By
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - These are real Star-bucks: All 13 employees at a Starbucks coffee house will share an $87 million lottery jackpot won over the weekend.
"I'm a multimillionaire, but I don't have the money yet," said manager Mary Champaine, who showed up at work before dawn yesterday. "I had to open the store."
Champaine, a 53-year-old widow whose husband died of cancer a year ago, had collected $1 each from the employees Saturday.
"Who wasn't here I just went down in my purse and I found enough change, got enough to include everybody," she said. "We are a team here."
The money will be doled out in 26 annual payments. Each employee will receive about $6.7 million before taxes.
Employee Moisha Oliver said she got a call Monday night from Champaine to let her know they had won. She didn't believe it.
"I said, 'I'll see you in the morning. If there's cameras and lights, I'll know we won,'" she said. "I can't do cartwheels because I have a skirt on. If I had pants on I think I'd be out there giving you a cheerleading show, jumping up and down on the tables. But I've got to be ladylike."
Employee Keith Matthews said: "It's the kind of news that makes you want to jump up and say hi to the guys in the shuttle."
Champaine plans to spend her share on a new fence and paint for her home. She has no immediate plans to quit.
"I don't drink coffee and I don't know much about the culture, but Starbucks hired me and made me manager," she said. "I came to work today with only $7 in my pocket. God is wonderful."
