Page 11 of Cherished By the BRATVA Grump

“The covers are all shirtless men…” he trails off. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Delilah laughs and wiggles her eyebrows. “Ah, the competition.”

Sammie joins in, “Book boyfriends aren’t actual competition…” she trails off with a dreamy look on her face that makes my eyebrows raise.

“I’ll be sure to let Eduard know your thoughts… and your facial expressions.”

Sammie laughs and swats at him. “If you want your coffee fix, you’ll keep your mouth shut.” She slides the mug across to him. “Oh, Tamsin, I don’t think you’ve met Mechislav yet.”

She introduces us and I offer a tight smile as I shake his hand.

Sammie excuses herself to sort the breast pump out as the bell above the door chimes and the one I know as Natan walks in.

“Kimmie has sent me. She says she is desperate for a ginger tea and is considering offering our first born for it…but she still can’t cope with the smell of coffee so she sent me instead.”

“Ha,” Delilah huffs. “I remember that stage.” She makes the drink and hands it to him as the door opens again and customers start arriving. “No first born, or husband, required. We’ll just put it on her tab.”

The morning passes in a whirlwind of coffee orders and wiping down tables and talking cats down from the top of the pastry case like it’s a hostage negotiation. The atmosphere in the café is vibrant and alive and fun.

Then Eduard arrives with the children and something in the air changes. Sammie brightens right in front of my eyes. The women at the table by the door to the bookshop lower their heads and begin whispering in a way that says they come here just on the off chance they might see him.

Lilah wobbles to her mum on wobbly legs while Eduard carries Misha in the car seat.

“There’s my big girl,” Sammie coos, her arms stretched out to receive a giggling Lilah. “You’re growing up too quickly,” she says, spinning Lilah round and pulling her in for a tight hug.

Eduard drops a kiss on Sammie’s head and asks how her day has been so far.

“Busy,” she says, smiling up at him. “But having Tamsin helps.”

The door opens again, and this time, Jasper walks in wearing a leather jacket and jeans. He is a stark contrast to Eduard, who is wearing a suit.

He checks in with Delilah, making sure she is okay, and her ankles aren’t swollen.

“Maybe, now Tamsin is here, you can finish sooner. I’d like some alone time with my wife before the baby arrives.”

“That’s fine with me,” Sammie says from beside Eduard.

“I’ll think about it,” Delilah says, looking at me. I smile, trying to encourage her to say yes. I’m sure I’ll be fine now that I know the basics.

The day continues in a rhythm of pouring drinks, maneuvering cats, chatting to customers, and constantly looking at the door every time the bell chimes. By the time Sammie is flipping the sign over to ‘closed,’ Delilah has already been gone an hour, Eduard has taken the children home, and Daisy has closed and locked the door between the bookstore and the café.

The quiet of closing feels loud, the routine from yesterday already feeling mechanical. I go through the motions. Clearing and cleaning the pastry case, making sure the coffee machine is clean and prepped for tomorrow, cleaning the tables, and mopping the floor.

Sammie watches, while she counts the money and then disappears to put it in the safe.

I’ve finished mopping when she comes back through and I’m carrying the bucket of dirty water through to the back.

“It’s like a huge family,” I say.

“Hmm?”

“All of you. You’re like a huge family. The way the men just pop in and out throughout the day. I don’t know. I suppose it’s just not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?” she asks softly, helping me pour the bucket of water down the drain.

I think about it for a moment. “I don’t know, to be honest.”

She just smiles at me.