Coffee Wars - Free Excerpt # 5

Coffee Wars - Chapter Two, Part Three

When Keith finally left the shop, Robert blew out a breath. Christina watched as he swiped his palms down the front of his apron. He brought his thumb up to his mouth, about to chew on his nail, when April called to him.

“Robert? Hey, Robert?”

Robert looked around to where April was waiving him over to her workstation, which thankfully was no longer backed up with waiting cups. Christina knew she hadn’t been much help because she kept having to look up the recipes.

Once Robert went behind the counter, though, Christina couldn’t hear what they were talking about. The most she could make out was when April raised her voice and asked, “So what are we supposed to do? Pee on the floor back here?”

Later, at home, April described the conversation to Christina.

“I asked him what the district manager had to say about how we were doing,” April told Christina, moving her hands in a way Christina knew meant she was agitated. “And Robert said, ‘Keith says everything looks good but gave me some suggestions to make the place better.’ I asked what sort of suggestions, and he told me that none of the baristas should take bathroom breaks during their shifts.”

Christina chuckled.

“He wasn’t even joking,” April said. “Then he tells me he’s scheduling a meeting next week with all the baristas to discuss the suggestions Keith made. And that’s when I asked what we’re supposed to do. Pee on the floor?”

“Yeah, I heard that part,” Christina interjected.

But April kept going. “Robert says, ‘I hope not. Keith thinks everyone should visit the restroom just before the start of their shifts.’ Then he says we’ll discuss it at the meeting because he doesn’t want my station to get backed up again since Keith commented on it just before he left. I was so pissed. So, I shot back with, ‘Oh, you mean just before he came up to me and asked me to make him a raspberry mocha while I still had a row of marked cups?’ And all Robert said was, ‘Yes. He gets free drinks whenever he wants. We’ll talk about it more at the meeting.’ And he walked off.”

“Sounds like a really sucky job,” Christina told her.

“It’s just too rule-oriented. You know I’m all for rules.”

Christina nodded because it was the truest thing April could say about herself.

“But, good lord, give me some breathing room.”

“You want to come back to May’s?” Christina asked.

“No way. May’s is all but dead. You should quit, too. Come work at Expresso with me.”

Christina arched her brow, giving April a looked that asked if she’d taken crazy pills today. “After what you just described? No way.”

© 2024 Beth Pontorno