揥hat now??I bite off.
揧ou should have seen the look on your face. You were all棓 She forms her mouth into an 搊h?and presses a palm to each cheek. 揧ou looked like the kid from Home Alone.?
Badger witch.
揂re you done with playground insults? Hell, I called you in to let you know I抦 not holding our personal tiff against you梣uite the contrary.?
揑t wasn抰 personal,?she throws back.
I blink at her. 揥hat the hell would you call it then??
She rolls her eyes and gives me a tired look. 揑 was annoyed at the way you treated an employee. If you want me to work for you, Lancaster, that rocky start isn抰 personal. It抯 a harbinger of things to come.?
I glare at her, trying to understand.
She sighs. 揑f you always talk to hardworking baristas like that, then you抣l talk to me the same way. But I抦 not Wayne. I don抰 have a sick mother whose meds I desperately need to cover, so I won抰 put up with any crap. If I hate it here, I抦 gone. I抎 rather wind up homeless than deal with a bosshole. No big deal when I already hang out there anyway.?
My brain tingles with questions like the pinprick pain after taking a blow to the face.
揃reathe, Miss Angelo. I抦 no bosshole, so you can relax. Not most of the time, anyway,?I growl.
Her eyes go to the ceiling like she抯 holding in more crap.
揚rove it.?
揗y employees are like family. Ask any of them. You don抰 even know me,?I say, though I抦 already feeling like what she called me. Bosshole.
And did she say that guy抯 working to pay for his mom抯 medicine? What kind of short-fused jackass am I, making him fear for his job?
Of course, I didn抰 really do anything, though.
The coffee sucked and I told him. I also made it clear that it wasn抰 his fault.
She shrugs. 揊amily? Wow, you抮e serious, aren抰 you? I抳e never had a cup of coffee with 抐amily?who berated me for it being as exciting as iced water.?
I frown.
揧ou probably also don抰 pay your family an average of eighteen dollars an hour to make your coffee. Wayne was never singled out梐nd again, his job is perfectly secure. When my own daughter has room for improvement, I point it out. Doesn抰 mean I don抰 care about her. It just means she can do better梐nd so can this company.?
揟hat makes a little sense. Still, I抦 not sure I want to be contractually obligated to do better and answer to your attitude. So, you might want to consider that before this goes any further...?
The way she leans forward presses that flannel against her chest.
It抯 pure hell keeping my gaze bolted to the challenge in her eyes, and not skipping down to her tits.
揧ou realize I抦 the boss, right??I ask quietly.
揧ou realize I haven抰 signed anything??
Touch?
Maybe I should just buy the existing recipe for a soul-crushing sum and send her on her merry way. She抯 a firecracker, and the one I already have in my life still has to draw the line because I put a roof over her head.
Steepling my fingers, I try to cough up one last ounce of patience to deal with this woman without another screaming match. 揇o you have other coffees like that drink I found??
揕ike what??
揕ike the campfire scorched brew,?I say.
揙h, I have tons of recipes. They抮e all filed away for when I come back to them later or finally have a reason to put them to good use. What are you looking for??she asks, caution in her tone.
Fuck. The way she hints at a litany of flavors means I do need her in my lab.
揂 new taste to put the spark back in Wired Cup, Miss Angelo,?I say sharply, not giving a damn whether she finds the pun cheesy or not. 揟hat抯 why you抮e here today. If you抮e formally hired, your friend will get the bonus he was promised, and you抣l get an additional sign-on bonus as well, for starters.?
She shrugs. 揈h, you can give mine to Wayne. If I take the job, that is, but I抦 not convinced yet that working for you would be worth it.?
My hand balls into a fist.
How is it this girl struts in here and bothers to pretend she cares about this interview when money clearly doesn抰 move her?
揥hy are you so intent on helping Mr. Wayne? Is he your boyfriend??And why do I suddenly get this jealous inkling in my blood? This urge to send Wayne packing to an Oregon store with his mother抯 needs taken care of? Somewhere far away from Badger girl?
揌e抯 my friend. He critiques my coffee. Also, he needs it more than I do.?
揅ritique? I thought you didn抰 need to do better??I bite off.
揥ell, his feedback is a lot different from yours. He knows coffee about as well as I do,?she says matter-of-factly.
I roll my eyes, a habit I must have picked up from Destiny.
揥e own a significant chunk of the finest volcanic soil for growing coffee across seven different countries. Why do you keep saying I don抰 know my bean??I demand, leaning forward.
揃ecause. There was nothing wrong with the cup Wayne made that you had such a problem with.?
揑 told you, it wasn抰 his fault. It also wasn抰 anything to write home about,?I snarl.
揑 mean...the people who pop into Wired Cup for a pickup order aren抰 looking to rave about their handcrafted coffee, right? They just need a fresh cup to stay awake.?
Again, she puts our whole brand into words I wish weren抰 accurate.
揂nd I抦 hoping you can help change that.?
揑 can,?she says flippantly. 揃ut do I want to??
I glare, hating that I like her confidence.
揗y coffee would shake up your brand. But I haven抰 said I抣l let it. And there抯 one more thing you should know if you think you want me to work for you...?She trails off.
揥hat抯 that? Don抰 leave me in suspense.?
揑抳e thought it over and I抦 just not fit to work in an office. I抦 too stir-crazy. I can抰 handle being hunched over spreadsheets in a cubicle, even if you pay me in solid gold.?
揧ou抮e a VA. Isn抰 it the same kind of work??
She narrows her eyes at me. 揌ow did you know that??
揇estiny looked you up online to help me prepare for the interview. I also had my executive assistant pull your background.?
揥hatever. Well, VAs do that work, but for me, it抯 only temporary and always remote. And part-time. I have a short attention span for screens. If it isn抰 coffee, I抦 easily bored.?She looks away and sighs before meeting my eyes again. 揟o you, I抦 sure that抯 a huge flaw. To me, it抯 normal.?
I lean back in my chair, swiveling away slightly as I catch the tiny hint of worry that creases her face the longer I抦 silent.
揝o it抯 a problem棓 she starts, but I cut her off.
揧ou don抰 need to worry about that here, Miss Angelo. You抣l be getting your hands dirty exclusively in the lab.?
揕ab??she echoes.
揟he research and development department is in the basement of this very building. They have a state-of-the-art laboratory set up, complete with a mock storefront to see how practical roasts are for the retail shops.?
She gasps.
Goddamn. Why does that sound have my fingers grasping the edge of my desk, shocked by how sexual it seems in my ears?
揥ait. You want me to work in an actual lab, trying out new brews all day, and...you抣l pay me for that??Her voice goes low, quiet, suspicious.
I relax, swiveling to face her again.
Now that I抳e got her attention...
揂 hundred and twenty-five thousand to start. Based on your experience, you抎 qualify for a little more than our average senior development technician,?I say.
The amber shimmer in her eyes when they catch the light annoys me, the dreams flaring in those wide, soulful eyes. I can抰 peel my gaze off her, dammit.
She mouths the number to herself again, her eyes going wide.
揤ery funny. Now what抯 the catch??she asks.
揅atch??I repeat.