1 Morning at Miss Harriet’s

Katherine woke in the grey light of dawn, jolted out of sleep by her alarm. Switching on the light, she squeezed her brown eyes shut against the sudden brightness. As she waited for the pain to subside and her eyes to adjust to the light, she stretched a little and sighed. Never in her life had she been so bone-weary tired as she felt this morning.

Easing her eyes open, she gazed around the room. How long ago it seemed now since she first came to Miss Harriet’s tea shop, looking for a fresh start. Little had she known then how much she would come to love the prim little shop and its gentle owner, who had become her dearest friend.

Katherine’s eyes drooped, but she forced herself to turn and look at the clock. There was no time to drift off, not even for a few minutes. She needed to get the baking in.

Swinging her feet to the floor, she reluctantly stood, feeling every muscle. She had never imagined running a tea shop could make a person so sore.—Or maybe it was the boxes she had ferried to the Harborside’s storeroom last evening.

Captain Braddock did offer to make do without her while Miss Harriet was away, but Katherine had insisted. She closed Miss Harriet's an hour early each day so she could at least get a little of her regular work done at the Harborside. Time spent at the old tea seller’s historic shop always relaxed her, somehow.

Katherine pulled some clothes out of the closet and dragged herself through the process of getting ready for the day.

Why is this so hard? It wasn’t as if this were the first time she had run the shop alone. But then again, Miss Harriet’s Tearoom was far less busy in those days. Things had really picked up since they joined forces with the Harborside to pair people with their perfect cup of tea. In fact, business had boomed for both shops.

As she brushed her teeth, Katherine mentally calculated how many more early mornings were left before Miss Harriet would return. She and the town’s reporter, Harold James, had been away on their honeymoon for four days now, which meant Katherine had only three more days left of baking, waiting tables, and washing dishes alone.

Captain Braddock missed her help at the Harborside, but did his best to take up the slack. And she still stopped by after closing to help with restocking.

Running a brush through her wavy brown curls, she quickly pulled her hair up into a bun. The few hours at the Harborside were a welcome change of pace, even though it meant one more responsibility to add to her already full days.

Katherine suddenly wondered what she would do if ever Captain Braddock went away and left her to handle the Harborside. But no, that wasn’t very likely.

The last in a long succession of Braddocks, the aging captain seemed as rooted in Harborhaven as his shop, which had stood on Main Street longer than most of the town had even existed. She supposed the only thing that might tempt him away would be a visit to his sister Serena in China, but though he was a retired sea captain, Katherine couldn’t quite picture him as a world traveler.

No, he wasn’t likely to leave, and that was a good thing, because the very thought of it made Katherine feel even more weary.

Crossing to the window seat in the small apartment’s living room, she switched on a lamp and pulled a blanket from the basket nearby. Curling up with the blanket, she picked up her Bible.

Ok, Lord, she prayed, I know I can’t do this without Your help. I’m so tired. Please refresh me. Then, she opened her Bible to where she had left off the day before and began reading.

* * * *

The soft glow of the golden September sunshine had just begun to filter through the lace curtains of Miss Harriet’s tea shop as Katherine descended the stairs from her apartment above. Her muscles still ached, but her heart and mind felt renewed.

Stopping halfway, she took a deep breath and surveyed the peaceful scene. Rows of small tables dotted the cleanly polished wood floors, each covered with a dainty lace tablecloth and a vase of flowers. The straight-backed wood chairs stood ready to receive the day’s first customers, and the chalkboard menu had been freshly written the night before.

How glad Katherine was that Miss Harriet had trained her to make everything as ready as possible for the next day before leaving for the night! It made such an encouraging start to the morning’s work to know that there was nothing left from yesterday.

She pulled aside the curtain which served as the kitchen door and stepped into the now-familiar routine of early morning baking. As she pulled out bowls and canisters and began measuring ingredients, she thought of the first batch of scones she had tried to bake and had to chuckle. They had been terribly rubbery and greasy, but Miss Harriet was a patient teacher, and insisted she try again.

