Page 60 of Apparently, I’m A B!tch

Shawn groaned at hearing the sound and we both looked up to take in the sixth person we would have to serve. It was Nikki.

Shawn’s intake of breath and the way he reached up to grip my shoulder should’ve pushed me into doing something, but I was glued to the spot. The customer in front of me wrestled her wrap from my grip as I held it in the air in front of her. The next person walked up and eyed me as if he knew he were about to start speaking to a brick wall.

She ignored my texts, and sent me straight to voicemail each time I tried to call her, and now she was here to see her parents.

But would she talk to me? Would she hear me out?

I’d do anything to steal a minute of her time. I needed another chance. We had too much between us to throw it away over something that could be resolved with a single conversation.

Nikki’s glance held all the distaste she had for my shop, and as she met my stare it was as if her eyes were slicing through me. She was still angry, that much was sure, and I almost expected her to walk straight to my counter and yell at me. Instead, she went to the booth that housed Lilly and her parents, and yelled at them.

Lilly pushed herself up and out of the booth, said something to Nikki, and pulled on her hand as if begging her. Nikki’s mother kept shaking her head. Lilly shook Nikki’s arm and pleaded, forcing a nod from Nikki that made her straighten, do a little jump and clap her hands.

When Lilly came back to the counter, she made eye contact with me and nudged her head toward the booth, mouthing, “Nikki’s parents.”

Despite already knowing who they were, dread gripped me all the same, slamming itself into my chest and knocking me back. I stared at my three seated customers with wide eyes and an open mouth. Shawn elbowed me in the ribs as the last customer snippily took hold of his coffee and left while grumbling under his breath.

“If you go over there with free coffee and food, man, they’ll love you.”

Lilly nodded. “That’s a good idea. Free food is always a good way to smooth things over.”

I shook my head. “No way. There’s no way they don’t hate me, guys.”

“Nah, they’re probably used to guys trying to bang Nikki. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Lilly reached over to whack Shawn in the chest. “Why are you so gross? Ugh.” She looked at me with kindness, her earlier anger forgotten. “It can’t hurt to try. She probably hasn’t told them much about what happened.”

My shoulders slumped, but Lilly made sense. Why would she tell them about our almost date? It wasn’t as if Nikki went around telling family members about her dating life, even if on this occasion it involved me.

I nodded, letting Shawn and Lilly put together a tray of shaabiyat, muffins, cakes and tarts while I made three coffees. One cappuccino, one espresso, and Nikki’s usual double shot latte. I hoped her parents would be moved by the fact that I still remembered their coffee orders. Like their daughter’s, their preferences were ingrained into my memory.

Lilly went back to the table and ceremoniously slid the tray of goods in front of them while Nikki shook her head as her parents oohed and aahed. I took a breath, held their to-go cups stacked between my hands, and went to the booth.

I cleared my throat and said, “Here’s a few coffees for the table.”

Lilly left as soon as I showed up, not even trying to disguise the fact that she was leaving me alone with Nikki and her parents. Nikki stared stonily down at the tabletop while her parents looked up and spoke to me.

“This is free, too?” her father asked.

I nodded. “Uh, yes.”

Her mother peered at me through narrowed slits. “Tristan? Is you, isn’t it?”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Hi, Emi.”

“It is you!” She shuffled out of the bench and gathered me into a hug. “How could I forget that handsome face? Look at you.” She turned to Nikki and pointed at my chest. “Look at him.”

Nikki leaned against the booth, almost hiding underneath the table. It was easy to tell she was embarrassed; her face and neck were redder than that time we fell asleep on the roof of her apartment complex after drinking homemade mojitos.

“I can see him, Mama.”

Her mother clucked her tongue. “Knowing you, you don’t look hard enough.” She turned back to me and I fought to keep from laughing. “Sit with us.”

“I’m sorry, Emi. I can’t. I’ve got the shop to run.”

“Ah, so you bought this place and made all the changes Nikki hates. I remember her complaining about that.”

“Ma!” Nikki’s North Chicago lilt snuck out with her indignation and I couldn’t help myself. I laughed.