Page 1 of Passion in Store

Chapter 1

Connor

The cutest girl I’ve ever seen has just made a blender full of fruit smoothie erupt like a volcano all over the ceiling. It explodes with a screech, crunch, and splash.

Jimmy, the manager of Roasters Café, wipes a creamy, masticated strawberry from his cheek. I can see he’s trying to hold on to his patience. He missed his professional training session with me this morning, so he hasn’t had the benefit of unleashing his aggression on my sparring shield yet. I brace myself from my place second in line, waiting to give my breakfast order.

“Mousie!” Jimmy thunders over the din of the coffee machine he’s beating into submission. “Mousie, I showed you this three times already!” He flicks a black sweep of hair across his face with a jerk of his head.

The chaos has attracted a bit of attention from others in the line and I look around to see customers pointing and stifling giggles. I peer around the person in front of me and can see the poor girl trying to wipe the mess with a dirty cloth, only succeeding in increasing the size of the smear, even as more creamy fruit blobs fall down on her from the portion that manages to still cling to the ceiling.

Her face has taken on the color of a strawberry, and there is a blotch of smoothie on her chin that I would love to lick off.

“It’s Minnie…” she says humbly. “I’m so sorry, Jimmy. I’ll have it cleaned up in a sec.” Her hand is circling frantically as she rubs at the bench.

Jimmy’s lean, muscular arms pump the group handle of the coffee machine. He turns to the milk frother and grabs the metal jug, directing the spout inside. Its steam drowns out the hissing and puffing that comes from his mouth as he tries to regain control in front of the full line. His whole chest inflates. I presume he’s trying to capture some soothing air.

I have to help Minnie.

I round the counter, walk up to Minnie, and place my hand on her shoulder. She’s tiny and soft and she looks up at me with round eyes as blue as the sky. They are shining with tears. I feel a pang of recognition. Do I know her? I'll have to get the situation under control before I work out the best pick-up line.

“I can clean this and set up the replacement,” I say in a low voice. “You can start on the next order.”

I look for the next order on the strip and grab it. “Here.” I hold it in front of her blinking eyes. “It’s an eat-in: fruit salad and OJ for table three.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy has given me a sharp nod, finished two takeaway coffees with a flourish, and is serving the next customer.

“You know your way around here,” Minnie whispers to me conspiratorially, reaching into the fridge to grab the OJ. “Are you here for the next shift or are you my guardian angel?” Her devotional words make my heart thump.

“Neither.” I can’t help smiling like a goon. She’s so cute. “I work in the gym, but sometimes help out in the café when they are short staffed,” I explain, hoping I don’t intimidate her with my size—I’m quite a bit bigger than she is.

“Great timing, Connor,” Jimmy chimes in. “Mousie can’t get the hang of those smoothies.”

I call over to him quite loudly, “I’m guessing it’s her first day, Jim?” I know he’s got no filters, but does he realize she’s right here listening to his trash talk? I continue more patiently, in a softer tone, “And her name is Minnie.” I give her arm a little rub and gently direct her to the freezer to pick up what she needs for table three.

“You’d be right there… but I’m not sure her skin is thick enough for our frenetic pace,” Jimmy answers with a shrug. No wonder he has such high staff turnover.

He’s bashing the coffee handle upside down to empty the used coffee grounds, and I sneak a look at Minnie’s delicious perky butt as she takes the order out to table three. I check the orders and prep the ingredients for the next two smoothies.

“You’re on early shift at the gym this week, Con, right?” he asks me. “Can you spare me any time in the café today? Andy didn’t turn up again and I’m short until Paige gets here at noon.” I ignore the fact that he probably knew I was on early shift because he was booked in with me for a PT session—the one he missed without calling to cancel.

Although my early morning shift at Roasters Gym has finished and I do have other plans, Minnie’s predicament has melted me. I have a funny feeling that I’m going to be her slave for life.

My mouth works of its own accord. “Sure, I’ll help, be happy to.” Though inwardly, I’m doubting he’s going to remember to pay me.

I know how Jimmy ticks and can see I’ve set him at ease. His shoulders relax and he’s smiling at the next customer. I don’t have a problem taking Minnie under my wing, to make sure she’s got all the basics down. It’s likely Jimmy’s been too distracted to prepare her properly for the ups and downs of a typical café shift.

When she gets back from table service, I can’t help smiling at her. She has an adorable curly ponytail, and she fills out the Roasters' T-shirt nicely up front, but I’m not thinking about her cute figure right now. I’m not. I want to make sure she knows me properly before I make any moves. I want to make sure she trusts me.

She looks a little sad as she says, “I haven’t made a very good impression, have I? I tripped and spilt coffee on my very first customer this morning and my virgin smoothie exploded! Thanks for helping me, you’re a star.”

She’s not so close to tears anymore. Instead, the look she’s giving me is gratitude, devotion, and… cheekiness? She knows what she said, and the strawberry blush appears on her cheeks again.

There’s suddenly a warm surge in my jocks as I wonder what she was thinking when she mentioned her virgin smoothie exploding. I have to clear my throat to explain. “The blender on the left is temperamental,” I say. “You have to make sure it clicks in. I’ve set up the next two jugs, so I can walk you through it.”

“Thank you so much,” she whispers. “You are saving my life right now. Literally, you are a life saver.”

I note the small irony that she’s inadvertently discovered my other passion. I’m a volunteer lifeguard on Masford Beach in my spare time. With my heart beating like this right now, I’m not sure who is saving who… but I gesture her forward to the machine and stand behind her, my arms around her on either side. I notice how perfectly she fits into me, how my arm span cradles hers, how protective I feel.

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