All morning apprehensive thoughts weighed on my mind at the idea of moving into Tona's space, but seeing the apartment this afternoon made me realize it would need a deep clean anyway. More time to get used to the notion of living there was a silver lining I could live with.
I opened a can of gourmet wet meat and dumped it into Azure's bowl, and he meowed as if to ask for more.
"No sir. You don't need extra dinner."
He was lucky I found the cabinet in the kitchen dedicated to him as it is. Okay, maybe not that lucky since he was the one that put his paws on the correct door.
After a brief stare down, I made my way to my temporary sleeping area. As if my body knew it was about to get the respite it had been demanding all day, the exhaustion set in. My legs felt like they would give out underneath me at any moment.
Thankfully, the couch was clear as I had already rearranged all the boxes from the living room into a pyramid within the kitchen. It was not as if I would be using it. Coffee I could make, placing premade pastries in the oven at 400° F for twenty minutes, I could do. But actually cooking a meal, not a chance. Best leave that to the professionals down at Ziti the Great. Italian would be perfect for lunch tomorrow.
I collapsed onto the couch, and the throw blanket that rested on the back fell upon me. In the time it took me to wiggle off my converse, I was out.
CHAPTER THREE
Monday, February 17th
What the tea Azure!?" I screamed as I jolted awake from him jumping onto my chest.
I pushed myself up against the armrest of the couch to try to clear my head. What time was it? Hopefully not morning already.
"Hailey we must talk," Azure said.
Oh good, I was losing my mind. That was it. The stress and grief had broken me. The cat was talking to me. Or am I dreaming? Felt more like a dream.
I pinched my arm. Nope, not a dream. Maybe if I just leave my eyes closed for a bit, the cat would go to sleep and I could wake up like none of it happened.
"I'm no cat, Hailey," Azure said. He pawed at my cheek, only it did not feel like his adorable furred beans hitting my face.
"What the? No breakfast yet, Azure. Five more minutes."
I sounded like a sleepy child, not wanting it to be a school day. It was surely a dream.
He butted his head against my chin. Furless and scaly. This was not happening.
I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and Azure came back into focus. Only instead of a twenty-five-pound black cat, I had a potbelly blue dragon on my chest pushing the air out of my lungs.
He jumped down onto the floor, "Apologies, but I had to get your attention."
Lovely, he was also reading my thoughts. TEA!
"Look. This has been a great joke, but I'm not taking a cat-dragon-whatever seriously until I've proven that this isn't a dream."
Maybe someone spiked my coffee yesterday.
"Hailey Morton, stop being a child. This isn't a dream. I'm a dragon, you're more dense than I previously observed, and we need to talk. I don't have time for your malarkey."
"Right. Okay, then answer me this. Where did you come from, and what did you do with my black fluff ball?"
"Look." He shimmered into the black cat, then back to the dragon, "I. Am. Azure. I. Need. You. To. Pay. Attention."
Whoa.
"You're A. . ."
"Dragon," Azure said. "That's right, you can comprehend this. Your aunt was my previous protector, and that honor has now passed on to you." He spoke to me as if I was slightly hard of understanding.
"But why now and what's with the sass?" Never would I have imagined the fluffers to be so snarky, "Are you sure I can't have the cat back, and we can just sleep this off?"
He eyed me with a blank stare, "It takes a few days for the bond to transfer. During which I'm the most vulnerable."
"So I can't get the cat back?"
With a look that could kill he continued, "As a dragon protector you see my true form, along with any other dragon. For instance, Victoria and her friends from the funeral."
"You mean the crazy cat ladies?"
I looked back up at the ceiling and rolled my eyes. Nailed it. Crazy cat lady cult. For tea's sake, Aunt Tona! You could have warned me.
"Yes. They're all dragon protectors and those 'crazy cats' are my fellow tribe mates. As such, you're now a member of Tribe Rune and there are rules against talking about us to even family."
