A Billionaire Irish Christmas

Ellie never felt good about patronizing another coffeeshop in the city. But this was important, and she wasn't about to have this conversation anywhere Hunter or their regulars might hear it. So she'd arranged to meet Stacey at yet another one of the places that were trying to be a cozy replacement for home, all over the world. It was an odd business model, especially since some of the big chains had entirely given up on it, but that made it easier for the smaller businesses such as her own to become successful in their own right, because everyone seemed to be looking for a comfortable third space that was not work or home and did not involve drinking.

The place was nice enough, but lacking in what Mrs. Figgins always referred to as the comfort quotient, which apparently meant overstuffed armchairs, but it was true that their customers tended to linger, and those who lingered didn't always buy, but for some reason this format made them want to purchase more the longer they stayed. Ellie decided it must be some kind of rich people magic she had no access to, and maybe once you got rich they inducted you into the various ways to lift money out of wallets without pickpocketing. Or it was just pickpocketing on a larger scale, because the marks didn't even know they were marks, which may have been the secret all along.

While Ellie was musing about these things, Stacey walked in, right on time, which she prided herself on, along with the rest of her outrageous outfits. She was absolutely in love with all the hot pink 80s and early-90s vaporwave stuff, wore vintage Back to the Future sunglasses that were once issued by Pizza Hut, and kept her stuff in an honest-to-goodness Trapper Keeper. If there was ever a person who worshiped at the altar of Lisa Frank, it was Stacey Honeydew.

"Hiiii!!!!" she enthused, because literally everything about Stacey was enthusiastic. She was all sunshine all the time, just like her Outrun-themed life. She was Black and very beautiful, her fashion icon was Lisa Turtle from Saved By the Bell, and it showed.

"Hi," Ellie responded, getting up to give her a hug.

"You would not believe the totally rad haul I got," said Stacey, putting everything down on the floor, lime green neon and hot magenta bags. "Did you know there's a new vintage place on tenth? They have so much stuff, we gotta go there on a shopping trip!"

"Sounds good," said Ellie.

"Gimme a sec, I'm gonna go order," said Stacey. "You want anything?"

"Yeah, a strawberry muffin," said Ellie. "I've already got the earl grey tea."

"OK. Two shakes!!"

While Stacey was at the counter, Ellie watched the people walk past in front of the plate-glass window. She liked to think about how someone else was probably doing the exact same thing, all over the world, at the exact same moment, in London and Bangkok and Tokyo and Nairobi, everywhere on earth where were coffeeshops and plate-glass windows.

"Okay! One strawberry muffin for you, and a mint red velvet mochaccino for me," said Stacey, setting the food and drink down on the table. 

"Mint red velvet?" asked Ellie, startled. "I'm going to have to ask Mrs. Figgins about that, seems like they're really reaching with some of this stuff."

"Maybe the real innovation would be going back to black coffee and nothing else," said Stacey. "Relive the gas station experience! Or something."

"I don't think everybody's as invested in the eighties as you are."

Stacey shrugged, and picked up her coffee with both hands, taking a sip and making an appreciative noise.

"You don't need to love the eighties to love the simplicity of a black coffee. Very European."

"Says the girl drinking a red velvet mochaccino."

"Mint red velvet, I'll have you know."

"Point even more made."

"Is that English you've got there?"

Ellie laughed.

"Anyway. What's the big emergency?"

"Hunter asked me to spend Christmas with him at his family cabin in the mountains."

Stacey paused and looked over her coffee mug at Ellie.

"Hunter? Hot-as-hell Hunter? Your little coffeeshop boyfriend?"

"He's my coworker. Not my boyfriend."

Stacey made a sound like hmmmm that was definitely a noise of disbelief.

"Sounds like he wants to be your coffeeshop boyfriend."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think it's like... a romantic thing?"

"Ellie. Men do not invite women to a romantic mountain cabin Christmas if they don't see them as high priority."

"That's the thing. I mean, it could be he's just one of those guys that doesn't get what it looks like from the outside."

"He does have that dumb himbo golden retriever thing going on," said Stacey.

