Page 45 of Taken By Sin
“Good morning!” I beam. “I am so excited!”
She gestures for me to come behind the coffee bar, handing a mug to me. “Is Maxy Waxy your boyfriend?” she coos, nodding her head to where he was moments ago. I wonder what he’ll do all day?
With a little laugh I shake my head, taking a sip. “No, he’s just…” I don’t know how to word this. “A friend. I love the sign, by the way.”
“Wanted to make you feel special. Did it work?” Herenergy is as electric as it was when I met her; she’s a very approachable person.
I nod. “Absolutely! And so does this coffee. It’s divine.”
“Another perk of this job is the free coffee!” She smiles and takes out her notepad. “To kick things off, here are some of our tasks. While we won't cover everything today since things can come up at different times, we can do little things while you get acquainted with the storefront. We need to catalog and arrange the books, especially since we're going to need to stock the shelves. Here are our busiest times.” I note the days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
She continues, “We can alternate between barista responsibilities and floor duties. I'm happy in either position, as I do enjoy making drinks. If you decide to work on the floor, please focus on attending to the guests and keeping the book arrangements neat. You can set up your display at the empty table upstairs. I have the classics table, so you’re welcome to create whatever you like on the other!”
“I definitely feel more comfortable on the floor, at least for the first while, so that works out great! I wouldn’t want to mess anyone’s orders up.” I laugh.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll train you. We have a pretty small menu, so once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. Do you have any questions?”
“You said to decorate the table. Are there any centerpieces or anything?”
“Yes!” She beams. “When you go upstairs, you’ll see a skinny wooden door. This place is like a hundred years old. Anyways, anything you’ll need will be there. Feel free todecorate more than the table; I always love to see people’s creativity!”
“Perfect! I’m so excited. Also…” Deep breath, it’s okay to ask for things. “I know it’s my first day and I’m not trying to already be flaky, but my…” Is he my boyfriend? “A guy is wanting to take me out of the country.”
“For real?” she gasps. “That is amazing! I’ve never left New York.” She grins. “Well, once my parents took us to New Jersey, but it was a day trip.”
“Us? Siblings?” I ask, wanting to know more about her.
With a smile, she pulls out her phone, swiping through her gallery before landing on a photo of her family. “I have two brothers and one sister! My parents own a little sandwich shop a few miles down, so we were always busy with that growing up.”
“That’s amazing. I’ve always wanted siblings.”
“I’ll have to take you one day to meet everyone! So out of the country where?”
“It will be my first trip! I’ve never been out of New York, either. We’re going to Italy!”
She lets out a long whistle, bending down to grab her laptop from a shelf. “That is very exciting! Here, blackout any dates and I’ll get someone to cover them.”
“Are you sure it’s no trouble?”
“Don’t stress. We’re really lax around here, besides you accepted immediately so it wasn’t like you had any time to sort your affairs. We have a revolving door of university kids that pick up shifts for some extra cash, so just text me. I’m going to prep for the morning rush, just take your time. We haveabout,”—she looks at the watch on the wall—“thirty minutes. You’ll find all of the inventory sheets and books upstairs.”
“Thank you!” I chime.
“Your shirt is in the cabinet, here.” She taps on a metal shelf. “I’ll just be back here prepping. Good luck!”
This is really happening! My first ever job.I open up the metal doors and pull out my size. It’s emerald-green, with the cutest logo on front. Alice in Brewland with mugs of coffee and books. I run to the bathroom to change, sliding my other shirt in my cubby.
I pull out my phone, wanting to get the dates set so that Victoria has ample time to cover my shifts.
Magnolia: Good morning!
Sin: Hello, Magnolia.
Magnolia: Italy is a go! What dates should I tell her?
Sin: Two weeks from today. We could go sooner, but I have business to attend to here.
His texts are always so formal.