Page 14 of The Hampton Beach Café 5
EIGHT
Squeezing her eyes shut, Frances rolled over and tried to will herself back to sleep. She was so comfortable, and warm, and weirdly well rested…
She sat up straight in bed. What time is it!?
She reached for her phone, but there was a sticky note stuck to the glass. She squinted at it and read the unmistakable scrawl of Lucinda.
CALM DOWN! You needed a sleep-in, so we turned off your alarms. Everything is fine. It’s a Sunday, there’s that kite surfing thing on down the way, and we’re expecting it to be super quiet––go back to sleep.
Any note starting with CALM DOWN should be immediately re-considered,Frances thought as she peeled away the sticker to see the time.
Eight AM, she read, that wasn’t too bad for a sleep-in these days. She should get up and go check on them… she reached for her dressing gown to jump in the shower but withdrew her hand sharply as she felt something crunchy under her hand.
A second sticky note, she rolled her eyes.
It read:Sleep in, for the love of all that is good and holy. Just relax, woman!
Lucinda’s clearly up to something,Frances thought as she rolled her eyes and settled back into her bed, pulling the covers up around her. It was kind of nice…
She started thinking about the strange night with Alex, Clarkson, and Kennedy as she lay there. It was unlike anything she had experienced in a long time. Even though it was a networking event, it had been casual and fun. The party had been different from the other influencer events she had attended with Clarkson. This had seemed to be more about dancing and having fun than making connections and plans. The business side had been there, of course––it was a networking party after all––but she couldn't deny that she had enjoyed herself.
In her mind’s eye, she saw Alex dancing to the electronica beat. They had made fun of the music later, it wasn’t really to either of their taste, but it had been exhilarating to feel free like that.
The image she’d conjured of Alex in his suit made her want to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling, even though she was alone. He really had looked great, and he seemed like he’d had fun…
She was just starting to drift off again when the sound of a leaf blower outside her window broke the quiet. She groaned and tried to cover her head with her pillow, but it was no use. The noise was too loud to ignore.
Wait, why was there a leaf blower––she didn’t own a leaf blower.
Curiosity got the best of her and she sat up in bed to peer out of the window, but she saw nothing below. Ignoring a third and fourth sticky note instructing her to stay in bed, she got dressed to go outside and investigate the leaf blower, which had since stopped.
As she stepped into the café, which was indeed very quiet, she turned to peer into the Art Gallery portion of the building and was shocked to see the side door wide open.
She saw Alex taking a leaf blower from a sheepish-looking teenager through it. Why was there a loose teenager in her garden?
The thoughts flying through her mind were less than coherent as she crossed the café floor and made it to the side door, but it went entirely blank as she stepped through it and saw no less than fifteen people busily working away.
“What… exactly is going on?” she asked, and Alex turned towards her in surprise.
He scowled.
“See, you did wake her up,” he said. “Go on and get back to what you were doing before you discovered the noise machine.”
“Well…” he started, but Clarkson and Lucinda descended on them before he could continue.
“You’re supposed to be asleep!” Lucinda exclaimed. “This was supposed to be a surprise!”
“We wanted to help out,” Alex said with a smile. “We figured you could use a break, and this seemed like a good way to get everyone together to get the outdoor seating area ready to go. Kennedy gave us the list of requirements for the council to approve the safety aspects of it...”
Of course she had,Frances thought. Apparently, the town council would put even the strictest Home Owners Association to shame.
Clarkson chipped in. “We put the word out, and a couple of youth organizations donated their fit young people to do some of the heavy lifting––with this many working on it, we should get this looking ship shape by tonight.”
“You have to let me help,” she said, “I can’t just sit inside and make coffees while you are out here working your butts off.”
“You don’t have to make coffees either,” Lucinda said, “part of why it had to be today. Actually, Hayley has booked a major job next week, so she’s flying off––today’s the last day she can mind the shop.”
Frances turned to see Hayley smiling and joking with a customer. It was a little surreal to have yet another old friend from high school popping in and out of the café to lend a helping hand. It had been a lifesaver, though, having her around while Frances navigated the seemingly ever more complicated landscape of her life in Hampton Beach.
