Page 16 of Steeped In Problems (Badges & Baristas #3)

They huddled together, poring over numbers and strategies.

Emily dissected every angle with calculated logic, but Kristy kept pushing for ideas that would make people smile or at least want to come back for more than just a guilt-donation.

Rhonda bridged the gap, translating Emily’s corporate jargon into “how to make it work in Clear Mountain.” It was the best teamwork he’d experienced since his last SAR call.

Every so often, Kristy would get up and pace, talking through her ideas out loud, gesturing with both hands. Tanner noticed how she’d unconsciously touch the edge of the counter with her fingertips like she needed to stay anchored to something. He wondered if she even realized it.

He also noticed the way she never seemed to lose hope, even when Emily pointed out that most first fundraisers lost money or that the five-thousand-dollar goal was a big reach.

Every time the odds came up, Kristy found a workaround.

“We’ll just sell more tickets.” “We’ll get a sponsor.

” “We’ll convince Zach to go shirtless at the car wash. He’s got abs for days.”

Rhonda snorted. “You do that, and the entire town will show up. Just make sure you have extra towels.”

Tanner shook his head, but inside, he was already plotting how to rope Zach in. He’d never admit it, but Kristy was infectious. She made impossible things sound possible.

At one point, Kristy and Rhonda left to make more coffee, leaving the two of them alone at the table. Tanner eyed the spreadsheets, then Emily.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked quietly.

She paused, scanning the paper in front of her. “I like fixing broken things. And Joe’s invested in you. I respect Joe.” She glanced up, gaze pinning him. “You’re better at this than you think, you know.”

He shook his head. “I’m just trying not to lose it all.”

Emily shrugged. “Sometimes that’s enough.”

The moment hung in the air until Kristy came back, two mugs in hand. She slid one to Emily, then perched on the counter herself, legs swinging. “You two talking about me?”

“Not this time,” Tanner told her with a smirk.

Rhonda joined them, and they worked past midnight, trading ideas, arguing over details, and building a plan from scratch.

The whiteboard became a battleground of concepts and corrections, red arrows and green underlines, and a whole corner dedicated to “in case of total disaster.” At some point, the four of them stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the final draft.

Tanner found himself looking at Kristy when she wasn’t looking. Watching the way her energy never flagged, how she lifted everyone else’s game, even Emily’s. She’d changed the shop in ways he hadn’t thought possible. She’d changed him, too, and he was just starting to admit it.

When they finally called it for the night, Kristy left behind a wreck of markers and sticky notes, but also a list of what came next.

“Tomorrow, we set up the bake sale and start spreading the word about everything else. We call in favors from everyone we know to help with donations for the action and share details about the firefighter car wash. I’ll take the school and the hospital.

Tanner, you go to the mayor’s office, and Rhonda you cover the stores on Main Street. ”

She hopped off the counter, stretching her arms over her head. “We’re actually going to pull this off,” she said, almost reverent.

Tanner glanced at the plan, then at her. “Yeah,” he said, voice gruff. “I think we are.”

He took one last look at the shop, the mess, the board, and the women who’d refused to let him sink. If tomorrow was the first step toward saving the Brave Badge, then he was going to be ready.

By the next day, the Brave Badge was ready for the bake sale.

Long tables were crowned with a pyramid of sample pastries.

The corkboard by the door was plastered with flyers for the car wash “Get hosed for a cause,” the bake sale “Bigger than your grandma’s, we promise,” and of course, the auction and the dance.

Tanner finished setting the last of the baked goods on the table, stepping back to survey the shop. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work, and it was more alive than it had ever been under his watch.

Kristy was putting up the final decorations. She wore a crisp Brave Badge T-shirt, and her curls were barely tamed by a sparkly hair tie. She was humming something off-key, probably an old pop song, and bouncing on her toes every time she reached for a higher pin.

Emily had made herself a command post at the bar, laptop open, phone cradled to her ear. She was talking to Joe Griffin and updating him on the plan.

“We’ve got buy-in from the school, the SAR team, and the hospital,” she rattled off, scrolling through a shared Google Sheet. “I’m sending you the projected numbers by midnight for the first event and buy-ins, but if the first weekend goes as planned, we’re on track to hit your target.”

There was a pause, and then Emily snorted.

“No, I’m not giving them another discount.

They already get free coffee if they show up in uniform.

” Another pause, then a quick look at Tanner and Kristy.

“No, I don’t think anyone’s going to burn the place down.

But if they do, at least we’ll get the insurance. ”

She hung up, cracked her neck, and went right back to work. The woman was a machine. Tanner had to respect it, even if she scared him a little.

Rhonda finished her maintenance on Daisy and joined him, brushing her hands against the front of her jeans. “It’s looking good, isn’t it?” she asked, gesturing at the bake sale preparation.

“Like a five-alarm bake-off,” Tanner smirked.

