“Sorry I’m late,” Lila Evans said to her three best friends, as she dropped into a chair around the table at their favorite coffee shop. Her purse and red-and-green Christmas shopping bags full of gifts landed on the floor with a thud beside her. She unwound her scarf, shaking the snow off of it, still breathless from rushing.
A solo guitar player strummed holiday tunes on a small holly-rimmed stage in the corner, singing into a microphone, his raspy voice coming through the miniature amplifier by his feet while busy shoppers grabbed coffees on their way to various festive destinations around the city. Live acoustic music was one of the perks of going to a coffee shop on Music Row in Nashville.
“My manager insisted that we all stay later on our shifts to help him keep the restaurant open longer during the Christmas season.” Lila tucked the runaway strands of damp hair behind her ear, the newly falling snow having had its way with it. The rest of her chocolate-brown locks were pinned up in a messy bun, just like every day she waitressed. “He didn’t tell me we were staying past our usual hours until I’d gotten there this morning.” She fluttered her fingers in the air. “But I’m here now,” she said with a grin. “And I’ve got something to show everyone.” Lila reached down into her purse, grabbing her iPad and setting it on the table in preparation for what she had to share with the girls.
“When are you going to quit that job?” her friend Edie James asked, clearly noticing Lila’s exhaustion despite her attempts to hide it.
Edie knew all too well that Lila could be doing better things with her time than dealing with her disaster of a manager. But their conversation was interrupted when the barista called Edie’s name.
“I got you a peppermint latte with extra whipped cream. I’d already figured when you hadn’t arrived yet that you’d need to treat yourself,” she said to Lila, getting up to retrieve the two oversized white mugs sitting next to an arrangement of berries and pinecones on the coffee bar beside their table.
Edie was the grounded one of the group, who kept them all under a strong reality check. She worked for a high-profile PR firm downtown, and she was constantly getting called in to work off-hours or on weekends for some big client, yet no matter where they decided to meet she was always punctual, arriving to their group meetings at the precise minute they were supposed to be there and leaving no earlier than exactly one hour later. She had a heart the size of Texas and she’d do anything for them.
“Thanks,” Lila said as Edie handed her a steaming mug. “I don’t know when I’m gonna quit.” She shook her head. “The truth is that I don’t have any better options, really. I could waitress for someone else, but I’m sure I’d face headaches over something anywhere I worked, and the tips are really good.”
She’d worked at the steakhouse the entire three years she’d known this group of women surrounding her now, and she’d considered quitting at least once a day the whole time. She’d fallen into waitressing when she’d taken the first job she could get that paid decently, and she’d been stuck there ever since. She often wondered if she’d somehow missed the cosmic signs for what she was supposed to do with her life. Growing up, she’d imagined working with disadvantaged kids full time or doing something with people that would make a difference, but she just hadn’t ever found her place.
“I hear you.” Edie set her own coffee down and crossed the flaps of her cardigan, wrapping it tightly around herself, as if it would keep out the winter chill that danced into the shop every time the door opened.
Lila took a sip of her latte, the nutty smooth flavor of the chocolate and the pop of peppermint instantly lifting her up to a state of festivity. “How about you, Edie? How’s the big pitch going?”
Edie had been given the largest account her firm had ever received. If she could get this one in the bag, she was looking at a major promotion. She hadn’t divulged exactly what the promotion entailed, but she’d used the words “life-changing.”
“We’re really close,” she said. “The client is considering us and one other.” Edie pointed to the iPad. “Did you say you found us something?” she asked, sitting down and wrapping her fingers around her