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this morning she decided to let it go.
    Kevin had been with her since she opened the shop, and she’d been damn lucky that he’d been willing to stick around. There wasn’t any kind of career path at Ellie’s Coffee Isle and she couldn’t afford to pay anything better than minimum wage. All her employees were technically part time, but Kevin had assumed the unofficial role of assistant manager. He was always willing to stay late and pitch in.
    Kevin was smart and could do just about anything. Ellie knew that when he finished his degree program he’d move on. He was efficient and friendly, and her regulars absolutely adored him. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. The thought made her cranky.
    “I’ll go unlock the front door then,” she said and saw him nod.
    Ellie walked into the front of her store, and for an instant felt great satisfaction. She could smell recently delivered fresh baked goods in the display case (which had been artfully arranged by Kevin) combined with the smell of brewing coffee. It was one of her favorite smells in the world.
    Waking up to the smell of coffee and her parents’ laughter was one of her most treasured childhood memories. She didn’t have many, but that one remained strong in her mind. She wanted nothing more than to make her customers feel the way she had felt, surrounded by comfort and love, so many years ago.
    Most of the room was taken up by small tables with lounge chairs around them. There was a small fireplace in the corner, and she flipped it on as she headed for the front door. Two overstuffed armchairs were strategically placed in front of the fireplace. Ellie wanted all of her customers to feel at home in her shop and stay as long as they liked.
    As she approached the front door, she saw a golden orange aura that she knew meant that Melanie Wilson was waiting impatiently outside. She unlocked the door and Melanie burst inside.
    “Thank God you are here!” Melanie exclaimed and headed for her usual table in the corner in a flutter. “I had the most wonderful idea for a plot twist in my story and I have to get it down on paper before it flies right out of my head!”
    Melanie was an as yet unpublished author, who had found more success so far as a journalist. As far as Ellie knew, Melanie was working on her tenth manuscript. She envied Melanie a little for her energy and creativity.
    “Usual?” she asked Melanie as she watched papers fly out of Melanie’s bag followed by a slim laptop. Although Ellie wasn’t computer savvy at all, Kevin had talked her into providing free Wi-Fi to her customers. She had seen an immediate uptick in traffic and along with it had come some regulars like Melanie. She enjoyed seeing the little community that gathered in her shop each day. Even though she didn’t interact with it, it was nice to know it was there.
    A hand wave was the only response she received. Kevin emerged from the back and saw Melanie buried in her notes. He looked at Ellie, who nodded. Kevin moved over to the espresso machine and started frothing milk for a large skim latte.
    In Ellie’s opinion, Melanie didn’t need any caffeine at all. She was plenty hyped up without it. Usually Melanie downed three large lattes at Ellie’s and then whirled out the door into an unsuspecting world like a tiny Tasmanian devil.
    Melanie frequently quizzed Ellie and her employees for their opinions on “what would you do if this happened to you” situations. Ellie hoped that none of Melanie’s characters resembled her in any way.
    With her first customer satisfied for the morning, Ellie returned to her musings. She worked automatically, not thinking much as the customers started to wander in. She settled behind the espresso machine and let Kevin take the counter. They worked in silent unison, although Kevin cracked jokes with the regulars and smiled enticingly at the lady patrons (who usually added a dollar to the tip jar after that). All of them knew that he was gay,