“There she is, our star waitress,” I said as Meadow pushed through the front door of the café.

Her smile was always so big and bright and it had easily become my new favorite part of the morning. She laughed and said good morning as she made her way behind the counter. Having her arrive in Pismo Beach over a week ago was the best thing for the café. She truly was heaven-sent.

She started this job with such determination and dedication that she picked it up in no time. I really admired her strength and courage. To say she was a wreck when she first got here was an understatement. Not to mention the man drama she got herself into right away. But to her credit, she didn’t let her Kane mix up keep her knocked down. She pushed through and put all her energy into building her new life. Not only was it amazing to have her working at the café, but she and I had become instant best friends. Despite working crazy long shifts, we still went out for dinner and drinks every single evening. The conversation flowed so easily and we were never at a loss for things to talk about. We talked about it all, life, love, loss, fears, regrets and oh how we laughed together. She was a hilarious girl. She could bring me to tears from making me laugh so hard.

Days flew by at the café. It was always busy, but always fun. Today was no different. Before I knew it, we were already only a couple hours away from closing for the day. As I was taking a customer's payment at the register, I looked up to see someone coming in through the door.

“Paul, you’re back,” I exclaimed, happy to see him back from his trip to Big Sur. He waved and made his way to a seat at the counter. Meadow was behind me, getting a fresh pot of coffee. I turned and quietly asked her if Kane had texted back yet. She said nothing, and hardly shook her head, but I could see in her eyes that the answer was no.

It had been a long week waiting each day for Kane to reply. He never had, but Meadow never seemed to give up hope that he would.

I went around the counter and gave Paul a big hug. He hugged me then turned to Meadow.

“What’s the deal, Meadow? I go away for a bit and when I come back I no longer get a hug? Get over here,” he said. I could tell she was shy about it. She had been so paranoid that Kane was away with the guys and telling them how much of a psycho bitch she had been. Judging by Paul’s enthusiasm and warmth, either Kane had said nothing, or Paul didn’t let it cloud his judgement of her. She made her way around the counter and gave him an awkward hug. She was trying so hard to act normal but I could tell she was mortified.

Paul sat down and Meadow left to give menus to some new customers.

“How was Big Sur?” I asked as I held up the pot of coffee to see if he wanted any. He nodded.

“Rad. It was so rad. We had perfect conditions. The waves weren’t too monstrous, so we were able to get in some really long runs. We were out there for hours and hours each day. Most nights we were asleep by nine because we were so exhausted. It was perfect.”

Paul spoke with classic surfer enthusiasm. Meadow nervously walked up behind him, and I knew I had a new best friend job to do.

“That’s awesome. I’m glad to hear it. Did Kane head back at the same time as you and Jason?”

I looked at Paul and then back at Meadow. Her eyes thanked me.

“No. Kane didn’t end up coming. It was just Jason and I,” Paul said.

Meadow and I gave each other the same confused look. She made her way behind the counter and picked up a cloth to look busy.

“Really? Kane didn’t go? For the entire week?” I said, making sure I’d heard correctly.

“No. You guys haven’t seen him around?” Paul said, now almost as confused as we were.

“Nope,” I said.

“He texted me to say he wouldn’t be able to make it. I was out on the water so didn’t respond. I just figured when he got to the shop, he realized there was more work than he thought and he had to stay to get it done. You guys really haven’t seen him in here or the brewery?”

“No. No sign of him,” I said as Meadow continued to wipe the same spot on the counter.

“At all?”

“Not at all,” I said.

“That’s weird. I wonder what happened to him?” Paul said, starting to look worried.

I left Paul to look over the menu and gave Meadow a sympathetic rub on the shoulder. Suddenly Paul slammed his menu down on the counter, making us both jump.

“Oh, Meadow, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“What?”

There was an undeniable hint of fear in her voice. Even I got tense wondering what he was about to say.

“I called that buddy of mine with the apartment.”

“Oh, right, the apartment,” she said with a sigh of relief.

“He said it’s totally empty right now. You can move in as soon as you want.”

“What? Really? Are you serious?” Meadow asked, shocked by the good news.

“Serious. He said I can bring you by tomorrow night to check it out.”

