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.?