I woke up with a smile on my face and singing under my breath. A love song. My dreams had been filled with romantic candlelight, a faceless person and some superb dessert. It could all be from the extra long bubble bath I’d taken before bed. The bubbles had fascinated Indigo to no end. I added bubble-making to the list of activities to do with her one of these afternoons.
My trip downstairs was quick, and I headed directly to Betty. A nice, warm, silky latte would be the perfect start, then maybe something spicy for breakfast. I skidded to a halt behind the counter, my eyes wide, looking around the bookshop. “What is this?”
“Trouble,” said the Cat. He appeared up on the counter, jumping from somewhere in the store's front. “My punishment continues.”
I stared, and stared some more, before what he said registered in my brain. “How is a coffee shop trouble?” I asked. A long beautiful wooden table with two benches was next to the window. The honey wood was worn and smooth. Then there were a few square wooden tables, with four chairs each. The tables took up the center of the room, but they had plenty of space between them.
The shop had to be bigger, since bookshelves still lined the back walls, and the wall to my right. Yet, the children’s section was gone, and the overall feel was definitely different. In the front window, plants hung from hooks in the ceiling. The cat’s wingback chair was still there, in a beam of sunlight.
My counter was the same, along with Betty, but next to the cash register four cake platters with domes covering them were filled with various cookies and brownies. Behind me on the wall were the shelves filled with different tea canisters. The place was stocked to be a full-blown coffee shop for the day.
“It means people,” grumbled the cat. “How about a coffee in my teacup?” After a moment he added, “Please.”
I quickly moved in front of Betty and started frothing milk. We’d both needed some energy to get through today it seemed. Indigo appeared, flying across the coffee shop seating from her hideaway. She twirled in the air, showing off her flying skills, which had improved. The little dragon landed on the counter and moved closer to the Cat.
Time stopped as she nuzzled him. He didn’t even move before she galloped her way over near Betty. Once I had a moment, I gave her head a pat, then pulled out cups for all of us. The teacup for the Cat with the pretty flowers on it, my thick dark blue mug with hints of stars, and then a small white coffee cup for Indigo.
The extra frothy milk went into the teacup, and then my mug. Indigo looked at her cup forlornly.
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“I’m making you hot chocolate, don’t worry. I just want to cheer the Cat up, first.”
She chirped in response. Something that sounded like oh, I agree.
I added more milk to the metal pitcher along with some good dark chocolate. I also got the beans grinding and the espresso shots going. Multitasking for the win with Betty. I needed to remember what that was like if today was going to be like my coffee shop barista days in college.
The milk warmed and darkened as the chocolate melted. I poured it into Indigo’s cup, as she eagerly watched. Surprisingly, she waited until I put the espresso into the Cat’s teacup and then my mug before touching hers. She sniffed her cup once, then chirped. I knew what she wanted and pulled out the whipped cream sprayer. I put a small bit on top of her cup and then even added a little cocoa powder so it looked pretty.
Her eyes practically glowed as she leaned forward and stuck her snout in it.
I picked up my mug with a smile, happy to see she wasn’t trying to climb inside the cup. Maybe she wanted to stay clean for today.
The Cat was already at his cup, lapping at his drink.
“So, is this a magical coffee shop? Or a normal one?” I asked after taking a sip of my latte. The warmth washed through me and I sat down on my stool. I still needed to make breakfast, but I could take a few moments to enjoy my drink and maybe get some answers out of the Cat about what today would bring.
“Indigo can stick around, no one will mind,” said the Cat, pulling away from his teacup. His whiskers were completely clean, and the cup was empty. Of course, he answered a different question, and not quite the one I was asking. Still, it was more information.
Today would be a coffee shop on a world with other people than normal humans. It sounded fun. But first, breakfast. Grabbing my mug, I got up and headed into the kitchen. Hopefully, we had enough time for some bacon and eggs. It was easy, and something I could make.
The oven was already preheated and the bacon package was on the counter. I chuckled to myself. “Thanks, Betty,” I whispered to the empty kitchen. At least I could feel like I was doing something productive. I hadn’t commented on the cookies and brownies already set out on the counter. I bet I would find missing cookie dough from the freezer, along with the extra brownies.
I didn’t mind, it would make it an easier day. It didn’t take long for me to get the bacon in the oven and some scrambled eggs going on the stove. By the time the bacon timer went off, both Indigo and the cat were sitting on the island near one another. Indigo cooed at him, but I didn’t know what that meant. It felt like they were having a conversation I wasn’t part of, but that was okay. The Cat’s grumpy mood had vanished, and I wanted it to stay that way.
Bacon went onto a plate in the center of the table while I dished up eggs for all of us. I added four slices of bacon to the Cat’s plate, since he preferred to be served. Then we all ate in silence, except for the sound of crunchy bacon.
“How busy do you think we will be?” I asked.
The Cat stared at me, and his tail flicked in the air. “That’s the trouble part.”