“Oh, Paul, that’s so amazing to hear. I thought when I hadn’t heard from you that it meant it was a no go. Thank you so much. I’d love to check it out. I’m sure it’s perfect.”

Meadow went around the counter and this time gave Paul a much less awkward hug.

After the hug she said to us, “Hey, you guys, watch this.”

She picked up a copy of the daily paper and put it under her arm. Paul and I looked at each other, very confused. She grabbed a glass of water and the pot of coffee. We watched her walk away, toward Mr. Mathers sitting in his booth.

When Paul and I figured out what we were supposed to be watching, we looked at each other and laughed. She confidently put down the water and paper and started to fill up his coffee cup. It wasn’t until we saw Mr. Mathers reach out and insist she sit down with him that we both dropped our jaws. Not only had Meadow learned what to do when Mr. Mathers came in, but he had already taken a shine to her and was now talking her ear off. She looked over at us and winked.

“Geez. That didn’t take long,” Paul said.

“I can’t believe it. It took him months to warm up to me like that. That Meadow is quite the little charmer,” I said.

Paul watched her and smiled. I went back to check with the kitchen on an order I was waiting for. Before we knew it, all the tables were full again. Paul hung around at the counter while Meadow and I did our thing. When the last table finally left, Paul followed behind them to flip the sign and lock the door. Then, he pitched in with the cleanup so we could all get out quicker.

“There. We’re all done. Thanks for helping out, Paul. We should buy you a beer,” I said.

“Hey, no problem, but I’ll pass on the beer. I’m pretty wiped from the trip.”

“Rain check then,” I said, giving him a hug.

“How about you Meadow? Shall we have our traditional after work beverage?” I asked, sure she’d say yes.

“Actually, I’m pretty exhausted too. I think I just might call it a night,” she said.

“Well then, I guess I’m having wine for one at home tonight,” I joked as we all walked out of the restaurant.

Meadow stopped on the spot and stood on the edge of the sidewalk as she looked up and down the street.

“Where’d you park?” Paul asked her.

“I can’t remember. I swear I was parked out front, but it’s not here. Where did I leave it?”

She was confused and deep in thought as she tried to remember where her car was parked. She walked to the corner and looked up the side street. Paul and I started talking and then she called back to us.

“You guys. I know I didn’t park on the side street. I remember so clearly parking out front today.”

She looked at me and I could tell she was worried.

“You sure you drove?” Paul said. “Yes. For sure. I’ve been driving every day. I get here so early that there’s always parking on the main street. My car was here and now it’s gone,” she said, now speaking louder and with distinct panic in her voice.

“It might have been stolen, Meadow. I swear, if your car was actually stolen I will be so pissed off. Who steals cars? Shitty people, that’s who. I can’t believe it. This is unacceptable. I’m calling the police.”

I fished through my purse to find my phone. I was furious that someone would do that. Car theft was rare in Pismo Beach, but every now and then some asshole would show up. Meadow continued to nervously pace up and down the street, searching for her car. Suddenly she stopped and looked back at me as I was on the phone waiting for someone at the police station to answer.

“Sandra, hang up.”

“What? Why? Your car was stolen. We need to report it as soon as possible so they can catch the bastards.”

“Seriously. Please hang up. Please don’t call the police,” she insisted.

I was confused. I looked at her and then at Paul who shrugged and was clearly as confused as me.

“My car wasn’t stolen. I’m so embarrassed,” she started to say with a nervous laugh.

“I just realized what happened. I remember exactly where I parked now. It was down the street, over there, right by that fire hydrant. I must have parked too close to it. I’m such an idiot. I clearly hadn’t had my coffee yet.”

She was standing on the street and pointing to the hydrant.

“If you park even an inch under fifteen feet from a fire hydrant in this town, you’re getting towed. They’re ruthless. I’ve learned that lesson more than once,” Paul said.

“I’m sure that’s what happened. My car is fine. I just made a silly mistake and I was towed,” Meadow said with an embarrassed smile.

“I’ll give you a ride to the impound lot,” Paul said. “I know exactly where they take them. There’s only one place in town.”

“Oh no, that’s okay. You guys go home. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

“Dude, it’s no trouble and it’s easier just to get out out of the way now,”  Paul said.

Meadow finally caved and accepted his offer. I gave them both hugs before they hopped in his car.