Page 191 of No Headlines Please

"Right. It just opened back up again."

I wasn't following. "After what?"

She rolled her eyes. "After the worst barista in the world kept messing things up."

I almost laughed. "In the whole world? I'm not sure I believe that."

"Oh, believe it." Again, her gaze drifted to the coffee counter, where a couple of professional baristas were keeping everything humming. "But now, it's under new management."

"Oh?"

"Yes, actually." She returned her attention to me. "I get the feeling you don't believe that I tried to find you or that I cared. But I did."

"Tessa—"

"Let me finish, okay?"

I nodded.

With a faint smile, she said, "That terrible barista…that was me."

I stared. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"When?"

"Most of the summer."

"Really?" I couldn’t even imagine. Tessa was good at everything. Plus, I couldn't see her working as a barista at all. Even in high school and college, she'd always made a point to get jobs that would advance her career.

She nodded. "No joke."

"But…why?" And then, I remembered how funny the receptionists had acted at her old job in Chicago. "Because…you got fired or something?"

"Something like that. But do you know why I was working at this particular coffee shop?"

"Why?"

She pointed toward the window. "Because it's the closest one to the ferry stop. And I know how much you love coffee."

"So?"

"So I came here looking for you."

"You mean…to the coffee shop?"

"No. Well – yes, eventually. But I came to the island to find you."

"But why?"

"The truth? I thought you might be staying with Maisie."

"But I wasn't."

"Obviously." She hesitated. "But can I confess something? Just between us?"

I nodded. "Sure."