Coffee, Tea or Me, page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Coffee, Tea or Me
Rich Amooi
Copyright 2016 © Rich Amooi
http://www.richamooi.com
Edited by Mary Yakovets
This book is a work of fiction, so please go fly a kite if you have issues with any part of this story. Seriously. References to real people, Chihuahuas, caffeine, companies, dead people, restaurants, dogs who like to kiss on the mouth, events, products, poop, corn dogs, services, scones, businesses, corporations, pepperoni pizza, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Characters, names, story, locations, incidents, and dialogue come from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. You must be this tall to read this book.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, recorded, or distributed in printed or electronic form without permission from the author.
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To my sweet angel.
Without you,
none of this would be possible.
Chapter One
“No. Kissing. On. The lips!” Jack Robbins grimaced and wiped his face. “That was disgusting. Your tongue went inside my mouth. Do you know how distracting that is while I’m driving? Get back on your seat.”
Jack glanced down at his dog, Chimichanga, who sat on his lap as they waited for the red light to change. The rescue Chihuahua didn’t budge and shot him an innocent look she had perfected over the last year.
Jack shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, Chimi. You know that?”
Chimi agreed and licked Jack on the chin this time.
Jack pulled into the parking lot, parked the car, and scratched her on the head. “Much better. Kisses on the chin are perfectly acceptable. I’m also okay with cheeks and earlobes.”
Jack got out of the car, tucked Chimi under his arm and walked across the parking lot toward his business, Jack’s Coffee Cafe. It was the number one coffeehouse in Mountain View, California and Jack couldn’t be prouder. Not only did he brew the best coffee one cup at a time, he even had a dog-friendly patio in the back.
Business was good.
So good that he’d been approached by investors to turn his cafe into a national chain.
Chimi growled at a woman who got out of her car.
“Sorry,” Jack said to the woman.
Chimi had a problem with women and made it clear she wanted to be the only female in Jack’s life.
He entered the back patio of his cafe and smiled. “Hey, Harvey.”
“Morning, Jack.” Harvey was one of his regular customers. He sat against the wall with Penzance, his Labradoodle. “How are you and Enchilada today?”
Harvey rarely called Chimichanga by her real name. The dog was going to get a complex.
Jack reached down and stroked Penzance on the head. “Another beautiful day… How are you?”
“Just Marvy.”
He always was.
In fact, everyone knew him as Marvy Harvey when he had had a popular morning show on the radio back in the seventies and eighties.
Harvey folded his newspaper and set it off to the side. “I thought you had the day off.”
“Todd called and said I needed to get down here ASAP. According to him, our world is falling apart.”
“He can be a little dramatic.”
“Tell me about it.”
Like that day Todd phoned Jack and told him he was in the emergency room at General Hospital. Jack almost ran over a group of Girl Scouts as he raced to the hospital, only to find out that Todd was being treated for an ingrown toenail.
Harvey shrugged. “Well, it’s a nice surprise seeing you, anyway.”
Jack smiled. “Thanks. The universe likes to keep hitting us with these surprises to keep us on our toes, I guess.”
“Story of my life… I thought I was going in for a routine physical exam last week and next thing you know the doctor is inserting some crazy ultrasound-thingamajig the size of a flag pole up my yahoo.”
Harvey was the king of TMI.
Or maybe more accurate would be WTMI. Way too much information.
Jack suspected the eighty-year-old man made up his medical issues just to have something to talk about since he missed being on the radio. Harvey had a full head of white hair, but was in amazing shape for his age.
“You ever have back spasms?” asked Harvey.
“Can’t say that I have.”
Harvey reached down and stroked Chimi’s smooth cream coat. “You will when you get to be older than dirt like me.” Harvey gestured toward the cafe. “Looks like you’re wanted.”
Jack cranked his head around to look through the cafe window. Todd stood inside with his hands on his hips and a get-your-butt-in-here-now look on his face.
He handed Chimi’s leash to Harvey. “I’ll be back.”
“You know I’m not going anywhere. Especially with these shingles and shin splints.”
Jack entered the cafe and headed toward Todd who was behind the counter, restocking the cups. The place was packed as usual and the energy was electric.
He slid behind the counter and came up behind Todd.
Todd whipped around and gave Jack another look. “Follow me.”
“Can I grab a cup of coffee first?”
“This can’t wait.” Todd circled around the counter and walked toward the front door.
“Okay…” said Jack to himself. “I’m just the owner of the place, so don’t worry about it.”
What was the big mystery?
Probably nothing at all.
