The Girl Triumphant by Judith Berens

Author:Judith Berens [Berens, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642025989
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2019-11-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning, on the other side of town, Craig pulled his SUV into a small parking lot in front of a Starbucks coffee shop. Rather than get out of his car immediately, however, he sat in the driver’s seat and stared at the front door. As he often did when he was alone, he spoke out loud.

“The Starbucks in Germantown. Well, Craig, you haven’t been here since Carol died. This used to be one of your favorite places, and now you’re going in there to meet another woman. Don’t let yourself get too caught up in that, though. Carol told you she was fine with you dating again. You’re not going in there to erase her memory. You’re just trying to move on, and there’s nothing wrong with that, man. Nothing at all.”

He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled loudly out of his mouth. Then he cut off the ignition and stepped out of the SUV.

The sun was shining brightly. I wonder how the girls are doing in the parking lot? He looked at his watch. It’s 6:30. They’re probably starting to wake up so they can hit the showers and get ready for the day. I bet they’re tired as heck. He smiled to himself as he approached the entrance.

Before he could pull the door open, he saw a couple sitting at a table outside on the patio. They seemed to be deep in conversation. Occasionally, the man would place his open hand on the table, and his partner would place her hand in his.

The sight took Craig back to his days of sitting outside with Carol at a table very similar to that one. They’d laugh at the fact that they were trying to have a nice cup of coffee together while sitting next to the drive-thru exit. Cars would whizz past, spitting exhaust at them. Some drivers had their music blasting. For whatever reason, it never bothered them, just like it didn’t seem to bother that couple.

Must be a love thing, I guess. When you’re entranced by the person you’re with, who cares about the rest of it?

Not wanting to look strange as he stared at them, Craig shook it off and pulled open the door. The strong smell of coffee hit his nose, and he smiled. Man, you forget how long it’s been since you’ve been in a coffee shop until you walk into one. He had met dates for coffee in other places, like cafes, and even McDonald’s one time, but he hadn’t been back to a coffee shop.

This was by design, actually. When Carol worked long hours, she wouldn’t be around to spend time with him during the day, and she’d be too tired to talk in the evening. Not wanting to sacrifice their relationship to work, they would arrange to meet at Starbucks in the early morning hours so they could sit with a cup of coffee and enjoy each other’s company, free of the responsibilities their careers foisted upon them.

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