Coffee Wars - Excerpt # 9
Coffee Wars - Chapter Four, Part One
Buddy had called a meeting, and Christina was rushing. She’d felt out of sorts and a step behind for days, ever since her encounter with Adam at Café Pizza. Adam was super cute and nice, and now, every time she saw him at work, she got flustered.
She pulled into the parking lot, cut the engine, and with shaking hands, checked the time on her cell phone. The meeting had been scheduled to start ten minutes ago. Grabbing her purse, she rushed inside. And her racing heart skidded to a halt. The place was empty except for Roger behind the counter and Adam in the café area focused on his cell phone.
“Did I miss the meeting?” Christina asked Roger as she sent an abbreviated wave to Adam.
“Nope,” Roger said. “Hasn’t started yet.”
“Why not? I’m ten minutes late.”
Roger shrugged his shoulders. “So is everyone else. You, me, and Adam are the only ones here.”
“Buddy’s not here, either?” she asked.
“He’s here. Out back. Told me to come get him when everyone got here.”
Christina gritted her teeth at the thought of what he was doing out there. “Did he tell you what the meeting was about?”
“About the new competition across the street. That’s all he said.”
“Has it been busy today?”
“Not really.” Then, for the first time, Roger looked worried. “Do you think Buddy will fire some of us because of that?”
“I don’t know.” Obviously, Roger didn’t know about Buddy’s plan, and Christina certainly wasn’t going to enlighten him.
“I’m not on shift,” Christina said. “But do you need any help while we wait?”
“Nah. Nothing to help with really.”
“All right. I’m going to work on some homework.”
Roger rolled his eyes, and Christina’s jaw clenched again. She didn’t like Roger any more than he seemed to like her. He was as much of a slacker as Buddy and just as critical.
Suppressing a sigh, Christina took a seat at a corner table in the back. She dragged her English textbook out of her backpack and buried her nose in its pages. A few minutes later, Adam walked over.
“Homework?”
“Yeah, English.” She rubbed her eyes.
“Want me to leave you to it?”
Christina closed the book and pushed it aside. “No. I can’t concentrate. I wish Buddy would start the meeting.”
“You know what it’s about?”
“I’m pretty sure.”
He sat across from her. “Me, too. Do you think what he has in mind will help?”
“No idea, but I guess we’ll find out.”
“I guess we will.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. If the cops bust us, that’s it. May’s is out of business.”
“Maybe you and I should jump ship and go work for the competition,” he said with a tilt of his head toward Expresso.
Christina made a face. “My sister April quit here and moved across the street, and they don’t even give her bathroom breaks.”
“You serious?
“Dead serious.”
“That sucks.”
“It does suck.”
“I guess we’re both stuck here, then.” He scooted back his chair. “Buddy wants me to do inventory, so I should get to it.”
“What about the meeting?”
“He said I don’t have to attend.”
“Lucky you.”
“I know, right? See ya.” He gave me the peace sign and walked off.
“Bye,” Christina said, admiring his backside until a blush heated her face. She rubbed her eyes again and went back to her English book.
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