Now she almost mindlessly flew through the recipes which had seemed so daunting to her when she first began helping with the baking. This morning was no exception, and the first batches of scones and pastries were soon ready for the oven.

Katherine was just setting the big kettle on to boil when she was summoned out of the kitchen by a rap on the door. As she pulled aside the lace curtain, she felt her heart lift in astonished surprise at the sight of Captain Braddock!

The elderly sea captain’s short grey hair peeked out from under the captain’s hat he always wore, though he had retired years ago. He smiled at Katherine as she unlocked the door, blue eyes twinkling, the scar across his cheek melting into the waves of wrinkles that crinkled up his weatherbeaten face.

“Good mornin’ Missy. I’ve brought yer tea order early, so you don’t have to worry about sellin’ out before the end of the day.”

Her heart lifted at the thoughtfulness of this gruff old man who had become just like family to her. “Thank you. It will be nice to know we won’t run out of anything today. Won’t you come in for a cup of tea before opening time?”

Captain Braddock looked over her shoulder at the flowers and frills of the dainty room and frowned doubtfully. “Yer sure it’s not heapin’ extra work on you?”

“I’m sure. And besides, the company will be nice while I get the trays prepped.”

“Well, I suppose it won’t hurt to come in, just for a little.”

Katherine smiled. It had taken a long time for Captain Braddock to get to the point of stepping foot into Miss Harriet’s, and he still never seemed quite comfortable when he did. The two tea-sellers had been somewhat at odds when Katherine first arrived in Harborhaven.

A misunderstanding and a lost letter sparked it all off, and differences of opinion over types and qualities of tea exacerbated what residents of Harborhaven quickly came to view as a feud between the two shops. But now, all was resolved and the two had become unlikely friends—although Captain Braddock still looked askance at the teabags she kept in stock alongside the higher quality loose-leaf tea.

“If you sit here, we can talk while I get the tea ready.” Katherine said, showing the captain to a table right by the kitchen doorway.

“All right.” The captain groaned slightly as he eased himself into the dainty dining chair facing the kitchen door. “What do you want to talk about?”

Katherine grinned and called over her shoulder, “Whatever company talks about, I suppose.”

“Well, now…I don’t much know what company talks about. When I was a boy, everyone talked about the weather when they went visiting. That, or politics.”

“Oh. Weather then, please.”

The captain chuckled. “It’s been mighty fine of late. I don’t think we’ll be firing up the old stove for a good while yet.”

“That’s good. I don’t think I’ve quite gotten the hang of it yet. I’m always nervous I’ll let the shop get too hot and ruin all the tea, or that the fire will die out as soon as I turn my back.”

“I used to feel the same way about it, but I suppose it’s grown on me. Or perhaps it’s necessity that’s driven me to appreciate it. Whatever the case, I must say it’s nice during these warm days to have one less thing to keep track of, ‘specially right now.”

Katherine came out of the kitchen and dropped wearily into a chair across from the captain. “I know. Things will be back to normal soon, though. Only a few more days.”

“Three, to be exact.”

Katherine chuckled. “I thought I was the only one counting the days!”

Captain Braddock’s smile softened. “I can see how hard it is on you, keepin’ everything goin’ on your own. And as much as I hate to see you worn down, I’m proud of you for steppin’ up and not makin’ excuses.”

A warm glow spread over Katherine’s heart. Captain Braddock rarely voiced his feelings, and somehow, a word of encouragement from his grandfatherly heart felt like being handed a priceless treasure. Unsure what to say in reply, Katherine just smiled happily across the table, and Captain Braddock smiled right back at her.

The singing of the tea kettle interrupted the brief silence.

“I’d better get that.” Katherine said, rising from her chair and hurrying toward the kitchen.

“Sure I can’t help with anything?” Captain Braddock called after her.

“Not a thing. Just you sitting there is a help.” She poked her head around the doorway with a teasing grin. “And if you’re good, I’ll bring some scones in with the tea. They’ll be ready to come out of the oven soon.”