Page 4 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
Since the beans were roasted for longer than light, medium, and even dark roasts, the beans held a special, decadent flavor that shone in lattes, which Saphira particularly loved to pair with oat milk to pull out the nutty flavor. (It made for a great cold brew, as well, but that was always too bitter for Saphira—she preferred life to be sweet, in every aspect.)
“I’m sorry,” she said, refusing yet another customer who wanted a latte. “The new espresso machine is on its way! Things will be back to normal in a day or two, just hold on!”
But the words were like acid in her mouth because they were a lie.
That night, panic set in. Payday was coming up in two days, and she hardly had enough money in her bank to pay her assistant.
Saphira sat in her apartment, scared and alone, always alone. It was why she loved working in the cafe so much, being surrounded by people all day. When she was alone with her thoughts, she tended to spiral—as she was doing now.
Tears spilled onto her cheeks, anxiety pricking through her. She always cried too easily, Nani-Ma said.
“You must love life,” Nani-Ma would say, holding Saphira’s face in her hands as she wiped away Saphira’s tears. Saphiraheard her grandmother’s voice in her head now. “Love it, even if you don’t have the heart for it.”
“I’m trying, Nani-Ma,” Saphira said to her empty apartment, her voice echoing in the silence.
All she ever did was try to love life, but it was like life didn’t want her love. Why else would everything be so hard, all the time? She wanted to rest. For things to be easy.
Wiping her tears, Saphira went down the stairs, to the cafe that was her dream. It was so quiet, everything empty and still. Without the rush of customers, Saphira could appreciate all the details that made her cafe hers, but the feeling wasn’t the same.
An empty house wasn’t a home; it was just another building.
From the windows, she saw that Starshine Valley was silent, all the shops closed. Saphira stepped closer to the windows, gazing up at the night sky, looking at the stars. Thousands of them were visible, shining bright and sure.
It was how the small town got its name. Out here, nestled between the mountains, you could see more stars than you could count, and their light shone down on the valley constantly.
Between the stars, she caught the silhouettes of a few dragons and their riders, out for a ride, and that familiar longing filled Saphira, the taste of it bitter at the back of her throat. She had always wanted a dragon of her own—had wanted one desperately—but she did not belong to one of the Drakkon families: those who had owned dragons for generations.
Years ago, she had made peace with the fact that she would never have a dragon of her own—which was around the time she had come up with the idea of the Baby Dragon Cafe, aplace where she could be around dragons every day, even if she would never have one to call her own.
She had brought that idea to fruition; she had opened her cafe and surrounded herself with dragons daily. All with the help of Nani-Ma.
Nani-Ma, who had given Saphira everything, and all she wanted in return was for Saphira to make her dreams come true.
She looked around her cafe, at all the details she had meticulously designed, every inch of it intentional, every piece lovingly curated.
And then she saw the ruined espresso machine.
Saphirahadmade her dreams come true, yes, but how to sustain it? She had no idea.
Which was why Saphira remained lost in thought—until she saw the flames.
Chapter 2
Aiden Sterling was having an absolutely horrible day.
To make it worse, his phone rang for the umpteenth time this past hour. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, glancing down at the screen for a quick moment—another cousin—then promptly declined the call. He was currently missing family dinner, which was a sacred and bimonthly ritual for the Sterlings, and they were all taking turns calling him.
All except for the one person who would never call him again.
Danny, his younger brother.
Danny, who was dead.
And not to speak ill of the deceased—but Danny, the cause of his current headache. When Danny had passed away two years ago, he had surprised everyone by leaving his unhatched baby dragon egg to Aiden. Though Aiden and Danny were brothers, and only a year apart at that (“Eleven months!” his mother loved to interject, whenever anyone said they were a year apart), the pair could not have been more different.
Danny was loud and obnoxious and instantly lovedwherever he went. Aiden, on the other hand, was quiet, shy, and awkward. Danny had spent his days riding his dragon, rescuing abandoned or lost animals, such as chimeras, griffins, phoenixes, and dragons. Aiden, on the other hand, preferred to spend his days at home, particularly in his garden, where no one could bother him.
At twenty-eight years old, he was perhaps too young to be such a recluse, but it was what he preferred. Everything was simpler in the safety of his home. He knew exactly what to do there, how to treat his flowers, and they always responded kindly to his attentions. He greatly preferred the company of plants to people and sorely wished he was in his garden now.