"That's what I always say! And also - hey!" she said. "I have to defend his honor, at least."

"His honor's got nothing to do with the fact that there's nothing between those ears but air," sniffed Stacey.

"Hey, I say again - don't disparage my love interest," laughed Ellie.

"Well, is he your love interest?" asked Stacey.

Ellie looked down at her strawberry muffin, which she had completely forgotten was there, and started pulling at the wrapper, tearing little pieces off of the muffin to pop into her mouth, because it was ludicrously big and she didn't want to be gnawing at it like a beaver in public.

"I don't know," she said. "We've been working together for a long time, friends for a long time. I don't know!"

"You two get along like a house on fire," admitted Stacey. "And don't think I didn't notice when I got downgraded to second best friend - it's fine! I get it. Things change. People move on, friendships wax and wane, whatever. But I always thought..."

Here she trailed off, and seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"...if there was anything there, it'd be totally awesome, because that's the kind of thing people dream about, right? Marrying their best friend. And I'm already taken."

"By what? The eighties?"

"Got it in one."

Ellie laughed again.

"I've missed you," she said.

"I'm around," said Stacey. "But ever since you got that gig, you've spent more and more time with Hunter, or by yourself. No judgement! Just saying, from the outside looking in? Kind of looks like two people falling in love, who don't know they're falling, which I guess is why they call it 'falling' in love in the first place, and not like...careful descent into love, or something like that."

Ellie stared at her. So it must be obvious to everyone but her! And maybe Hunter.

"Well, I can't say whether you're right or not," she told Stacey. "And even if you're right about me, I have no idea about Hunter."

"Oh, honey," said Stacey. "I think Hunter fell first. Now. Whether that dumb golden retriever of a boy knows it or not, that's another thing entirely."

"So should I go to this cabin thing for Christmas?"

"Absolutely. Mostly because I want you to spill the tea about it afterwards."

"That's not very eighties of you."

"I can pick and choose phrasing from whatever era I like, milady."

Ellie wrinkled her nose.

"Ew. Maybe not that one."

Stacey laughed.

"What about you? How have you been?" asked Ellie, now eager to change the subject, as she was feeling a little stupid about having heart-eyes for Hunter without really noticing for all this time. If anyone was a dumb golden retriever, it was apparently her!

"Well, I finally got into school."

"What, really?! How did I not know this?!" Ellie said, then realized. "Right. Not been around much. Where'd you get in?"

"Yale."

"You're shitting me!"

"I am not shitting you."

"Ahhh!" Ellie squealed, leaping toward her for a hug. "Congratulations!"

"Watch out, you'll spill my mint velvet thing!" Stacey warned, but she was wearing a huge grin. "Criminal law. Can you believe it?"

"Of course I can!" said Ellie, squeezing her tightly. "You're amazing, Stace. Absolutely one hundred percent totally tubular."

Stacey laughed again, and Ellie sat down.

"Thank you for speaking in the language of my people," she said. 

Ellie's heart ached and was over-full for her friend. She decided to rectify things at least somewhat while she was sitting there.

"So. What was that store called, and are you free on Monday afternoon?"

Ellie made her way to the coffeeshop for the start of her shift. She was aware that she was spending an inordinate amount of time in coffeeshops, but since the alternative was bars, which were very loud these days and not conducive to conversation, she thought there were worse ways she could spend her time.

Now, she was outside the plate-glass window of her own establishment, just like all those other people all over the world, with the customers inside, and she could see Hunter working the till with Linnie, who was absolutely thrilled to have more hours so she could save up for some concert or another.

He was very handsome, and such a kind and considerate person. But she'd never really considered him as anything more than a friend. The thought had quite literally never crossed her mind, and now she was wondering why.

Then Hunter looked up, and flashed her a charming smile. She waved back at him, hesitant, and realized she'd have to go inside now since she'd been spotted. The bells above the door jingled as she opened it and walked inside, but she couldn't ignore the little skip of her heart when he'd smiled at her, now that she knew what to name it. Or Stacey was putting ridiculous ideas in her head. 

One way or the other, she was so screwed.