Page 43 of Christmas Coffee

Nova

Celyn I work well together. The line is gone in less than five minutes and I managed to upsell the last three people into getting my sweet KISS MOOSE KISSES drink. Most people are calling it a KISS MOOSE. They don’t realize it’s a pun until they say it out loud and then laugh.

Celyn had a spring in his step all day that seemed to get sucked out after that phone call. His voice sounds similar, but the sweep of his shoulders and the way his face pinches when he thinks I’m not looking makes me wonder what’s wrong. But I don’t ask. I decided that it was best to act like that first night never happened. Since then, Celyn has been sweet and thoughtful. He works hard every day. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. He must be exhausted, but he doesn’t complain. There’s a burn on his left hand from an accident with a carafe two nights ago, but he doesn’t act like it hurts either—even though the skin is still angry and raw. He barely slowed down enough to put on the burn cream.

We’ve made goal nearly every day, which has him excited. I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop and find out why a guy driving a McLaren is so invested in making a coffee shack work. He’s not said anything and I’ve not asked. We found a good pace and fell into stride. I buried myself in work and I’m not feeling the shards of my shattered heart piercing my chest at every moment of the day anymore. And I know why—it’s Celyn. He makes me forget the pain, sorrow, and loss. My anger fades around him and it doesn’t seem like revenge is worth my time. I’ve not told anyone but Tinselly what actually happened with Ben. I can’t bear to face them, Mom especially. They’ll think I was naïve, a fool to let it happen. It’s hard to see something like that coming. It was supposed to be me and Ben against the world. But it didn’t work out that way.

Tinselly’s face pops up in the window. She must have snuck over, because I didn’t see her. I was lost in thought, wiping the counter, when she springs up like a jack-in-the-box and yelps, “BOO!”

I startle, scream, and whip my wet cloth at her face before I realize it’s my sister. Her dark head of hair sways as she stills and that huge smile on her face turns into an OH SHIT expression as she’s met with a dirty wet rag. It makes a slapping sound on contact, landing diagonally across her face.

“Tinselly! Oh my God!” I lean out the window to try and grab the rag and almost fall. I yelp when I slip, but Celyn grabs onto my waist and puts my feet back on the floor.

He tries not to smile as Tinselly peels the cold cloth off her face, revealing smeared make-up and the most disgusted expression I’ve ever seen. She holds the cloth up at me pinched between her thumb and forefinger, then says dryly, “Yeah, you’re buying today.”

“You scared me! Are you okay?” I try to repress a smile and totally fail.

Tinselly’s hair is stuck to her eyeball, which looks like it’s bleeding black blood down her cheek. She sneers as she touches the damp hair and pushes it out of her eye. “I’m fine.”

I chance a glance at Celyn who looks away fast. He reaches over and grabs a roll of paper towels from the cabinet and hands them to me before I see a wicked twitch at the corners of his mouth. He busies himself at the carafe, and avoids looking at me or Tinselly, but I can see his full grin in the silver reflection.

I shove him with my shoulder as I pass by. “It’s not funny,” I say softly.

“Exactly.” He answers straight-faced as I head to the door.

I feel the huge grin burning through my forced frown. Screw it. I beam full wattage at him and slap my knee, laughing silently. Celyn returns the smile until Tinselly says from the window. “I can see you, Nova. And you—guy.”

My laughter turns audible at that point. “Guy? That’s the best you can do?” I lean against the wall and press a hand to my stomach, belly laughing so hard that I can barely stand.

Tinselly is frowning in the window, her sopping hair dripping into her eyes. “Nova…”

I say in broken laughter, “The dishrag hitting her face and the chunk of wet hair.” I point toward my eye and nearly fall on the floor.

Celyn is no better, but he isn’t on the floor. A second later, Tinselly wrenches the door open, and looks down at me, hands on her hips with a wicked gleam in her eye. Uh oh. I know that look. I still and wait for it. She says pleasantly, “Should I tell him what you really call him?”

“It’s break time! See you later, Celyn.” I’m about to fly out the door when Celyn shoves cookies in my hands.

He grins at Tinselly, “So, what does she call me?”

Tinselly opens her mouth but I talk over her and lead my sister by the hand into the parking lot. I call over my shoulder, “Bye, Celyn! Love you!” I kiss my palm and throw it back at him. I’m being a goofball, but the way he looks at me when I say it makes my chest hurt. His eyes are so melancholy that it sobers me.

“Later, Hot Girl.”

While the laughter has drained from my body, my smile is still in place. “Want dinner?” Before he can say no, I tell him, “Too bad, because I’m bringing it!” I grab Tinselly’s arm and lean into her.

“Where’s your jacket, you lunatic?” Tinselly puts her arm around me as we make a beeline for the doors into the mall.

“In my car.” I confess without much thought.

“Shouldn’t it be in the Hottie Hut?”

I frown at her and tug her arm. She stumbles a little and shoves me back, giggling. “Tinselly, you’re such a buzz kill. Yes, it should, but it’s small in there and if I go home with my coat smelling like cookies one more time, I’ll eat it.” That’s what I say while I chant in my head, don’t tell Tinselly. Don’t tell Tinselly. Don’t even look at the car. She doesn’t suspect. Just keep walking.

Tinselly chortles. “Well, we couldn’t have that.”

“Nope.” We shove in through the glass doors and head toward the food court, munching on cookies as we go.

“So,” Tinselly throws out there and waits for me to say something.