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“I’m sorry, Randy, the guy who collects VHS tapes and thinks two pizza toppings is extreme?” Tracy said. “All joking aside, I’m so sorry, Maye. I can come back to Greenville if you need me. I can just try to sell my event tickets and if not, just take the financial hit. I can cancel my hotel and probably get a credit since it’s pretty late for a refund. And I can change my flight to come back as soon as possible, even if the airline price gouges the last-minute tickets. But that’s beside the point. I am happy to come back and be with you.”

“No, that’s okay, but thank you. I don’t want to bring you down. You should go have fun.”

“I’ll send you lots of pictures to cheer you up. Christmas joy might be just what you need,” Tracy said.

“Please don’t,” Maye begged. “It’ll probably actually make me feel worse.”

“Nice try. All the Christmas in July joy is coming. Christmas in Joy-ly. Get it?”

“Got it.”

- 3 -

Around Town

Saturday Afternoon

Maye opened her eyes. The dirty dishes that Randall had placed in the sink were now caked with dried marinara sauce. This is why you run water over dirty dishes. It could have been the mimosas, or maybe it was the sadness, but an urgent feeling bubbled up inside her. A combination of adrenaline and tears. Maye let out a surprisingly loud and feral yell-ish growl. “I need to get out of this house!”

A stroll through downtown Greenville usually helped Maye clear her head. And her head was swirling from the emotional rally that had occurred over the last day. As she stepped into Tay’s Hot Choffee Shop, the town’s hot chocolate and coffee fusion shop, scents of lemon and sugar from Tay’s famous Extra Lemon Loaf swirled in the air. This blended nicely with the sweetness from Tay’s signature hot chocolate, which was poured over ice this time of year. A soft acoustic playlist strummed in the background. As Maye reached Taylor at the counter to order, she recognized the song.

“Tay, are you playing Christmas music?”

“It’s Christmas in July, Maye! Did you not notice that every business downtown has decorated its windows like it’s the day after Thanksgiving? But that’s not what’s important right now.”

Taylor reached out and grabbed Maye’s hand. She curled her lower lip and tilted her head. “To lose is to learn is to live is to lose is true life.”

Maye’s jaw dropped and she could only manage two words, “But how?”

“It’s my job to know,” Tay said.

“No, it’s not,” Maye said. “In here, my only expectation is that you know how to make coffee. And raspberry crumb bars.”

“Coffee I’m good at, but the tea is my passion.” Tay winked as she headed towards the espresso machine.

“Hey, I didn’t pay,” Maye started for her purse.

“It’s going on Randall’s tab.”

As Maye jammed ten dollars into the tip jar, a barista behind the counter smiled at her. “Thanks, Maye.”

The young woman wore overalls and a t-shirt, had a tiny hoop in her nose, and mini decorative butterfly clips in her long, wavy dark hair. For someone with such unique style, she looked only vaguely familiar to Maye.

“I’m Tabby,” she pointed at her name tag. “I usually work weekends.”

“Ahh…” Maye nodded slowly. “I don’t usually come here on the weekend,” she said.

“I have another job during the week and I’m in school studying psychology.”

“That’s what I do,” Maye said.

“I know. I mean, I’ve heard that. It’s so interesting,” Tabby said.

Maye must’ve made a face because Tabby elaborated. “Sorry, that sounds weird.” She chuckled. “I like to talk to people and get to know them. I’ve heard Tay mention you, and your boyfriend comes in here pretty regularly—iced coffee with two sugars and a splash of oat milk,” she smiled. “Though, Randy probably already left on his hiking trip, right? Is that why you’re not getting a drink for him?”

Maye stood frozen, unable to blink or breathe or speak. For a moment, Maye felt like she was cast in concrete. How do you…? Since when…? Who… Maye was fuming. He talked to her about hiking? He told her to call him Randy? What else had he kept from her? She was embarrassed. Maye had just learned the barista’s name; meanwhile, she knew everything about Maye. Well, not everything. Maye shook her head and regained her composure. “So, you know Randall?”

Tabby chuckled. “Randall…so formal…”