He finished his sandwich and returned to the front porch to put his boots on.
His mom had work gloves on and headed for the herb garden, but she paused. “Just because your dream didn’t turn out the way you had hoped, at least you had a shot. From what I understand, Andy has a crap coach and no parents. Try to remember how you felt at seventeen, with the hope of playing college ball even though it was a huge obstacle considering your humble upbringing and the little exposure our town had in the world of football. It took more than just your talent to achieve your dreams of being offered multiple college scholarships. It took your coach, us, your town family, even the town elders, who chipped in for the team to afford the trip to state. All of that isn’t being offered to Andy. Are you going to punish him because of how you feel about Mary-Beth?”
He stood there with one boot on, watching his mom walk away in her rolled-up jeans, flannel top, and judgmental gaze. For a second, he allowed himself to think back to those years. Everyone in town had cheered him on, driven him home from practice when his parents couldn’t make it, spent extra hours on the field to make sure he was ready for the big game. Mary-Beth always by his side, his biggest fan. His mom was right. He did owe the people of Sugar Maple. If he couldn’t pay them back, he could pay it forward to the next kid, even if it was the last thing he wanted to do. This wasn’t about him; it was about Andy and his dream to play ball. This time, maybe, the dream would last more than one pass and a tackle.
He finished repairing the fence, changed his shirt, and drove to the high school, but when he reached the parking lot, everything flooded into him at once. The cheers echoed in his head. The smells of game food and sweat. The feeling of catching a pass in the end zone. The congratulatory kisses from Mary-Beth. Kisses that promised him a happy future but only gave him a broken past.
Chapter Nine
“I owe you big-time. I promise to do well in school and help out around the café any chance I get.” Andy pounded his football to his chest as if doing some sort of ritual greeting dance for a coach.
“Just work hard on your academics. If not, I pull Tanner from coaching. Got it?”
Andy only nodded, but she didn’t think he heard a word she said, with his mesmerized, locked-on gaze at the Sugar Maple football legend approaching.
“If this doesn’t work out, you know I’ll pay for your college.”
“No. You finally paid off your own loans and those to open your shop. I won’t put you back in debt.” Andy waved her to silence, and now wasn’t the time nor the place to argue with him, knowing he would never listen. Not with Tanner strutting to the field with that familiar jock swagger, as if he owned the universe. She knew that swagger made most women swoon at the sight. Not her. She liked the softer side, when they were alone and he made her feel like she was the only woman in the world and he didn’t want to be anywhere else but by her side.
Tanner didn’t stop until he was too close for comfort. “Hey.”
His warm breath breezed across the tip of her nose and over her lips, so she took a step back and shot that perfectly created, hour-long science experiment cup of coffee into his chest.
“I guess I look how I feel. This might actually keep me standing long enough to see what these kids have.”
Andy shot between them, offering his hand. “Hi, Coach. Thanks so much for doing this. The guys are all pumped and ready.” After their too-long, white-knuckled handshake, Andy took off to the other boys on the field.
“In case you didn’t notice, you’ve made his life. I’ve never seen him so excited.”
Tanner pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Can’t believe how much he’s grown up. He was what, six last time I saw him?”
“Seven. I missed him every day.” She eyed her little brother, the boy who thought she’d given up so much to watch out for him while he finished high school, but truth be told, she couldn’t bear the thought of being away from him again.
“You look like a mother about to have an empty nest.” He took a swig of the coffee.
She held her breath, but when the cup came down, she saw his lip curl at the edge. “What’s wrong? What don’t you like about it?”
“It’s good. Really.” He gave her a condescending pat on the shoulder.
“Good?” She huffed. “Good? I’m the most well-known barista in the county—no, the state. Maybe the country. I’ve been nicknamed the Coffee Whisperer. I’m about to be featured on a well-known internet show about my coffee creations.”
“I said it was…well, I don’t want to say it again since you look like you’re about to dump it over my head.” He eyed the field. “I better get out there.”
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not going to escape that easily. Tell me what’s wrong with the drink.”
He ran his free hand through his thick, dark hair and looked at the cup and then at her. “Nothing. It’s just not something I would usually drink.”
She wanted to tell him to try it again, but one glance and she saw his clucking tongue trying to free it of the liquid residue. “Be specific, please. What don’t you like?”
“I don’t know… There’s like a grass or hay flavor to this. I can get that while working in the fields or barn.”
“Are you saying my beans are under roasted or damaged?” Mary-Beth gritted her teeth. No way she’d allow her beans to go bad. “That’s a special, high-quality coffee you’re drinking.”
“I guess I’m just not a good coffee connoisseur.” He handed her back the cup and trotted onto the field, leaving her holding her rejected brew. She sniffed, and it smelled rich and vibrant, but then she sipped it.
Dang if he wasn’t right. She stomped off to go investigate how this could’ve happened. She’d been saving that bag of coffee for months, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use the rated 95 expensive beans.
At her car, she snagged one last look and noticed Tanner’s gaze fixed on her the way he used to look at her—with want and desire. Her body trembled.
She shook it off and hopped into the car, ignoring how she responded to him. Anger crept in at the memory of him never even writing her back or calling her. She put the car in reverse and forced her attention on the road all the way back to Maple Grounds, where she flipped the Open sign over for the evening and went to investigate the coffee bag.
The only way the drink would taste like that is if the mild roast had gone bad, gotten wet, or been old. A few months on the shelf wouldn’t cause that flavor. She opened the bag, and it smelled fine. Turned it in all directions to make sure there weren’t any holes or water damage. Held it up to look under and discovered the reason. The expiration date was from last year. She’d been so excited to try the coffee, she never thought to check to see if it was out of date.
She sank down to the small stool behind the counter and eyed the expensive splurge that had been too good of a price to pass up. Now she knew why.
The bell rang at the front of the store, and in shuffled the elders for their afternoon tea. She tossed the bag in the trash and went to work brewing, pouring, cutting lemons, and plating some scones from Carissa’s bakery she had dropped by earlier.