That had been months ago, and here she was, still showing up for shifts.
The after-lunch rush had died down, leaving her and Pat to complete some behind-the-bar busy work. Beth had occupied herself with restocking cups while Pat was doing inventory.
“So, are you and Sean finally going to set a wedding date?” she asked as she stacked cups.
“One day we’ll get around to it,” Pat said offhandedly, checking boxes off the checklist in his hand.
A chime pulled her attention to the door, and Beth glanced up to see a woman step into the café. She was tall with shoulder-length auburn hair. If Beth had to guess, she would peg her to be no older than mid-forties. The woman gave the room a once-over before making her way up to the counter, her gaze lingering longer than necessary.
Beth straightened and offered her usual polite smile. “Welcome in. What can I get started for you?”
The woman grinned back. “Let’s see…” She leaned forward slightly, drumming delicate fingers on the counter while she scanned the menu. “You’ve got a lot of options. What’s your favorite?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Beth replied lightly, brushing a strand of blond hair behind her ear as she twirled a Sharpie between her fingers. “I’m boring and usually get the same drink.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “Boring? I doubt that.” There was a pause, just enough to be deliberate.
Beth blinked, registering the warm sensation flickering through her before shutting it down. “I—uh, I guess I’m more of a creature of habit.”
A playful glint flashed across the woman’s face. “Well, what would you recommend to someone trying to break a habit?”
Beth chuckled politely, eyes dropping to the register screen as she tried not to fumble the interaction. “Um…maybe the rosemary honey latte? People love that one. It’s unique.”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll take it. And a raspberry scone, if you’ve got any left.”
Beth rang her up, relaying the order to Pat without a second thought. “Name for the order?”
“Liv.” Another pause. “Short for Olivia. But I don’t usually let people call me that unless I like them.”
Beth nodded absently. “Liv,” she said, scrawling the name in black ink across the cup. “Perfect. That’ll be ready shortly.”
“I don’t think I caught your name. I’d love to know who to thank.” The woman looked at her, hopeful.
“Oh, uh, it’s Beth.”
“Well, Beth, thank you for the recommendation. I can’t wait to try this drink.”
“Anytime.” Beth gave her a polite nod and turned away to wipe down the counter, already moving on to the next task.
Liv lingered for a moment at the end of the bar before taking her drink and scone then waving a small goodbye. When the door chimed again behind her, Beth resumed stacking cups, hardly giving the interaction another thought.
Pat appeared beside her, raising his eyebrows.
“What?” she asked, sensing the look.
“Are you kidding me? She was flirting with you.”
Beth turned toward him, genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”
Pat gave her an incredulous look. “Beth. She asked about your favorite drink, made it weirdly personal about her name, and gave you heart eyes the entire time.”
Beth shrugged, making every effort to ignore the heat suddenly rising in her cheeks. “She was being friendly.”
“No, that wasn’t friendly. That was flirting, plain and simple,” Pat insisted. “And frankly, it was good flirting. I’m kind of offended you didn’t notice.”
She scrunched her nose as she tried to remember if Liv had looked at her a certain way or if the tone of her voice should have been an indication of flirting, but beyond the mechanics of the conversation, Beth couldn’t recall anything. She laughed softly.“Well, if it was flirting, I totally missed it. I’m not exactly in that headspace these days.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Pat handed her a clean mug. “But maybe it’s time you let yourself be, though.” His blue eyes caught the light, only amplifying his sincerity. “Just…think about it.”
