Page 48 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Are you okay?” Lavinia asked. “Sit down and have some water.”
“I’m fine—just a bit tired,” Saphira said, though she didn’t protest the water. She was always forgetting to stay hydrated, and taking a long sip definitely helped. She stood up again, smiling at Lavinia, who was picking up dirty dishes with more energy than Saphira could muster.
“I’m glad to see you have a pep in your step,” Saphira said. Lavinia smiled.
“The Animal Hospital is so fun!” Lavinia said. “It’s rewarding—and not as tiring as working here, so yes, I do have a bit more energy.”
Guilt needled through her. “Ugh, I’m sorry, I know I work you way too hard.”
Lavinia waved a hand. “Don’t. Anyway, you workyourselfeven harder. Is that new guy finally getting the hang of things? What’s his name? Carl?”
“Calahan. And, kind of? Of course, he isn’t as good as you.”
Saphira and Lavinia were perfectly synced up from working together all those years, so nobody else could compare.
“Have you thought about hiring more help?” Lavinia asked, following Saphira into the kitchen to prepare an order. Saphira made a cold turkey sandwich, placing it neatly on a plate before sighing.
“I haven’t had time to think of anything,” Saphira replied. “This is for table two.”
She sent Lavinia off with the order, catching her breath alone in the kitchen for a moment.
Saphira had no days off, and she was doing multiple jobs at once: she was a barista and waitress and line cook and prep cook and dishwasher … Not to even mention being a business owner and manager and accountant. There was so much paperwork!
The cafe was pulling in a decent profit, and Aiden’s weekly payments were definitely useful, but she needed a more long-term solution than to constantly be putting out fires. Paying off the mortgage would be a big help, but she hadn’t thought further about how to make that idea into a reality. Managerially, she needed to come up with a better plan.
Her head throbbed, and Saphira rubbed her temples.
“Hey, you okay?” Lavinia asked, entering the kitchen again. Saphira gave her a bright smile.
“Yup.”
Lavinia frowned. “Maybe you should hire more staff.”
“I just hired Calahan.”
“Beyond a replacement for me,” Lavinia gave her a pointed look.
Saphira sighed. In an ideal world, she could simply be the cafe’s manager, overseeing things, while the little everyday
tasks were delegated to others, but Saphira was hesitant to take that leap until things were doing better at the cafe and she was sure she could hold onto such staff.
“More staff could also keep an eye out for the baby dragons,” Lavinia said. “That way there wouldn’t be so many little disasters to deal with.”
“Hm, I know you’re right,” Saphira said, following Lavinia out of the kitchen. It was almost time for closing, so there were only a few people left in the cafe now. “I have to sit down at some point and do that math.” A prospect she was dreading.
“You really do,” Lavinia agreed. “I would offer to help but you know math and I aren’t the best of friends.”
Saphira smiled. Her gaze strayed to the front door, whichhad just opened as a lanky boy walked in. “Speaking of best friends …” She nodded at the door, and Lavinia’s face lit up.
“Ladies,” Theo said, striding up to the counter.
“Hey, Theo,” Saphira said, barely getting a response before Lavinia whisked Theo away, the two of them instantly absorbed in their own conversation.
They had just seen each other this morning when Theo had dropped off a delivery of falooda cake truffles (which she was skeptical about, but actually tasted really good), but they were always like this when they saw each other, as if they could never get enough.
Saphira watched the pair of them: Theo took Lavinia’s drink from her hand, taking a sip. As he did, a bloom of lipstick stained his mouth, and Lavinia laughed, leaning across the counter to wipe it away. It was a simple gesture, but Saphira could have sworn she noticed something change in Lavinia’s face as she touched Theo’s mouth, her thumb lingering at the point of contact.
But the moment passed in a millisecond, so quickly that Saphira could have imagined it, and the pair were back to talking over one another. They were on an entirely different wavelength, and Saphira was so delighted for them, even as her chest ached.
