Page 21 of Get to You
I take her in. Her pin straight black hair falls across the front of her shoulders stopping just above her breasts. Anna is model thin. She comes from a family with "old money" and appearance is something she takes very seriously.
It's rare that I feel intimidated by her looks, but I do today. I guess I've never wanted someone to notice me. I'm being ridiculous. I'm acting drastically out of character for a guy, purely because I am more comfortable around Beau than any other man. He doesn’t belong to me, even if it makes him feel special to me.
I hear his steps behind me slow as I get closer to the desk. I smile at Anna before rounding the cash register to grab his bag.
I make my way to where he's stopped, "Here you go." He takes the bag from me and peeks inside. "I just realized I need to interview her first, so it could be awhile before we get to the taste testing.” I look up at him, under the brim of his hat to meet his eyes, “You don't need to stick around. I can use a few of my regulars as guinea pigs." I keep my voice light, like it’s no big deal, which it shouldn't be.
Beau looks around the store. We're not too busy this time of the day. It's too late for the lunch crowd and too early for the after-work people.
"I have a few minutes," he says quietly. I'm surprised he's not leaving.
"Ah okay. Why don't we grab a seat over there? She should be here any minute," he nods. We walk over to the soft, old sofa with two empty chairs angled in front of it, and low table that separates the grouping. I place the papers on the table as Jude walks over to us and extends his hand out to Beau.
"Hey, I'm Jude." he says shaking Beau's hand.
"Beau. How’s it going?" Jude shrugs and smiles as he takes a seat near the middle of the sofa, leaving me to sit closer than I normally would. I look over at him with a frown. What's he up to? "You want me to sit over there, till you're ready for your guinea pig?" Beau asks.
I shake my head, "No it's fine. I'll just mostly watch too. Whomever we hire will be working closely with Jude." I gesture to the man seating next to me, "So it's him that'll do most of the interviewing."
Beau nods his understanding. He sits in one of the empty chairs and looks back and forth between Jude and me. An uncomfortable silence lasts a few moments before a tall girl with blue hair walks over to our awkward group.
"Hey Jude," she says and giggles at her overused joke.
Jude rolls his dark blues eyes, "Molly, this is Sam the owner." I stand and shake her hand then introduce Beau.
"This is Beau he'll be helping us determine how well you can handle the drink station." Molly smiles and takes a seat in the only empty chair.
Jude runs through her work history and asks if she'd be comfortable being at the store at night. She's an acquaintance of his; there's some familiarity when they speak.
Soon, she and Jude stand.
Jude asks Beau, "Is there something special you'd like to try?"
Beau shakes his head no, "Anything's fine." Jude rubs his hands together as he gets that twinkle back in his eyes. He and Molly move behind the drink area. I see him explaining a few things about the vintage machinery before they get started.
Jude is twenty-five and has a degree in art history. In truth, he is seriously overqualified. He started working here after he got tired of working in a museum after a few years. He hated how lonely he got at work. He's definitely a people person and has brought the coffee cart into a serious money-making enterprise. I don’t know what I would do without all his great work.
"Is he your partner?" I shake my head, but Beau’s question gives me an idea.
"No, but maybe I need to change our arrangement." If Jude had more of a vested interest in the store, maybe he'd stick around. I look over at Beau, his lips are in a tight line.
"Arrangement?" He sounds bothered.
"Yeah, I was just thinking if I made him part-owner, at least in the coffee portion of the store, he'd stick around." I muse out loud. “He’s honestly too overqualified to just make coffee.”
Beau clears his throat drawing my attention again, "Is he quitting?"
"I don't think so, but Mark has to be done with his residency soon."
"Mark?" He prompts
"Jude's---" I tilt my head trying to indicate silently what I mean. I don’t want to out him in the store. I continue to answer, “He doesn’t share much about his personal life. He has a huge following, and they would lose it if they knew he was taken.” I tut and wave my hand in front of my face, "I usually possess a much better filter." I laugh quietly at myself.
"I like how you say what's on your mind," there is a sweetness in his voice which makes me look closer at him.
A question leaves my mouth before I can rethink it.
"Why do you always wear that hat?" He seems taken back by my question but doesn't have time to form a response as Jude and Molly walk up.
