by E. L. Todd
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1192326920784373/
Hope to see you there, ELITE!
Another Day At The Office
Francesca
On my first day working at The Grind, a coffee shop in Myrtle Beach, the constant sound of the running blender gave me a headache. Just when it would stop spinning for a damn second, it started up again. Taking orders from customers was a hassle because I couldn’t hear a word they said. And just when I raised my voice so they could understand me, the blender shut off and I looked like a screaming lunatic.
But now that blender reminded me of home.
I’d been working at The Grind for nearly three years. It was a great college gig. It was flexible with my class schedule, and when I wanted to blow off work for a party, it was easy to change shifts with another worker.
It wasn’t my dream job, but it was okay for now.
The shop was dead that afternoon, so I opened my jar of homemade batter and beat it with a spoon until it was fluffy again. Then I poured it into a pan and shoved it into the oven.
“What are you baking now?” Marie, my roommate and best friend, grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist. She reeked of smoke, so I knew she lit one up in the back alley. I tried getting her to quit a few times, but that just made her addiction worse.
“Apple cherry muffins.”
“Hmm…sounds good.”
I was notorious for my love of baking. We had an oven at our house, but it wasn’t as nice as the one at The Grind. I took advantage of it whenever I could. “They’re not super sweet so at least they won’t give you diabetes.”
Marie popped a few breath mints into her mouth to cover up the stench of smoke. “I’m not worried about diabetes.”
“Just lung cancer?” It was a mean jab but I didn’t care.
Marie rolled her eyes. “I smoke twice a day…sometimes only once.”
“If it’s so seldom, why do it at all?” I put my hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes on her face. I wasn’t a judgmental person, but I wanted my best friend to be around as long as possible.
“Shut up and keep baking.” She walked around me and headed to the front of the café.
I rolled my eyes even though no one was around to witness it. Then I set the timer on the oven.
***
“Damn, these are good.” Marie picked at the muffin right at the counter. A few customers were sitting at tables in the lobby, but no one was in line. Fortunately, our manager was pretty lenient with all the crazy things we did. One time, a customer complained that Marie was on her phone, but our manager didn’t seem to care.
“Thanks.”
“Are they made with real apples and cherries?” She spoke with her mouth full.
“Yep. Natural is the only way to go.” I tried not to eat everything I made otherwise I really would get diabetes.
“We could probably sell these for two bucks a pop.” She finished the muffin then sucked the crumbs off her fingers.
“Two bucks?” I asked. “Maybe ninety nine cents.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Our chocolate croissant is $3.50.”
“Still sounds like a rip off to me.” I noticed the crumbs around her mouth but I didn’t say anything because I knew she would get there eventually. Right now, she was focused on her fingers.
The bell over the door rang as someone walked inside. That bell was a lifesaver when we were doing things we shouldn’t be—like right now. I set the tray of muffins on the counter then smoothed out my apron without checking who the customer was.
“Oh my god.” Marie lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “That’s him.”
“That’s who?”
“That super hot guy that comes in here all the time. He works on homework or something. But he looks too old to be in college…” She immediately straightened her hair then checked her breath.
I peeked over the counter and saw the guy she was talking about. She wasn’t exaggerating about his looks. He really was hot. He had dark brown hair that was a little messy, but he obviously did it on purpose. It was full and thick, and it was clear he ran his fingers through it when he was deep in thought. He wore slacks and a collared shirt with a dark blue tie down his chest. He had to be over six feet, and he filled out his clothes well. Even in a sleeved shirt, the muscles of his arms were obvious. His chest was wide and his stomach was tight. He stood at the end of the line and stared up at the menu as he tried to decide what he wanted.
He was definitely a looker.
“Ask him out,” I whispered to her.
“Are you crazy?” she snapped. “I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s lame,” she said quickly. “Girls don’t ask out guys.”
“Says who?” I demanded. “If he says no, whatever. Move on. But if he says yes…take him out for a drink.”
“I’m not doing that.” She raised her hand to shut me up. Whenever she did that, I knew she really wanted me to drop the subject.
“Don’t you think a guy finds that sexy?”
“What?” she asked.
“When a really hot girl asks him out?”
“I’ll just flirt a little and see where it goes.”
The guy approached the counter like he was about to order.
“Marie, wait.” I grabbed her arm and a napkin.
“What?” she asked in irritation.
“You got muffin all over your face.” I handed her the napkin.
“Oh my god.” She quickly wiped her mouth. “Did I get it?”
“No.” I grabbed the napkin. “Let me do it.”
Her eyes darted to the counter. “Shit, he’s here.” Without another word, she fled into the back.
I tossed the napkin into the garbage then felt my heart rate pick up. Marie was missing her chance with Mr. Handsome, but I couldn’t let her face him when she had shit all over her lips.
I approached the counter and pretended nothing just happened. Like we didn’t just talk about how hot he was. “Hi. What can I get for you?” I looked him directly in the eye.
