With a few cups of coffee, Chelsea Chambers could change the world. She just knew it. As the clock ticked toward the opening hour of the new and improved Higher Grounds Café, Chelsea imagined all the life that would happen there in the years to come. Old friends would reunite. New friends would be made. Hopes and dreams, laughter and tears, they would all be shared over cups of coffee brewed with love and, more often than not, a prayer.
Chelsea had never felt more at home than she did in the newly remodeled café. The restored walls of the original mission and the refurbished phonograph in the sunroom celebrated the café’s connection to the past, while the industrial cable lighting, aluminum chairs, and sleek tables added a boldly modern touch. Chelsea knew her Grandmother Sophia would be proud, and she hoped her customers would love the new look as much as she did.
“Here, boss, I have something for you,” Katrina said, offering Chelsea a steaming latte. “I’m a little rusty, so my feather design turned into, well, wings, I guess.” She looked over her art with a critical eye.
“Looks perfect to me,” Chelsea said, thankful to have her star employee back on the job. She had missed Katrina’s ever-changing hair color and mismatched style.
“Okay, we’re ready for you!” Bo’s voice carried down the hall.
“So, what do you think?” Sawyer stood beside Bo, draping his arm on his new neighbor’s shoulder as Chelsea took in their handiwork.
“Beautiful!” she said, admiring the last of the custom furniture. “You must have been up all night!”
“Oh, you know . . . who needs sleep?” Bo quipped.
“Are you sure you’re not an angel?” Either way, Chelsea was convinced her neighbor was heaven sent. With Bo’s help she had managed to stretch the insurance money to cover the cost of the remodel and most of the remaining tax debt.
With the chiming of the clock, Chelsea paused to take a few calming breaths before opening for business. As she reached for the Now Open sign, Sawyer’s hands met hers.
“We got this,” he said, hoping to calm her jittery nerves. It worked. Moments later, Mr. and Mrs. Chambers opened the doors of the Higher Grounds Café.
The morning rush was half the size Chelsea had seen in the busiest days of the God Blog. Otherwise, it was business as usual. With a few exceptions. Thanks to Faith Community Church, the tip jar had been replaced with a “gift jar.” Tony’s congregation had started a benevolence fund at the café, and they were spreading the word that anyone in the community could enjoy a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. On God’s house.
Chelsea anticipated this would bring a new kind of customer to her café, and she was right. They gladly served two underprivileged teens, an elderly veteran, and a single mom with four kids. What she didn’t expect was the generosity it would inspire in her usual patrons. By the end of the day, the gift jar was brimming with proof that kindness is contagious. Deb and her husband even promised to match the funds, dollar for dollar, for the first week.
Tony and his sidekick Marcus stopped by to grab hot chocolates and to fill a giant thermal container with enough coffee to serve fifty of their friends in the Lavaca neighborhood. Later on, the pair returned with Sara and the twins, and together they camped out in the sunroom, fielding questions from the occasional God Blog seeker with prayer, counsel, and, of course, a bit of humor.
“After all, God always answers knee mail,” Tony loved to say.
Chelsea finally met Manny’s sisters—the Sisters of Divine Providence. The nuns had housed Manny at the convent during his earthly assignment. As it turned out, Chelsea already knew one of them from her hospital stay. Sister Margaret and her fellow sisters thrilled at the sight of the Casa de Oracion inscription, which was now the focal point of the redesigned sunroom.
“What a fascinating discovery!” Sister Margaret exclaimed. “We will be sure to keep the café and your patrons in our daily prayers.”
“Thank you, Sister. That means a lot,” Chelsea said.
“Of course, dear,” Sister Margaret said. “And did you find what you were looking for in the hospital chapel?”
Chelsea looked around the café. Hancock and Emily were snacking on cupcakes with Marcus. Sara and Tony were seated on the sofa, each bouncing a toddler on their knees as they chatted with Chelsea’s patrons. And then there was Sawyer. He rounded the corner into the sunroom balancing four steaming mugs.
“No,” Chelsea said thoughtfully. “But I found so much more.”
“All right, the fancy designs are Katrina’s doing,” Sawyer said, handing a steaming mug to each of the sisters. “I made the cappuccino,” he added, gesturing to the least impressive of the frothy creations.
“Oh my,” Sister Margaret said as a pitiful layer of foam collapsed before her eyes.
Everyone laughed, no one harder than Sawyer.
“As you can see, it’s my first day on the job. I just hope it’s not my last,” he added, placing an arm around Chelsea.
After tucking the kids into bed, Sawyer swept off the front porch while Chelsea stepped behind the counter to craft a pair of drinks. She ground a batch of perfectly roasted coffee beans, savoring the rich smell that permeated the air. She pulled the lever on her shiny new espresso machine, sending nearly boiling water through the fine powder. Smooth, frothy milk balanced the dark, bitter espresso shots she poured from two tiny porcelain shot glasses. Chelsea breathed deeply, savoring the complex aroma as she walked out to the front porch.
“How about a lightly caffeinated nightcap?” Chelsea said, handing a mug to Sawyer.
“Now that is a cappuccino!” he said, after a sip.
Chelsea relaxed into a comfy new rocking chair, and Sawyer settled into the one beside her. “Well, Chelsea Chambers, we have our work cut out for us.”
“But we’ll make it—together,” Chelsea said, looking up at the stars. “And I have a feeling it’s going to be good.”
She reached out for Sawyer’s hand and took a sip of the cappuccino. The truth was, it was already good.