Jack passed by a few more regulars, said hello, and exited through the front door. He took a seat on the bench out front and watched Todd pace back and forth on the sidewalk. Todd was wearing his favorite employee t-shirt that said, “Jack’s Coffee. Freshly brewed one cup at a time.” It was like the other employees’ t-shirts, but he insisted on the color black to distinguish himself from the employees who wore the same shirt but in hunter green.
Jack checked his watch. “I should be at home reading on the back patio right now. What’s the problem?”
Todd pointed. “That is the problem.”
Jack stood and followed the direction of Todd’s finger toward the place next door. Two workers were up on ladders installing a sign.
He backed up a few steps to read the sign. “Susie’s Tea & Scones…”
This was news to him. He’d been wondering who was going to take over the place since the bakery went out of business six months ago. All the windows had been covered with paper to keep everyone from looking in while the construction workers worked inside.
Jack turned back toward Todd, not understanding what the big deal was. “I don’t see the problem.”
“Excuse me?” Todd took a couple of steps toward Jack and leaned in. “Twenty percent of our sales come from tea. That’s the problem. Neither of us needs a calculator to know how much money that is.”
It was a lot of money, that was for sure. But Jack didn’t get why Todd was so concerned. He didn’t consider Susie’s tea shop—or any tea shop, for that matter—competition. They probably served a different kind of tea that required you to extend your pinkie finger outward as you drank it.
That wasn’t competition at all.
He did admire the business savvy of the person who bought the place. They were smart to find a place that already had baking ovens, which would save them tens of thousands of dollars. Obviously, this Susie person was well educated and knew business. Still . . .
It was just tea and scones.
Jack shrugged. “I’m not worried about this place. Can I go now?”
“Well, I think her place could be a gold mine and we not only could lose some tea business, but maybe even some of our regular coffee drinkers.”
Jack snorted. “Who would be crazy enough to switch from the bold, aromatic, sensual experience of coffee to sipping boring, perfume-infested, leafy hot water? And scones? What an absurd idea for a business.”
“Wrong. Women love scones. Remember I wanted to add them to the menu a year ago?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Yes, you do. And did you listen? No.”
A woman walked by and eyed Susie’s sign. “How wonderful! I love scones.”
“Me, too!” said her male companion. “We’ll have to come back when they open.”
Todd watched the couple walk away and then gave Jack a look. “Even men like scones. Go figure.”
Jack studied the sign again. Could he be wrong about this? Was it possible that Susie’s place could be competition?
Todd perked up. “I think that’s Susie over there. I saw her going in and o
“Where?”
Todd gestured with his head toward the corner. “Over there.”
Jack turned and caught a glimpse of Susie as she bent over to pick up a piece of paper she dropped. She stood back up and looked in Jack’s direction. They locked eyes for a moment and then he casually looked away. He didn’t want her to think he was checking her out. But Jack did get a chance to admire Susie’s auburn hair and pretty face before she disappeared around the corner.
Todd pointed toward her front door. “Okay, it’s a good time to go check out her place.”
“Do I look like a spy to you?”
“You’re not spying. It’s called curiosity. And based on her past behavior, she won’t return from wherever she keeps going to for another twelve minutes.”
“You have her under surveillance?”
“No!” Todd shrugged. “Maybe…”
Jack looked over at her front door that was propped open. He was curious, no doubt about that. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick look. What’s the worst that could happen? They would just ask him to leave, right?
He glanced over at Susie’s place again and sighed. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” Jack took a deep breath and walked next door. He quickly sneaked underneath the two men on the ladders without them noticing.
Once inside, he froze.
“Holy crap,” he mumbled to himself, unable to believe what he was seeing.
He glanced around the room and admired every inch of Susie’s place, as if he were in a museum. There were cozy booths, tables, floor cushions, private romantic corners, candles, statues, water fountains, and bright, colorful tapestries.
“This place is amazing,” he said to himself. “Huh…”
It was like an exotic blend of Morocco, India, and Thailand, with a cool modern vibe. It was so inviting and peaceful he wanted to sit and relax for a while.
Susie was a genius.
This woman had a degree in Take No Prisoners. Susie's Tea and Scones was out of this world and it wasn’t even open yet. Jack didn’t like the feeling in his gut.
Maybe she was going to be competition.
He turned to admire the beautiful mural of the Taj Mahal on the entire wall that separated Susie’s business from Jack’s business. In front of the wall was a giant Buddha. His eyes traveled from one side of the mural to the other and then stopped.
“What the hell?”
He moved closer and squatted, inspecting the power sockets near the floorboard. They were completely overloaded. He looked around at the numerous lamps, fountains, and other gadgets. Almost all the power cords led back to the same sockets.
“Not good…”
Jack knew from his research before moving into his own building that the overload could easily result in overheating and potentially a fire. Plus the exposed, energized terminals were a shock hazard. Jack counted at least three building code violations, plus a serious fire hazard. The last thing he wanted was for someone to get hurt or killed, plus a fire could burn right through the wall and take out his business, too.
