Page 47 of Cups of You

“I can only imagine.”

She stepped up to the counter and pushed him slightly with her shoulder. His skin buzzed at that small touch and he knew he was really and truly screwed.

“You get going on that long line of cups in front of you. I got this.”

Benjamin nodded hand shaking slightly as he reached out for the next cup already marked and ready for him on the counter. He really was grateful for the help since he wasn’t sure how long the constant thrum of customers would last. With one last glance at Amber from the corner of his eye, he set to work on the number of backed up orders.

The steady stream of people coming in and out of the café didn’t lessen though most did seem to clear out and go elsewhere to enjoy their coffee and baked goods once they received them. Twice, Benjamin had to go to the back room to grab more paper bakery bags before Amber asked him where to find them and went back to get some herself. After that, she seemed to take charge helping him with bagging the food items when he was backed up on drink orders.

Benjamin wasn’t surprised that she was competent, far from it. From the stories Jackie had told over the years, Amber seemed to excel at whatever she put her mind to.

He was surprised that she worked so well withhim.

Even with Olivia, he often had to stop and ask her to do something while he manned the temperamental espresso machine. Amber needed no such guidance. She didn’t attempt to do anything with the drinks beyond mark the cups and hand them off to him, but she seemed to almost sense what he needed before he did.

The second time she came back with cups from the back room, he paused to consider that she was a mind reader. It took him a little longer to realize that she had taken charge of getting out the food orders as well.

The hopeless romantic in him said she was perfect. The business owner in him agreed wholeheartedly and demanded he never let her go.

“Wow,” he breathed out when they finally had a break in the crowd. A little over four hours had passed and people had started to wander towards the diner for actual food beyond croissants, muffins, and slices of coffee cake.

Amber smiled quick as lightning as she wiped down the counter in front of her. “Wow, what?”

“Wow you. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say you owned a coffee shop yourself at some point.” He grabbed a mug from under the bar and set to making her a drink.

She shook her head. “Never owned a coffee shop, but I did work at one in college.” Amber took the rag and walked around the counter. “It was one of the better paying gigs I had in college.”

He nodded as he watched her walk over to the few now empty tables. She gathered the cups and bags that had been left out and wiped it down before tossing the trash. Benjamin looked down before grabbing the pitcher of milk to steam.

“What other jobs did you hold in college?” He called out not wanting to end their conversation. He always devoured any bit of information about her life she gave him and the glutton in him wanted to know more.

Amber glanced up at him before moving to another table. The atmosphere was calmer now and the soft music that had been almost silent before was now easily heard in the quiet of the café.

“Oh, let’s see. I was a barista for a good while before I also started working in the university library for more on-target experience for what I wanted to do.” She nodded to a table of customers who smiled and waved at her. “I also very briefly interned at a law office but that was not my jam. What about you? What did you do before this?”

Benjamin sat the steaming mug on the counter in front of her when she walked back over. “Funnily enough, I also worked at a coffee shop in college. Well, I started senior year of high school. After that I interned at a few financial management firms and eventually landed a job at one.”

Amber raised an eyebrow and gave him an appraising look. “So, what you’re telling me is that you went from corporate finance bro to hipster café owner?”

Benjamin laughed before gesturing at the mug. “I don’t think I have ever been called a hipster or a finance bro, but yes.” He knew Patrick would get a kick out of this conversation when he told him about it later. “This mug is for you by the way. I figured you could use a little pick me up after the crowd we just endured.”

“Did you just read my mind? I was just thinking I could use a good cup of brew.”

Benjamin felt warmth spread in his chest. “Not a mind reader; just an observant barista.”

Her brown eyes pinned him in place as she walked back to the counter and he swore the temperature raised a degree with each step she took. The café wasn’t usually this warm and he felt a bead of sweat slide down his neck in a slow meandering trail until it was lost under his shirt. Having Amber on his side of the counter was a sensation he wasn’t ready to give up.

“Observant huh?”

“I do try to be.”

Amber looked down at the mug and made a soft noise. She glanced up at Benjamin from beneath her lashes and he was startled to realize that she had moved much closer than she had been when they were working before. This close, he could see she had a small black beauty mark in the crevice beside her right nostril and her skin was practically flawless. But her lips were the biggest draw and this close he could almost taste how sweet they would be.

“I can see why you changed,” she said looking back down at the mug as she curved a hand around it. Benjamin’s gaze didn’t waver as he soaked in every little detail that he could before she realized how close they were standing and moved away.

“Why?”

“Because you are very talented,” Amber answered. “I never managed to master any kind of coffee art.”

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