“I heard that,” Kristy playfully admonished as she practically skipped over to them. She grinned, then sobered. “You ready for tomorrow?”

He thought about it. About all the ways things could go wrong, about the humiliation of asking for help, about the risk of hoping for something better. He looked at Kristy, who waited, hands on her hips and chin lifted like she was daring him to say no.

“Yeah,” he said, surprised to find he meant it. “I’m ready.”

A few minutes later, Kristy was everywhere at once—greeting volunteers, arranging pastries that looked like they belonged in a gourmet magazine, and handing out free coffee samples to early birds.

The turnout was impressive. Half the town seemed to have shown up, eager to get their treats.

They were selling the cupcakes and pastries faster than they could put them on the table.

Everyone was excited and happy to be there, and Tanner thought this was a the perfect beginning to their two week run to turn things around for the coffee shop.

That was until Tanner spotted him—Mark, leaning against a street lamp across from the Brave Badge, sunglasses hiding his eyes but not the smirk on his lips.

Tanner’s stomach tightened as he watched Mark push off from the post and stroll toward Kristy, who was laughing with a group of elderly ladies from the knitting club.

Tanner set his clipboard down and made his way over just in time to hear Mark say loudly enough for nearby heads to turn, “Kristy Howard. Never thought I’d see you slinging muffins in the streets.”

Kristy’s smile faltered ever so slightly as she turned to face him. “What are you doing here, Mark?”

Mark picked up a cupcake, inspecting it with exaggerated scrutiny. “Really went down in the world since you left the hospital, huh?”

“Shows how little you know,” Kristy retorted with a frown.

Mark took a bite of the cupcake then grimaced theatrically. “Could’ve fooled me. What’s this supposed to be? Tastes like sweetened sawdust.”

A few of the customers frowned, whispering among themselves as they glanced over at her and Mark.

Tanner stepped forward. “I think you’ve said enough,” he interjected firmly.

Mark looked him up and down. “This has nothing to do with you, mister.”

“Actually it does, since I’m the owner of this shop,” Tanner corrected coldly.

“Well, ‘owner,’” Mark sneered, tossing the cupcake back onto the table where it scattered crumbs across several flyers. “Tell Kristy she should stick to nursing—she’s terrible at baking.”

That was it. Tanner's patience snapped like an overstretched elastic band. He pointed to the exit and stated firmly, “I think you need to leave now.”

Mark glared for several seconds before finally saying, “Fine,” Mark spat out. “This place is doomed anyway.”

He stalked off, throwing glares over his shoulder until he disappeared around a corner.

Tanner turned back to Kristy and the mess left behind; her face was pale but composed.

“I’m sorry about that,” Kristy murmured as she began picking up the scattered pieces of pastry.

Tanner shook his head slightly as if clearing it. “It’s not your fault he’s...like that. Let's just focus on finishing the bake sale.”

The rest of the bake sale went off without a hitch. When all was said and done, they cleared a thousand dollars. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was still a step in the right direction.

As they wiped down the last surfaces and locked up the cash drawer, Kristy’s phone buzzed. She checked the screen and whooped loud enough to make Emily look up from her laptop.

“It’s Nurse Gomez,” Kristy said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “She got us permission to do free samples in the hospital break room. I can drop off a coffee carafe and a whole tray of scones first thing tomorrow.”

Tanner raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna to get that all done before tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll bake all night if I have to,” she declared, then shot him a thumbs-up. “This is huge. The nurses will push it to the docs, and the docs are the ones with cash. Trust me.”

He did. He wasn’t sure when that had happened, but he did.

Emily closed her laptop and slid off the barstool. “I’ll get in early, too. We’ll need to restock the Brave Blend and set up the donation jar while finalizing plans for the car wash.”

Rhonda laughed, then made a show of stretching her arms overhead. “That’s enough for tonight, right? Even heroes need sleep.”

“We sure do,” Tanner agreed. “Including you, Kristy, so that means you better rest and worry about baking in the morning.”

She seemed like she wanted to argue with him, but instead, she simply nodded. “I’ll rest a couple of hours, I promise.”

Emily left first, assuring them that she would have the updated date when she returned.

Rhonda followed next while Kristy lingered, counting off the last tasks under her breath, checking and re-checking everything.

When there was finally nothing left to do, she headed to the door, pausing in the entryway to look back.

“You locking up?” she inquired with a tilt of her head.

Tanner nodded. “I’ll do a last walk. Make sure no one breaks in to steal the carafe.”

She laughed, causing her nose to crinkle in the most adorable way. Tanner did his best to ignore how it made his heart race as he watched her leave.

After making his rounds, Tanner turned off the last light, pocketed the keys, and stepped outside.

Maybe the Brave Badge wasn’t just a stopgap between careers or a charity case waiting for the ax.

Maybe, with the right people, it could be a special place that bonded the town together.

And maybe, just maybe, with Kristy beside him, it could be a refuge for both of them.