His blue eyes were a little startling at first. I’d seen blue eyes before and on lots of people. Some were brighter than others. Some had a mixture of green or gray. His were unusually dark and sharp. They were so pretty they almost didn’t look real. They contrasted well against his fair skin. Every individual feature of his face was perfect, but combined together, the effect was deadly. I couldn’t detect a single flaw anywhere.
“Hi. How are you?” He held my gaze as he spoke. Normally, people stared at the board or through the bakery window when they talked to me. They didn’t give me any of their attention. I was just the chick who handed them their coffee.
“Great,” I said as I stood in front of the register. “What about you?”
“A little tired.” He rested one hand on the counter, and a shiny watch was on his wrist. “Hence, why I’m in here.” He had a laid-back nature to him, not snooty like I thought he might be.
“You need more gas for your engine?” I gave him a friendly smile.
“So to speak.” His eyes never left my face.
“Then let’s get you some coffee. What would you like?”
“I usually drink it black. Unless you have a recommendation.”
I wasn’t prepared to be put on the spot but I kept my cool. “We can always add a shot of espresso—maybe two. You look like you need it.” I smiled so he knew I was joking.
A ghost of a smile stretched his lips. Instead of raising the corners of his mouth, his eyes lightened in color. They seemed to be the gateway to his thoughts. “I trust your judgment.”
“Two shots of espresso it is.” I made the mental note. “Anything else?”
His eyes left my face for the first time and moved to the counter. “I’ll take one of those.”
I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the apple cherry muffins I made. “Those?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
“Actually, I made those…for fun.”
That smile was there again. “Then I definitely have to have one. I’ll even pay you for it.”
Accept money? That would be weird. “It’s on the house. You look like you’ve had a bad day.” I grabbed a tray and set the muffin on top.
“Wow. I’ve never gotten such good service here.”
Unsure what to say, I gave him a quick smile then prepared his coffee. Once it was ready, I set it on the tray and rang him up.
He handed over the cash. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
“I’ve been working here for a while.” I handed him his change, and just touching his hand electrified me. His skin was slightly coarse like he used his hands all the time.
“I guess I’ll see you next time then.”
“And I hope when that happens you won’t be so tired.”
This time he gave me a real smile. “That makes two of us.” He grabbed his tray then sat in a booth near the window. He pulled his laptop out of his satchel and set it on the counter.
“You’re such a lucky bitch.”
I turned around and spotted Marie. Her face was free of crumbs. “What?”
“He was totally flirting with you.”
“Was not,” I argued.
“He never spoke to me like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him in the lobby. She released a quiet whistle under her breath. “That is one fine man.”
“He really is something…” My gaze moved to his large hands. I wondered what he could do with them.
“Ask him out.”
I turned back to Marie so quickly my neck hurt. “What?”
“What happened to asking a guy out?”
“Well, he’s your guy.” That was an unspoken rule between us.
“No, he’s not,” she said with a laugh. “I just said he was hot. I don’t have any claim on him. And it looks like you have a serious chance with him.”
“Dude, I talked to him for, like, two minutes.”
“Don’t dude me.” She raised her finger. “Are you all talk?”
“No,” I said defensively. “But I don’t even know him.”
“Who cares?” She put her hands on her hips. “Is there much talking involved with sex?”
I rolled my eyes and walked away. “Now you’re getting carried away.”
She grabbed a muffin and chucked it at my back. “If he comes in here again, I’m going to bug you worse than a fly that just won’t quit.”
“And I’m sure you’ll keep your word.”
***
A week went by and I didn’t see Mr. Handsome. For days afterward, I thought about those expressive blue eyes. His face was indecipherable, but if you looked into his eyes, you could find everything you were looking for.
He carried himself with confidence, but he spoke politely. Instead of treating me like a mule, the way most customers did, he actually looked into my eyes as he spoke. Maybe he was in sales. He was undoubtedly good at selling anything, even broken radios.
When the week had come and gone, I started to forget about him. He was one of the most attractive men I’d ever seen, but maybe I just exaggerated his features once he was gone. Could a guy really be that hot? Sometimes the memory of something was better than the actual thing.
Fortunately, Marie didn’t bring it up again. She probably forgot too. We had too much on our minds with school. I had a few exams that week and a lab report. I loved going out and dating, but I didn’t have a lot of time to do it.
It was a Tuesday afternoon when the bell rang overhead. Whenever I heard that sound, I turned to the door in the hope of seeing Mr. Handsome. But it was never him. Today, I didn’t even bother looking because I finally stopped thinking about him.
“Now you’re the one who looks tired.”
I looked up and saw the eyes I hadn’t forgotten about. His presence caught me off guard but I acted like I knew he was there the entire time. “I guess we’ve switched places.”
He stood at the counter wearing his typical office clothes. I wondered what he did for a living but I didn’t ask. “I guess I should have brought you a cup of coffee.” That amused expression was in his eyes. He had a smooth tongue like he did this often.
