Hell. She抯 found my grandfather抯 trophies梐 ghost from his time in this seat that I never had the heart to take down梕ven if I抦 not particularly fond of his big game trophies.
?is that real ivory? Holy hell. Don抰 tell me you抮e a poacher on top of everything else??
Everything else? What did I do besides bark shit at her in the store?
Damn, I knew this wouldn抰 be easy.
I抳e only known this woman for ten minutes while she berated me in my own coffee shop, and this joke of an interview isn抰 starting off much better.
I try to soften my glare, nearly biting my tongue off.
揗y late grandfather抯 touch. They were mounted to the wall almost sixty years ago and never removed. Times were different then. Rest assured, chasing exotic animals isn抰 my thing. I抳e donated millions to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.?I don抰 even know why I offer up that last part.
揝ixty years, huh??
Yeah. I stare through her.
She thinks she抯 an untouchable coffee badass, all because she roasted a decent brew?
This place oozes history across generations.
揑 suspect you already know Wired Cup started with my great-great-grandfather, Winslow Lancaster, back when it was Noble Bean. We抳e been in this city for almost a hundred years棓
揥ow. Did gramps have a trophy wife to go along with his dead animals? I guess you had to come from somewhere…？
The mouth on her.
My eyes snap to her plush lips, far too aware of how tightly they purse when she looks at me.
Oh, hell. I shouldn抰 be so hard, but my body isn抰 used to such lip or having it come from a spitfire who looks like this.
The things I could do to shut her up in another time and place…
揊or the record, the first endangered species didn抰 come out until 1967棓
揧eah, good excuse,?she interrupts. 揑 hunt puppy dogs and string their teeth since they抮e not endangered.?
Looks like I didn抰 need my executive assistant or someone from HR to stay. I should have had someone from security sit in on the off chance she抯 serious. This chick seems more psychotic by the second.
揜eally? I suppose that explains the weekly missing dog posters I see tacked up in my shops then,?I tell her, pulling at my tie.
Her face falls.
揑 was joking. Prick,?she adds under her breath.
揘o need to make my dead grandfather part of your comedy routine. He抯 been gone for twelve years.?
揑抦 sorry. I didn抰 realize棓
揥hat? That stuck-up princes have feelings and families??I drum my fingers against my desk.
She抯 quiet for a few heady seconds, and I wonder if she抯 about to get up and walk out.
揧eah, that. I guess.?She pauses and looks down before meeting me with those big brown eyes again. 揝orry, can we try again??
Can we?
At least she抯 honest and able to apply brakes to that attitude.
揧es. If you抣l start by telling me where you learned to make coffee like that concentrate you left in my store.?
She folds her arms and leans forward.
揑 could tell you, but…that抯 kind of my ace in the hole, isn抰 it? The whole reason you invited me in? I抦 not sure why I should give up my source so easily…？
I swallow my frustration. My eyes are locked on hers and that smug little half smile.
揇o you know how job interviews typically work, Miss Angelo? I ask questions, and you answer. Preferably with ten times less snark.?
She nods slowly. 揧eah, but I抳e never had an interview with a man who stole my intellectual property before we even agreed to meet.?
Stole? Has she talked to an IP attorney?
揑抦 not asserting any claim to ownership, even if your drink was negligently left on my property. I never cross certain ethical lines, whether you choose to believe me or not. You抣l be fairly compensated梘enerously compensated, in fact梖or any IP we agree to license or buy outright from you.?
She looks at me for a tense second and then bursts into a fit of laughter.
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.?