Page 42 of Harvest Heat

“I think it will pair best with almond milk,” Rhys said. “But we will want to have an oat milk version in case of allergies. Maybe we should make a version with all our milk choices and see what we like best.”

Caleb frowned. “Eventually, but we’ve got to pick a starting point.”

He knew that was true. Obviously, they had to make something first, but Rhys liked to see the path laid out in front of him before he got started. “We need to test the apple drink with more milks too.”

“We’ll get there, but first, we should try the pumpkin one tomorrow.”

“If you’re sure it’s not too cliché, because⁠—”

“I know everyone does pumpkin stuff in the fall, but also, that means it’s expected, so if we could make just the right twist on it, we might have the perfect entry. That’s why I think pumpkin and chocolate. Everybody loves it in a muffin, but you don’t usually get it in a drink.”

Rhys sighed. He really didn’t want to go with pumpkin, but he supposed apple was also a cliché fall flavor, and maple was too. They weren’t going to break serious new ground here, and if they did, they’d almost be guaranteed not to win. Their entry needed to be familiar but different enough to be special.

He’d brought a few espresso blends from Frost + Foam, so without saying anything else, he moved behind the counter and got to work, but things didn’t go well. He could tell from the smell that his first pull wasn’t right. He leaned over to dump it down the sink, but he managed to knock over the milk-steaming pitcher.

The loud clatter of the two metal containers in the sink seemed to echo through the whole shop. Rhys felt like they were rattling against each other right inside his head. He gripped the counter and closed his eyes, trying to take a few steadying breaths.

“Are you all right?” Caleb asked.

“I’m just nervous about getting this right. I don’t want to make a fool of myself at the festival.”

Caleb’s smile told Rhys he wasn’t buying that answer, but he didn’t argue with Rhys. Instead, he said, “Take some time if you need to. We don’t have to rush. We still have weeks before the festival.”

“It’s not enough time.”

“Would it ever be enough time, or would you keep perfecting our entry until the deadline, even if it was months away?”

He sighed. “I probably wouldn’t stop.”

“All you have to do right now is make some espresso. There’s no pressure.”

“I’m not going to make a bad pull and have us test the drink with it. There would be no point in⁠—”

Caleb held up a hand. “Don’t use one you’re not happy with, but it’s okay if you need to try several times. I’ll just keep working on the sauce.”

“All right.” Maybe he could do this. The next pull was good, but when Rhys finished frothing the almond milk, he bumped his hand against the steam wand. “Oh shit!” He jumped back, somehow managing not to drop the milk.

“What happened?” Caleb ran out from the back.

“I burnt my hand, but it’s okay. It’s not bad.”

Caleb turned on the sink, grabbed Rhys’s arm, and tugged until Rhys put his hand under the flow of water.

“Keep it there.”

Rhys glared at him. “I know how to take care of a burn.”

“I’m not sure you’re thinking clearly tonight.”

Rhys wasn’t sure he’d been thinking clearly since Caleb had moved to town. “Maybe not.”

After the water had run over the burn for what seemed like forever, Caleb turned it off and inspected Rhys’s hand. “It looks like it’ll be all right. How does it feel?”

“It hurts, but it’s not anything I can’t deal with.” He really didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

Caleb narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to keep an eye on it.”

“I don’t need you taking care of me.”