How (Not) to Fall in Love(24)

He dipped his head. “Not as long as Liz.”

“Uh-huh. You figured it out right away, didn’t you?” I accused, narrowing my eyes.

He shrugged and took another long drink, but when he lowered his cup his lips twitched like he was biting back a smile.

“I’m not sure what to do.” I glanced at the TV screen again. Liz was talking and laughing with the reading couple. The girls had resumed their board game.

Lucas frowned. “If you do take the job, Liz isn’t going to let you fail. She’ll be here to help you and train you. And I’m usually around, too, if the machine explodes or something.” He brushed back his hair and grinned.

I stared into my mug. Liz’s shop was like nothing else in my life. Peaceful. Mellow. Fun. When I was here I forgot about all the other crap. Plus my uncle worked just a few doors down and I really wanted to get to know him better.

And Magic Hands would be on speed-dial.

“You’re probably right.” I took a deep breath and stood up. “Time for my trial run.”

Lucas stood up, too. “I need to go. I’ve got a lot of homework.”

“Where do you go to school?” I asked. He seemed older than the guys at Woodbridge.

“CU Denver. Engineering school.”

Holy hotness, a college boy. Sal would totally freak. “Oh,” I managed to say. “That’s cool.”

“It’s my first year there. Last year I went to a community college because it was cheaper, but this year I transferred to CU.” He shrugged. “It’s intense but I’m doing okay.”

I nodded wordlessly.

“Knock ’em dead, Darcy.” He shot me another killer smile. “I’ll see you around.” He flipped me a peace sign, then disappeared through the curtains.

I didn’t know what it was about him. Nobody had ever affected me with such intensity. If hotness was an app, Lucas would be a bestseller.

Bella was a beast. A shiny, noisy, scary beast. She belched steam and spewed burning liquid. She terrified me.

“Baby steps,” Liz said. “Let’s start with an espresso.” She ground coffee beans and filled the filter cup, grinding and pushing with a metal tamper until the grounds were tightly packed.

“Here.” She handed me a long black handle attached to the silver filter cup. “Slide and lock it into place.”

I slid. I tried to lock it into place, but instead I dropped it, and fine grounds of espresso flew everywhere. “Crap. I’m sorry.” I bit my lip. Inhale calm. Exhale stress.

Liz grinned. “You should’ve seen the mess I made my first day battling Miss Bella. Let’s do it again.”

And so we did. Grind, tamp, slide, lock. Steam, release, magic! Hot steaming espresso filled the tiny china cup under the spout.

“You did it!” Liz high-fived me and laughed. “One down, a million to go.”

We spent a long time together behind the counter. I watched her like a hawk, trying to memorize all the steps needed to make a latte, an Americano, a cappuccino.

I served tea and pastries and worked the register. I met some of the regulars, whose faces lit up when they discovered I was Charlie’s niece. I tried to make up for my Bella incompetence by cleaning every cup and utensil the second it hit the sink. I bussed and cleaned tables before Liz even noticed they were dirty. I played Candyland with two little girls while their mom talked to Liz. I refilled the tea racks every fifteen minutes until Liz told me to take a chill pill.

I was the embodiment of Thoughtful! Responsible! Initiative! It was the best time I’d had in forever.

At ten o’clock, after everyone had packed up their knitting and laptops and said good night, Liz locked the door. She sank onto one of the couches and sighed. “Busy night.” She yawned.

I stacked up board games and put them on a shelf.

“Sit down, Darcy.”

I sat across from her and smiled tentatively, wondering how I’d compared to the other applicants. I looked around the shop, imagining working here regularly, daring to hope I would be.

“I know it’ll take me a little more time to learn Bella,” I said. Understatement of the century. “But I promise I’ll work very hard. I’ll do anything. Even clean the bathroom.” I’d learned how to wield a toilet bowl brush, since we no longer had a housekeeping service.

Liz looked at me intently, not smiling. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “There have been three total applicants—a guy who cranked death metal and scared away my customers, a girl with a permanent sneer and an inability to make change to save her life, and you.”

Her face blossomed into one of her cosmic smiles. “No contest, Darcy. The job is yours. Can you start this week?”

“No way. I mean, yes! Of course!” I wanted to hug her but didn’t want to freak her out.

“Good. Call me tomorrow after school and we can figure out this week’s schedule.” She rose from the couch. “Thank God you were the best applicant.”

“Why?”

“Because it would’ve broken Charlie’s heart if I didn’t hire you. But this was a business decision.” She smiled down at me. “You showed an excellent work ethic and you treated my customers with kindness, even the kids. I’d be stupid not to hire you.”

“Thank you, Liz. I promise I won’t let you down.” I stood up and put out a hand to shake.