Page 25 of Steeped In Problems

Tanner hovered by the window, arms crossed but less in defense and more in awe. He watched as Kristy prepped for theonslaught, balancing five mugs in one hand and a notepad in the other. She moved with the energy of a field medic prepping a trauma bay before a disaster. If she had to fight for this place, she’d do it at top volume and with snacks.

The first to arrive was Aiden. He walked in like he was reporting for duty—clean jeans, fresh shirt, SAR jacket zipped midway up his chest. Next to him, Lindsay wore yoga pants and an insulated vest, hand tucked tight in his. They took seats together, Aiden instantly surveying the room like he was prepping a briefing, Lindsay snagging the best view of the whiteboard.

Zach arrived next, dragging the cold in with him, a ball cap pulled down over his hair, and a T-shirt that read, “Caffeine is my Password.” Erica was beside him, all business in a black suit, heels clicking against the old wood. She set her bag down and started pulling out folders and a thin MacBook. “I know how important this is,” she called out with a grin, “I ditched a board meeting for this.”

Hayley and Connor came as a pair, but that was where the similarity stopped. Hayley breezed in, scarf flapping, notepad already open, and pen in hand. She scanned the room, searching for gossip, intrigue, or both. Connor followed with measured steps, hands in jacket pockets, the cop in him never fully at rest. His eyes swept the perimeter, then settled on the nearest chair to the door.

Kristy kept looking up at the clock. She felt like every minute was an hour, and every hour was a month off the shop’s life expectancy. Several more town members arrived and took seats with the rest of the group. The place became so full that Kristy almost missed the last guest—Emily Merlot—who slipped in quietly and took a seat in the far corner, back to the wall, tablet at the ready.

At exactly 7:10, after greeting everyone, Kristy tapped a fork against her mug. “Thanks for coming, everyone,” she started, voice a shade too loud. “You all know what’s going on. The Brave Badge is in trouble. Big trouble.”

Tanner flinched, but she pushed on. “We have two weeks to turn this around. I know you all have jobs, lives, and families, but if this place closes, it’s not just us out of work. It’s a hole in the town. The regulars, the crews, the students—they lose their spot. And, honestly, I lose the only place that’s ever made me feel like I could breathe.”

Aiden nodded, already on board. “What’s the plan?”

Kristy inhaled, then riffled through her notepad. “Here’s what I got, but I need everyone’s help. We need to run at least three events, one every few days. First Responders Day. A bake sale, but with a twist. Maybe a car wash or something. We need every social channel covered. If anyone can think of a way to bribe the mayor into showing up, I’m all ears.”

Zach grinned. “He’ll do anything for free coffee and a selfie.”

“Noted,” Kristy murmured as she wrote down to add a photo op station at each event. “Zach, could you organize the car wash?”

He gave her a thumbs-up. “Consider it scrubbed.”

Nurse Gomez raised her hand. “What about hospital staff? You know better than anyone night shifts run on caffeine. If you can get us a deal on group orders, we’ll make it rain coffee runs. I can hit every nurse’s break room with flyers and samples.”

Kristy lit up, grateful for her former co-worker’s support. “Yes, I’ll make a flyer tonight. I’ll bake a test batch of the scone-of-the-day, and you can bring it in with the details.”

Aiden leaned in, his voice all command now. “We can put up a banner at the SAR shed. And my team will volunteer for any manual labor or event setup. You need tents? Grills? Done.”

Erica, barely looking up from her laptop, chimed in. “I’ll do a funding match for any donations. No limit.” She shrugged at the group’s surprise. “It’s a tax write-off, not to mention a great cause.”

Hayley snapped her pen in half by accident, but the drama fit. “I’ll put a feature in the Gazette. Maybe run a daily thermometer to track the fundraising. People love those. If you can leak me some ‘shop in peril’ details, even better.”

Connor cleared his throat. “I’ll handle security. If any pranksters or teenagers try to sabotage an event, I’ll make sure they regret it.”

There was a wave of laughter. Even Emily smiled at that, or maybe it was just indigestion.

For a moment, Kristy forgot to be nervous. She paced the circle, fielding ideas and jotting everything down. “We need a hashtag and not something lame.”

“#SaveTheBadge,” Zach offered.

“Too serious,” Rhonda snorted. “#EspressoYourself?”

“#BraveTheBean,” Hayley added, eyes sparkling.

Lindsay raised a brow. “#CaffeinateTheMountain?”

Erica shook her head. “Just use them all. More hashtags, more reach.”

Kristy agreed, scribbling them down with arrows and exclamation points.

After an hour, the whiteboard looked like a flowchart for a military operation crossed with a bake-off. Everyone had a job, even the Turner twins and O’Connell trio—Lindsay volunteered them to run a lemonade stand at the car wash. There were phone trees, email chains, and a schedule of posts for social media. Kristy had never felt more like she was part of something important.

Near the end, Emily finally spoke up. “You know, most franchises fold because they don’t use their resources. JoeGriffin didn’t send me to close you down. He sent me to see if you’d fight for it. This is the first time since being here that I actually believe you might pull it off.”

Tanner, who’d been silent the whole time, looked up at her. “What changed your mind?”

Emily smiled, a little softer than usual. “Most people whine and complain, but in the end, don’t do anything to fix the problem. You built a team to stand with you before you even opened this place. That’s rare.”

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