She kept her car parked in front of Josie’s and walked down the brick sidewalk and into the café. Instantly, she knew she’d come to the right place—the walls were a bright yet soothing blue, and the air smelled like cumin, cinnamon, and peppers. A woman with blond milkmaid braids and bright pink lipstick was cleaning a table. I’ll bet she’s never tried to hide behind anyone in her life, Teddy thought.
“Oh, sorry,” Teddy said. “Are you closed?”
“Almost!” the woman chirped. “But I can get you something quick!”
“I just want dessert,” Teddy said, taking in the restaurant. No one was there except for one man in a baseball cap sitting beside the window.
“Perfect!” the hostess said, then escorted her right away to a small table, tucked in the corner against the exposed brick wall, right next to a framed painting of a multicolored bouquet.
“My name’s Chloe, and I’ll be taking care of you!” The woman frowned. “I mean . . . ugh, I hate it when people say that. ‘I’ll be taking care of you today.’ But I will! Whatever you need! As long as it’s food related!” She took a breath.
“I like your apron,” Teddy said, pointing to the purple apron covered with embroidered flowers.
“Thanks!” Chloe smiled, taking out her notepad. “So what can I get you?”
Teddy stared at the menu, where the items all ran together. This was so much easier when she was with someone and could order what they told her to, or when they were at one of the few places Richard liked where she’d already memorized the menu (and where she ordered something Richard wanted, anyway, so he could steal a few bites off her plate).
But she was a new Teddy now. Bold. Sophisticated. Possibly a future small-business owner. She could take a chance.
And strangely enough, she already felt comfortable around Chloe, who seemed happy, secure, and like she had her life all figured out. “Surprise me,” Teddy said.
Chloe looked up from her notepad. “You want me to bring you something random?”
Teddy nodded. “Yes. Is that . . . weird?”
Chloe smiled wide. “Sure, but I love it! This is a challenge, and I accept.”
She stuck the notepad back into her apron pocket and headed to the kitchen without another word.
As a soundtrack of smooth and jazzy music played, Teddy pulled her laptop out of her bag and opened it up on the table, then typed “owning a business” into the search bar.
And “small-business taxes.”
And “small-business failure rate.”
And “how do I know if I really want to be a small-business owner because honestly it seems pretty stressful.”
The last one didn’t return many results, but as Teddy scrolled through her findings, her heart sank.
“Maybe I should try searching ‘what if I want to take over my beloved boss’s business primarily for emotional reasons, but I don’t know much about business and don’t particularly care to learn,’” Teddy muttered.
“Hey, now, no work allowed in the Butterfly Café!”
Teddy quickly snapped her laptop shut.
Chloe widened her eyes and set a glass down on the table. “I was kidding! Sort of. I’m trying to create, you know, a chill vibe here, one where people feel comfortable hanging out and talking, not where you feel like you have to be another cog in the capitalist machine.”
“I wasn’t working. I was . . . researching. I have a big decision to make.” She took a sip of her drink.
“Ooh, a big decision!” Chloe wiggled her eyebrows and, to Teddy’s surprise, pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “I love big decisions. Tell me more.”
Teddy nodded. Sure, she’d tell this complete stranger what was going on; it seemed less risky than talking about it with someone she knew. “Well, my boss just asked me to take over her business. And I love my boss. I mean, I respect her, I idolize her, I want to be her. So of course it would make sense to take over her store.”
Chloe gestured around them. “Sure. Small businesses are the backbone of society.”
“Did you know,” called the man in the corner wearing a baseball cap, “that for every dollar you spend at a small business, sixty-seven cents goes back into the community?”
Chloe turned to look at him. “Yes, Gary, I did know that, because I wrote it on the sign by the window. But thank you for reminding me.”
Gary tipped his hat at them and went back to his book.
“So what’s the issue?” Chloe asked.
Teddy sighed. “I don’t know the first thing about running a business. Business ownership has never been a dream of mine, you know? But I don’t even know what my dream is. Maybe I do want to run a business. Maybe the problem is that I just didn’t believe in myself enough before to even consider that I could run a business. But now my life’s starting to get back on track. I’m not with Richard anymore, I’m doing things that scare me, I’ve started dating Everett, and I didn’t even tell you I started sewing!”
“Okay, wow, a lot to unpack here,” Chloe said, placing her hands on the table. “I don’t know who Richard is, but I hate him. Boo. He sucks.”
Teddy nodded. “Everyone hates him.”
“Great. So what about this Everett guy? Is he your boyfriend?”
Teddy thought about it. “No. Or maybe not yet. We made out at the zoo, if that matters.”
“A promising step,” Chloe said thoughtfully.
“Hey, are you planning on picking up this order or what?” came a voice from the kitchen. They looked over to see a man pointing to the plate in the window between the kitchen and the café.
“Nick, I am busy having an emotional discussion with a customer!” Chloe yelled, and the man gave her an exasperated look before disappearing into the kitchen.
Chloe nodded toward the kitchen. “That’s my boyfriend. I know he acts like he finds me annoying, but he’s actually obsessed with me.”
Even in the brief moment she’d seen him, Teddy could tell that. It was in the way he looked at Chloe, like she was all that he could see and all that he cared about. Richard had never looked at Teddy like that. But Everett did.
“Listen,” Chloe said, standing up. “We may not know each other well, on account of we just met, but I can already tell you deserve good things. I mean, look at you: all cute in your dress with your adorable haircut. You look like you’re about to burst into song or convene with some woodland creatures or something.”
“You’re not the first person to say that,” Teddy said.