His Brother's Wife

by Mia Ford

  I went to college at the University of Idaho and got a degree in Literature, so the books were all me. Noel was more business minded and did all the paperwork and numbers for our shop and I filled in the blanks. I picked out the unmatched, used furniture for the room and decorated the walls with a lot of old pictures of the town. I also had some colorful prints to match the vibrant purple walls and cleaned up the old fireplace in the corner. It was cold here a lot of the time and we needed it, and the old brick mantel attracted a lot of attention. It was a beautiful place.

  I smiled as Mike walked in. He was always our first customer and grabbed a coffee and a Danish before he went fishing. Mike was a retired hotel owner that opened fifty years ago and because of that, was very successful. He kept it up even to this day, and it did well while he fished several times a week and just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us. “Good morning,” I told him as I straightened my dark ponytail, watching him walk to the front where Noel was finishing with the case.

  “Good morning, my ladies.” He always greeted us with those words and I grinned at Noel as she reached for a coffee mug.

  “The usual today?” She asked him as he pulled out his wallet. She got his coffee poured and grabbed his Danish while I turned on the sign that told everybody we were open for the day. I found a radio station that was light and fun and headed back behind the counter to get organized while Mike settled in the corner table with a newspaper. Noel went back to start making some sandwiches for the lunch menu and check on the soup that she started earlier today while I watched the front.

  There were enough customers to keep us busy, and I loved seeing them every day. I felt like I was part of the highlight of their day as they came in to greet me like they hadn’t seen me for weeks. There were a few older folks that came in, some freelance writers that worked at our tables and just some readers like myself. I watched the writers, wondering if I should do something like that myself since I did have a degree in Literature.

  I also had some things to write about. I had some things to release; issues that were going to ruin me if I allowed it.

  Noel had saved me from hitting rock bottom after college when she suggested that I move back to her home town with her and open a coffee shop. Noel liked that small town life despite having a blast in college where there was a lot to do and wanted to return. We’d lived together in the dorm and become close friends quickly, so I agreed. I didn’t want to go back home to my parents in Malad City but also didn’t have any other plans. I was too broken to want to move forward with my life. I agreed, and she told me that I could stay with her at her parent’s ranch house and open something in the empty building with her.

  I looked at Noel as she came out for a fresh cup of coffee, smiling at her as she looked at me. She was twenty-three and a natural redhead with bright blue eyes, thin and pale. Those looks had all the attention of the local men and she’d started dating a little once we were established in the cafe. She was a little too much for most of them so far and I just laughed and watched from a distance.

  I had dark brown hair and whiskey colored eyes that were a bit wide for my taste. My skin was a shade darker than hers and I was curvier than Noel was, too. I joked with her about how much it irritated me that she could eat double the pastries that I could and not gain a pound while it went right to my hips, but it was mostly in jest. I exercised by hiking around here and doing some exercise tapes at the house, so I was a bit toned. Noel just never stopped moving to begin with.

  I sighed and got back to cleaning the tables that were empty, thinking about the Starbucks that was located near the university. It was always packed with lines of people and didn't offer anywhere to sit, a fact that I brought up to Noel when she first suggested this. I didn’t want that.

  She’s laughed and assured me that this town was smaller and slower. A coffee shop would do great but we wouldn’t be slammed like some of the places you see on every corner in other places. It would be a great place for people to warm up and relax on cold days and just chat on the warmer ones. The hours were early morning to the afternoon, so we had a lot of free time if there was any energy left after baking in the early hours of the morning. We were closed early on the weekends, only staying open until one as opposed the three o'clock like we did during the week.

  By the time we were closing for the day, Noel had gotten a message from her date. He wanted to go to the movies tonight and she asked me what I thought about it as I drove her Jeep home to the large house.

  “Apart from the meal, he sounded nice. I say give it a try,” I told her as I drove down the main road lined with shops and restaurants.

  “When are you going to give it a chance?” Noel asked me as I stared forward at one of three stoplights in our little town. “It’s been two years, Molly. You’re not in college anymore.”

  “I know but I am not ready,” I told her in a tone that made it clear I didn’t want to discuss this. I didn’t want to think about Lance and what he did to me in junior year; what any other man could do to me if I gave him the chance. I didn’t want to face any of it and I jammed on the gas pedal a bit hard when the light turned green, jerking forward as I pressed my lips together. “Sorry,” I told her, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I focused on the road. I was here because of her; working and driving this car, with a roof over my head. I didn’t want to ruin any of that and I forced the past out of my mind as I drove the rest of the way home.

  Keith and Marta Jones were her parents. They were high school sweethearts that got married right after graduation, with Keith going to work for a construction company while she stayed home and did bookkeeping in their home office. He moved up to management and she got more clients and once they had kids, they moved into this house and made it in a small town. It was a dream for some people and Noel had a great childhood. Mine wasn’t awful and my parents were kind people, but we didn’t have a lot of money. I worked hard in school to earn a scholarship for college and sometimes wondered if it was worth it now.

