"Your total is $22.57."
I run my card through the reader. "I didn't know you had an older brother."
"Yep. Nash." Aspen rolls her green eyes skyward. "He plays hockey and knows everything. Or so he thinks."
"He sounds exactly like my brother, minus the hockey. I don't think Andreas even knows how to skate. It might be worth it to see him try, though."
Aspen's snort-laugh makes me laugh, too. I really like her.
"I'll have your order right out," she says, printing out my receipt and handing it over the counter to me.
"Thanks, Aspen."
"If you two are done gossiping now, some of us actually have things to do today," a familiar voice snaps from the end of the line.
Jimmy.
My good morning dies an instant death as my mood takes a swan dive off the cliff. My stomach twists, anger and revulsion coursing through me in tandem. I suspected I'd run into him in town at some point, but I've been praying that I wouldn't be alone when it happened.
I try to convince myself to ignore him. Really, I do. I don't even turn around or acknowledge that he's spoken. But he continues to speak.
"Girl," he snaps. "Barista. What's your name?"
"It's Aspen," she says, her eyes flashing fire. I don’t think she appreciates being calledgirlby a jerk like Jimmy. "Exactly like it says on my nametag."
"Aspen," he repeats. "You're the one everyone complains about."
Her shoulders go back, heat blooming in her cheeks. If anyone complains about Aspen, it's because she doesn't put up with their crap. People can be cranky in the mornings. Aspen doesn't tolerate their nonsense. But I don't know how Jimmy knows that.
I find out half a second later.
"I play golf with your boss. Perhaps he should hear how much time you waste chatting with your friends instead of doing your job."
Oh, the miserable, evil jerk!
He’s bullying her to get a rise out of me, and it’s working.
I whirl to face him. "Leave her alone, Jimmy. It's not a crime to exchange pleasantries with paying customers. It’s called customer service."
His cold gaze flicks up and down my body, leaving me feeling naked and exposed, even though I'm fully dressed and in a coffee shop full of other people. "Autumn," he says. "You would know all about being a criminal, wouldn't you?"
A murmur goes through the crowd.
I clench my hands, glaring daggers at him.
"How many times have you been to jail now? Three? Four?" He smirks at me, an evil glimmer in his eyes as he tsks at me. "All that potential, wasted."
"You're right," I say, my voice shaking. "I have been to jail. And I'mstillless of a criminal than you are. How many other sixteen-year-old girls have seen your dick, Jimmy? Or was I justspecial?"
"You lying little bitch!" He takes a threatening step toward me, his face contorting with rage.
I press myself up against the counter, flinching.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a guy in a suit says, stepping in front of Jimmy. "I don't know who the fuck you are, and I don't really care. You're done here."
Two other customers step forward, creating a barricade between him and me.
Aspen reaches across the counter, putting her hand on my arm as the man in the suit bustles a spluttering Jimmy out the doors. "Are you okay?" she whispers.