Summerfield: Chapter 22

It was the week before the grand opening. My team and I were running around trying to get every small task completed. My employees had practiced a lot more and got all the menu items down to a science. The coffee shop looked pristine. It was shiny and new after scrubbing it down all over again. There was no way it could be any cleaner. I placed several funky looking lamps around the shop and fairy lights on the walls providing scattered, ambient light. Booths, couches, and chairs around tables provided the seating. The reading section on a small bookshelf was full and ready to promote Josh’s bookstore. Last week, my team and I handed out flyers to promote the opening to friends, neighbors, and people we saw around town.

Word spread organically around Summerfield. For the past couple of weeks, people have been hanging out around the coffee shop, peeking into the display window. I have even had people coming up to me introducing themselves at the grocery store and other places around town. They’ve been congratulating me and telling me how excited they were that their town would finally have their own coffee shop. I have encountered all kinds of people in Summerfield, but I have learned that most small-town southern people are kind and genuinely care for one another even if they are prone to gossip and are nosy about each other’s lives.

During the hustle and bustle, I was feeling a bit stressed. The staff was filling up the napkin dispensers and putting out creamer, packets of sugar, and other products at a condiment bar on a small table next to the counter. Others were washing all the new coffee mugs, saucers, plates, and silverware in the kitchen. I was in the eating area, sitting down at a booth, making a list of last-minute things I needed to purchase like back up toilet paper, extra napkins, and other essentials. I was having a miniature panic attack, thinking that maybe I’m forgetting or missing something that I’ll need or need to do before the big grand opening Saturday. I looked up for a minute and saw Josh waving at me. I saw him through the display window. He had a goofy grin on his face, so I couldn’t help but smile and wave back. And for a small moment, I felt at peace.