All Stars Fall (Seaside Pictures #3.5)(2)

Which meant I had zero time to unpack my stuff. Luckily, I was two doors down so I parked my car, grabbed my purse, and made my way over to the small red and white building.

The door was open, a trend I was noticing in Seaside. Even though it was chilly with the breeze coming off the beach, the doors were always open as if begging people to come strolling in.

I frowned at the tattered screen and pulled open the door. A bell rang overhead. The shop was maybe eight hundred square feet. They had a brand new espresso machine behind the bar and two new MacBook Pros in the corner for customers. A flat screen was placed near a few tables and Judge Judy was playing in the background.

I tried to shove away the disappointment I felt.

I’d moved to find adventure.

And I guess to escape.

And now I was sitting in an empty coffee shop while Judge Judy yelled at some pimple-faced kid for breaking his mom’s window and then suing her for physical harm.

“Hello?” I called out in a loud voice, hoping that Jennifer, the lady I’d talked to, would answer. “Hello?”

“She’s not here,” a voice said from behind the counter. I peeked around the corner. A girl who looked maybe fourteen popped her gum and stared down at her phone. “Went to Subway—likes their bread.”

“Uh-huh.” Seaside? Really? Why not Portland? Seattle? Boise? “I’ll just wait for her then. I’m Penelope. I’m the new—”

The bell rang over the door.

I waited for the teen to get up.

If anything, she seemed even more concerned with her phone.

There was something vaguely familiar about the man that stepped up to the counter. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No.” I waved him off. “Actually I’m supposed to start work here and—” I sent a glare toward the girl still sitting. “—you know what, I’ll just help you, what do you want?”

His eyes raked over me briefly before he gave his head a shake. “Black coffee, three hot chocolates, and advice on how to get gum out of both real and synthetic hair.” His smile was brilliantly white, movie-star level. What was a guy like him doing in Seaside? And I was officially staring a little too hard.

I ducked my head. Great. I just met a gorgeous, probably taken guy and I was willing to bet I smelled like potato chips and diet Coke, not to mention my makeup had completely melted off my face during the drive.

“I’m not sure about the gum, but I think I can help you with everything else.” My voice came out more like a croak than something sexy or even remotely normal, just adding to the embarrassment and total panic now that I faced the machine.

Why had this been a good idea again?

The teen popped her gum behind me.

I gritted my teeth.

I could do this.

Easy.

Cake.

I’d done this a thousand times. I closed my eyes, exhaled, opened them again, and let myself default into barista mode.

Within five minutes, I had all his drinks and was staring down the oldest looking cash register I’d ever seen in my entire life.

Did the thing even work?

“Peanut butter.” Surly teen said from behind me. “Really creamy peanut butter, get it up to the root and start pulling the gum away one hair at a time.” She tapped against the register. “That’ll be seven-fifty.”

He handed her a ten, but locked eyes with me. “Keep the change.”

She flashed him a bored smile, stuffed the extra change into the empty tip jar then walked slower than I thought physically possible back to her stool and slumped over her phone again.

Unbelievable.

The little bell on the door went off as he left and I found myself staring after the teen who still couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge me.

“You’re welcome,” I found myself saying.

Her head didn’t even lift. “Uh-huh.”

That was it. When I had kids, no screen time! They got books and puzzles, nature!

You know, if I didn’t repel men.

Or stare at them slack-jawed like I’d just done.

I was off to a solid start, wasn’t I?

The bell rang, alerting me to another customer.

The lady’s hair was pulled back into a sleek black ponytail. She had four cases of muffins in her hands and narrowed her eyes at me. “Penelope?”

“Oh, thank God, you must be Jennifer?”

“Yes!” she squealed, moving her feet and almost dropping the muffins. The woman looked like she’d stepped out of a yoga studio. You know the type, where their bodies just refuse to age past thirty-five. She looked like a total adult, the kind that even had the matching bra and panties just because she could.

I suddenly felt very insecure about my teal panties and black sports bra under my jersey tank.

I mean, you don’t drive in expensive lingerie.

Not that I would know.

Since I didn’t own any.

I chewed my lower lip.

“Did you just get in?” Jennifer asked, breaking my concentration.

“Yup.” I rocked my weight back on the heels of my Nikes and shoved my hands in my pockets. “I must have gotten confused because I thought I was supposed to meet you today and—”

“Yes, totally my fault. I was stuck in traffic.”

Here? I wanted to ask but kept my mouth shut.