  I was working in a coffee shop. I loved it but it seemed like something that should be a part time job while I pursued my dream, but what was that? I could read a lot now, but I suppose I always thought I might work in a famous library or teach. I’d never say that to Noel, though. It was a fun job and I loved the customers but life was just a little stale sometimes. It seemed like I should have more being twenty-three with a bachelor’s degree, but a lot of people just worked normal jobs. Didn’t they?

  Chapter 2

  Molly

  We had roasted chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner that night. I was pretty tired and was going to go to sleep early but Noel rushed out of the house for her date as her mom just shook her head. Noel looked a lot like her though she had her father’s nose and eyes. “She was so mad last night about him and look at her go.” We were washing dishes together and she handed me a plate to dry.

  “She said she’d never go to dinner with him again. Maybe she is just going to try different scenarios now,” I joked as I wiped it clean with the yellow towel and added it to the pile beside me.

  “How are you doing, Molly?” Marta asked as she looked at me with warm brown eyes.

  “I’m great. Everything is going so well at the cafe. We’re busy enough to make something without being insane,” I told her as I glanced at her with a smile.

  “I know. I am glad it’s doing well but what about you? Are you happy here?” She pressed as I looked out of the window to stare at the meadow in front of their house.

  “It’s beautiful here. It’s small and I am getting used to such a small town. Home was slightly bigger.” I paused as I licked my lips. “I just feel like I should be making more of a difference in my life.”

  I grew up wanting the college scholarship and then to move to some big city for an exciting job. I only had some of that.

  “You are, Molly. Noel loves having you here and everyone is crazy about the cafe as well as you girls. It’s a big thing for people to ha
ve a regular place to go. I think that humans need a schedule and you provide them somewhere to go.” She laughed. “If you think about it, we just work here too. I work from home doing the books for clients and Keith’s business. It isn’t all that exciting.”

  “You’re happy, though. You have Keith and a family,” I told her as she looked into my eyes.

  “Is that what you want for yourself?” She asked as I shrugged. “Noel said that you had a bad experience in college with a boy. Is that why I haven’t seen you dating anybody?”

  It was so much of the reason and I blushed as I thought about Lance. His blonde hair and bright blue eyes still haunted my mind and I blinked to force the image out of my mind. “I’m just settling in. That’s all.”

  “This is a small town and you’ve met everyone that lives here in the last eight months since you opened the shop. There’s not much settling to do, although you will get a bit of a trickle from the air force base nearby.”

  I hadn’t heard about the base. I suppose nobody had come in that was obviously in the military. “Really?”

  “Be careful with that, though. Those boys are here for a time and gone and it won’t do you any good to fall for someone like that.” Marta shook her head. “Noel’s sister fell for that back when she was a senior in high school. He broke her heart in half!”

  “Oh, I won’t fall for that.” Charm was something I’d never fall for again. Lola was now happily married with twins so she survived it. Maybe I would as well.

  “It’s hard sometimes. They can be so charismatic. Lola’s guy had all of us fooled and then one day he was gone. She never heard anything from him again. It was a relief when she met Jack at the diner! She fell so in love with him and now they gave us those beautiful babies. Life happens the way that it’s meant to.” Marta smiled as she looked around. “I think we’re done. Want to have some tea with me? I made a chocolate cake that Noel is now going to miss out on.”

  We settled in the big living room to watch some television with our plates and big mugs of tea. I was wearing some yoga pants and a sweatshirt and felt cozy by the fire as I laughed at something that a character said on the movie. This really was a relaxing life and I was lucky to have a successful business in such a gorgeous town. I could end up with a big house like this down the line with a family. I could end up happy and I was only twenty-three. I had a lot of time to build my life and tonight, I was just going to enjoy this environment.

  I went to bed when the movie was over, sleepy from the fire and the TV. My room was on the third floor and spacious with a king-sized bed and a window overlooking the lush, green grass. I had a small attached bathroom that I changed in, pulling on my favorite sleep pants and a worn gray Henley before I walked over to my bed. I had a Kindle that I usually read before going to sleep and I grabbed it before I snuggled against my pile of pillows. It was only ten thirty and I wasn’t sure when Noel was going to come home, but she’d have energy for work no matter what. She always did. Her room was on the second floor so I never heard her come into the house but she was always ready when we left at four to go to work.

  In the morning, she was smiling. “Nate made up for the dinner. We went to see that new comedy with Amy Schumer and it was so funny. He bought me popcorn and Junior mints too.” We were walking to the car and she drove today as I looked at her dreamy face. She was back in her happy place.

  “Good. I’m glad,” I replied as I buckled my seat belt and pulled my hat lower over my hair. It was cold here in September and I flicked the heater up higher as we left the garage. It was so dark out when we left and the air was crisp. I was always happy to get to the cafe to start the coffee and warm up the place since we had so much fun in the morning. The baking got us moving as we drank our caffeine and talked about whatever was going on though most of it revolved around Noel. I didn’t have a lot to say since I didn’t have a life. Today, she told me every detail about her new cowboy and I could tell that she was smitten this morning.

