Finding Mr. Write (Business of Love #5) - Ali Parker Page 0,54

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry.”

She cupped my face in one hand. “Don’t be. I loved it.”

Her lips found mine and I breathed in the smell of her vanilla shampoo and savored the warmth of her flesh against mine.

Chapter 23

Briar

One full week of work at the new job hadn’t made it any easier, or me any less clumsy for that matter. In a grand total of five shifts, I’d managed to cost Mare roughly sixty dollars in spilled coffee beans, incorrectly made drinks, and spilled milk. She claimed it was fine and all part of the expense of hiring a new staff member but her gracious forgiveness didn’t make me feel any less guilty about it.

I vowed to be a better employee. I knew I needed time to get the hang of things, as Wes had said, and time was something that was out of my control. But what was in my control was making sure I was someone the staff as well as customers wanted to be around. I did my absolute best to upsell anything and everything, from scones to books to breakfast sandwiches, and it turned out I wasn’t too shabby at it. Consistency seemed to be key, and people didn’t buy more if you didn’t ask them if they wanted it.

However, a big smile and a “would you like a breakfast sandwich with your coffee today?” went a long way with New Yorkers. I had a seventy-percent success rate. Mare told me she would have to make bigger orders if I was sticking around.

I’d told her she’d better hop to it because I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

My first week of tips grossed a total of one hundred and twelve dollars. That blew my mind. I’d been expecting fifty bucks maximum. This left me with sixty-two dollars more and I was over the moon about it, even though a hundred bucks didn’t really get a girl all that far these days, especially not in this city. I’d promised myself that my tips would go right into my savings account. I didn’t need anything and I needed to build up a cushiony buffer in my bank account for any unforeseen, just-in-case scenarios. You never know what waited around the corner for you and I was the kind of person who needed to be prepared for any kind of surprise.

What if I needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled?

What if Sonia was short on rent and needed a helping hand? I’d have no problem forking out a bit extra if she was in a tight spot because those kinds of gestures usually came full circle and I trusted her.

What if I owed more money on taxes than I expected?

There were so many things that unexpectedly cost money as an adult and my parents had raised me well. I hated not having that wiggle room. Without it, I was a stress ball of nerves and anxiety just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Had it ever happened?

No.

But that wasn’t the point.

It was half past two in the afternoon on Tuesday when Callie put her hand on my shoulder while I steamed milk for a gentleman’s hazelnut latte. “Hey,” she said, “I’m just going to pop into the back room and have a bite to eat. Are you good to handle things for fifteen minutes on your own?”

I tried not to audibly gulp in intimidation. “I think so.”

“If you need me, just holler down the hall and I’ll come back up.”

“Okay.”

Callie gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve got this. Getting thrown into the fire is the fastest way to learn. Trust me.”

I tried to do just that—trust her—as she made her way down the hall and left me behind the counter alone for the first time since I was hired.

It wasn’t easy flying solo between the cash register and the coffee bar. I’d ring in a drink, hop over to the other half of the bar, and start frothing milk and pulling espresso shots. I’d pump syrup into cups, top drinks with whipped cream and other appropriate toppings, and slide them across the bar top while calling the drink out over the music and the chatting customers. The steady line of customers never ended.

The real test came when a young woman with a bag of books showed up. She wanted to exchange her books for a store credit, which Mare had shown me how to do two times this past week. I had to sign out of