Of course it was.I finished his drink, took his money, and tried to shake off the weird feeling that I was being watched.
"Excuse me, miss?"
Laptop Lady was now standing at the counter with a man who looked like he could bench press a small car.He wore a dark suit that screamed government agent or private security, and his expression suggested he took his job very seriously.
Great.Now I was definitely paranoid.
"Can I help you?"I asked, falling back on customer service mode.
"We need to speak with you," the woman said.Her accent was faint but definitely European."Privately."
I glanced around the café.Derek was restocking cups near the register, close enough to hear every word.The morning crowd was finally thinning out, but there were still a handful of customers scattered around the tables.
"I'm working right now," I said."Would you like to order something?"
"This isn't about coffee," the man interrupted.His voice carried the same hint of an accent."We're here about you, Miss Montclair."
A chill ran down my spine.They knew my name.That couldn't be good.
"My name is Captain Mireille Steiner, and this is Lieutenant Commander Dominic Vasseur.We represent the Royal Security Service of Valdoria."
I stared at them for a long moment."The Royal Security Service of what now?"
"Valdoria," Captain Steiner repeated."We need to discuss your heritage.Your royal heritage."
The laughter bubbled up before I could stop it.Royal heritage.Right.And I was also secretly a wizard who just hadn't gotten my Hogwarts letter yet.
"Okay, this is definitely a prank," I said, looking around for hidden cameras."Let me guess.Is this for some YouTube channel?The 'Let's Mess with the Poor Barista' show."
Neither of them cracked a smile.Not even a twitch.
"Miss Montclair," Captain Steiner said, "we need to discuss your real heritage."
The laughter died in my throat.These people were serious.Dead serious.
"I think you've got the wrong person," I said slowly."I'm just Betty Montclair from Oregon.I make coffee and go to community college part-time.There's been some kind of mistake."
"There's been no mistake," Vasseur said."We've been searching for you for a very long time."
Derek chose that moment to insert himself into the conversation, because of course he did."Hey, whatever this is about, you need to wait until closing time.She's supposed to be working."
Captain Steiner turned to look at Derek, and something in her expression made him take a step back.It was the kind of look that said she'd eaten scarier things than him for breakfast.
"Who are you?"she asked.
"I'm her manager.And I'm telling you to move along before I call the cops."
"You won't be calling anyone," she said calmly."This is official business."
Derek puffed out his chest like an angry rooster."Official business.I've never heard of Valdoria, lady.You can't just walk in here claiming to be from some made-up country and not order something."
"Valdoria is not made-up," Lieutenant Commander Vasseur said.His tone suggested Derek had just insulted his mother, his grandmother, and his entire ancestral line."It's a sovereign duchy in Europe with a population of eighty-five thousand and a GDP that would make your entire state envious."
"Prove it," Derek sneered.
One of the customers, a college kid with his laptop open, looked up from his screen."Holy crap, they're right.Valdoria's totally real.It's between France and Switzerland.Says here they're famous for wine and banking."
I could have kissed that kid.Not romantically.Just out of sheer gratitude for the way Derek's face went from smug to confused to mortified in about three seconds flat.
