Chapter 3: Counter Conversations

The need to keep Finn and I’s relationship a secret was the hardest thing I’d ever done. At first, it had started as casual flirting, nothing that either of us even realized was anything more. That was, until we got to hang out alone and talk more. We realized then how strong those feelings really were.

But we couldn’t just start blatantly dating, openly holding hands and kissing in public. Finn and I agreed from the start that we’d keep our relationship a secret in order to avoid any unwanted questions and from being judged.

Finn and I weren’t supposed to date, because we didn’t have the same Mark. We weren’t fated to be together.

“Evie, honey, I’m glad you look happy, but I’m going to need you to step it up.” I heard my mother, Candace, and snapped out of my thoughts.

She stood right next to me and her red hair fell out of its messy bun on top of her head as she washed her hands at the sink.

“We got a slew of new customers after the party yesterday, so I’m gonna need you to help with the coffee making while I handle the register and pastries.” She didn’t even wait for my answer before she headed over to take the orders of the customers that were already waiting. I knew it wasn’t a question though, it was an order. After all, she also happened to be my boss.

I stopped taking my time drying dishes and made my way over to the coffee station. I jumped right into making the orders that had suddenly popped up.

I was laser focused on getting order after order out, until finally I was on the last drink: our very popular butter pecan latte.

“Excuse me?” A familiar voice came from behind me.

It was Caleb, dressed in a blue t-shirt. His wavy black hair covered most of his forehead. He’d had some kind of gel in his hair at the engagement party to keep it out of his face, so I almost didn’t recognize him. But I noticed those eyes immediately. They were wide with recognition as they met mine.

“Oh, hey, it’s Evie, right?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I wanted to say more, but it was like my brain stalled. I attempted to hide my inability to say more by continuing to work on the latte. My heart grew weak at my embarrassingly awkward reaction. It didn’t help that the last time he’d seen me was when he’d noticed my dress riding too high up after coming back from being with Finn. I didn’t even know how to look at him without being embarrassed.

“Ah, so now I know why you name-dropped this place to me yesterday. I’m sure you went around to everyone at the party, since it’s so packed in here right now.”

“Actually,” I started, filling a cup with ice. “I only pitched it to people who chose to drop our famous lemon bars on the ground instead of actually eating them.”

He laughed, and the sound brought an uncontrollable smile to my face. I poured the latte over the ice, put a lid on, and glanced at the name I’d need to call out. I stalled. Of course.

I turned back around to Caleb, whose smile still lingered as I placed the coffee in front of him. “I believe this is yours.”

“Thank you, and I’ll have you know I actually ordered a lemon bar, too.” He held up one of our small white to-go bags. “So now you actually get my money for this.”

“You’ll have to let me know how it is, I slaved over them this morning.” I glanced back at the order screen, but saw it empty now. It seemed like our tiny rush was over.

Caleb took a sip of the latte right there at the counter, and his eyebrows raised. “Woah. That’s amazing.”

I shrugged my shoulders, but I always loved when people tried that latte, and especially when I was the one who made it.

“Thank you, it’s been a favorite on the menu for years.”

Caleb nodded, taking another sip. “So, you’ve worked here a while, then?”

“You could say that,” I said, and when he just gave me a questioning look, I continued. “My last name is plastered everywhere, so I’ve practically been working here since I was legally able to. And honestly, sometimes before even then, just because I loved baking with my mom in the mornings.”

“Ah,” recognition dawned on Caleb’s face. “Now it makes even more sense why you tried to get my business.”

“Yeah, my parents want me to start getting our name out there some more, so I took my chance. Now they can’t say I never brought in any customers.”

“Well, I’m happy to be of service,” he replied. The moment fell silent, and we both just looked at each other. Realizing how awkward this probably looked (even though it felt completely normal somehow), I cleared my throat, wanting any noise to fill in the silence.

“So,” I began, busying myself with organizing the flavored syrups, “Finn told me you just moved here recently from the Midwest? How’s that been?”

Caleb leaned forward on the counter, making himself comfortable. “It’s been strange. Strange, and amazing. For one thing, you guys don’t seem to have to worry about spring weather switching from snow to sunny within a few days, which is great.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely a plus,” I replied.