I finally forced myself to sit up. The grogginess of rem sleep interruption that filled my head started to clear, turning into a low-level buzz of excitement. If this turned out to be a dream, I would be so mad. I looked at the clock by the stairs, 11:25 PM. Ugh. Tomorrow would be a long day.
"All right, let's say I believe you. This is real, you're a dragon and I'm your protector. I have questions," I said.
"Indubitably, but that's not the issue at hand," Azure said. "We must discuss your aunt's death."
"I'm not really in the mood—"
"Not your feelings," he said rather coldly, "Someone murdered your aunt."
"Well, that's... how can you say that?"
"Your aunt wasn't clumsy. Do you really believe she tripped into the roaster?"
Why would I have questioned her cause of death? Sheriff William Brooks had said it was an accident. His team investigated and found no foul play.
"These small town cops wouldn't know a murder if it happened on their doorstep," Azure said. "They're more concerned with the next ball game than actual police work. Besides, when was the last murder? Ten, twenty years ago? They no doubt believed the obvious. But it was a coverup. Someone murdered your aunt."
"I'm not saying it couldn't be true, but who would have wanted her dead? I can't think of a single enemy."
"Victoria and her use to fight all the time at the weekly tribe meetings. More than once it forced the other protectors to separate the two of them. We should start there."
"We?"
"As dense as you've turned out to be, it wouldn't do to send you on this mission alone."
"Rude!"
Azure stood on his hind legs and looked me square in the eyes. "Plus, Tona Simpson was the greatest protector I've ever had. I'll not lay by and let her killer walk free."
"Well I'm not sure what I think about all of this. So since you've said your peace, I'm going back to bed," I snuggled back into the couch and closed my eyes, "We can discuss this more in the morning. That is, if this all hasn't been an insane dream."
My favorite person on earth had left me, and I inherited a pretentious dragon. Awesome. What a fantastic month.
"I'll be honest, I'm hoping for the fluff ball's return."
CHAPTER FOUR
Tuesday, February 18th
Hailey," Charlie grumbled from the bar seating, "are you going to fill this cup anytime this morning?"
It took all my self-discipline from years of baristaing gruff old men like him to be able to reply in a pleasant tone.
"Sorry," I said as I poured into his cup from a French press I kept on the counter, full of the house blend—drip coffee was never served at Aconite Cafe—another Tona rule I planned to keep.
The bell chimed as Aubrey walked through the front door, "Hey. Sorry I'm late. The line at the school was backed up around the block today."
"Don't worry," I said. "Thanks for coming in."
Aubrey's ability to pull together a professional look with minimal effort always made me jealous. With her blonde hair—that could be washed with bar soap and turn out perfect—pulled into a high ponytail, jeans and a caramel blouse, she looked ready to take on the cafe as a manager not a barista.
I opened a counter flap parallel to the doors to let her into the serving section. Thankfully no one was seated in the armchairs as the one closest to the counter slightly blocked the walk way. But with Tona living here, and me using the back door, it was better to use the space for customers than keep it clear.
"Hope you're ready to hustle. It's been crazy busy this morning." I said, as she g
lanced around the cafe with wide-eyes.
"I mean, I thought I was, but maybe I should leave it to the professionals."
I laughed myself into a blank stare, making her giggle. Then continued in my tried and true deadpan voice, "I don't think I could learn necromancy fast enough to cover this rush."
"Dang it, alright. I knew I wore my tennis shoes for a reason. Let's do this."
"Sweet! Okay, the main goal of the morning rush is to get out as many cups of coffee as possible. Only a few will want food but that will be the easiest thing to learn today."
"Oh geez, you know I'm only an expert in drip coffee right?"
"How dare you speak the d word in this cafe?! For shame! Have the years of watching me from the counter taught you nothing?"
"Oh great Hailey, I bow to your expertise, please teach me the ways of coffee snobbery."
"That's more like it. You may not be up to the challenge, but we'll give you a chance, young one."
She put her hand over her heart and shook her head in an over zealous sincerity gesture, "Thank you, thank you gracious bean queen. I'll make you proud."