“I have too much caffeine as it is.” I positioned myself at the register. “What can I get you today?”
“For starters, I want another one of those muffins.”
The ones I made? “You liked it?”
His lips stretched into a true smile. “I ate it in ten seconds. Does that answer your question?”
I tried not to blush. I tended to do that when someone flattered me. “I’m glad you liked it. Baking is a hobby of mine.”
“Maybe you should make it into a career and put this place out of business.”
Opening my own bakery was my dream. The only reason I was in college was to prepare myself for opening a shop…and also for the event that I didn’t succeed and needed to find another job. “I’ll think about it.”
He stared at me without speaking. His look wasn’t invasive or uncomfortable. Only someone like him could pull that off. If someone else did it, it would just be creepy.
“Another espresso?”
“Black coffee, please. I’m not that tired today.”
“Got a good night’s sleep?”
“Something like that.” The corners of his lips stretched into a smile.
I wasn’t sure what his comment meant. Was he implying he got laid last night? Or were my own thoughts running wild? The idea of seeing him naked and being the girl in his bed made my hair stand on end. I shook the thought away because it was too perverse. “Anything else?”
“Have any of those muffins back there?”
“No, unfortunately.”
He shrugged. “Maybe next time.”
“Yeah…” His confident vibe made me feel warm and cold at the same time. Sometimes, when he was close enough, I smelled his cologne. It was light and not overbearing. I thought I could detect his natural smell, like body soap. “Your total is $2.15.”
He opened his wallet and handed me a five.
I took it and grazed his fingers, feeling the electricity again. My attraction was obvious. I just hoped it wasn’t as obvious to him. “Here’s your change.” I handed the cash back along with the receipt. Then I stared at him as I felt my heart hammer in my chest. He was making me nervous, which was unusual. No one ever made me nervous.
He shoved the cash into his wallet. “What’s your name?”
My heart moved into my throat with anticipation. In the back of my mind, I hoped he was going to ask me out. The thought of sitting across from him at a restaurant and talking about music made my stomach do a few somersaults. I didn’t know anything about him but I wanted to. And I wouldn’t mind a goodnight kiss either. “Francesca. But everyone calls me Frankie.”
“Frankie.” He grinned wide this time. “I like that.”
“What’s yours?”
“Hawke.”
Hawke? I’d never heard of a name like that before. But it seemed to suit him…in an unusual way.
He caught on to my confusion. “It’s my middle name, but that’s what everyone calls me.”
“Oh…it’s nice.” I wanted to ask what his first name was, but he would have told me if he wanted me to know.
He grabbed his coffee then stepped away. “I’ll see you around, Frankie.”
“Yeah, until next time.”
He didn’t look at me again as he sat down and got to work.
I released a deep sigh as disappointment washed through me. I wasn’t sure what I expected to happen. But I wished I had a napkin with his phone number written on it.
***
Marie was painting her nails on the couch when I walked inside. “How was work?”
“Good.” I tossed my bag on the counter then pulled my hair loose from the tie. “Mr. Handsome has a name.”
> “Ooh…” She blew on her big toe then closed the bottle of nail polish. “What is it? I bet it’s something really sexy. Like…Dublin. No, Carter. Wait…” She kept brainstorming names.
“Are you done?” I asked sarcastically.
“Fine. What is it?”
“Hawke.”
Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. Then she nodded her head slowly. “What did I tell you? I knew it would be hot.”
“Apparently, it’s his middle name but that’s what he goes by.”
“What’s his first name?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Did you ask for something else?” She leaned forward in anticipation. “Perhaps a date?” She grinned like an idiot.
“No. And he didn’t ask me out either.”
She smiled victoriously. “Not so easy, is it?”
“I’m just unsure if that’s what he’s interested in. A good-looking guy like that probably has a girlfriend—or a long list of admirers. I doubt he’s available.”
“You’ll never know until you ask, right?” She started painting her nails again.
“I suppose.” I had to eat my own words. Hawke and I kept flirting back and forth, at least it seemed like flirting. If it was going to go somewhere, I wanted to know. I wasn’t in a hurry, but I didn’t like waiting around either.
***
A week later, Hawke appeared again. Like always, he wore his slacks and collared shirt. His satchel was over his shoulder, and his hair was slightly messy from a long day of running his fingers through it. His aura emitted confidence and power. He didn’t even need to speak to achieve it.
“Hey, Frankie.” He walked up to the counter with his eyes glued on my face. His wide shoulders were formidable but sexy at the same time. I wanted to hold on to them as I rode him up and down.
Stay focused.
“Hey, Hawke.”
“How are you today?”
“Great.” Now that you walked through the door. I’d been waiting for that bell to ring all week. Every time I looked, it wasn’t him. But now he was finally there. “How are you?”
“Parched.” He opened his wallet and set the cash on the counter. “I’ll take the usual, please.”
“Black coffee?”