Page 9 of Cream & Sugar
“Better?” he asks.
“Yes, thank you!” I take a second to regain my composure. “So sorry about that. Frog in my throat.”
“No problem. You were saying?”
“Y-yes!” I stammer, trying to remember where we were. “Right, so, what would you consider to be your greatest strength?”
“Hmm,” I take another sip while Freddie thinks. “Probably… my abs?”
“Your—?”
Freddie lifts the hem of his T-shirt to reveal a slice of washboard midriff. I sputter my water and, to my horror, feel my face flush warm with embarrassment. Freddie chuckles, dropping his shirt and leaning back in his chair.
“Too literal?” he asks.
I’m disarmed by his boldness, shocked that someone conscientious enough to bring their interviewer a glass of water would also be unhinged enough to flash them his body. I have no idea whatto say so I settle for the good old British fallback of pretending it didn’t happen.
I wipe droplets of water from my beard with my sleeve. “And, um, your greatest weakness?”
Freddie sucks his teeth. “Probably my interview skills.”
I laugh in disbelief. “You can say that again.”
Freddie gives me a cheeky wink. I flick my gaze down to my notepad, pretending to write again while I think.
I haven’t done many interviews. I had about ten candidates for Kyle and Anna’s roles and some of them were pretty odd. The lady who brought her food shopping with her was strange, as was the guy who walked out when I told him that, unfortunately, no he couldn’t bring his pet ferret to work. Freddie is interesting, to say the least. He's not lacking in confidence, I’ll give him that. Looking the way he does, I suppose it would be hard not to be a little cocky. To be fair, some fresh eye candy could help drive up footfall. We still have our busy moments, but the magpie customers we had after opening are starting to fly off in search of something new and shiny. After the shocking service I gave this morning, we’ve probably lost the loyalty of at least a few more. Plus, doesn’t every café need a hot barista? Freddie might be my guy…
Theguy.
“Okay,” I put my pen down on the table, “all joking aside Freddie, I’m short staffed. One of my baristas quit this morning and I haven’t had a day off since we opened. My supervisor Anna is a single mum who’s already working more hours than she wants to, but she’s been helping me out. I need someone reliable who picks stuff up fast and is available to start soon. Like tomorrow soon. How does that sound?”
Freddie’s eyes flare with surprise. “Wow, that sounds perfect! Thank you so much!”
“No no,” I shake my head, “I’m not saying you’re hired. I’m just seeing whether you’d be available.”
“Oh.” Freddie gives a sheepish grin. “Can I change my answer?”
I nod. “Sure.”
“Hmm,” Freddie taps his chin in mock-contemplation. “Well, I’ll have to check with my people, but I think my schedule is pretty free. As for being reliable, I’ve got you. Just tell me when to show up and that’s when I’ll be there.”
“Morning shift starts at half six for prep.”
His eyes darken. “That’s… fine.”
Something tells me Freddie isn’t an early riser. I suppress a smirk. If he’s not a coffee addict already, he soon will be. Welcome to the world of hospitality workers. Cut us and we bleed espresso.
“Right,” I close my notebook, having filled two pages with nothing but meaningless scribbles, and place it on the table. “That’s all my questions. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?”
He raises an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Okay,” he considers for a moment. “I guess what made you want to open a café?”
I blink at him.
Freddie frowns. “Sorry, was that rude?”
