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“We’ll be sitting there.” She points to a recently-vacated table against the wall—the only free one. “Order us two coffees with cream and sugar and bring them to us.”
My mouth gapes open. The urge to laugh in her face bubbles at the back of my throat, but I don’t say anything. I barely breathe.
She lifts a brow, her sky-blue eyes sparking with annoyance. “Do you understand what I’m saying? Or do I need to repeat myself?”
“Yes, miss,” I finally stammer. “I mean—I understand. I’ll bring the coffee to you.”
She narrows her eyes before turning back to the redhead. “See Sylvia? Didn’t I say we were capable?”
Sylvia laughs weakly as they walk away, and I approach the counter.
I smile wanly at Min. “Two coffees with cream and sugar, and a pound of beans for the Administrator.”
Min nods, her face blank as she reaches under the counter, producing two clay mugs. She’s wearing the exact same gray uniform as me, but she doesn’t look nearly as overheated—her face is smooth and dry, and her dress is unwrinkled.
Other than the betas I live and work with, I don’t know many others in Goldenrod. I know Min, though.
She’s kind of a busybody—all the betas who work in town are familiar with each other and act like betas who work in private residences think we’re above them.
They’re not exactly wrong. I’ve lived and worked at Sage House my entire life and know next to nothing about any of the town betas. What their lives are like, and what they do all day… It’s all a mystery to me.
“Will you come to my meeting tonight, Hetty?” She doesn’t look up as she smoothly pours steaming coffee into the mugs.
Every time I see Min, she tries to force me to come to one of the meetings she holds weekly. I’ve never been and have zero desire to change that.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to go,” I murmur as she turns to heave a burlap bag of coffee beans from one of the shelves behind her. “The Administrator may need me.”
“Oh, I bet you can think of an excuse to get away.” She turns and sets the bag on the counter, her eyes connecting with mine as she places the coffee mugs on a silver tray, along with a dish of sugar cubes and a jar of cream. “The Administrator has at least a dozen betas to tend to his needs. Besides, he’s so busy, he’ll barely notice that you’re gone.”
I don’t say anything. But the voices from the shop create a low roar in the background, adding to the heat and suffocating me.
“You know, Oli came last time. The one who works at Sage House with you?” she whispers, a smile in her voice and dimples threatening to pop on her smooth tan cheeks. “I think he likes you.”
My cheeks become even more heated, and I can’t hide a wince. “Ugh. Really?”
Min scowls. “There’s no reason to be such a snob, Hetty Nigrum. I don’t know who you think you’ll get better than Oli.”
I shrug. “He’s nice, I guess.”
Min rolls her eyes. “Well, I think he’s cute as a button.”
I wince again. Cute as a button? I suppose that’s a good way to describe plump, rosy-cheeked Oli … or a baby bunny or a kitten. Not exactly the quality I want in a mate, though. My ghost feels sick at the thought.
“You’re right. He’s … very handsome,” I assure her, fixing my face with a docile smile.
Satisfied, Min nods. “Talk to Oli,” she says, “and he’ll tell you about the meetings.”
I plaster a smile on my face that immediately fades when she turns away. Carefully, I store the bag under my arm and balance the tray with my hands before weaving through the crowd.
Joanna and Sylvia are chatting happily and don’t look up when I slide the tray in the center of the table. But as I’m about to walk away, Joanna tilts her head toward me.
“Don’t go far,” she orders sternly. “We may require the use of you again.”
I stare at her blankly, sweat pouring down my back. I envision my ghost laughing in her face. Or maybe pouring the bag of coffee beans over both their heads and throwing their mugs at the wall. They would crash into a hundred pieces. Coffee would stream down the white wall.
But I don’t do anything like that. Instead, I murmur a quiet, “Yes, miss,” and move to stand against the wall as I await my next order … like any well-behaved beta.
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