“I’m so sorry, Deva,” I told her. “At least the customers are happy.”
“Even though we’re out of several items and service was slower with the new staff,” she mumbled, looking exhausted.
“Yet, everyone was happy and didn’t mind waiting.” Beth beamed her trademark grin. “That means the sky has yet to fall.”
Deva sighed and ran her hands over her face. “I guess you’re right. It’s not the end of the world, even though it feels like it sometimes.”
A minute later, one of Deva’s new servers approached our table. Theo was on the shorter side, with brown hair left a little too long, and brown eyes. He had the kind of face that made me want to trust him. Maybe it was the slight roundness to his face, on an otherwise slender body, that gave him a more youthful air than his twenty-ish years, but I’d liked the kid from the moment Deva had introduced me to him.
“Uh, welcome to Deva’s Delights, what can I get for you to drink?” His gaze moved from us, his regulars, to his boss, like he wasn’t quite sure of the etiquette any longer and didn’t want to get into trouble.
I smiled. “How're your classes, Theo?”
He glanced at Deva, almost like he thought he’d get in trouble for small talk, but then pressed on. “Mystic Hollow Community College might not have a renowned engineering program because it’s new and small, but it’s the right amount of challenge to prepare me for my career.”
Theo was one of the most brilliant kids I’d met, save for my son, but working at the cafe was good for him. He wasn’t the most relaxed person I’d ever met, but I’d seen his ability to make small talk and be comfortable around people grow since his first day. The mama bear inside of me was proud of him for it.
“That’s wonderful. I knew you’d enjoy it,” I said, beaming.
He shifted, glancing at the notepad in his hand.
“Oh, and I’ll have water and a cup of coffee.” I barely got the words out before everyone chimed in with their need for coffee.
He gave a shy smile, bounced his head, and took off to get our drinks.
We got our coffee, gave our orders, and ended up with a table of the most delicious-tasting food imaginable. I got French toast, eggs, and bacon. Everyone else had some kind of breakfast dish, including Deva. By the time we slowed, and scraped the last bits off our plates, Deva had nearly relaxed.
“How is everything?” Penelope asked, gliding up to our table.
Penelope was another new server and the opposite of Theo. She had blonde hair, cut to her shoulder, big blue eyes, and constant energy. She thrived off of being around people. She loved to chat, and even though she sometimes made mistakes, her sweet personality more than made up for it.
“It’s great,” Deva said with a smile. “You guys did an amazing job with how slammed we were this morning, and with all the unavailable items.”
The twenty-something-year-old beamed. “Thanks, but it’s all Theo. The guy is on top of everything.”
I doubted it was Theo, but Penelope was that kind of sweet. Her gaze moved to Theo, who was cleaning off one of the empty tables and it lingered. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Was she into him? He had a crush on her, but he seemed like the kind of guy that someone like Penelope wouldn’t notice, even though she should.
“That Theo is certainly something else,” I said. “He's a genius.”
She nodded, her eyes even wider than before. “Oh, he is. He’s been tutoring me in some of my math classes, and his brain works differently from mine. Like, he’s on a whole other level.” Penelope was going to Mystic Hollow for a degree in education, and I’d overheard her complaining a few times about the difficulty of the coursework.
For some reason, I decided I loved the idea of Theo and Penelope together, even though Penelope was a witch. Theo seemed like the type who could not only handle her being a witch but who'd be so damn good for her and vice versa. I hoped for his sake, if he ever figured out that she was into him, she didn’t break his heart.
Two more people came into the cafe, and Penelope gave a quick goodbye before racing off to greet them.
“Even though I’m sure you miss your old staff, I like your new employees,” I said.
Deva nodded. “I got lucky with them.”
“Those two are going to end up married, right?” Beth asked.
We turned to look at her, and she laughed. “Come on, you guys picked up on that too, right? If they aren’t banging in a few months, I’m going to send some squirrels to move things along.”
I laughed. “How are you going to get squirrels to improve their love life?”
Beth wiggled her brows. “Oh, you’ll see.”
Of course, we talked about that for a while.
