Page 12 of Latte Girl
“Good morning, Miss. Look at you, pressing all those buttons so quick. I’ll have whatever drink isyourfavourite.”
I want to crawl under a table when I see the look of disbelief the girl gives Ludo, or at least try to make it seem like I’m not with him. We’ve already walked up together though, and she turns to ask whatI’dlike.
I order a black tea and try to put as much sympathy and remorse into the words asIcan.
“Hailey!” the cashier calls to someone in the kitchen, as Ludo insists on paying for both our drinks. “I need a cappuccino and a black tea,please.”
So that’s her name, I think as the back of a strawberry blonde head appears and calls out “Coming up!” before getting to work on thedrinks.
Ludo and I take a seat at one of the vinyl topped tables whilewewait.
“Now Jordan, before we get into any talk of finance, I want to tell you that, well—” Ludo stops mid sentence to bang his fists on the table in a display of emotion. “Damn it Jordan, I’m proudofyou!”
Ohgod.
I cannot handle a sentimental speech from Ludo, not in public. He forges on with itanyways.
“Now, I know you and your father haven’t always seen eye to eye, especially after the whole business withMrs.Knox—”
My heart pounds at the mention of my mother and I clench my fists on the table in front of me. Ludo realizes his mistake and changes thesubject.
“I just want you to know that even your father andIdon’t always see eye to eye. Emerson works hard, I’ll give him that, but the man doesn’t know how to let loose. You, though, you turned out to be a man after my own heart. Chasing tail right out ofthegate—”
He jerks his thumb in the direction of the counter and I start to interrupt, but he talks rightoverme.
“You’ve got what it takes, Jordan, and I think you’re going to fit in well in my department. I’m going to put in a good word with your father, tell him you’re off to a strongstart.”
While Ludo’s definition of a ‘strong start’—namely, thinking I banged a caterer in my office when I was supposed to be working— is beyond questionable, I could use any kind of positive feedback that makes its way to my dad, so I just nod my thanks and hope he’s not going to be telling himwhyhe feels my start has beenstrong.
Our drinks arrive, and the weight of disappointment hits me when it’s the cashier, not Hailey, who brings them over. Although, seeing as I just knowingly allowed Ludo to believe she and I are intimately acquainted, a twinge of guilt hits me like the snap of an elastic band when I think about pursuing any kind of conversationwithher.
Ludo takes a sip of his cappuccino and grimaces. “You know who drinks this kind of shit,Jordan?”
I don’t even bother answering because I know he’ll just keep talkinganyways.
“Pansies!” he exclaims. “This pansy shit will be the death of me. Whatever happened to just a strong, black cup ofcoffee?”
I’m about to tell him that black coffee is on the menu when he informs me that he has to “piss like a racehorse” and takes off towards thewashroom.
I pull the teabag out of my tea and set it on thesaucer.
After I’ve taken my first sip, I set the teacup down to find Hailey just a few feet away, wiping off the tabletops with a cloth. Half of me wants her to notice me, to see what kind of expression forms in those blue eyes when she does, and the other half hopes she gets called away before that canhappen.
She moves one table closer and turns her head towards me. Her mouth falls open just a bit, pale eyebrows archingupwards.
“You,” she says, her gazefindingmine.
“Me,” I say back, attempting asmile.
She drops her eyes and starts wiping the table again. “Looks like you’re the stalker, not me,” she remarks, derisively enough that I can’t tell if she’sjoking.
“I didn’t know youworkedhere.”
She shoots me a sideways glance and a small smirk that’s sexy enough to have my pants feeling tight. “That’s what theyallsay.”
Thisgirl...
She starts to clean the table right next to me, and as she bends over and stretches her arm out, I have to draw in a breath and avert my eyes from the ‘jugs’ Ludo is so appreciative of before she catches mestaring.
