vibrant red couches, espresso-colored bistro tables, and crystal chandeliers. The vibe was cool and inviting, and the smell was heavenly—working here was definitely the right choice. I smiled at the girl behind the counter on my way to the break room. After I had stowed my purse, I returned to the front to officially announce my arrival.
“Hi, I’m Sam. You’re Meg, right?”
“Yep, nice to meet you. Ev mentioned that you were starting today, too. I know this is your first time working as a barista, but don’t worry, I’ll show you how everything works. Higher Yearning has the same machine as the campus coffee shop, so it’s familiar to me.”
“Excellent. Ev is a tyrant with coffee and I would rather not have her be the one to teach me,” I confessed.
Meg laughed, clearly familiar with Ev’s addiction.
“I presumed as much after years of serving her on campus. I actually brought her a gigantic gallon-sized mug as a joke—a thank-you-for-hiring-me gag gift.”
She pulled the mug from under the counter and showed it to me. It was beyond gigantic, and on the front was written: “I don’t have a problem. I can stop anytime—I just don’t want to.” I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the priceless mug, wrecking all the fun.
“Okay, butter hands, hand it over. If you’re jealous of my cool gift, just say so. I’ll tell Ev it’s from us both—no need to destroy it,” she teased.
Oh, I liked her sass; we would get along just fine.
“I don’t need your suck-up gift—I have nepotism on my side.”
“Touché!”
“Hello, coffee warriors!” Ev greeted, entirely too chipper.
She was in a good mood when I last saw her this morning, but something must have happened to turn her into the uber-giddy girl walking toward us. Ah, Hunter must have stopped by on his way to work to ‘wish her a good day.’ If that wasn’t code for making the bed dance, I didn’t know what was.
Ev gave us a tour of the shop, highlighting the location of supplies and reviewing procedures. She asked Meg to make her three different beverages—a test—and of course the show-off aced it. Meg even served Ev’s favorite coffee in the surprise gift she had brought. Ev squealed with excitement like a child in Toys ‘R Us as she received it. After asking Meg to teach me the machines, Ev headed to the office to take care of paperwork and orders.
Six hours flew by, and along the way I managed to master most features on the monster coffee machine. When I got stuck, Meg would help me with the patience of a saint. She was easygoing and funny and, if I had my choice, I would work all my shifts with her.
I planned to exercise after my shift so I changed into my workout clothes in the bathroom before saying goodbye.
“Exciting plans?” Meg asked, spotting my cool new workout attire.
The black capri leggings and racer tank were skintight with green seaming that matched my eyes. For activewear, it rocked.
“I’m headed to the gym—day one of my new workout regimen. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’ll figure it out.”
“Dressed like that, you can count on it,” a rich, sexy voice spoke from behind me.
The unexpected contribution scared the shit out of me—I levitated several feet off the ground and shrieked like a banshee. Without thought, I spun around and raised my hand to protect myself.
“Whoa, Lo,” Griffin said as he caught my arm, “easy. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He clasped my hand in his and pulled me in for a comforting hug.
“Sorry, you caught me off-guard.”
“Your guard seemed pretty spot-on. If I had been any slower to respond, you would have hit me…again. This is becoming a nasty little habit,” he teased.
“Maybe you should stop doing things that make me want to hit you. I’ll have you know that no one else has ever caused me to strike them. Maybe it’s you.”
“Or maybe your subconscious is looking for
“Hi, I’m Sam. You’re Meg, right?”
“Yep, nice to meet you. Ev mentioned that you were starting today, too. I know this is your first time working as a barista, but don’t worry, I’ll show you how everything works. Higher Yearning has the same machine as the campus coffee shop, so it’s familiar to me.”
“Excellent. Ev is a tyrant with coffee and I would rather not have her be the one to teach me,” I confessed.
Meg laughed, clearly familiar with Ev’s addiction.
“I presumed as much after years of serving her on campus. I actually brought her a gigantic gallon-sized mug as a joke—a thank-you-for-hiring-me gag gift.”
She pulled the mug from under the counter and showed it to me. It was beyond gigantic, and on the front was written: “I don’t have a problem. I can stop anytime—I just don’t want to.” I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the priceless mug, wrecking all the fun.
“Okay, butter hands, hand it over. If you’re jealous of my cool gift, just say so. I’ll tell Ev it’s from us both—no need to destroy it,” she teased.
Oh, I liked her sass; we would get along just fine.
“I don’t need your suck-up gift—I have nepotism on my side.”
“Touché!”
“Hello, coffee warriors!” Ev greeted, entirely too chipper.
She was in a good mood when I last saw her this morning, but something must have happened to turn her into the uber-giddy girl walking toward us. Ah, Hunter must have stopped by on his way to work to ‘wish her a good day.’ If that wasn’t code for making the bed dance, I didn’t know what was.
Ev gave us a tour of the shop, highlighting the location of supplies and reviewing procedures. She asked Meg to make her three different beverages—a test—and of course the show-off aced it. Meg even served Ev’s favorite coffee in the surprise gift she had brought. Ev squealed with excitement like a child in Toys ‘R Us as she received it. After asking Meg to teach me the machines, Ev headed to the office to take care of paperwork and orders.
Six hours flew by, and along the way I managed to master most features on the monster coffee machine. When I got stuck, Meg would help me with the patience of a saint. She was easygoing and funny and, if I had my choice, I would work all my shifts with her.
I planned to exercise after my shift so I changed into my workout clothes in the bathroom before saying goodbye.
“Exciting plans?” Meg asked, spotting my cool new workout attire.
The black capri leggings and racer tank were skintight with green seaming that matched my eyes. For activewear, it rocked.
“I’m headed to the gym—day one of my new workout regimen. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’ll figure it out.”
“Dressed like that, you can count on it,” a rich, sexy voice spoke from behind me.
The unexpected contribution scared the shit out of me—I levitated several feet off the ground and shrieked like a banshee. Without thought, I spun around and raised my hand to protect myself.
“Whoa, Lo,” Griffin said as he caught my arm, “easy. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He clasped my hand in his and pulled me in for a comforting hug.
“Sorry, you caught me off-guard.”
“Your guard seemed pretty spot-on. If I had been any slower to respond, you would have hit me…again. This is becoming a nasty little habit,” he teased.
“Maybe you should stop doing things that make me want to hit you. I’ll have you know that no one else has ever caused me to strike them. Maybe it’s you.”
“Or maybe your subconscious is looking for
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