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I know. Me too. But you need rest. Can we see each other tomorrow, or will that also be an exhausting day? (I’m totally OK if that’s the case.)

I want to see you tomorrow for sure! Do you want to come over? I’ll cook for you.

Cook?

As in order Chinese food.

Sweet! I can’t wait!!!

***

Vanessa awoke the next morning still on the couch, her cell phone’s alarm ringing. She didn’t even remember falling asleep.

Thank goodness she had splurged for a decent couch because the occasional times she did sleep on it, she always slept like a log, and last night was no different. She felt completely refreshed, even energized enough for a morning jog.

Fifteen minutes later, as she was out running, she realized how good the jog felt, how normal it felt. The act of running after such a good night’s rest was allowing her to think and make some big decisions, and when she arrived at La Vida Mocha later, she was glad to see that Chloë was just arriving also, stepping out of her PT Cruiser as Vanessa pulled into the spot next to her.

“Hey,” Vanessa greeted her. “Have a good n

ight?”

Chloë shrugged. “Eh, it was a swipe left kind of night.”

Vanessa unlocked the back door of La Vida Mocha. She gave a visible shudder.

“God, I don’t know how you can put up with online dating!” she said, holding the door open for the younger woman. “And how do you even do online dating during a pandemic! Are you being careful?”

Chloë smiled. “Relax. I don’t know about anybody else, but I just go on the app now to see who’s checking me out and maybe do some flirting. I have zero plans to actually hook up with anyone during this mess, unless I get to know them first.”

“Good!”

Inside, Chloë set her backpack down on the small table in the back room.

“Before you get started, we need to talk,” Vanessa said. She indicated that Chloë should sit and when Chloë did so, Vanessa took the chair opposite her.

“What’s up?” Chloë asked.

“I’ve decided to change our operating hours, and I need to go over them with you,” Vanessa started. “But I need this to be a conversation, Chloë, not just you listening and agreeing, okay? Because it affects you.”

“Okay.”

“Also, this change is just temporary; just until I feel like this reopening phase is going to stick. And if I do feel that’s the case, then you and I together will work on finding at least one other person to work here, maybe two, and we’ll go back to our usual operating hours.”

“Okay,” Chloë said again.

“Plan A is this: Monday through Thursday, we’ll close at ten. That’s ten a.m.” Vanessa held up a hand when Chloë’s eyes widened to keep her silent for now. “Friday and Saturday, we won’t open until noon and we’ll stay open until eight.”

“What about Sunday?”

Vanessa took a breath. She had wrangled mentally with this last one quite a bit during her jog earlier.

“Sunday we’re closed,” she said.

Chloë raised her eyebrows again but this time added a whistle.

“I know, I know,” Vanessa went on, “but we need a day off, Chloë. I love that you’re willing to work practically around the clock here but you just can’t. Anyway, I did the math at home, and these new hours will add up to an even forty for you, plus tips. The only problem is, it means you working six days a week.”

Chloë nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not like six full days. Fridays and Saturdays would be the only long ones.” She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “You said this is Plan A. What’s Plan B?”