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Warning: This is meant to be humorous. If you’re partial to seeing your favorite men act a certain way, it might be best you don’t read this <G>.
Scott and Johnny stopped in front of a renovated store front. “See, Johnny? I told you that Moro Coyyo had a new store.”
He looked quizzically up at the gaily green-and-white striped banner stretched across the doorway. “What is it? Some type of café or somethin’?”
“Or something. Come on, let’s go in and I’ll show you.”
They walked inside and Scott winked at the young woman behind the counter. “I’ll have a tall macchiato, skinny. Better make it a double; we’ve got a long ride back to the ranch.”
The blonde-haired ‘associate’, Brenda, pulled her green apron down tight, emphasizing her curvaceous figure, and smiled widely.
“What will you have?” Scott asked his brother.
Johnny’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve been here before.” He’d been wondering. His brother’s clothes had smelled suspiciously of coffee beans the last couple of weeks.
“Where do you think I was last Saturday night? Reading in my room?” replied Scott. He leaned over and whispered conspiratorially in his brother’s ear, “Watch, she always gives me extra foam.”
Johnny pulled back. “Huh? And what do ya mean, ‘what’ll I have’? I just want a cup of coffee.”
“Not good enough, brother. What kind of coffee do you want? A Sumatra blend? Perhaps the Christmas Breakfast blend--very spicy from what I hear, you might enjoy it.”
Johnny pushed past his brother and tapped on the counter, finally catching Brenda’s eye. “Ma’am, give me a cup of coffee, please.”
She stared at him like a deer caught in the lantern light. “Just a cup…of coffee?”
“That’s right. One-cup-of-coffee.” Scott’s dates were usually smarter than this. There must be something else to this ‘foam’ he keeps talkin’ about, Johnny thought.
Brenda blinked. “What size?”
Johnny leaned on the counter. “It comes in sizes?”
The associate looked at him and raised an eyebrow, then pointed to the sign behind her.
“Oh. What’s this short and tall thing? I mean, we’re not measuring anythin’. Hey, here’s one I know. I’ll have a grande.” The “r” rolled perfectly from his lips.
Brenda rolled her eyes and poured the coffee.
Scott took out his wallet and placed several bills on the counter. The associate blew a wisp of hair from her forehead and caught his hand underneath hers, trailing a long finger over his wrist. A corner of his mouth came up in a smirk and he placed another bill in the jar on the counter.
Picking up their cups, he nodded to one of the many small tables set up in the space. They sat down in hard-backed chairs.
Johnny wrapped his hand around the hot cup. “Who’d pay three-fifty for a cup of joe? That’s more than…well, it’s a lot!”
“Exactly.” Scott motioned to the room. “Look at all these rubes. I’m telling you, there’s a lot of money to be had here.”
“I know that look. You got somethin’ goin’?”
“That I do, brother. Can you say franchise?”
The gleam in Scott’s eye made him sit back in the chair. “Yeah, I can say that and a few other words, none that can be printed. What are you talkin’ about?”
“I’m talking about never having to muck out a stall, never marching to someone else’s tune, never getting a fecal-encrusted tail swiped in my face--ever again!”
He knew that Scott had marched to plenty of other people’s tunes, their father included. He must be finally gettin’ tired of it. Hmph, took him long enough. But Scott was gettin’ excited and truth be told, it always made him a little nervous when his brother got that way. He fiddled with the funny lid Brenda had put on his mug. He had to admit, this was the best coffee he’d ever had. It went down real smooth.
“Like I was saying, Johnny. This is a gold mine! Can’t you just see it? One of these on every corner. Why, with the growth rate in Moro Coyyo, it alone could support second store. Perhaps one across from the saloon.”
“What’s the catch?” Johnny asked.
“The catch, as you put it, is money,” he sighed, “do you happen to have any?”
“Nope. And I’m guessing by the price of this coffee and the way you’re drinkin’ it, you don’t have any left either.”
Scott shrugged, looking about the café and its many patrons. “It would have been such a good investment, too.”
The brothers contemplated their drinks for a while, an idea coming to them at the same time. “Murdoch!”
Scott tapped his head. “Smart minds think alike.”
“Yeah, let’s go hit’ em up. The old man has money stashed away; I saw it in the safe the other day.”
They slurped down the rest of their coffee, feeling pleasantly buzzed, and thundered back to the ranch.
They walked into the great room, a united front. “Sir,” Scott patted the envelope in his hand, “we’d like to talk with you about something.”
Murdoch stuffed the papers he’d been writing on into the top drawer of his desk and slammed it shut. He looked up with a wary eye.
“Hello, boys! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Look Murdoch, me and Scott got this idea. And it’s a good one, not like that washing machine thing we rigged up last year. It has to do with this new place in town.”
Murdoch blanched.
The brothers looked at each other and Scott thrust the envelope in front of his father, edging into the topic at hand. “If you would take just a moment to look over the proposal we have, I think you’d find it very profitable.”
Murdoch glanced quickly at the papers. “I don’t think this would be a good idea,” he hedged.
Johnny took a more hard line approach. “Just sign it, old man! If Scott says it’s a good investment, then it’s a good investment!”
“I, ah, already signed papers--with Val.”
“Val?” they yelled in unison.
“Yes, Val. He was getting tired of that frying pan slop he euphemistically calls ‘coffee’.” Murdoch shrugged, “And because of that, he’s a man who knows a good cup when he gets it. Val just didn’t have any, uh, collateral to get started.”
He continued, “So you’re a little too late, boys. You know, Val and I are thinking about adding some baked goods along with the coffee…what do you think? Think it’ll be a good draw? Or maybe even some kind of a cup you can carry on the trail with you.”
Scott nodded glumly.
Murdoch got up and reached for his hat. “See you later. We’re talking expansion already. Can’t you see a Bucks on every corner?” He stopped for a moment and looked to his sons. “May have to change the name, it really doesn’t seem to fit too well.” He waved a hand in the air. “Ah, well, first things first.” He waggled his bushy grey eyebrows. “You boys know that some of those associates give out extra foam?” Whistling a happy tune, he left the room.
Epilogue:
Scott took an appreciative sniff of his brother as he passed by, on his way out the door. “Eau de Spring for the Compleat Gentleman”? I thought Rosie was off tonight.”
“She is.”
Scott grabbed Johnny’s arm and whirled him around. “Now wait a minute. You’re going to the Bucks without me?”
"Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. And I aim to get me some of that foam.”
~end~
12/08