“A number fourteen,” I tell him. I have no idea what the number fourteen is, but all the food here is good so I can basically close my eyes and point at the menu and be happy with whatever I get.
When he returns from delivering the plates he was carrying I ask, “I assume you know Nora’s favorite coffee drink?”
Bruce lifts a brow. “Why?”
“Thought I’d take her and Sutton coffee on my way to work out.”
“Do you know how to make an iced chai latte with cherry cold foam?”
I shake my head. “Um, no. No idea at all.” I’m not even completely sure what cold foam is.
Bruce shrugs. “Then I guess you’re out of luck.”
“You don’t know how to make that?”
“Nope.”
I look at the gigantic, clearly expensive coffee machine with multiple levers, knobs, and buttons behind him. “So what’s that thing do?”
Bruce looks over at it. “Not really sure. When people want frou-frou fancy drinks that don’t involve me pouring out of that,” he says, pointing to the basic round glass coffee pot sitting on the hot plate, “they do it themselves.”
“People just come in here and use your coffee machine to make what they want?”
“Yep.”
“What if they want some mixed drink in the bar you don’t usually serve?” I ask with a laugh.
“There too. But they'd better wash their glass. There are no to-go cups over there.” He hits the swinging door with his hand and disappears into the kitchen.
I shake my head. “Bonkers,” I say under my breath.
“I’ve got you,” Law says, putting his heavy boots on the floor and stretching up.
“You know how to make an iced chai latte with cherry cold foam?”
“Yup. And I know that Sutton likes raspberry white chocolate mochas.”
I watch him move behind the counter and start turning knobs and making the machine hiss and rumble.
Lawson Landry can make fancy coffee drinks. I didn’t see that coming.
But that gives me an idea.
I pivot on my stool to face the room. “Does anyone want to know another personal fact about me?”
Everyone quiets down and looks over.
“So I’m not much of a coffee drinker, mostly because I try to avoid a lot of caffeine,” I say.
There’s some grumbling and eye rolling at that.
Yeah, that’s not the first time I’ve been judged for not being a coffee drinker. It’s a cult. And no one can convince me otherwise.
“But,” I go on. “This place in Portland does have a coffee drink that I really like. I don’t have it very often and the first time I ordered it on a dare. When I’ve ordered it a couple of other places I’ve gotten some really funny looks, but it’s delicious.”
Everyone continues to watch me until Muriel finally calls out, “Well? None of us are gonna live forever and some of us have less time than others.”
I grin at her. “Avocado coffee.”