"You girls need to take a breath," Charlie said, "You're going to talk yourselves into oxygen deprivation."
A fresh wave of giggles came over us as I said, "Don't worry Charlie, we've leveled up enough to handle it."
"Well you remind me of them crazy gals on that show my daughters obsessed with. . . fillmore. . . gilroy. . . dang it, I can't remember. Something girls. It don't matter, just sayin' all that talking's gonna get you girls light headed."
"Don't get me to lying I hardly ever watch tv."
"Me neither" Aubrey said.
Charlie shook his head and went back to his newspaper.
We giggled together as we looked out over the top of the espresso machine. Nearly every table was occupied. The town had come in alongside the regulars to help support me in my time of need. It was really touching, but also nerve racking.
As Aubrey took the freshly brewed French press around to fill the mugs of the counter patrons Azure transmitted another plea for attention, "We need to go over the evidence, ignoring me won't change the facts."
I was never going to grow accustomed to him being able to infiltrate my mind. All morning he pestered me, like a fly buzzing inside my skull. But I was still salty regarding his early morning practical joke of pretending like nothing happened the night before. He stayed in cat form all morning until I stepped out of the shower and almost slipped on the tile at the sight of his dragon form.
But aside from that buffoonery, there were more immediate concerns. Aconite Cafe was not going to run itself, and Tona would rather I focus on the cafe. We had regulars who depended on us.
"I know exactly what Tona would want. Us to solve her murder." Azure transmitted.
"Well that was easy enough, so how do you brew one of these bad boys?" Aubrey asked, "And do you only brew one at a time?"
"For the most part, I do only brew one at a time to prevent cold coffee." I made a disgusted face at the thought, "This is where I keep the coffee beans."
I pointed to the five-gallon bucket that was sealed with an airtight lid. It sat underneath the counter that held the large grinder. I scooped beans onto the scale next to the grinder, 88 grams exactly. Next, I measured out 1,350 grams of purified water. I poured the water into our boiler and set it for 200°F before turning to Aubrey.
"It's easy enough once you get the hang of it, the main thing to learn is predicting when you'll need the next pot. I do my best to keep a pot ready at all times. But it's better to wait for a pot, than have it sit around for too long."
"So, what about all the other crazy drinks?" Aubrey asked.
The water and grinder finished up so I dumped the grounds into the French press, followed by the 185°F water. Slowly at first to bloom the grounds and make sure no dry spots were left. Then quickly to fill the pot a fourth inch from the top. I stirred for 5 seconds and then lowered the press onto the grounds just enough to submerge them. I set the timer for 5 minutes, and let it work its magic while I verbalized the instructions to Aubrey.
"Sorry to side track your question, timing is everything with French press. All the specialty drinks are made from the espresso machine, but we'll hold off on training that."
She smiled, clearly relieved that she only had to worry about the French press. Azure tried to interrupt me again, but I blocked him. The last thing I wanted to do was think about my aunt's death, but life had a funny way of pressing the issue.
Brett swaggered his way to the counter, "It's busier than usual. Are you running a sale?"
I bet he got all the ladies, with that late forties frat boy demeanor in his step. He wore a casual grey suit, and a white dress shirt, with a few too many buttons undone. The sculpted salt and pepper hair gave me the feeling he was really trying to hide his true age. What a sad life.
"No," I said, "They came in for the best coffee in town. What can I get you?"
"I wanted to see if you considered my offer. It would be top dollar."
I highly doubted that, but it did not matter. I was not going to sell to him, and I was starting to think that Tona had told him where he could put his offer. Azure knew nothing about Brett.
"Tell him to go away," Azure transmitted.
"I'm going to," I transmitted back. "Shouldn't you be taking a nap?"
"Dragon, not cat."
"When was the last time you spoke to Tona?" I asked, curious when he made her the offer. "You said you two were finalizing the price?"
