Why?
Well, she supposed it didn’t matter in the end. So many people came through their doors.
Easy come, easy go.
But on Tuesday at 8:17 a.m. on the dot, the door opened and he lumbered inside, his right leg hitching slightly as he squeezed his large frame through the gathered crowd lined up in front of the register, clearly trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible while he waited his turn.
“I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to make me a mocha Frappuccino with extra caramel drizzle.” Angry fingers tipped in long, fire-engine-red acrylics snapped in Audrey’s face. “Hey, are you listening to me?”
She hid a scowl behind an expertly crafted customer service mask. “Patricia, I’m really sorry, but like I tell you every week, we’re not a Starbucks. We don’t have Frappuccinos.”
“You could. I know you have blenders, I can see them in the back.”
“Those are for our smoothie selection. I can make you a smoothie, or if you still want coffee, I can get you an iced mocha with some cold foam and a caramel drizzle. Does that work?”
Patricia rolled her eyes and tossed her frizzy bleach-blond hair over her shoulder. Her brow would have been furrowed if she were capable of it, but it looked like she’d just gotten a fresh round of Botox injections. “Fine. I’ll take a grande iced mocha. Extra caramel. And I want that on the house.”
Audrey’s eye twitched, but she rang her up for a large, just like she did every time. She did not put the drink or the caramel on the house, and she ignored Patricia’s irritated huff when she handed her the receipt.
A few more customers, and then it was the new guy’s turn to step up to the register.
“Hey, Large Extra-Hot Americano! Welcome back.” Audreygave him another brilliant smile, this time every bit as genuine as the first one she’d given him was not. He was dressed more or less the same as he had been the week before—black hoodie, black KN95, dark jeans, Air Jordans, well-worn black leather satchel slung over his shoulder—and still only one eye peeked out from beneath the pulled-low brim of his cap. But Audrey liked the way it crinkled around the edge when he looked at her, if only the slightest bit. “I was wondering if I’d see you again.”
His gaze rested on her slightly longer than it did last week, and she could have sworn she heard a soft, bemused snort from beneath the mask. “You remembered me?”
“ ’Course. I never forget a face. Especially not one like yours.”
The crinkles faded.
Audrey’s stomach dipped. There was something about him that made her want to make him smile, but now she had the sense she’d done something terribly wrong. He shifted awkwardly on his feet and glanced up at their menu without responding.
“Did you like the coffee you got last time, or would you like to try something new?” she prompted. Déjà Brew prided themselves on their small-batch craft coffee roasting and careful brewing, and it bothered her that he didn’t drink what Josh made him last week, even if hehadtaken it with him to go. It had to have been ice-cold by the time he’d left. She’d already resolved to step away from the register and do it herself this time, even though Josh was a fabulous barista and he knew his way around the Marzocco almost as well as she did. “I could make you a latte if you’d like.” She leaned forward and cupped her hand over her mouth. “I’ll even draw you something nice in the foam,” she whispered conspiratorially.
“N-no, no, that’s…that’s all right.” He waved her suggestion away. “You don’t have to go through the trouble.”
Oh.
Oh…wow.
Audrey stared. She hadn’t noticed last week, but his hands were huge, with thick, strong fingers. They were covered in calluses and dotted with what looked like burn scars, little starbursts of long-healed white sparks and splashes and dots. An expensive-looking watch wrapped around his left wrist and flashed silver in the daylight streaming from the windows.
Theo raised a hand as if he was going to run it through his dark hair, but he stopped when he touched the fabric of his hood, almost like he’d forgotten he was still wearing it. His hand began to tremble, and he quickly clenched his fingers and swept them into a hoodie pocket as soon as her eyes landed on them.
“I’ll get you another large black Americano, no room for cream and extra hot, then, if that’s okay?” He nodded and she scribbled the order on the cup, just like she’d done last week. “For Theo, right?”
“Yeah. Th-Theo.”
“Hi, Theo.” Her smile widened. “I’m Audrey.”
“Audrey? Like…Audrey Hepburn?” The way he said it with such hopeful interest made her tilt her head at him curiously. “You…look a little like her.” Red emerged from beneath his mask, creeping into the tops of his cheeks, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with his unhidden hand.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Maybe.” She shrugged. Why were her cheeks so warm all of a sudden? “She was lovely, though, wasn’t she?”
“Yeah.” What little she could see of his face softened. “Lovely.”
She smiled at him again and stepped behind the machine, nodding at Josh to switch places with her. Luckily, they weren’t as busy today as they normally were, and her hands swept with expert ease across the machine as she pulled a few fresh shots of espresso and poured them into extra-hot water. Technically, this was a long black and not an Americano, but she wanted to give him a nicer, richer crema without breaking the espresso.
All right, fine. She was anexcellentbarista. Maybe she wanted to show off a bit.
