Page 35 of When We Were Us
Only the hum of the ice machine in the corner, cinnamon, and the nutty warmth of brewing coffee greet me. I crane my neck to see if Nat is in the office, but while the light is on, it's empty.
I glance at my watch as I walk out front and am surprised to see her sitting with my mom, Norah, and our baby sister, Hayley. They are at two tables that have been pushed together. All four of them are hunched over the tables, with folders and papers scattered across the surface.
It's usual for it to be this quiet in the front of the café at this time of morning, at just after seven. Although, with a glance around, there are already two customers in the café. The veterinarian, Doc Callahan, and his vet technician, Penny, sit in the far corner, drinking coffee and chatting.
Doc Callahan raises his coffee cup to me. I lift my chin in greeting and continue to the small tables occupied by my family.
Hayley looks up when I approach, with a large grin breaking out over her face. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite big brother.”
My mom turns and looks up at me. “Oh, honey, I’m glad you’re here. We’ve had to move the animals over a bit to make room for the additional three vendors this year. Is this enough space for the calves?”
She hands me a sheet of paper with vendor layouts for Huckleberry Days next month. For as long as I can remember, Hayes Ranch has always provided the baby calves for the petting zoo, and this year is no exception.
“Here, sit.” Nat vacates her chair when a group of customers comes through the door. “I’ll grab you a coffee. Then you can tackle that toilet,” she jokes with a smile and a squeeze to my forearm.
“Lucky me,” I quip with a smirk.
“You love me,” she says with a laugh.
I nod. “That I do, little sister.”
She nods and touches my arm again. “Don’t leave without those apple tarts I made. I need your opinion before I put them on the menu next week.”
“Did you get either Tweedledee’s or Tweedledumb’s opinion?” I ask. She knows I’m talking about our brothers. And I already know she didn’t.
She glances at the counter and then back up at me, her face screwed up. “Why would I do that when I can get your opinion?” She leaves to greet her customers and I chuckle.
Knew it.
That’s one of the things I love about my sister Nat. She’s outspoken, driven, and not shy about what she thinks or who she is. We’re alike in that way. It also helps that she always feeds me, and I love being the one to try her new creations.
Sure, she’ll eventually let everyone else try them, but I’m always the first. The fact that it irritates my brothers—mostly Hudson, who is Tweedledumb in this scenario—is just a very tasty cherry on top. Nat doesn’t need approval from people, and that’s something else we have in common.
She texted me late last night to ask if I could stop by this morning because someone, probably a couple kids, had stuffed the toilet full of toilet paper and she couldn’t get it unclogged. I don’t mind stopping by. Nat runs this place by herself and she’s crazy independent. I give her a hard time sometimes, but I love being the one she calls for stuff like this. As much as one can love unclogging toilets.
Turning back to the table, I glance over the layout for the calves to mentally calculate how much space we’ll need. “This shouldn’t be a problem,” I say, handing the paper back to my mom and sitting down.
Removing my hat and placing it on my knee, I reach for the plate of donut holes in the middle of the table and pop one in my mouth. My sister makes the most incredible donut holes. I know I won’t have to try very hard to get a dozen or so of these to go with my apple tarts if I want to.
Hayley, who teaches twelfth grade P.E. at Timber Forge High, sifts through vendor lists, volunteer sheets, and layout plans. The Hayes family has always been involved in a few different aspects of the yearly festival, from volunteering and donations to providing animals for the petting zoo.
Now, with Hayley as the committee chair for the third year in a row, it’s been nonstop festival talk between all the Hayes women from mid-May. It’ll continue until the last day of the festival at the end of August.
“You’re out and about early on a Sunday. What brings you into town?” Norah asks, making check marks next to various items on the list in front of her.
Nat appears at my side and sets a steaming cup of black coffee in front of me.
I hook a thumb at her. “Gotta unclog this one's crapper.” I look up with a smile and she playfully rolls her eyes at me. I take another donut hole. “Thanks, Nat,” I say, taking a sip of coffee.
Is there anything better than that first sip in the morning?
“You’re welcome.” Nat pulls up another chair and flips it around next to me. She sits down on it backward, resting her arms along the back. She’s taken orders and it looks like Finn must have just come on shift, because she’s behind the counter and putting on an apron.
Norah glances up at me. “Did you see the payroll stuff I left on your desk Friday?”
“Yeah, I saw it. I’ll get to it tomorrow.I picked up a bunch of concrete yesterday afternoon, and I put the invoice on your desk.”
“What’s the concrete for?” Nat asks.
