“Um.” The big man blinked at her. “Hi. I’m Norris.”
He offered her his hand. She shook it. He had a nice, strong, warm grip, the kind that made the invention of handshakes seem like the world’s best idea.
“I’m Annabeth,” she said.
They gazed into each other’s eyes, their hands still clasped.
A very annoyed female voice broke into their reverie. “For the third time, I want a small Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Frappucino with a scoop of protein powder, nonfat soy milk, extra foam, a pump of hazelnut syrup, and milk chocolate shavings!”
An even more annoyed male voice followed. “I want two large Christmas Cheers, one with no nutmeg, a medium Holiday Hot Mocha with spearmint sparkles, and a small gluten-free Hanukkah Challah Latte!”
The most annoyed voice of all inquired, “How many times do I have to ask for a Solstice Snow Flurry with extra whipped cream and raspberry drizzle?!”
Annabeth fell back to earth with a jolt. She had no idea how long customers had been shouting orders she hadn’t heard, but based on how irritated they looked, it was probably at least a few seconds.
“Sorry,” she said to Norris. “Do you mind a bit of a wait?”
“Of course not,” he assured her. “Take your time. You can make mine when everyone else is done.”
“You’ll be here till I close out,” she pointed out.
“I don’t mind,” he said. He hadsucha sweet smile.
“You didn’t askmeif I minded waiting!” shrieked Ms. Solstice Snow Flurry.
“EXCUSE ME.” Norris’s deep voice boomed across the coffee shop, making Annabeth jump. Everyone fell silent and stared at him, even Solstice Snow Flurry. “Everyone is going to get their drinks. There’s no call to yell at a highly skilled and brilliant woman who’s working as hard as she can to make you all happy.”
The somewhat stunned silence that followed was broken by a chorus of embarrassed apologies and assurances that there would be no more yelling. Annabeth, also rather stunned, returned to her drink orders, but her mind was in a whirl. Norris wasamazing.He was handsome. He had a smile that warmed the whole room. He was funny. He stood up for her. He was even a marine biologist, like her!
Ten minutes ago, she’d been a resentful elf in the middle of her least favorite time of year, run off her feet at work, single and lonely, and dreading the onslaught of holiday parties. But now...
Annabeth smiled to herself as she tossed peppermint sparkles atop a cloud of whipped cream. Now, it looked like her luck just might be changing.
She took extra care with Norris’s plain black coffee, making sure it was from a fresh batch and brewed to perfection. Holding it in both hands, she looked up at last. “Norris...?”
Norris was gone.
