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Chapter fourteen
Rowan
When I entered Karma,Poppy and Cammie were carrying the last bistro tables to the wall beneath the large picture window, leaving the padded chairs scattered in the middle of the floor. Lauren was unpacking folding chairs from a cart into rows at the rear of the café. She let out a relieved sigh when she spotted the Tupperware containers in my hands.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “There’s a tablecloth and trays on the counter. Would you mind setting up the cookies while we arrange the chairs?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Let me get the board first,” Poppy said, running into the back.
“Do you want me to help with the chairs?” I asked.
“No,” Cammie and Lauren shouted together.
The swinging door bumped open, and Poppy sailed through with a massive sheet of plywood. I started toward her, but she glared at me. Cammie helped her flip it onto the bistro tables creating a large, narrow surface suitable for a buffet.
“Looks like y’all got this down to a science,” I said, putting my containers on the counter and grabbing the tablecloth.
“We do these once a month,” Lauren said.
Judging by the number of chairs and her frantic request for “as many cookies as you can bake by eight,” she was expecting a good crowd. “What’s the topic tonight?”
“Declaring Your Financial Independence,” Cammie said with a smile.
Lauren shook her head. “I’d like to declare my independence from Bob’s Bakery. I placed an order for tonight a month ago. When it didn’t arrive with the usual morning delivery, I called right away, but they said they were short-staffed and couldn’t fill it.”
“That’s so unprofessional,” I said as I smoothed the tablecloth over the board. “You’ve been a customer for years. You’d think they’d try to do something.”
“I agree,” Lauren said, placing two large serving trays at the far edge of the table. “The coffee station goes on the side closer to the counter in case we need to refill the urns.”
I snapped open a container and started arranging cookies while Lauren filled two large urns with steaming coffee. Cammie continued setting up chairs. Poppy darted back and forth with napkins, cups, pitchers of iced water, and everything else needed for a coffee service.
“Do you charge for these events?” I asked, taking in the finished table.
“Oh no,” Lauren said, placing small white plates under the coffee dispensers to catch any drips.
“But all this must cost you?” I said gesturing to the table.
“That reminds me,” Lauren said. “Let me get you a check for the cookies.”
“Absolutely not,” I said, crossing my arms.
Lauren drew her shoulders back and waved a finger at me. “Do not sell yourself short, Rowan. I was going to pay the bakery. I have no doubt what you made is way better than anything they’d have sent over. I’m paying you.”
“Consider it my donation,” I said with a smirk. “Good karma, and all that.”
“She does have a point,” Cammie said, patting Lauren on the shoulder. “Your karma bank must be overflowing.”
Lauren waved her hand. “All this is free advertising.”
“Minus the free part,” Poppy shouted from behind the counter.
“People order things while they’re here,” Lauren said with her hands on her hips. “We just supply drip coffee, water, and a small treat. Besides, almost everyone comes back at some point as a paying customer.”
“Do you pay for the speaker too?” I asked.
“No, they volunteer. My financial planner is giving the talk tonight.”