Not gonna happen.
He would definitely warn Susie and make sure she fixed it ASAP.
Jack stood to leave, clipping the giant Buddha with the outside of his right knee.
“Oh, God.”
The Buddha wobbled, ready to tip over. He reached out to grab it and ended up losing his balance, toppling over it. Jack slammed into the floor, with the Buddha landing directly on top of him. His leg swung out, kicking a colorful hand-blown floor vase, knocking it over and shattering it. He wondered if the moisture on his leg was from water in the vase or blood from his shin.
The pain was there. Lots of it.
At least the Buddha didn’t break.
“What the hell are you doing?” said a man, entering the room. He stared down at Jack on the floor with the Buddha on top of him. “You got some sort of perverted Buddha fetish?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I was—”
“Give me the Buddha before you suffer the karmaquences.”
Jack extended his arms upward and handed the Buddha to the man. Then he rolled over onto his knees before standing up.
The man set the Buddha off to the side. “What are you doing in my building?”
Jack stared at him for a moment. “Your building? You’re Susie?”
“Do I look like a Susie to you? I’m Kenneth.”
He must have been Susie’s husband. A good-looking guy for sure, around thirty-five, well-built, well-groomed, well-dressed. Almost too well done up.
Maybe he was gay and not Susie’s husband.
The man huffed and stuck his chest out. “Why are you looking at me that way?”
“Sorry. I just thought… Nothing. Let me know how much the vase was and I’ll cut you a check. I’m Jack Robbins. I own the business next door.”
“Is this how you normally welcome people to the neighborhood? Breaking into their businesses and then molesting the decor?” He pointed to Jack’s crotch. “You pissed your pants.”
Jack looked down at the giant wet spot on his pants. “It’s water from the vase.”
Kenneth smirked. “Sure it is.”
Jack turned and pointed to the overloaded sockets near the bottom of the mural. “By the way, that right there is a fire and shock hazard.”
Kenneth glanced over at the wall and shook his head. “Don’t worry about that—I’ll take care of it.”
“You better because—”
“I said I’d take care of it. I’ll also get you a broom.”
Jack just stared at him.
“You don’t expect me to clean up this mess, do you?”
Jack surveyed the pieces of glass that were scattered on the floor. “Uh, well. No. I guess not.”
Just like that, Kenneth disappeared into the back room. Jack tried to wipe his pants dry with the bottom of his shirt before Kenneth came back, but the wet spot wasn’t going away. He rubbed the spot harder, just as Kenneth returned with a broom and a dustpan.
“Can’t leave you alone for even a minute, can I?” Kenneth said.
Jack stopped rubbing the crotch of his pants and felt his face heat up. “I was just trying to get it off.”
“Looked more like you were trying to get it on.”
Jack held out his hand. “Very funny. Just give me the broom.”
Kenneth handed him a few towels. “Make sure you dry it, too.” He leaned the broom and dustpan against the wall and walked away again.
Unbelievable.
Not that long ago, Jack was home relaxing on his day off.
Now he was cleaning the neighbor’s floor.
After he finished Jack looked around for Kenneth, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Hello?” he called. “Are you still here?”
He waited for a few seconds but there was no answer.
Jack set the dustpan off to the side, leaned the broom against the wall and limped outside. He glanced up at the sign again.
Susie’s Tea & Scones
“Susie,” Jack said to himself. “Looks like I need to keep an eye on you.”
Chapter Two
Susie McKenna opened the large cardboard box on the counter and smiled as she pulled out containers of loose-leaf tea. Citrus Lavender Sage, Egyptian Chamomile, Gunpowder Green, Kashmiri Chai.
She loved them all.
“The competition next door is spying on us,” said her brother, Kenneth. He placed some candles on the tables. “I also caught him dry-humping the Buddha.”
Susie laughed. “Right.” She neatly aligned the tea containers on the display shelf, making sure they were all one behind the other.
“Seriously. He was in here snooping around when you left to get more things from storage.”
Susie stopped and looked up. “Jack Robbins was here?”
Kenneth arched an eyebrow. “I shouldn’t be surprised you know his name.”
“No, you shouldn’t. You’re the one who spoon-fed me information about every business within a five-mile radius.”
“And because of that you are a well-prepared business owner.”
“This is true.”
Kenneth had spent over three weeks researching the neighborhood, the businesses, the owners, the demographics of the people who frequented the area, their average annual salaries, their education, median home prices, neighborhood walkability, crime reports, etc. She wouldn’t be surprised if Kenneth even knew everyone’s blood type.
