Adriana's Corner

Chapter 13

"Can I go in?"

"Uhhhh..."

"Thanks." I walk past him and into the empty café, heading to the back office. I don't know why but the idea of a pack of under twenty-five year olds being left to run a shop doesn't seem right, no matter how qualified they are.

I knock on the open door and see someone I haven't met yet leaning on the wall looking lost and Alyssa knelt down by Taffy who is bent over the table in tears. Alyssa looks up and sighs upon seeing me.

"Thank goodness. You won't believe what's just happened."

"Yeah uhhh what's-his-face told me...you know? Mop head surfer guy."

"Geordie" the unnamed brunette asks. I click my finger.

"That's the one. So..." I pull a chair and sit next to Taffy, throwing my bag back into the corner. "They up and left it to you?" Taffy pulls her flushed red face out of her hands, wipes her eyes and nods solemnly.

"They were in so much debt themselves that they took all the money out of the business' accounts, paid the debt and left. There's not even any money in the till."

I cringe.

"Right. . .and nobody knew they had money troubles?"

Taffy shrugs starting to cry again. The unnamed brunette steps forward.

"They weren't a happy couple. We gathered it was money troubles or something...didn't think it would be this bad though. The café rakes in quite a bit of dough."

"Why did they take off then? If all their personal debts were paid?"

"Because they have no money left to get the café restarted and pay the wages."

"So, no money in any of the accounts?"

"No." Taffy sniffs, "There's no money to pay suppliers, no money to pay the workers. All we have is what you see in the shop."

"Right." I lean back in my chair, deflating a bit myself. It's been a while since I've solved work related problems so I just sit there letting the cob-web ridden cogs in my head start up again.

"I don't have the money to get this place started again and even if I did, she was the brains behind things and he was the reason the food was so good. I'd still be stuck even if I did have the money."

"Not necessarily. There a plenty of good cooks out there who'd love to get involved in a place like this and if you pool everyone's idea's and strengths, you should be fine."

"See," Alyssa says softly, rubbing Taffy's back, "things will be okay." I lean back and run my fingers through my hair in thought.

"Have they actually signed everything over to you?"

"Yes. They told me that they'd just paid off all their debts and they were going on holiday to celebrate and that they had no reason to stay here. I thought it was suspicious that they wanted no money for this half of the business. They just signed it over to me straight off. I bought into it about a year ago. My savings all went in...everything."

"You didn't ask about any debt?"

"I do the accounts so I knew there was no debt. I didn't think about their personal debt and I didn't think they'd just take all the money and leave. I don't even know where they've gone." she then starts crying again. "And now I owe everyone their wages and I don't know how I'd do that without maxing a credit card."

"It will be okay." Alyssa says gently. "I don't think people are going to find you responsible for this."

"I still don't have the money!" she cries, throwing her hands up. My eyes stay on Taffy for a while, my arms and legs crossed in thought.

"I do."

There's a silence and all eyes shift to me.

"What?" Taffy sniffs, looking at me confused. I take a deep breath, looking down briefly.

"I have the money." I say again, ignoring the part of me that's asking what the hell I'm doing.

"Didn't you just lose your job?" Alyssa asks.

"I quit. Big difference and I worked there for fifteen years without spending hardly any of the money. On top of that, I have money my grandparents left me and the money my parents left me."

"Right." Alyssa says, waiting for an explanation.

"My parents owned orchards and properties which I sold."

"Ohh."

"And you worked?" The brunette asks. I look at her and sigh.

"I needed something to do and I didn't know what to do with the money. They didn't give any of it to Adriana for reasons yet to be discovered but she loved this place. It's the least I can do for her. I'll buy in. I don't know food but I know people and I know businesses."

Taffy keeps looking at me. I don't know if she's thinking it's a joke or what. She sniffs again.

"Are you serious?" 

I nod, heart thumping at the decision.

"I'll pay what needs to be paid, we look for a new cook and everything...with one condition." Her confused look all of a sudden changes to a skeptical one. "We change the name."

"We can do that?" she asks. I shrug.

"Its your shop."

"Oh, what would you call it?" she asks, teary eyed. I smile.

This needs no thought.

"Adriana's Corner?"