Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Twenty-Three: What A Girl Wants

There was a quick lesson on the register before Britt went back to cleaning off tables, Ada went back to making drinks and Tom took his post ringing customers up.

Tom's last comment to her before fleeing the kitchen gave her the answers she needed, but didn't bring her mind any more clarity. She was still in a daze, but having other people pick up the slack made a world of difference.

He charmed the customers, keeping them happy and distracted from the slower service and busy atmosphere. It took him a while to ring each person up, but he took the stress with ease and not a single customer complained.

The downpour turned into a light rain, which shifted to a slight drizzle. The evening became nice enough where it diverted a portion of her customers, which was fine by her. Having had little sleep the entire week, Ada was ready for some downtime.

With now only a half hour before close, Tom took on the tower of dishes in the kitchen, Britt wiped down all the tables and booths, and Ada swept and mopped the floors and cleaned off the machines.

"I think I'm gonna head out," Britt announced as she released her dishrag in the bucket of soapy water.

Ada balanced the mop handle between a table and chair before plopping herself beside it. "I don't know how I would have survived the night without the two of you," Ada admitted. "Britt, thank you. And not just for tonight, but for everything."

Britt shrugged before glancing over in the kitchen's direction before she sat down next to Ada. "What's going on between you and Mr. B?" Her tone wasn't joking or excited like it had been Wednesday before Tom showed up. Now she seemed more uneasy than anything.

Ada realized then the situation between her and Tom was interesting to Britt when it was in theory. She'd been quiet after Tom had left on Wednesday and had likely eavesdropped on the conversation from the hallway.

"I don't know." Ada licked her lips and leaned her arms against the table. "I never expected him to want me back. I just figured I'd spend an eternity pining for him in secret."

"Like you have been for the last four years?"

Ada's head shot up and body jerked backward in her chair. "I have not!"

"Oh, yes you have," Britt said with a laugh. "You've had a thing for him since freshman year. You've always been crazy for the guy. Maybe you never said it out loud or even admitted it to yourself, but I've watched you light up around him for four years."

Ada opened her mouth to refute it, then snapped it closed when she realized there was little point. In all reality, Britt was right. She wasn't sure if it'd always been a crush, but something had always been there, creeping in the backdrop.

"Is this crazy?" Ada wasn't sure if the question was directed at Britt or herself.

But Britt didn't hesitate to throw her two cents in. "It's not just crazy, it's nuts." She dropped her head in her hands and shrugged her shoulders. "But why should that stop you?"

Ada could list a dozen reasons and then some. And the 'Carrie Cautious' in her wanted to go through each of those reasons and pick through them until she knew every conclusion to every scenario.

Britt placed her hand on top of Ada's before continuing. "What do you want?"

There were many reasons to not go for whatever was happening between her and Tom, yet the one pro seemed to outweigh all cons she could think of.

"Him," Ada wiped at her face as she answered, as if she was cleaning the shame from her body. "I want him."

Britt smiled at her, then stood from the chair and scooped up her purse. "Then I'm gunna go so you can go get him." Britt gave her a wink and Ada watched as she turned off the open sign and the shop lights, leaving only the front counter, hallway and the kitchen lit.