The exchange ended and her smile disappeared the second she thought no one was looking. When she faced the counter, it was back.
Though, her hands were tight on her bag when she got to me.
“There she is!” Kelsey said, appearing at my side. “You came in!”
“Hi,” she said, her voice wavering.
She was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.
Kelsey’s words made sense now.
My hand landed on the register. I was always nervous, though for different reasons.
The woman’s honey-brown eyes moved to my face and then down my arms. I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. Was she judging the tattoos? Was my mere presence making things worse? Maybe I should let Kelsey take this order.
But then she got to my forearm and her head tilted. I knew what she was looking at. It was the one I got the most questions about.
“Just breathe,” it said, and it was a reminder for me more than anyone else.
I’d forgotten it was even on display. I always grew warm when working and my flannel was pulled up to my elbows for a bit of relief. I wondered if that was a mistake. No one in town batted an eye at my tattoos, but new people were always a gamble.
But then the woman took a deep breath and her shoulders relaxed.
“S-sorry,” she said. “Just a little nervous in new places. Your tattoo is a great reminder.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I should have put it on my forehead,” I said without thinking, lowering my voice so I didn’t make things worse. Her full lips pulled into a smile. “I forget to breathe often.”
Especially with someone like her in my presence.
“But then you’d only remember when looking in a mirror, and what fun is that?” She smiled again, anddammit, it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. It was different from the fake one she’d just had. “So, what do you recommend?”
Usually when someone asked, I would make an educatedguess on what they would like. I didn’t let anyone get to know me, but I was good at watching and learning what they needed.
But if I kept looking at this woman, I might explode. So, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Black coffee.”
Fuck.Why did I go for the most basic thing on the menu? I should have said a latte orsomethingother than my usual boring drink of choice. A few people came in for regular coffee, but her floral dress and denim jacket told me she was anything but basic.
Her smile didn’t falter. “You know, I do think I need some undiluted caffeine for the amount of work I’ll be getting done. I’ll take a black coffee.”
I blinked. There was no way she was actually going for what I had suggested. “We do have other things. Things that are more interesting.”
“What? Do you think I can’t handle my coffee black? I’ll have you know that I’ve pulled so many late nights that I don’t even taste the bitterness anymore. Just the notes. Good or bad.”
Late nights? She had to be in college. She was easily in her early twenties.
And I was well over thirty.
“Then black coffee it is,” I said. “Here’s your total. Need a student discount?”
“Haven’t been one of those in a while,” she said, shaking her head.
That was a relief, considering how I kept looking at her.
“Here you go, Piper.” Kelsey set her cup down with a smile.
I looked back at the woman, committing the name to memory.
