“Thank you, Ally,” Mr. Kumar said. “The neighbors will be very happy to hear this news.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Kumar,” I replied.
“What’ll it be?” Tex boomed to the customer.
But he wasn’t looking at Tex. He was watching, with some alarm, as the apparent walking corpse of Mrs. Salim shuffled to Mr. Kumar carrying a pile of seven books in her arms.
All hardbacks.
I fought the urge to leap over the espresso counter to relieve her of her burden just as Mr. Kumar took the books from her and led her to the book counter.
My eyes went there to see Jane standing behind it, and I began to look away when I looked right back.
One of the pink Rock Chick books was sitting on the counter and she had her fingers to it; not leafing, lightly brushing. As Mr. Kumar and Mrs. Salim approached, she jolted, like she didn’t expect customers (ever) then gave them a small smile.
This wasn’t unusual, Jane being startled. She lived in her own world most of the time. And anyway, selling a book didn’t happen frequently so seven of them would surprise anybody.
But I wasn’t thinking about that.
I was thinking about how she was touching that pink book.
Jane loved books. She was an avid reader. And as a book lover who worked in a bookstore her whole life, she treated them with reverence.
That wasn’t what I saw.
Her touch on that pink book was reverent, for sure.
It was also loving.
Hmm.
Before I could move that thought to fruition, Indy interrupted it.
“I got broody Lee last night,” she whispered to me as she dumped her empties by the sink.
I tore my mind from Jane and looked at Indy. “What?”
“Broody Lee,” Indy answered. “Schedule goes, I get broody Lee at least once a week. A tough case is happening, maybe three or four times. Rock Chick stuff is going down, he veers from broody to annoyed to resigned. Last night, I started with broody Lee because of the meeting and super broody Lee because I told him he needed to quit giving you shit and start giving you support.”
Oh crap.
“Indy, I love it that you did that, but you don’t have to do it,” I told her. “In fact, please don’t do it again. I don’t want to be the cause of trouble between you and my brother. Let this be between Lee and Hank and me.”
“I also told Eddie he needed to sort Lee out,” Jet put in. “And Hank. He said he’d have a chat with them.”
I stared.
“Really?” Indy asked.
Jet nodded. “Yeah. He says he’s seen the tape and he’s also seen veteran officers go into a situation like that and not be able to keep their cool when things go south the way Ally did.”
Whoa.
Wow.
Righteous!
“Seriously?” I asked.
“You were the shit,” Tex boomed, flicking the latch on the coffee grinder to fill the portafilter and doing it so hard the entire grinder shook. “It was f**kin’ frustratin’. Whole thing took, like, two seconds, and I only got one punch in on the motherfucker. Then he was down. Splat!”
Indy looked at Tex, then at the customer, then at Tex. “Can you please watch your mouth in front of customers?” she asked him.
“No,” he answered her, then packed the coffee grounds down before shoving the filter up into the machine so the thing lifted off the counter an inch.
“Okay, then can you please not abuse my seven thousand dollar espresso machine?” Indy asked.
“No,” Tex answered then went on. “Been doin’ this years, woman.” He flipped a switch and patted the top of the machine (hard). “This bitch is built to last.”
Indy glared at him then rearranged her face and looked at the customer. “I apologize for my barista.”
“Once you get your coffee,” a blonde who’d just approached the counter, a regular I knew by the name of Annie, stated knowingly, “it’ll totally be worth it. Trust me. He abuses me all the time, and I don’t care as long as I get my coffee.”
“I don’t even know you,” Tex boomed at her.
“I come in every day at eight fifteen,” she shot back, and she was not wrong. She did.
“I’m supposed to remember that?” Tex asked.
“Yes,” Annie returned. “Because, for years, I’ve come in every day at eight fifteen.”
“I’m sorry, Annie,” Indy said.
“Just as long as the crazy guy never loses his touch with the coffee, again, I don’t care,” she replied then ordered. “Half and half mocha latte with a half a shot of almond syrup.”
“I remember that,” Tex muttered.
“Farewell Rock Chicks and Tex,” Mr. Kumar called from the door,
We all looked there and returned his wave (except Tex, who looked but didn’t wave). We also all braced when Mrs. Salim lifted a bony hand and waved, undoubtedly every one of us prepared to grab the broom should one (or more) of her digits break off because the blood stopped circulating there fifty years ago.
They moved out.
We all relaxed.
“That woman creeps me out,” Annie remarked, looking back after looking over her shoulder. “I don’t mean to be mean, but all the zombie movies lately…” she shivered. “Flashback.”
“She’s a good mother and a good grandmother who keeps her culture alive for her family when they’ve moved far away from home in order to make a decent living,” Tex stated and Annie’s eyes shot to him. “So yeah, she looks like the walking dead. She’s alive enough for her family.”
“I meant no offense,” Annie muttered.
“Then don’t say people that I know creep you out,” Tex shot back.
“Tex, you’re always saying shit about people,” I pointed out the truth, and he scowled at me. “And, incidentally, to people,” I went on with more of the truth.
“He’s nervous about getting married tomorrow,” Jet guessed.
“Oh my God! You’re getting married?” Annie cried. “How exciting!”
“Fuck,” Tex groused.
“Can I have my coffee?” the other customer asked.
I moved in to finish the guy’s coffee as Tex said to Annie, “You want your coffee, shut your trap.”
Annie grinned at him.
I handed the male customer his coffee.
He moved away, taking a sip, and stopped dead.
No one reacted to this. This was because a lot of newbies did this.