I smile back at her as I butter the toast and add some sugar and cinnamon to them, taking a big bite of mine before I hand her hers. She takes it and my coffee cup, finishing the last of it before grinning at me. I just laugh as I head to the bathroom to tie my hair up and brush my teeth.
We meet at the front door and I wait as Adeline checks her purse to make sure she has everything she needs. I shove my phone into my back pocket and grab my keys as we walk out into the hallway. I turn and lock the door before we walk down the four flights of stairs and out onto the sidewalk.
“I wonder if Bella had her babies yet.” Adeline says we walk towards the animal shelter.
Luckily, the shelter is only two blocks from our apartment and the coffee shop is only a block and a half past that. Adeline has the morning shift at the shelter and is in charge of cleaning out all of the cages so she goes in early like me. I get to walk Adeline to work every morning and I get done before her every day so I head home to make a late lunch for us. We eat and hang out for an hour or so before we either go to doctor appointments or run errands. Sometimes we just hang out in the apartment all day or go for a walk before I have to head into the Upper East Side to clean office buildings.
“Send me a picture if she did.” I say as we get to the shelter door.
“Will do!” She chirps. “Have a good day, dear.” She says cheekily as she disappears inside.
I chuckle as I continue on to work. I open the coffee shop every day and I unlock the front doors before turning on all of the lights and taking the chairs off the tables. I make sure the fridge has been stocked and then pull out all of the pastries and put them in the display case on the counter. I’m just finishing turning on all of the coffee machines when my coworker comes in.
“Hey, Bianca.” I call as she sleepily makes her way behind the counter and grabs her apron off the hook.
She mumbles her response and I smile at her as I hand her a caramel latte. My smile grows as I watch her eyes perk up at the sight of the whipped cream swirled on top.
“Have I told you how much I love you recently?” She asks as she takes the cup from me and downs half of it.
“Not today.” I tease back.
I turn the open sign on and we lean back against the counter, enjoying these minutes of calm before customers start pouring in demanding their caffeine fix.
“How’s Adeline?” Bianca asks carefully.
She’s the only other person who knows about how sick Adeline is. She gives me her extra shifts sometimes when we need the money and I’m pretty sure she’s given me more tips on a couple of occasions, even though we’re supposed to split them evenly.
“About the same.” I say, grateful when the first customer walks in.
We stay busy after that, with a steady stream of people coming and going. At ten o’clock there’s a bit of a lull and I let Bianca take her break first. I watch as she heads out the back door as I wipe down the counter. I hear someone come up to the counter and I turn around to see two guys standing there. One is staring up at the menu while the other looks over the pastry display.
I take the moment to study them a little closer. They’re both tall but the one staring up at the coffee menu is thick with jet black hair and caramel eyes framed by long sooty lashes. The guy drooling over the pastries has dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes with a leaner build. I realize I’ve been staring at them for a solid minute and I jerk myself out of my trance. I’ve never had this sort of reaction to one man, let alone two.
“Can I get you anything?”
Both men turn and look at me and I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I look between them when neither of them answers me. They’re both just staring at me with this weird kind of intensity. It’s almost too much. No one has ever looked at me like that. Like they would like to order me and not the coffee. I clear my throat and try again.
“Did you guys need another minute?”
This seems to get through to them and the blonde smiles at me as he leans on the counter. I watch as his eyes flick down my body before coming back to my name tag before his eyes meet mine once again.
“What would you recommend, Aspen?” He asks as he continues to grin at me.
“To eat?” I ask huskily.
I watch as his pupils dilate and I have to pull my eyes away from him and over to his friend. I can’t believe I just said that. And what is wrong with my voice?
“Yeah. To eat.” The blonde one says.
I know he’s not really talking about the pastries anymore. I might be a 22-year-old virgin but I’m not that naïve.
“I like the cheese danishes. The coffee cake is really good too.” I say as I point them out in the case.
“Ok, give me two of each of those and I’ll take a large coffee, one cream, one sugar, please.”
I can feel their eyes on me as I type his order into the computer before I look back up to ask if his friend wants anything. When I look up it looks like they’re having an intense conversation with each other. The blonde one gives him a meaningful look before they both look back at me. I take this time to study them some more. I don’t know what it is about them but it’s like a current is running between the three of us. I want them, I realize in shock. I’ve never wanted anyone. Blondie catches me watching them and smiles at me. I glare back at him but it only makes his smile widen.
I look past him at the line that is starting to form behind them.