“Hey, sunshine,” Emery greeted me with a wink. He thought his nickname for me was brilliant since I was anything but a ray of sunshine. I tried to act like the name didn’t
bother me, in the hopes that he’d get tired and drop it. Something told me he wouldn’t though.
I rolled my eyes, letting the door bang closed behind me.
He chuckled at my non-reply as I headed past the swinging doors into the back. I put my purse in a locker—Griff had a locker for every employee—and grabbed the apron that tied around my waist.
“Hurry up, sunshine!” Emery sing-songed, poking his head through the doorway. “We have customers waiting to see your beautiful face!”
I flashed him my middle finger, which he found hilarious.
Once my apron was tied, I headed to the register, which was my station for the evening. There really weren’t that many tables to wait on. Most people who came in the evenings were college kids. Despite the fact that classes must have only recently started, most looked exhausted and ready to fall over asleep—hence the need for caffeine. Some chose to stay in the restaurant to do homework, but I’d learned quickly that they didn’t like to be bothered.
Emery returned from wiping down a table, his usual mega-watt smile perfectly in place.
“How was your day?” He asked, leaning a hip against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Uneventful.” It was the same answer I always gave him, but between Memphis and what Caelan said to me this evening, uneventful was actually the last word that came to mind.
“Liar,” he smirked.
“I never lie.”
“Mhmm,” he remained unconvinced. “I have dishes to clean. Try not to drive away customers with your sparkly personality.”
As he breezed by me, he used the rag in his hand to swat at my butt.
“Emery!” I shrieked.
As the door swung closed behind him I could still hear his chuckles.
Emery and I had formed an unusual friendship. We didn’t talk much about our personal lives, but we were friends none-the-less. I’m sure the more time we spent together, the more we’d learn to trust the other and open up.
My eyes began to feel droopy as I stood there waiting for a customer to walk in. Griffin didn’t mind when we worked the night shift if we helped ourselves to coffee, so I grabbed the largest size cup and poured myself some. That finished off the house brew, so I set about making some more.
The chime above the door dinged, sounding the approach of a customer.
I plastered on a fake smile and turned around, “Welcome to Griffin’s, what can I get you?” My fake smile quickly turned into a real one, when my eyes met with now familiar gray ones. Butterflies took up residence in my stomach, fluttering around as they sought a way to escape.
“This is an interesting development,” Memphis smiled crookedly.
“It is indeed.”
I stared at him, completely forgetting what I was supposed to be doing. Shaking myself back to reality, I repeated, “What can I get you?”
Memphis looked up at the menu, biting on his lower lip as if in deep thought. When his eyes connected with mine once more, he said, “You.”
“What?” I choked, shocked at his brazenness.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he shook his head, his smile widening, “that’s not on the menu. I’ll just have the house brew. No cream or sugar.”
Oh, God. I was pretty sure he was perfect.
I gave him his total and he paid.
I poured the steaming coffee into a cup once it was ready and fixed a lid in place. Sliding it across the counter, I was careful to release my hold on the cup before our fingers could touch.
“So, what’s your story?” He asked, bringing the lid up to his lips, his brows raised as he waited for my answer.