The woman in front of her in line finished giving her order and stepped aside. It was Bonnie’s turn, and she was more than ready to grab her coffees and leave. Connie Wheeler, the owner of The Bean, was behind the counter.
“Hi, Connie. Can I get a large coffee black, another large coffee with cream and sugar, and a medium iced coffee with cream? Oh, and if you have an apple danish, can I get one of those, too?”
“Are you seriously going to serve her?” Jeanne asked. “If you serve this backstabber, not only will we not spend another dime here, I will be sure to let Lauren know so she can steer clear of here as well. I sure hope The Bean can withstand the negative Yelp reviews we’re all sure to write.”
“Jeanne,” Mary said in a scolding tone. “No one needs to get Lauren all riled up.”
Connie paused, and Bonnie could see it in her eyes. The fear of Lauren’s retribution had her frozen in her spot. Bonnie couldn’t ask Connie to go up against Lauren any more than she could have asked Cal last week. There was a gas station down the road that served coffee and most likely wouldn’t be the gathering place for Lauren’s friends. Bonnie could go there and get what she needed.
“Never mind, Connie. I’ll go. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” She glanced at Mary, who seemed more sympathetic than she’d expected. Jeanne and Kathy, on the other hand, were both thrilled with themselves. They would be sure to tell Lauren how they trampled all over Bonnie today at The Bean.
Bonnie turned to leave, but a hand fell lightly on her shoulder. “Hang on a second,” the biker said. He stepped forward and spoke only to Connie. “I’ll take two large caramel frappés, a large black coffee, a large coffee with cream and sugar, and an iced coffee with...” he looked at Bonnie “...cream?”
She nodded as a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. His kindness was overwhelming given the hateful things the women had said.
“Cream,” he said to Connie. “And an apple danish. Make that two. Heck, make it three.”
The smug expressions on Jeanne and Kathy’s faces slipped away. Bonnie couldn’t look at Mary for fear that she’d really lose it and be a blubbering mess.
“I’ll be outside,” she said, heading for the door. It seemed best to wait for her new friend outside, where things would hopefully be less hostile.
Another hand touched her arm, this one not so big. “Hey,” Mary said. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you?”
Mary glanced over her shoulder at the other two and gave Bonnie a nudge out the door. She followed and waited for the door to close. “I am. They shouldn’t treat you like that or force other people to treat you badly, either.”
“Well, it’s becoming a regular thing round this town. I’m getting used to it. I mean, I can’t go to any Cole family businesses without being treated like a criminal. It’s like they have wanted posters hung up everywhere to warn everyone and anyone not to do business with me. And the people who I thought were my friends don’t answer any of my calls or texts.”
“She’s really upset about what happened, Bonnie. Her dream wedding became her worst nightmare. I would bet that Lauren didn’t even know that was her worst nightmare until it happened, because she never in a million years would have thought Mitch would do that to her.”
“Thank you for saying what Mitch did to her and not what Mitch and I did to her, because I didn’t do anything, Mary. You have to believe me. You know me. When would I have ever run around with Mitch behind Lauren’s back?”
“I know you didn’t, but it doesn’t matter what I know or think. You know how she is when she’s hurt. She needs me around because otherwise all she has is those two and Theresa and Wendy, who are equally overjoyed with the possibility of moving up the ranks in Lauren’s friendship circle.”
That was a frightening thought. They were all vying for the best friend spot without a real care for Lauren or what happened. Bonnie couldn’t feel bad for Lauren and her lack of quality friends right now, though. Not when she didn’t even have one person in her corner.
“You have to convince her of the truth. I can’t keep living like this. Did you know she got my dad fired? She’s out of control, Mary. She’s even making things hard for Aaron because he’s being nice to me.”
The lack of surprise on Mary’s face spoke volumes. She probably knew everything Lauren was doing and had done. “Keep your head down a little bit longer. The less of a target you are, the less she’ll come gunning for you. I have to go or they’ll tell Lauren I was talking to you.” Mary pushed the door open at the same time the biker was backing out of it.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time. Mary went in and the biker handed Bonnie a tray of three drinks. “I forgot to ask for two bags,” he said.
“Please, bring those danishes to your family. How much do I owe you for the coffee?” Bonnie asked, fumbling to open her purse while holding on to her coffees.
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said, strapping his frappés into cup holders attached to the saddlebag on the side of his motorcycle. “Anyone with the patience to deal with those awful women in there deserves a few free coffees.”
Bonnie felt the swell of gratitude inside her chest. “Thank you,” she managed to choke out. “You have no idea how much your kindness means to me. I wish there was a way to repay it.”
“Do you know how many strangers strike up a conversation with me? I’ll give you a hint—zero. People tend to judge
