"Then honey, you should live a little." She straightened. "What youreallyneed is a nice chocolate muffin and extra whipped cream for that fancy drink of yours."
"I do?"
"Heck, yeah, you do." She gave the counter a little slap. "You deserve it. Am I right?"
The customer froze for a long moment before her chin lifted just a fraction. "Yeah. You're right." She threw back her shoulders. "Idodeserve it." She looked to me and called out, "Yeah, gimme the extra whipped cream and um…some of that chocolate drizzle, too."
My coworker beamed. "Now you're talkin'."
It went on like this for maybe thirty minutes before the line at the counter wasn't merely shorter, but gone entirely. This shouldn't have been a surprise. Even during the big flurry, only a handful of new customers had wandered in.
Stunned, I looked around. "I can't believe the shop's empty."
"Ican," the woman said. "You should see the Yelp reviews."
I grimaced. "Honestly? I'm not sure I want to."
She reached out to pat my hand. "Smart girl. I hope you're looking for a new job."
"Not really," I admitted.
"Well you should," she said. "This place? I'd give it a month, tops."
I bit my lip. "That long, huh?"
"What youshoulddo is work for that roommate of yours."
Oddly enough, last night, Ihadoffered such a thing. Over those little bottles of booze, Maisie had been telling me how seriously understaffed she was.
And even though I had no experience with bikes, I had offered to quit my barista job and work for Maisie instead.Pay or no pay, I'd meant it, too.
But of course, she had turned me down, telling me she needed someone with actual experience.
I hadn't argued, but I'd been sorely tempted. After all, I had no experience with my current job, and it was…well…a disaster, actually.
To the woman whose name I still didn't know, I said, "So, you know Maisie?"
"Everyoneknows Maisie," she said. "AndI'veknown her since she was a baby. Our families go way back."
"Oh. So that's how you knew we were roommates? She told you?"
"She didn'thaveto tell me." The woman tapped her temple. "I've got sources."
I held out my hand. "I'm Tessa, by the way."
"I know," she said, giving my hand a friendly shake. "Sources, remember?"
"Oh. Right." I pulled back and gave her an expectant look. "And your name is…?"
"Oh, sorry," she said with a little laugh. "It's Franny. I forgot you didn't know." But then, her expression turned serious. "But listen…I need a favor."
I looked around. "I guess it's only fair, since Idoowe you – for the help, I mean."
She gave a breezy wave of her hand. "Eh, that was nothing. It was fun, like one of those bake sales." She lowered her voice. "But what I need from you is to keep an eye on your roommate."
"Maisie?"As if I had any other roommate.
Franny nodded. "Yeah, I'm worried she's in trouble."
