The Twelfth Rose

Liz felt Jill nudge her as she waited next to her by the coffee urn in the café where they both worked.  She glanced at her annoyed.

"Oi, be careful," she said sharply.  "Can't you see I'm filling this cup?  Want me to scald meself do you?" she asked her.

Jill widened her eyes at her and nodded her head slightly towards the shop behind them.

"They're here!" she hissed at her through clenched teeth.  "Its THEM!" she told her.

Liz frowned slightly then her eyes widened in understanding.  Of course it was THEM.  They came in every day about this time.  Always had the same thing more or less.

Turning around carefully so as not to spill the coffee, she took it to the counter where the customer was waiting.  Placing it down, she glanced quickly down the queue and saw the group of three men standing at the end.

Liz felt her heart thud hard in her chest as she realised that today he was with them.  Keeping her eyes away from him so that she could minimise her blushes she hoped, she continued to serve down the line of customers, some leaving and others going to find a seat to drink and eat their purchases.

She and Jill took turns with the line, serving them alternately.  She didn't know what to hope for whether to be the one to serve them or to miss them out.  If she served them then at least it was a chance for her to speak to him and for him to speak to her.  If she didn't then she could smile and look at them a fraction more easily.  Would that place her under more or less scrutiny from him?

"And a ham salad sandwich I said," her customer reminded her, jolting her out of her musings.  Liz apologised and turned to place the sandwich on the plate before taking her payment.  She turned back to place her change into her outstretched palm and as she looked up, became aware of deep blue eyes, twinkling at her from the other side of the counter.

"She must have been hungry eh?" he grinned at her, making her blush.  He leaned on the edge of the counter, waiting for Jill to finish making up their order as she was serving them.

"Best go and get us a table then," he said nodding to her as he went in search of one.  "See you later!"

His two friends picked up the trays with their meals on and followed him to a window seat, settling themselves down to eat.

"I'll go and clear the tables then," said Jill as she wiped her hands down her tabard.  Picking up a bowl from the sink and a clean cloth, she went around the tables, taking the used cups and plates and placing them into the bowl.  She got to the table where they were sitting and paused to have a chat to them.  Liz watched her enviously.  Why couldn't she be like that?  Jill seemed to find it so easy to talk to them all, whereas she always stammered and blushed like crazy.  She thought that she would have grown out of it by now, she was 30!

She and Jill had bought the café six months ago.  It was the first time either of them had owned a business and they were learning as they were going along.  So far it was doing well.  They both were determined that it should succeed.  They had plans for their little business and hoped to expand into other areas.  But that would all take time.  For the moment they were focussing on the café.

They were building up a good reputation for their café, people were coming back time and again now.  They had received lots of compliments about their menu and some of the offices had started to phone in orders for their sandwiches, soups and salads each day.  They'd taken on extra help for this side of the business, only part time but it was an indication of their growing reputation.

The group of men Jill was chatting to, were from a local garage, who'd become regulars almost from the time they had first opened.  Three of them worked there and had made the café the regular place for food and snacks during the day.  Today all three of them were in, Malc, Bri and Howard.