Page 62 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

“You should come sit at our table,” Penny declared, reaching a hand to help Lena out of the booth.

“And apparently, we won’t take no for an answer,” Liz said in her usual dry tone.

Alex decided to take advantage of the impromptu babysitters. “Lena, I’m going to go talk to Juno for a minute, then use the bathroom. Are you okay to stay with these ladies? I promise they won’t hurt you.”

“You’re funny, Daddy. They’re Juno’s friends; they won’t hurt me.”

Juno wasn’t at the counter, so he ducked into the restroom first, hoping he could catch her in the back hall and maybe sneak in a kiss or two. When he came out again, he could see over the swinging doors that she was still busy in the kitchen. It was the lunch hour, after all, and he’d be lucky to get her alone for even a minute. She usually made a point to join her friends for a break, so if he was at the table with the Garden Variety Lovers Club, he at least get to share her with them.

As he came out of the back hall, his gaze wandered around Juno's café. Echoes of what the place had once been still lingered: on the wall hung the hand-painted sign of the original coffee shop where Juno had first learned her barista skills, two of the bare brick walls had been preserved, along with the chalkboard closet door where folks could write quotes or draw. She’d even preserved the old glass pastry display cabinet, although she’d had to replace a pane of glass and one of the sliding door tracks. It was a warm and welcoming mix of old and new, of vintage and modern, and Alex felt a deep sense of accomplishment on her behalf.

Until his gaze drifted back to Leonard Thomas.

The man was clearing a table near the window, his back to the room. A couple had just left, leaving cash tucked under a saucer. As Leonard gathered the dishes, his hand moved so swiftly Alex almost missed it. The stack of bills disappeared into his front pants pocket, not into the pocket of the apron he wore.

Alex stiffened, his eyes narrowing. Had he really seen what he thought he'd seen?

He watched more carefully as Leonard moved to another table. The same thing happened again. It was a subtle movement, and if Alex hadn’t already been suspicious of the guy, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed the cash vanishing.

"Alex?" Penny's voice calling him from the large table nearby broke through his concentration. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," he said, forcing his attention back to them as he joined the group. He flashed her a sheepish grin. “Just hoping to waylay Juno in the hallway, but no such luck.”

Penny’s eyes widened. “So, it’s true? You two are—” She waved a finger between him and the counter at the front of the shop.

“You’ve kissed and made up?” Claire suggested, a knowing look in her eyes. Obviously, Juno had already filled at least one of them in.

Alex chuckled. “I’d say it was the other way around. We made up and then kissed.” His cheeks warmed but he didn’t care. He wanted the whole world to know that one, the most beautiful, most amazing eight-year-old in the world was his daughter, and two, the most beautiful, most amazing woman in the world was his girlfriend again.

"I see you've met the welcoming committee, Lena," Juno said, approaching the table with a tray of drinks and setting one down in front of each of her friends.

“And she’s been sucked into our vortex,” Claire said, making what was apparently supposed to be a sucking motion with her hands that had everyone at the table laughing.

"Your friends are cool,” Lena said from where she sat between Penny and Candy.

"The nicest," Juno agreed. She set a fresh coffee in front of Alex. "How did your meeting go this morning? Is it okay to ask here?"

She tipped her head toward Lena who was once again distracted by something Claire had said to her.

Alex nodded, but kept his voice low. "Better than expected. We filed an emergency motion to prevent Melissa from taking Lena out of the country. There might be a hearing as early as this week."

Relief washed over Juno's face. "That's great news."

"It's just the first step," Alex cautioned, "but yeah, it feels good to be doing something."

“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” Penny asked, and Lena giggled beside her. “That’s what you are, according to this one.”

Juno rolled her eyes, then circled the table to poke Lena in the ribs. “Tweet tweet,” she said, then to the rest of them, “It’s a busy day, guys. I’ll have to come back when I bring your orders.” She glanced toward the counter where a line was forming.

Alex stood quickly and circled the table to walk with her. He wasn’t sure how he’d broach the subject, but he wanted her to be aware of what he’d seen Leonard doing. Before she could duck behind the counter, he caught her arm gently. "I know it’s not a great time, but can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"

Concern flickered across her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly. Just... something I noticed." He nodded discreetly toward Leonard, who was now wiping down tables on the other side of the room.

"Can it wait until tonight?" Juno asked, glancing at the growing line at the register. They were having supper together at Alex’s apartment.

"Of course." He released her arm. "Go do your thing. Lena and I have to get going. Thanks for lunch and for the shakes, if we don’t see you before we go. You’ve got a new fan."

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