At the sound of my name, the asshole jock turns toward me with a smarmy smile.
I nod. “Yep. No problem.”
Misha takes his order and hands me a cup marked for a salted-caramel mocha. I hit the button to brew some shots, pump chocolate and caramel syrup into the cup, and pour milk into the carafe for steaming. I dump the espresso and milk into the cup and give it a good stir to combine. Once I’m sure the lid is secure, I call out the customer’s name.
“Salted-caramel mocha for Lucas.”
Peyton’s fuckboy covers my hand with his own as I’m setting the cup on the pick-up bar. I focus on remaining calm, even though the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end. This guy seriously gives me the creeps. Ever since Kingston humiliated Lucas by making him clean the dining hall floor in his underwear, Lucas never wastes an opportunity to undress me with his eyes, which I’d think he was doing to egg my boyfriend on, but strangely, he only does it when Kingston isn’t around to witness it.
“When did you start working here?”
Mindful that my manager is eyeing us curiously, I pull my shoulders back and infuse some cheer into my tone.
“Today’s my first day.”
“Interesting.” Lucas takes a sip of his coffee, licking foam off his lips. “Peyton didn’t tell me.”
“I doubt Peyton knows.” I shrug. “I don’t exactly talk to her much.”
He pulls out his wallet, deposits a hundred dollar bill in the tip jar, and holds his cup up. “Perfect latte, Jasmine. I’ll be back soon.”
After Windsor’s star QB leaves the store, Misha plucks the Benjamin out of the jar and stashes it under the register tray.
“You know that guy?”
“We go to school together. And he sorta dates my stepsister. Does he come in here a lot?”
Misha nods. “Every morning, sometimes twice on weekends. Is that going to be a problem? I was getting weird vibes off you two.”
I gulp. “Nope. Not at all.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Especially if he keeps tipping like that.” Misha inclines his head to the woman who just walked in. “You ready for your first mid-morning rush?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
***
“You did great today, Jazz. Have a good night.”
“Thanks, Misha. I’ll see you on Monday after school.”
When I make it outside, Kingston is wa
iting right out front, idling in his Rover. I hear the doors unlock as I approach and climb in on the passenger side.
“Thanks for picking me up. You really didn’t have to, though. I told you Frank said he’s more than happy to take me.”
“And I told you, it’s no big deal.” His gold-flecked eyes dare me to argue. “How was your first day?”
“Really good. It’s pretty crazy during the rushes, but the job itself is easy enough, and my shift went by fast.”
“You smell like coffee.”
“I should hope so considering where I’ve been for the last six hours.” I sniff my hair. “What’s the matter? Do I repulse you?”
Kingston’s eyes leisurely travel the length of my body. “Jazz, you could roll around in a giant pile of dog shit, and you’d still get me hot.”
“Ewww.” I scrunch my nose. “You couldn’t have picked something else for me to hypothetically roll around in? Anything else?”