Take Three (The Jilted Bride #2)(21)
Silence.
Everyone in the restaurant stared at her. I heard a straw drop to the ground.
Rachel got down on her knees and knelt in a prayer position.
“Forgive them father,” she whispered. “They know not what they do.”
I give up…
Lola adjusted my name tag and swept a lint roller across the brim of my hat. She hummed the refrain of Frank Sinatra’s “The Coffee Song,” and looked me over a few times before deciding I looked like the perfect Autumn Wonder employee.
“And don’t forget to wear the most important part of our uniform, the smile!” she smiled widely and blinked, waiting for me to smile back.
Can I tell her that I’m the CEO right now? This is getting ridiculous…
“Look! It’s your very first customer!” she whispered and pointed to an elderly woman who was making her way into the store. “Good luck, Ethan! I believe in you!”
The elderly woman approached the counter and looked up at the menu board. “I just want a regular cup of coffee. None of that fancy stuff. How much is that?”
“Four dollars, ma’am.”
“Four dollars! For one cup? Are you crazy! I can buy a whole bag for that price!”
“Well ma’am, it’s—”
“Ma’am, you probably can buy a regular bag of coffee for four dollars,” Lola rushed around to the woman and handed her a cup, “but it won’t taste half as good as ours. Why don’t you try this out for free? Then come back tomorrow and let me know how it tasted.”
“Well, alright...Thank you, doll!”
No wonder we’re not making enough money!
As soon as the woman walked out, I sighed. “We give free coffee to anyone who complains about the price?”
“No, we—Shhh, there’s another customer.”
A man wearing an “I love Arkansas” shirt, clearly a tourist, walked over to the bakery glass and looked over the pies.
“I’ve never heard of a cherry bourbon pie before,” he said. “The tag here says this is the best cherry bourbon pie in all of Arkansas, is that true?”
“Yes sir,” I pulled out the pie and placed it on the counter. “This is the best—”
“No it’s not,” Lola snatched the pie from me and placed it back behind the glass. “I don’t want to lie to you sir. The best cherry bourbon pie is two miles down at a bakery called Sweet Seasons. It’s absolutely phenomenal! One slice will change your life!”
WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING?
“It’s that good?” he looked like he didn’t believe her.
“Trust me! If this is your first time in Arkansas, and you want the best pie our state has to offer, go there right away.”
“Well, thank you for your honesty,” he smiled and walked out.
“We just lost more money,” I tried to remain calm.
“I know.”
“The purpose of a business is to make money, not lose money. And I’m pretty sure—actually I’m one hundred percent sure, that the company handbook doesn’t say anything about hand delivering your customers to a competitor!”
“I’m sorry,” she folded her arms. “Are you the manager?”
Don’t blow your cover…
“No. No, I am not the manager.”
“Really? Well, are you the head baker?”
“No. I’m not.”
“That’s right,” she nodded her head. “You are a coffee barista and a green apron barista at that! You haven’t even earned the black expertise apron! You—”
“You know what? I’m sorry. I was clearly out of line and—”
“You do not want to get on my spicy side, Ethan Reynolds! I can turn into a pretty heated pumpkin spice latte!”
What! Is she on DRUGS?
She continued. “I don’t care how many times you’ve read that company handbook! If a customer comes in and ever asks for an honest opinion about sour cream apple pie, mile high chocolate pie, or cherry bourbon pie, I’m going to tell them the truth. And the truth is, Sweet Seasons’ pies are a whole lot better!”
“May I ask why that’s the case?”
“No! You can go over there and sort out the coffee beans for the mid-day rush!” she stormed off.
“Don’t worry man,” the head baker patted my shoulder and laughed. “She’s like that with everyone, it’s not just you.”
“Right…Well, can you tell me why our cherry bourbon pie isn’t as good as—”
“Sweet Seasons?” he smiled. “I love that place! I take my lunch breaks over there, but don’t tell Lola...Anyway, what do you think are the two key ingredients in a cherry bourbon pie?”
“Cherries and bourbon?”
“Exactly. That’s why,” he picked up a tray and I followed him into the kitchen. “In our pies, we use canned cherries and bourbon syrup. Sweet Seasons picks their cherries from the farmer’s market, and they use real bourbon.”
“Ethan! Why aren’t the coffee beans being sorted?” Lola screamed.
When it was time for my lunch break, I drove over to Sweet Seasons. I needed to know what all the rage was about.