“The electricity’s cut out on the north side of town. The snow’s way worse over there, so a lot of people drove up.”
Shit.
I glance out the window. Even here, it’s coming down thick, which means when my shift ends at four, I might be stuck here. I can’t leave early when we’re this busy, so I just gotta hope my car will be able to make it out. It’s only a fifteen-minute drive back to my house.
I’m in the middle of making four lattes when Brett appears by my side.
“Listen, Mel’s going to come in a bit early.”
My stomach sinks, and I nearly drop the steamed milk I’m pouring. “You promised me I wouldn’t have to work with her.”
“I know, but it’s getting nuts in here. You need help.” He reaches up and flicks one of the paper orders clipped in front of me. “You’re way behind.”
I’d rather walk home in this weather than work with Melissa. I place the lattes on the counter for Brit and turn to face Brett. “Can’t you get behind the bar for a bit?”
He scratches the back of his neck. “I’ve got a lot of paperwork to catch up on. And I’ve got to make the rounds. Make people feel welcome.”
Anger bubbles through my chest. “I thought I made my boundaries clear.”
“You were the one who said you didn’t want me to fire her.”
I grit my teeth. No matter how angry I was—still am—with Melissa, I don’t need her losing her job on my conscience. I know what it’s like to worry about being able to pay your next water bill.
I wipe down the steamer wand with a rag. “You made me a promise. I guess I should have known that means nothing.”
Anger flashes in his eyes. “Don’t be difficult, B. There’s a freak storm coming, and a lot of people are here to warm up. Have some perspective, yeah? This is more important than your personal issues.”
My cheeks heat. My personal issues?
A sliver of doubt snakes through my chest. Is he right? Am I being selfish? After all, the world doesn’t revolve around me and my problems.
I suck in a breath. I’m a big girl. I can deal with Melissa for a few hours.
There’s no time to mull it over, because a moment later, Melissa appears behind Brett. I let out a disbelieving huff. She must have come in while Brett and I were talking, which means he really waited until the last moment to give me a heads-up.
Her dark hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, and she looks at me like she just killed my puppy. All guilt and nervousness.
“I’ll leave you girls to it.” Brett squeezes past her, his work here done.
But my work is far from over. I force my anger down and start on the next order.
Just stay focused.
Melissa clears her throat. “How can I help?”
“You can start another pot of coffee and check on the people at the bar,” I say in a monotone voice. This is the first time we’ve interacted since I walked in on them. I’ve done my absolute best to avoid her for the last four months.
She grabs a pack of coffee grounds from the shelf above and pours it into a white paper filter.
“Blake, I was hoping we could talk.”
“I’m busy.”
“You never answered my texts.”
“I blocked you.”
“Why would you do that?” She sounds genuinely puzzled.
