Page 3 of Love Me Tender, Love Me Brew
“Isn’t that the truth. I was just thinking what else could I use this for. A door stopper or a paper weight?” Snickering, she sets it down on the bench.
“No kidding. It’s at least five pounds. Maybe even heavier than that.”
Noticing the time, Charlotte grabs hold of her backpack and slides the bulky book inside. “I hate to rush off, but class starts in a few minutes. If it’s okay, could I get your number and follow up with you about the psychology book?”
The days of jotting someone’s number down on a piece of paper, folding it neatly before tucking it away in your backpocket so it’s safely preserved are pretty much non-existent these days. Charlotte enters the digits into her phone almost as quickly as Edwin calls them out to her.
When the phone rings, he slides it out of his pocket, taps the screen a few times as he saves her number to his contacts, then looks up. “Got it,” he confirms. “I’ve got to stop by my place before going into work. I’ll bring it with me to theCoffee Loftand you can pick it up there after class.”
“Perfect. Thank you, Edwin. You’re a life saver.”
Edwin waits until she’s out of sight before he turns around and heads to his car. With an extra pep in his step, he begins to sing.
“…I’ve got a thing about you, baby…”
Though they’ve only chatted briefly, there’s something about Charlotte that makes his heart beat a little faster. She’s truly one of the nicest girls he’s ever met and he can’t wait to see her again.
Chapter
Three
“Sorry I’m late, Deanna.” Instead of going to the back to clock in, Edwin rushes behind the counter to lend a hand. Having worked at the shop since it opened earlier this year, with the exception of grand opening, it’s the longest he’s ever seen the line. It definitely explains why he had to circle the block a couple of times before finding a place to park.
“It’s like someone opened the flood gates,” Deanna York, the owner of theCoffee Loft, says jokingly. Using the backside of her hand, she pushes a lock of hair away from her face.
“I’ve got this if you need to take a break,” he says, slipping the dark brown apron over his head and swiftly tying the strings around his waist.
“No, no. I’m good,” she assures him. “Could you grab some more milk from the back? We need a crate of whole and a couple cartons of oat. And could you glance at how much whipped cream we have left? I’m afraid we might not have enough to get us through to the next order.”
“Sure,” he says. “I’ll be right back with everything and let you know about the cream.”
Just as he’s getting ready to go into the cooler, music begins to play from the jukebox out front. Happy that someoneelse likes this song too, he prepares his voice for the opening lines…his version.
“…you ain’t nothin’ but a coffee pot, brewin’ all the time…”
Using his hip to push the cooler door open, he swings his hands back and forth to the rhythm.
“…you ain’t never let me down and you better not start now …”
Without further ado, he gathers the milk that Deanna needs and rushes back out so he can finish the song before it ends. Yeah, it’s one of his favorites, in case you were wondering.
Two hours later, he stops to catch his breath.
“It’s been like this all day,” Niecy, the most recent hire, reaches for her tumbler underneath the counter so she can take a few swallows. “I’ve definitely gotten my steps in for the day.”
Deanna pulls several sleeves of cups from underneath the counter and replenishes the stacks next to the ice machine. “Crazy, huh? From what I can gather, the Tahoe CC is providing a free shuttle service to the downtown area now. I believe someone said it runs every half hour. Since many of the students don’t have their own transportation, this gives them an opportunity to leave campus without having to take a cab or an Uber. I must say, it’s been a nice boost in business, but they could’ve at least given us a little warning. We’re used to tourists, not college kids who are obsessed with coffee and cold brews.”
“Maybe we should look into staying open later if it continues,” Edwin suggests. “Any idea how late the shuttle runs?”
“I think I’ll call the school and see if they can give me some more information. I don’t want to jump the gun, especially if this is something they’re just trying out.” Deanna makes a good point. “I’d hate to readjust the schedule then have them suddenly stop.”
Grabbing a bottle of cleaner, Edwin begins to wipe off the counter. As he makes his way down to the end, he picks up a few stray napkins and straw wrappers left sitting on nearby tables. Considering the number of people that were there earlier, everything still looks relatively clean. Closing up tonight should be a breeze.
He wipes the front of the jukebox with his towel, pausing long enough to look at the updated list of songs.
“Oh, yeah,” he says to himself, seeing a new set of Elvis Presley hits, and punches in the numbers out beside a few of them. He begins to bounce his shoe against the stained concrete floor as soon as the music begins to play, something he can’t help doing no matter how hard he tries to resist.
“Edwin.” Deanna calls his name but he’s so busy singing along, he doesn’t hear her.
