Page 59 of The Uncomplicated Café
And when the storms come, we can face them
with faith, fortitude, and, if we’re lucky,
a creamy affogato and slice of coconut cake.
Alvera turns toward the camera.
She breaks the fourth wall and SMILES.
ALVERA (V.O.)
At least, that’s how we do it here
at The Uncomplicated Café.
She WINKS.
FADE TO BLACK.
With the giddiest grin—the kind that made her cheeks hurt in the best possible way—CeCe reread the last page, savoring each soul-quenching sentence.
Chloe had chosen love over the safety of Alvera’s spell. She’d weighed the risks and still offered her heart, without restraint.
CeCe couldn’t help drawing a comparison to Abby’s words from earlier, and the similarities made her laugh.
Spock mewed, nudging her hand, as if he wanted to be let in on the joke.
“God must think I have a pretty thick head,” she said with a smile. “He’s laying on the life lessons a little heavy today.” She scratched Spock behind the ears. “To be fair, I have been a bit dense.”
Spock mewed again in agreement.
CeCe chuckled. “Point taken. No more waffling. It’s time to be brave and tell Jayce how I feel.”
Spock purred his approval.
“How should I do it?” she asked, continuing to stroke his fur. “Have any bright ideas?”
To her surprise, he hopped off the couch.
“Some help you are,” she huffed.
Ignoring her, he swatted at an index card lying on the ground.
Cece frowned. How did that get there?
As she plucked the card off the carpet, her heart skipped. She immediately recognized Jayce’s handwriting. The card must’ve fallen out when she’d hastily rifled through the screenplay.
Meet me at Lighthouse Cove after your shift tomorrow. I’ll bring lunch.
Her mouth went dry. Lighthouse Cove. Their special spot. The spot where she’d planned to confess her feelings all those years ago, but Jayce never showed.
“Okay, God,” she murmured. “Message received.”
She knew what she needed to do.
If only she could predict the outcome.
Chapter Thirty-Five
