Katherine Dixon wandered through Kimmer’s Koffees, looking it over carefully to make sure everything was ready for her first day of business. All the shelves were lined with various coffees, flavored syrups and herbal teas. Crystal jars of honey, jellies and jams stood ready to be used. In the display case she had placed platters of scones, shortbread and Irish soda bread that she had baked earlier that morning. The air of the coffee shop was filled with the delicious smell of the pastries and breads. A large crockpot full of a rich oatmeal leek soup simmered away in the kitchen and loaves of wonderful smelling bread lay waiting to be cut up for sandwiches. Adding to the aromas was that of several pots of coffee brewing away. A white board behind the counter had the daily specials written upon it as well as a Gaelic saying and it’s English translation.

Katherine grinned as she remembered Connor teasing her the night before about how she was going to be doing the same type of work here in SIMsCity that she had been doing as a serving girl in the inn where they had first met. Actually she was doing more cooking and baking now, and she was thankful she didn’t have to cook over an open fireplace like she did back then. He had offered to come help her earlier in the morning but she had declined, claiming he would eat half of the stuff she was going to prepare. That had led to a "discussion" about whether a man kept a woman around because of her cooking or her escapades in the bedroom. When asked what his personal opinion was on the matter, Connor had decided it would be safest to take the 5^th, stating that any answer he gave would just get him in deep trouble.

She glanced over the interior of the coffee shop, pleased with the effect of the morning sun filtering through the Irish lace curtains. A mason jar filled with a colorful selection of flowers and fragrant sprays of lilacs blossoms sat in the middle of each table on top of the linen tablecloths she had chosen to use. The walls had been painted a dark green on the bottom with a Celtic knot border wallpapered on to separate it from the ivory walls above. Pictures of castles and thatched cottages were scattered around the room as well as other Scot/Irish memorabilia. Opening up the terrace door, she could smell the sweet fragrance from the flower baskets scattered all around it and hear the sweet sounds of the wind chimes she had hung up. She admired the view off the terrace, enjoying the feel of the gentle ocean breeze on her face for a moment before going back inside and turning her attention to the small stage in the back of the store.

On the back of the stage sat the small piano that had mysteriously appeared the day after the work party. She still had no idea who had sent it. It had come from Reggie’s new music store, but her friend wasn’t about to give Katherine any hints on who had purchased it. Leaning up against the wall behind the stage was her guitar and on the wall itself was various musical instruments hanging up on display. They were all readily available in case she wanted to play any of them. In a special place of honor was a lovely set of bagpipes adorned with her own blue and green Keith clan tartan that Lord Greystoke had presented to her yesterday. She paused for a moment to play a lively little air on the flute he had also given her the night of their "date" at the zoo. Hanging the flute up again, she crossed over to the small play area in the corner, inspecting the selection of toys and books that awaited the touch of a child’s hands. Katherine smiled, knowing that the day care kids were going to be coming on Friday.

On a nearby table was an ornate chess set that Peter Sanderson had given to her the night of the work party. Katherine picked up on of the chess pieces and smiled as she felt it. She was looking forward to actually playing the chess master some day. She had already challenged Darius for a game and she hoped he would be able to come over either that afternoon or the next. There was also a selection of other games such as checkers, scrabble, monopoly, etc. Newspapers and magazines from all over the world lay available for use by her customers.

Her next stop was the sound system. She selecting a CD to play by a Scottish performer by the name of Heather Heywood and turned the music on, listening to it for a few moments. She then checked her watch and headed to the front door.

Katherine had chosen to wear a period costume to go with the Scot/Irish theme of the coffee shop. Over a muslin under-chemise and several layers of petticoats she wore a long plaid skirt with a tightly laced bodice that made her appear to be better endowed than she actually was. Adjusting the skirt and running her fingers through her hair, Katherine took one last quick look around. Then she crossed herself and sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving for all that had been happening to her since she had come to this city.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine walked up to the door and unlocked it, flipping the sign to read "Open for business".