AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You okay?”
“Jeez!” She jerked, hand to her chest, and looked at Roxie.
“A little jumpy today?”
She fumbled with the espresso machine. “Um, yeah... sorry. Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida want their usuals and I...” She sighed, exhausted, and her shoulders slumped. “I have no idea what that is.”
“Didn’t you write it down in your little book?” Roxie asked, sarcasm dripping from each word.
She stiffened at Roxie’s tone. Peeking up, she winced. There was zero humor on the other woman’s face. Great. Piss off the boss. Excellent way to start the freaking day.
“Uh, yeah, I did actually. But I, uh, left my notebook at home. Kind of a rough night.”
More like a terrifying night.
“Yeah, sure.” Roxie scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. Irritation radiated from her in waves. “Since the day these doors opened, Mrs. Abbot has ordered a blueberry scone and a nonfat vanilla latte. Mrs. Yoshida has a cranberry muffin and a two percent peppermint mocha.”
“Thanks. And sorry, Roxie.” Head down, she bent to grab plates from under the counter. When Roxie caught her arm, she froze.
“Look. I get this is all new and that it’s only day two for you,” Roxie said, hushed yet authoritative. “But as my employee, I expect you to not only show up on time, which you didn’t, but when you’re here, to be focused and attentive. Which you’re not. That includes greeting customers when they walk in and actually taking their orders.” Roxie glanced pointedly at Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida as she released Alex’s arm. “If your extracurricular activities happen to leave you sleep-deprived and floating around in la-la land, that is not my problem. I expect you to show up, work, and not waste my time and money by daydreaming. Got it?”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Roxie?” a low voice interrupted.
Not taking her eyes off Alex, Roxie said, “First off, Quinn, you don’t work here. So use the front door like every other paying customer. Second, just like every other customer, you have no right being behind the counter.” She turned to glare at him. “Third, this is between me and my employee and, frankly, none of your goddamn business.”
“What the hell crawled up your ass, Rox?”
“Go. Away.”
As they continued to hiss at each other, Alex shut her eyes.
Breathe. Just breathe.
Her anxiety spiked. She knew she was wasting space today. While Roxie’s anger was adding to Alex’s distress, it wasn’t the cause. The only thing her mind could focus on was the song. That damned, static-filled hint of a song that had teased her from the other end of the line.
“Take my hand. Take my whole life, too. For I can’t help falling in love with you.”
Her chest tightened.
She couldn’t breathe!
Inhale. Exhale. Just breathe, dammit!
“Alex?”
She startled when Quinn touched her arm. Her eyes flew open, and she stifled a scream. She slammed her hands over her mouth.
“Sorry,” she whispered. Concern had the skin between his brows crinkling. Tears welled in her eyes. “Sorry, Quinn,” she repeated, struggling to regain her composure.
He held her face with gentle hands and tilted her head up so she could meet his gaze. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
She blinked back her tears and concentrated on the warmth of his hands, the calm gray of his eyes, and his steady breathing. Miraculously, her nerves began to settle.
“Ahem.”
Her attention flew to Roxie, and she grimaced. If someone looked upannoyed-borderline-pissedin the dictionary, they would find Roxie.
With Quinn’s hands still framing her face, she tried to pull away.
