51 Who'sd Care About You?

When Jade arrived at Night Cafe, it was almost midday.

"Sorry I'm late!" Jade exclaimed as she barged in through the back door.

Harriet was out front serving customers, so it was only Bernie who greeted her. "Don't mind it, Jade. You've been through a lot, and you're hardly late."

"I know, but Harry…"

"… is doing just fine," Bernie interrupted. "The lunchtime rush hasn't even started yet, so she's fine—just a few orders every half hour or so."

"Still…"

"Just don't worry. You're here now—no harm done."

"Okay…" Jade replied like a kid who had just been scolded. 'Bernie's being quite considerate today. It's sweet.'

She ran into the office to drop off her bag and coat.

"Don't rush. You're injured, remember?" Bernie called after her.

When Jade re-emerged from the office, she had a cheeky grin on her face. Knowing his tsundere tendencies, she teased, "Are you worried about me, Bern? It seems you really do care about me!"

Frowning, Bernie retorted, "How would care about you? Humph! I'm just making sure my business partner doesn't collapse and lose us money!"

"Yeah, yeah, alright…" With a look that showed her complete lack of belief in his words, Jade sauntered out of the kitchen.

'I shouldn't tease him too much or he'll never be nice again!

'That aside, it was a nice gesture, and he calmed me down when I was panicking.'

…

The day went surprisingly quickly. Harriet and Jade operated like a well-oiled machine.

There was no mention of the previous day's goodbye because there was no need. Everything that needed to be said had been conveyed, and the two would only celebrate each other's success from now on, not their separation.

The lunchtime rush ran smoothly. Fortunately, most of the orders were to go, so the duo had a relatively easy lunch period.

"Gosh, I wish all lunch rushes could be like this!" exclaimed Jade as she was brewing a coffee.

Harriet chuckled in response. "No, not all, just for the rest of this week. Next week's the new kid's problem!"

Jade turned to look at her in shock, but after a playful wink from Harriet, she gritted her teeth and growled with mock-anger, "You son of a… Just because you're leaving, don't think I'll go easy on you!"

The surrounding customers laughed at the duo's shenanigans. Many of them would visit the cafe every lunch, so they knew the circumstances surrounding the two.

When lunch was over and Harriet left, there was a quiet period for the cafe, a lull in the activity.

"Bern, I'm going to do the books—they've been neglected the past few days. Let me know if anyone comes in."

After giving her order, Jade entered the office and sat down. She placed her latte on the table in front of her and got out a thick, worn book.

'Right… let's see how we're doing. The window cost a pretty penny, but it was not as bad as it could have been. We should still be in the black… just.'