Coming around the counter, Sapphire stored her bag next to Julie's.
"Okay," Julie said, clapping her hands together. "Let's start withthe beastfirst."
"The beast?" Sapphire gave her a quizzical look.
With her eyes dancing with laughter, Julie turned and waved her hand toward the large black and silver machine sitting against the wall on the opposite counter. The giant machine looked daunting, to say the least. There were all sorts of levers, buttons, gauges, and removable parts that made her want to turn around and run.
"We call it the beast because that was the second name Joel and Hayden would grumble when they referred to it after having to carry it inside. The first name they used being too inappropriate to use."
Sapphire could picture the two men hoisting the large box the machine came in through the door and easily imagined their colorful language being thrown about.
"Having just been given the job at that time, I stayed up all weekend reading the manual and looking at YouTube videos on how to use it," Julie declared proudly. "So, I am pretty well versed in it now." She patted the side of the machine with an almost affectionate touch.
Stepping a little closer, Sapphire examined the four different valve stations and tried to imagine the quiet little coffee shop getting enough business to need the enormous and no doubt costly machine.
Thinking of what she said, Sapphire turned back to the bubbly woman. "You worked here since it first opened?
Julie nodded her head. "Yep, since last year. It's quiet at this time of day. I figured that would be the best time to train you," she added with a smile, and Sapphire couldn't help but give her an appreciative smile back. "But," Julie continued, "it gets surprisingly busy since most of the businesses in town get their coffee from here. For example, every day, Leann from the sheriff's office comes in and orders over a dozen coffees for the officers and the fire department since they are in the same building and whatnot. And you got a lot of people in the businesses around here who come and grab some, as well as some of the people who commute to Stardust stop by before their morning commute."
Sapphire nodded silently at that. It was surprising to know there was more hustle and bustle in this town than she expected.
For the rest of that afternoon, Julie trained her on taking orders and fulfilling the orders. Taking the orders wasn't so bad. Slapping on a smile, she greeted each customer as they nosily inquired about who she was and when she moved to town. The fancy tablet-like register was quite intuitive and kind of fun to use. It wasthe beastshe did not enjoy using. On her first attempt, she didn't secure the portafilter tight enough, and soggy coffee grounds got everywhere. Chorused by laughs from a few customers, and encouraging instructions from Julie, it was only at her sixth attempt that she was finally able to make a decent cup.
They were each standing on a step stool, one on either side of the machine, cleaning out the reservoir when Sapphire heard the loud thump from above. With her arm halfway inside the back of the machine, she paused and looked to Julie as the thump turned into approaching thuds.
Julie turned her head to look over her shoulder just as the mystery door to the far wall of the café suddenly opened. Stepping out of the open door wearing a pair of dark jeans and a deep green shirt that clung to his strong frame, Hayden turned and swept his eyes over the room before stopping to look at her.
Sapphire nearly flinched at the man's hard stare, but she refrained. Instead, she turned and looked back at the water reservoir she was wiping out. The bell on the door jingled just as another set of thuds descended what Sapphire could only assume were stairs. This time Joel exited the open door.
Unable to take a second look of disapproval, Sapphire kept her eyes on her task.
"Hey, Julie," Joel's smooth voice called out. "How's the new hire working out?"
Sapphire bit the inside of her lip. He was talking as if she wasn't standing right there.
"She's great!" Julie piped up. "It's going to work out great for your new plan to close at six."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too," he agreed. "Okay then, I'm headed to the bar. Call me if you need anything."
Hearing the doorbell jingle, Sapphire finally let out the breath she had been holding and looked up.
To her surprise, she saw Joel still standing at the door. Wide-eyed, she met his intent gaze across the room as he stood at the door, holding it open with one arm. Dressed in faded, slightly ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, he gave her a small smirk that told her that he knew exactly what she had been trying to do before finally walking through the door. Seconds later, the twin growls of motorcycles started up the rode past the front windows.
A little deflated, Sapphire went back to her task.
Later on, with the closed sign on the window, both she and Julie prepared for closing. While Julie wiped off the counters, Sapphire worked to straighten up the front area. Earlier, Julie had told her that when she was first hired on, Hayden had tossed her a catalog with a written amount on the top, and instructed her to furnish and decorate the café within the budget. With six tables, a dozen matching chairs, and a few leather couches, the café had a modern yet cozy feel to it. Looking toward the closed door that led upstairs, Sapphire couldn't help but wonder what the upstairs looked like.
Grabbing her coat and bag, Sapphire followed Julie outside and waited as she turned the deadbolt on the glass door.
"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Sapphire ran a hand over her head, smoothing back some of the flyaway hairs as she thought about her various mishaps throughout the day. "Besides me nearly burning myself with the steamer and spilling coffee grounds everywhere, no, it wasn't that bad."
Julie laughed. "Don't worry. You’ll get the hang of it, and soon you won't have to think about it."
"Yeah, let's hope so," she muttered and began to turn and walk in the direction of the motel.
"Umm," Julie's hesitant voice paused her. Stopping, Sapphire turned and looked at the older woman. Earlier, Julie had shown her pictures of her two kids and explained to her that she had to pick her kids up at four-thirty each day from their after school care program.
