Page 10 of Loving Violet
And then I look back at her eyes and get lost in them. They are like nothing I have ever seen before. We stand there, staring at each other, and I forget for just a moment that we are in the middle of the coffee shop until I hear the bell jingle above the door, notifying us that there is a new customer.
"Really, it’s fine," I say again, trying to focus. "It’s just coffee. No harm done."
She gives a relieved smile, though the embarrassment still lingers in her eyes. "I’ll still pay for your dry cleaning," she insists.
I wave it off, trying to appear nonchalant even though my shirt is ruined. "No need. Just part of the Monday morning excitement, I guess."
This beautiful stranger laughs softly, a sound that makes me feel unexpectedly warm. "Well, I hope the rest of your day is better," she says, her eyes holding genuine concern.
I nod, giving her a reassuring smile. "It will be. Thanks for the napkins."
She smiles back, and as she turns to go back to work, I can’t help but watch her for a moment longer. The look from the back is as breathtaking as the front. Her ass looks nice in those tight jeans; they leave me wanting more. I can imagine eventually finding them on the floor next to my bed.
Jesus, Austin. If you stare any longer, someone will think you’re a stalker.
I am extremely attracted to my attacker. But it's more than that, something about her intrigues me, and I find myself looking forward to seeing her again. I've never seen a woman as beautiful as her, and I don’t even know her name. I look around the coffee shop and see that everyone is minding their business.
Josy is still at the checkout, attending to customers in her graceful and cheery way. I guess she didn’t see how her employee slammed into me, but that’s okay. Seeing that woman just made my day brighter, even though I have to go back home to change my clothes. Hopefully tomorrow I can get her name.
As I leave the coffee shop, the incident lingers in my mind. Her face, her concern, and that brief moment of connection all swirl together, making the idea of tomorrow a bit more exciting. I take a deep breath of the fresh morning air, a smile creeping onto my face despite the coffee stains. With any luck, this won't be our last encounter.
Chapter 6
Violet
Today has not beena good day for me. I've been trying to learn how to make coffee, and I suck at it. While Josy was teaching me how to make different coffees, I was struggling to keep all the information in my head.
When it was my time to shine, I did everything wrong. I spilled all the steamed milk on the counter, I over-poured the creamer, the top of the sugar container fell into a cup of coffee… I was just a mess. If it could go wrong, it did. And to top it off, I couldn’t understand the fancy machine that Josy uses in the shop.
When it was clear that making coffee was not going to work, Josy asked me to go to the kitchen and help Edna.
I met Edna earlier today. She is in charge of the kitchen. Edna bakes all the pastries and ensures that we have everything set for lunchtime. She is a short, sixty-year-old woman with a round, cheerful face framed by wisps of graying hair that escape from under her flour-dusted hair net. Her bright blue eyes are twinkling with a mix of sternness and warmth, and her rosy cheeks make her look perpetually kind.
When I was introduced to her, she was nice to me and told me that she was going to teach me the way around her kitchen. By the way she was looking at me in my dirty apron I had only put on two hours ago, I could tell she instantly regretted that sentiment. After I burned her chocolate croissant for not paying attention to the timer and confused all-purpose flour for self-rising flour, she kicked me out. It was comical, which helped my self esteem just a little bit.
She just looked at me in such a caring and endearing way and said, “Bless your heart. Thank you for trying, but I’ve got it from here.”
All I could do was laugh as I exited the kitchen.
And that’s how I ended up back in the front of the shop, trying to stay out of trouble and not spill anything else. So far, I’m doing well.
I’ve been refilling the sugar and salt containers on each table while also cleaning each one. I made sure that there was no trash on the floor and kept everything tidy. Finally, I am successful at something in this store, I just wish that something would be more interesting than cleaning the place.
When I am done with my cleaning, I stand beside Josy while she’s wiping down the counter. Leaning toward her, I whisper, “I didn’t know I was so bad at working. Now I know why Taylor didn’t want me to work. I am the worst.”
I sound like a child running to her mom, whining about her day, but I can’t stop feeling like a failure. Josy turns, placing her hands on my shoulders so I’m facing her completely. She looks me straight in the eye and says, “You are doing okay, Violet. It’s your first day of work, and you have so much to learn. I wasn’t expecting you to know how to bake or make coffee right off the bat. I’m okay with teaching you how to work with me. Besides, who cares what that fucker thinks of you? He can go to hell, for all I care.” Her words are a balm to my wounded pride.
I take a deep breath, nodding. “Thanks, Josy. I needed to hear that,” I replied.
She smiles warmly. “Anytime. Now, why don’t you take a break and then come back fresh? We’ll take it one step at a time.”
I smile back, feeling a bit more hopeful. “Okay, I’ll do that, but can you make me a vanilla latte, please?” I ask Josy with pleading eyes.
“Yes, I can,” she replies.
While she works on my coffee, I look around the shop. I love how she decorated the walls. Everything here screams Josy. I’m just glad that I could help her when she was indecisive about the color and the theme. I can see my suggestions all around, and it brings a smile to my face. I can’t wait to learn everything there is to do.
When Josy finishes my coffee, I grab it and start walking to the back of the shop so I can sit and people-watch. I am not paying attention when I slam into a hard chest, spilling my latte all over the person.
