Luxury Cafe Owner - Chapter 42 A Curious Encounter

Alan ran the cafe as always. He took quiet joy in seeing that he continued to gain more and more regular customers.

As the sky darkened and the moon rose, Alan prepared himself for the evening rush of customers seeking their fix.

As he wiped down the counter, removing the few coffee stains that had formed from the spills of his customers, Alan heard the familiar jingle of the bell on the door as someone entered the cafe.

He looked up to see an unfamiliar woman. He nodded his greeting. “Good evening, what can I get for you today?”

“Are you Alan? The owner of the Lux Cafe?” The woman questioned.

Alan nodded. “That’s me. Can I get you a cappuccino?”

The woman hesitated for a moment. “Well, before that, I’d like to know if you think Gerald Acadian will be in this afternoon. You see I have something I need to discuss with him.”

Alan frowned. “I’m afraid you’ll have to reach out to his office directly. I do not keep track of the whereabouts of my customers.”

The woman shrugged. “That’s fine. I don’t mean to cause any trouble. I’ll take a cappuccino please. And could I have some coffee cake?”

“My apologies, the coffee cake is only served before noon. Temporarily we do not have any food available. However, I can get you that cappuccino.”

The woman gave him a peculiar look, but nodded. “That’s fine.”

She handed her credit card for Alan to swipe through the card reader. As he took it, he glanced at the name on the card. Anaiya Williams. Noting it down in his memory, after he got the confirmation that the payment went through he handed the card back to her and went to make her a cup of cappuccino.

As Alan went through the door to the kitchen, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Gerald. “Some woman named Anaiya Williams is here looking for you. It’s not a problem for me, but I wanted to let you know before you came in.”

Satisfied at having notified one of his best customers of a potential stalker, he put his phone away and went to make a cup of cappuccino. He found this woman creepy, so he got creative with the foam art. He drew a scary looking woman with crazy hair and wide eyes peeking over the top of a wall.

He chuckled to himself as he carried the cup of cappuccino out of the kitchen and brought it to his muse.

“Enjoy.” He nodded at her.

The woman took the cappuccino and seemed surprised at the art. There was no telling if she realized that she was part of the inspiration for this particular piece of art. However, she did seem slightly impressed by the craftsmanship Alan demonstrated.

Sipping at her cappuccino, Anaiya remained seated. She had taken a spot that gave her a good view of the door so she could see anyone who entered. As she sipped the cappuccino, she glanced surreptitiously around. At the moment she was the only person in the cafe.

Contrary to what Natasha had told her, she thought the cafe looked pretty nice. It wasn’t a five star french restaurant, but it certainly wasn’t low class. However, the interior did match the description she gave. Furthermore, the owner did seem to have a peculiar temper. First he had refused to serve her an item off the menu. Then he had given her such a strange, if finely made, cappuccino.

Still, noting the chalkboard listing the rules, she guessed he was just a strange person rather than a malicious person.

Alan stood behind the counter unaware of Anaiya’s thoughts. Customers began to filter through the door into the cafe and he became busier. As Alan prepared cup after cup of cappuccino, he decided to stick with the image of the crazy woman peeking over a wall at some unsuspecting victim below. It just fit his mood. Between Natasha and Anaiya, it seemed to be a day for crazy women to appear in his life.

As Alan continued to take orders, the cafe gradually began to fill. It wasn’t completely full, but the air had a nice buzz to it as muted conversations began between customers, some who had come to know each other as regulars, others who had come into the cafe together to begin with. Alan thought for a moment before going to a panel behind the bar. Lifting it, the controls to the sound system were revealed.

Alan put on the coffee house jazz mix he’d prepared ahead of time. The volume was set low, so that the music sat in the background, not interfering in the conversations taking place, but present.

Alan cocked his head to the side as he listened to the sounds of the cafe for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. This was the atmosphere he’d imagined when he’d first conceptualized his cafe.

As Alan went back to the counter, chatting casually with some of the customers who sat there, the bell on the door jingled again as a familiar figure entered.