  Noel was fickle with men. She always had been at school and it made my head spin. I was more of a one-man kind of girl and when I started dating Lance, I knew that I didn’t want anybody else. He was my everything for a year, making me think he was perfect for waiting for me when I didn’t want to sleep with him right away. I thought I found my Mr. Right.

  I was so, so wrong.

  We finished the baking and she started loading things into the cart to set up in the display. I walked around and wiped everything down one more time before I turned on all the machines and made the drinks that we’d need for opening. There were always two coffee pots going and we also had a large Decaf pot and a featured flavor every day. Noel made amazing treats and was thinking of bringing someone else in to make breakfast for customers soon along with some more lunch selections. We had enough traffic for it and she was handling the money.

  I walked out into the dining room after turning on all the lights and the radio, letting Mike in with a warm smile. “Hello, there.” I was going to be appreciative of all that I had today and let fate control the future. It worked out for others so I deserved something great too. I walked to the counter and got his usual before handing him his change, shaking my head as he dropped it into the blue tip jar that I set up. “You don’t need to do that every day, Mike.”

  “It will keep you open for me.” He winked as he walked to his table and I reached back to pull my high ponytail tighter on my head. I had all the machines ready for all the coffee drinks that people liked and I looked at the door to see a man coming in, but it was someone that I didn’t recognize. He was older, maybe mid-thirties or forties and handsome as hell. The man looked around the shop with a curious expression before walking up to the counter to let his gaze rest on me. He had cropped, dark hair and light blue eyes that held mine with a power that I’d never experienced before. It was like he was in control and I shivered with the feeling, uncomfortable with it. His voice was smooth as he ordered a black coffee before he looked at the display case with his full lips in the beginning of a smile.

  “What’s the best in there?” He asked me as I went blank. I’d eaten everything in there at one time or another and I couldn’t think of the name of a single one. What was wrong with me?

  “The best? I might be a bit biased but the chocolate walnut muffin rocks my world.” I jumped at the sound of Noel’s voice even though the customer didn’t even spare her a glance before he looked at me.

  “Would you agree?” He asked me as if we were alone and I nodded mutely. It was my favorite, or at least I seemed to remember that in the fog that had taken over my mind. “I’ll take one.” I took the twenty that he handed me and made his change before filling his mug for him. Noel got the muffin on a plate and handed it to him as we watched him drop a five-dollar bill into the tip jar.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice was concerned as she touched my shoulder once we were alone.

  “Yeah, he was just…” I shook my head and looked at her. I watched her glance at the table that he’d taken by the fireplace before looking outside to the overcast skies. Noel was always thinking of a dozen things at once and I smiled weakly, knowing that she kept this business going. I still couldn’t think clearly and felt useless.

  “That is a man that knows what he wants. I’ve never seen him before,” Noel mused before the door chimed and her face broke into a huge smile. “Nate!” A young, strawberry blonde man walked in and she left the counter to greet him as I watched. He was cute enough but young. I thought back to Lance and realized that he was just over a year older than I was when we met, wondering if young just didn’t appeal to me at all. Noel looked happy as she led him to the counter to show him the cafe and introduced us. “This is Nate. Nate, this is Molly. She’s my best friend and partner in crime here.” I shook the offered hand and noted that he had pretty bright blue eyes before she came back to fix him a coffee.

  Noel had forgotten all about mystery man but not me. I glanced his way to see him looking steadily at me as
I blushed and felt the sweat pooling in my hair. I faked confidence a lot though I was a kind person by nature. I found it hard to be rude unless that person really struck me the wrong way, but I rarely felt sure of myself. This man was nothing but that as he raised the cup to me and I smiled weakly. He took me down a level while he filled me with something that reminded me of the way I felt when I was with Lance.

  No. No. No.

  I couldn’t let myself become vulnerable that way ever again and I forced myself to look away as someone walked through the door. I helped them with a bright smile and too chatty of a voice while Noel took a break with Nate at a table, laughing at something that he said.

  Chapter 3

  Robert

  I watched the girl behind the counter, sipping the strong coffee as I sized her up. She was young, probably more than ten years under me. She was also beautiful and I remembered her lavender name tag that was pinned to the light pink shirt that boasted the name of this place. Mountain Brew. It fit being in this town, one that I was new to as of a week ago. The base needed to add to their staff to tighten things up after a scandal with another major and a female assistant. I was not the kind of man to fuck up at work that way, not after my twenty-year career with the air force. I would not allow those under me to either and I’d been demonstrating my leadership in the week that I’d spent with them. I had the financial means to live off base in a charming home at the edge of town so I could have my peace and finally decided to take my morning off today to wander a bit.

  I found this cafe right away and felt drawn to it somehow. It was a quaint little place and not that crowded, and I couldn’t resist the strong smell of coffee and baked goods once I was inside. Once I saw Molly, I knew that I was drawn to her as much as I was to the cafe that she worked at. She was around five foot six with intoxicating eyes that reminded me of a good whiskey and pale skin. Her dark brown hair was pulled high on her head but I wanted to release it so that her thick waves would tumble over her shoulders. She seemed to be stunned by my presence, unable to speak. That pleased me as my body responded but I also saw the intense fear in her beautiful eyes.