“Do you know of any cool stories that have happened around here? Like throughout history or even a lot more recently?” He asked, his eyes still on me.

I finished lining up all the syrups for the third time, and realized since it had slowed down, I really had nothing pressing to do. I glanced around, making sure my mom had gone back into the office and wouldn’t see me just casually talking instead of finding something to clean. When the coast was clear, I turned back to Caleb.

“I think one of the ‘Transformers’ movies filmed some stuff here, but other than that, Glendale has been pretty calm,” I said. “Why, are you wanting to take a sight-seeing tour since you’re new here or something?”

Caleb downed more of the latte before he answered. “Actually, I kind of make films, and I was trying to think of something cool and local to either make a documentary on or just get some inspiration for another story.”

“Oh, so you’re one of those Hollywood types,” I joked. “Why Arizona, then? Why not head straight to L.A. where all the fuss is? Is it just because Mason’s here?”

Caleb thought for a moment, as if he didn’t know how to answer those questions. “I mean, I knew I was going to be here for a bit just because of the wedding, so I had planned to crash with Mason or someone until I figured out what I wanted to do. L.A seems kind of too big for me right now. I’ve only made a few indie movies with some friends from college, and we’ve submitted some to festivals over here, but nothing yet.”

I expected him to seem disappointed at that fact, but instead he was indifferent. He just continued to sip at his latte. Maybe he was the kind of guy that knew his talent, and didn’t base it off of whether people told him he was enough or not. If so, it was an admirable trait for people to have, and not many people possessed that. I couldn’t help but be intrigued to get to know him more.

“Well,” I said after a moment or two, “I hope you like Glendale while you’re here. It’s really beautiful.”

He stared at me a moment, a hint of a smile on his lips.

I heard a door open behind me, and turned to see my mom bustling out of the office. She did a quick look-around, which I knew by that point meant she was making sure the place wasn’t burning down while it had been left in my care. Satisfied, she came over to me.

“Thanks for the help with that rush, Evie.” She patted me on the back, then saw Caleb. Her eyes found his half-finished latte, which hinted he’d been standing there a while. “And who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Caleb, Mason’s cousin. We met at the party last night. Caleb, this is my mom, and also the owner of this place.”

Caleb stuck out his hand, and my mom took it, shaking gently. “Nice to meet you. It’s a really cool place you have here, and not to mention some great coffee.”

My mom smiled. She always lovingly accepting compliments about the place that she’d put her whole life into. “You too, Caleb. And if you like it that much, there’s always room for us to hire more people to help out, if you’re interested.”

“Mom, stop it,” I muttered under my breath, suddenly embarrassed. She always did this, trying to hire anyone and everyone that stopped at the counter for more than ten seconds. It hadn’t worked out in her favor so far, but I think people can be intimidated to start working in a family-owned and operated business.

But my mom just laughed. “Sorry, I can come off as forceful sometimes when I ask that. If you’re looking for something to do, though, it’s a nice way to get to know the people here, and make some money while doing it.”

A new customer at the register caught my mom’s eye and she smiled at us before heading over to help them. I glanced at Caleb, who didn’t seem disturbed by my mom’s sudden recruitment effort. Instead, he actually looked kind of… inspired.

“Sorry about that,” I said, embarrassment still lingering.

“Don’t worry about it,” Caleb replied. “I actually might take her up on the offer.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, really? I thought you didn’t know if you were staying here long.”

Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know, something just feels right about this town. Maybe I’ll stick around. And it wouldn’t hurt to get some extra money, and maybe hear some stories from locals and get some inspiration for a film.”

“Yeah, cool,” I replied, still kind of stunned my mom’s trick worked. “Well, just come back in and let us know if you decide.”

Caleb finished off his latte. He tossed it and glanced at the clock on the wall behind me. “Will do. Hey, I gotta go, but it was great talking to you. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”

I watched as he left the bakery and started walking down the street. I looked at the clock, and realized how long we’d actually been talking. It hadn’t seemed that long, but maybe he was just that easy to talk to.

As I started to make more incoming drink orders, I found that my thoughts wandered to whether Caleb would stop by again or if he would start working here. I couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of seeing him again, although I had no clue as to why.