Page 19 of Christmas Coffee

Nova

Inearly slip and fall on my ass as my heel loses traction on a patch of ice outside the shack. My arms flap wildly as I catch my balance. Heart pounding harder, I knock on the little door on the side of the shack. A handsome young man pushes the door open. He smiles broadly at me. He’s wearing a sweater under an expensive wool coat, paired with jeans and boots.

He reaches out and holds the door open, gesturing for me to come in. “Hi! You must be Nova. Great to meet you.”

I return his smile and slip past him, careful not to snag my heel in a hole in the top step. “Thank you. It’s great to be here.” That’s when I notice I’m overdressed. Compared to him, I look like I belong in an office and not a little shed in the parking lot. My lips tug into a tight nervous smile as butterflies swirl in my stomach. This place is so small that it’s hard not to bump into him or the counters.

“Please, sit down.” He holds out his hand to a set of folding chairs that are crammed between the two counters.

It’s not escaped my notice that I’m trapped and can’t leave with him blocking the door. I don’t like that, but I have pepper spray in my purse. I’ll use it if I have to. I scold myself for being so paranoid. This is a Bardenbey company. They don’t lure young women into trailers to do nefarious things. I force myself to breathe as I take a seat. The blonde man sits opposite me.

“I’m Quin. I’m helping the owner select his management today.” Quin goes on about the company, confirms it’s part of Bardenbey, and tells me all about the job. I’d need to work long hours on my feet, be willing to do inventory, spreadsheets, reports, and nightly deposits. The owner will look over purchase orders but I’m the one writing them up after he shows me how he wants it done. I’m getting the importance of doing things the boss’s way. Quin is making that very clear.

He stops talking suddenly and his cheek pulls up on one side as he chews the tip of his pen and eyes me. “Normally there would be three rounds of interviews and you’d start in three weeks if you were given the job. With things the way they are, we’re in a bit of a time crunch so my decision is the final decision. You’ll find out today, before you leave, if you’ve got the job or not.”

That makes my heart pound harder. I want the job. “Awesome.” I clench my hands in my lap and try not to wring my sweaty palms. I try to look cool, confident. “I can start right away and work holidays. That’s no problem at all. In fact, I take a lot of pride in my work. I’m neat, proficient, and know how important it is to do things the requested way. I’m a team player and I work hard. You’ll be glad you hired me.” There I said it. I keep the loose smile on my lips as I stare him down. I’ve gotten jobs I was utterly unqualified to have using this speech. It’s the last part that’s tricky. If my tone is off or my facial expressions are too tight, it comes across as arrogant. No one hires a bitchy chick. I need to walk the line between confident and arrogant, which lands me on the intelligent and eager tightrope. Staying there until the guy makes up his mind is tricky.

Quin has his hand on his chin. It means he’s making a decision about me and I feel like there’s a barrier, a concern he hasn’t voiced about me. I prompt him, “It seems like you’re considering something. Why don’t you ask me? I don’t offend easily and it seems like you have a question that needs answering. Ask me, Quin.”

The man laughs and his hand drops from his face. “Okay, you caught me. I’m not sure how well you’ll fit in with the personality of the shop. It’s a fun, hip place. There are uniforms that are quirky. It’s part of the marketing plan. You seem so neat and pulled together that I can’t really imagine you in this place at all, never mind as a manager.”

Shit. He’s deciding against me. Why did I wear a suit? Increasing the wattage on my smile, I relax my shoulders a little more so that I’m almost slouching and brush the arrogance third rail as I reply. “That’s a valid concern. Hiring the right people makes all the difference in whether a business succeeds or fails. I’ll tell you why your coffee house will be better with me in charge. I’m a hard worker, I’m adaptable, and I make sure every customer feels like the only customer. Repeat business is what makes or breaks a place like this. I’ll keep them coming back.”

“How?” He folds his arms over his chest and leans back in the little plastic chair.

My pulse is pounding in my ears. I’m making shit up, saying anything I think sounds good to convince this guy that I’m his girl, that I can kick anyone else’s ass in sales and productivity. We smile, laugh, and things take a turn when I tell him about my last job. “I don’t usually dress like this. I know they say dress to impress and the other coffee shops have a very elegant air to them, hence the suit and heels.”

Quin laughs lightly in agreement and nods. “Yeah, the suit threw me a little bit, but you’ve convinced me. If you can live up to the hype—”

I steel my voice and interrupt, “I can surpass it.”

He grins. “Fuck, I can’t argue with that. You’re hired.” His hand juts forward for mine we shake pretty firmly before he adds, “Welcome to the Hottie Hut.”