"Umm, well. That would have been Thursday I suppose." He took a seat at the bar, and I poured him a cup of coffee. Slowly, he poured in sugar and cream.
"We were supposed to finalize over the weekend. I had a standing appointment Friday to show a ranch. Took all day. Didn't get back till late."
"And what price had you offered?"
"That's the thing," he spun his mug, "Tona was supposed to set the price. This location is great for tourists, and with her getting on in years, she was starting to think about retiring."
Lies. Tona would never have retired. More than once she had joked about dying here in the cafe—the universe sure called her bluff on that one—serving the people she loved. Marble Falls and Aconite Cafe meant the world to her, there was no way she would have wanted to leave.
"Okay," I said, not wanting to call him a liar in front of all the customers who were now doing their best not to show they were listening closely. An eerie murmur settled over the packed cafe as we stared each other down.
"Tonight, I'll look through her paperwork and see if I can't find that offer she planned to make."
"Excellent," he drank the last of his cup and placed a five-dollar bill on the counter. "Thank you for the coffee. I look forward to hearing from you."
I do not know if it was just me, but Brett seemed to run out of the cafe. No doubt he was worried I knew there was no offer. He should have been ashamed of himself for trying to take advantage of Tona's death to buy the property, but I suppose that was to be expected from Brett Townsend, real estate agent of the year.
The sound of ceramic shattering broke the silence and brought me out of my contemplation. I turned around to find Aubrey sweeping up a broken mug.
"I'm so sorry, I'll pay—"
"No, you won't," I cut her off. "That first summer I started with Aunt Tona, I must have broken her entire set of mugs in the first week. You'll get the hang of it."
She smiled with relief, and I knelt down to help her clean it up. "Thank you for coming in to help me."
"Of course," Aubrey said. "I'm always here for you."
"Ditto"
"What's the deal with that guy anyway? He's such a sleaze."
"I know, right? You're not even going to believe the fact that this isn't the first time in forty-eight hours that he's brought it up."
"Shut up, there's been gossip about him and the cafe but that's low."
"I'm serious. He approached me at the fu
neral after you left."
"Wow. Do you think Tona really wanted to sell?"
"Not a chance. I'd switch to tea if I was wrong on that."
"That'd be the day. Hopefully he'll get the message."
"I'm starting to doubt his ability to pick up on subtle cues." I laughed. Both times he had left my presence were comical to say the least.
"You know the crowds lately are probably due to the gossip chain more than anything right?"
"I figured as much, though I'd been hoping it was to show support. What odd are they giving me?"
"Sounds like fifty to one, that you'll close up shop within the month."
"Ouch."
"Yeah, but don't sweat it. Lexi talked to Brett last month and he assured her that the cafe sale was a done deal. So she's been selling it to anyone that will listen to the idea."
"Yikes. Gotta love the small town telephone chain."
We laughed it off together, but I still felt uneasy about others talking about my business like it was doomed.
I never had a care for small town gossip, but this town thrived off it. An assumption could turn into fact faster than one could blink some weeks. My only connection to the drama was Aubrey. She did her best to stay out of it, but being a part of the PTA meant listening to the latest scoop each week.
"You need to show Brett he can't push you around," Azure transmitted.
"I know. I will. But this was not the time nor the place." I transmitted back.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tuesday, February 18th
You'll discover a balance between a firm press and not over packing it," I explained to Aubrey as I packed the espresso cup with the tamp. "See how the grounds are just below the line?"
"Yes," she leaned in close. Her expression of deep concentration gave me chills. I had spent years trying to get her off drip coffee, this was going to be the moment of truth.
"This will ensure a perfect cup. Rich and smooth."
I recalled standing where Aubrey stood, and Aunt Tona showing me how to make the perfect cup. The first time I had an espresso was the moment I fell in love with coffee. My father always drank Folgers drip, and I never developed a taste for it. But after my first cup of fresh roasted espresso, I understood the hype. The world gained more color, and I could think at double speed.
A Fresh Brew Page 2
