felt a lump form in my throat. Almost there. I was almost about to find out what this birthday would bring. A part of me wondered if I should step out of the cafe just in case it was something bad. However, I had a stack of fresh baked goods from Adam waiting to be put away before the morning rush.
Since Adam was here, we would open between 7:15 and 7:30. He always joked it was a special treat for the locals, and I swear it was like he sent out a group text or email to let them know he was going to be there. By 7AM every morning he was working, we would have a line forming outside.
As I stocked the items waiting for me (raspberry turnovers, butter croissants, etc.), I kept my eye on the clock. The clock went from 6:51 to 6:52 and the phone in my back pocket buzzed so hard it made me jump and yelp.
Adam called out, “You okay?” as I pulled it out and looked at it.
“Yeah, just got a text,” I said absentmindedly.
Wyatt: **Good Morning Wrenlee. Happy 18th Birthday!
There were a bunch of emojis that followed. As I read the message, the time at the top of the screen moved to 6:53. I froze and waited. Nothing happened. I sighed and thought, *Reika?
No response. I started to move around the cafe, setting up tables and doing a last sweep of the floor before brewing fresh hot coffee. I guess I’d built this birthday up so much in my head for nothing. I was just the same as yesterday.
Why did it feel… disappointing?