Her memory is impressive, but I'm still standing off to the side, completely useless, as I watch their exchange.
"I'll ring him up," Tawny offers, practically shoving me out of the way.
I want to argue she put me in charge of the register and she needs to make up her damn mind, but before I can protest further, Theo is staring at me.
"What?" I scowl.
"Nothing."
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Do you two know each other?" Tawny asks.
Just as I say "No," Theo confirms, "Yes."
"I'm here to drink coffee and look for jobs on my laptop," he claims.
"Here's the Wi-Fi password." Tawny slides the business card across the counter with all the info. "Do you come here often?"
"I will now," he says with a grin that leaves a tiny spot of drool in the corner of Tawny’s mouth.
Theo is a rash that won't go away. A nuisance that seems to follow me even into adulthood.
"You're not going to hang out for my whole shift, are you?"
"Amelia," Tawny hisses out of the side of her mouth. "Shut up and let me enjoy the view."
"Go stare at the ocean, I'm sure that's easier on your eyes."
"I doubt it," she snips.
"Don’t you prefer a coffee blaster shake?" I ask Theo, his go-to drink when we were teenagers.
"We don't make those," Tawny corrects.
I ignore her and wait for him to answer.
"No thanks," he says with a shake of his head. "Just the one I ordered will be perfect."
I snatch the drink from Tawny’s hands and add a lid to his cup. Setting it on the counter, I wait for him to collect it and leave.
When he approaches, I whisper, "Can't you job search at home? Aren't our parents on their way to Laguna Beach by now?"
"It's lonely at home."
"You should be used to that by now."
He smirks at me as he attempts to sip his coffee. "You didn't spit in it, did you?"
"Not this time, no."
He's so dramatic as he places his lips on the edge, savors the hot coffee, and swallows. It's borderline sexual, and I see Tawny ogling him, probably wishing his lips were on her.
"It's delicious." His compliment is sent Tawny’s way and she eats it up.
"Great, now leave." Aggression so early in the day is new to me, but I can't do my job knowing I have a goddamn spy watching my every move.
"Amelia, that's not how we treat our customers," Tawny scolds.
