All My Love

Chapter Two

            “One hour, we’re opening our doors in one hour,” Elizabeth said to herself for what must have been the millionth time. Katherine rolled her eyes at Lizzie as she organized her bookshelves on last time. “Lizzie will you calm down already? I know you’re stressed but that’s why you came down here remember? Because you finished frosting the cupcakes and I needed help, plus I happen to know organizing things soothes you,” Katherine said and moved on the next shelf. Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to roll her eyes. Picking up a box she had sorted through earlier Elizabeth went to the end cap of the shelf closet to the door and started to make a pretty display for books she recommended. “I think it’s great that we’re being so green,” Katherine announced from deep in the rows of books. “I agree, like these bookshelves were recycled, all the furniture upstairs is second hand and refurbished, I’m using the patio area to grow things that we can use in the shop. Not only is it great for the environment but the government will give us rewards in the form of tax rebates,” Elizabeth said with a slight laugh picking up the box and moving to the next end cap. Each girl had picked out books to recommend to readers of all age levels and planned to change them as they read new books. That way the end caps would always have fresh books that they didn’t feel bad selling to people. In addition to that the remaining two end caps were going to be ever changing, one would be for current events and one would be for seasonal things such as holidays or history. “Oh no, you have got to be fucking me,” Katherine said when she came to look at the end caps Lizzie had completed. “What’s up Kat? Do they look bad? I was thinking of rearranging them so-“ Elizabeth started only to be cut off. “Lizzie what the fuck do you think you’re doing putting Red Sox books and Sports Illustrated on the current events self along with Time and Bloomberg Business Week and other things of actual importance,” Kat raged holding the sports books in one hand and the ‘things of actual importance’ in her other. “I will have you know that the city is buzzing with World Series jitters so I bet those will sell and we’ll look well rounded for having them!” Elizabeth cried getting defensive of her choices. Katherine was going to respond when Tori called downstairs to shut them up, “I agree with Lizzie Kat so stuff it and let her put them back.” Lizzie stuck her tongue at Kat as she took the books back and arranged them neatly on the display shelf. “Oh and Lizzie come double-check your cupcakes it’s half past and doors open at eight,” Tori called down the spiral stairs again. Not bothering to answer Lizzie finished putting the books back on display and ran up the stairs taking them two at a time.

She stopped for a moment to admire the shop; it was something she was proud of. The wall behind the counter was entirely chalkboard paint with the cupcakes that day, the regular and the gluten free options as well as the café drinks and other bakery items they sold. There were little doodles, each girl had drawn baked goods or books or wrote little quotes all around. Smiling to herself Lizzie turned and saw the wall leading to the kitchen, it was the Red Sox, at the top she had painted the years they won the World Series and below painted the wall a soft green with the logo in the middle of the wall a few feet over from the door. The wall across from the counter was hockey, not just Bruins even though they had originally thought about that but in the end Lizzie decided to incorporate all the prominent teams in Boston. The wall itself was plain white but with a light blue and two light red lines to divide it like a rink, each section was for a team with the Bruins logo at center ice and the years they won the cup around it. The logos of each of the four teams in the Bean Pot, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern and Harvard, were at the top of each section with the years they won the Bean Pot painted in gold underneath. At first it was a struggle to plan how they were all going to go together but Kat suggested using muted versions of the colors and it worked perfectly. Throwing one last glance around at her handy work Elizabeth walked into the kitchen only to find someone taking her cupcakes out of the oven. Elizabeth just walked closer wanting to make sure it was who she thought it was. “Reporting for duty ma’am,” the girl said turning around and saluting Elizabeth making her jump. “Jackie I swear one of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack,” Elizabeth said laughing and giving her junior and senior year roommate a hug. “Tori called me, she said you might need some last minute help with the last few things,” Jackie explained as she left Elizabeth’s embrace and closed the door to the double oven. “Are these Oreo Lizzie?” Jackie asked eyeing the cupcakes she had just set on the counter across from the oven. “Here,” Lizzie said picking up the smallest one and tossing across the kitchen to Jackie. She ripped off the paper and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth, in typical Jackie style. “Deez will neber get old,” Jackie said with her mouth full of cupcake. Lizzie just laughed and started to fill her frosting bag. “Make yourself useful dear and cut the Oreos for me to garnish with,” Elizabeth said when she began to frost, she didn’t have to turn around to know that Jackie was saluting her again and just laughed while she frosted.