If there was ever a reliable barista grunt, it抯 him.
He does not deserve what he抯 getting.
Just who the hell does this jackass think he is? By the looks of it, he sits in some office and stares at a screen all day. He wouldn抰 know the first thing about making good coffee if it splashed him in his stupidly handsome, growly, grump-face.
He grabs the cup again and sniffs it before passing it to the woman beside him. 揔atelyn, have R & D dig up their files on this drink. I want to see what else they were doing in development, if they ever pinged on anything to spice it up.?
Oh, lovely.
So he抯 one of those guys. All corporate paperwork and prone to getting pissy when reality won抰 conform to models on a screen.
Or maybe he抯 just some district manager douchebag.
I抳e known plenty in my odd jobs over the years. I抳e dated them.
They think they poop diamonds, and that gives them the right to order around the underlings.
It makes me a little sick. It also reminds me why I抣l never take a job answering to any sanctimonious jerkwad ever again. They抮e too delusional for life.
In the grand scheme of things, what抯 a district manager of a second-rate coffee company?
He can抰 hear me thinking out loud, though.
He just slurps the coffee again and says, 揋oddammit. If our summer depends on this, the Mermaid will eat us alive.?
No joke. The big green mermaid is an international chain.
Wired Cup still owns its slice of the West Coast coffee pie, mostly because the Pacific Northwest doesn抰 worship international chains.
揊or the record, I followed the exact recipe,?Wayne says, showing some grit.
I smile across the space at him.
That抯 the style, buddy. Throw it right back.
揇id you??Grumpfather frowns.
揕ike I said, I can do better,?Wayne starts. 揑f you want me to throw together a new one with the customizations we like in the shop, I抣l just棓
揟o hell with your customizations.?Asshat doesn抰 even let him finish. 揧ou抮e one barista in one store in Seattle. The Sumatra roast itself is the backbone, and you can抰 improve on boring, no matter how well you craft drinks. This bean has already been bulk shipped as far as Boise. I doubt it would taste much better anywhere else. Shit is still shit.?
Yikes! The coffee isn抰 that bad.
Squeaky teenager makes a sad hissing sound and shakes her head, flipping her long dirty-blond hair over her face to hide. She drops her book on the table and pulls a phone from her stylish pink purse.
I take that as a cue to grab my own bag and stand.
We抮e done here.
There抯 no way I can focus with this drama flying around, but before I head out, I march up to Coffee Lucifer himself.
揌ey, can I ask you something??I wait until blue-eyed death sees me. 揥hat the hell is your problem??
Wayne抯 jaw drops.
I smile at him. Don抰 worry, buddy. I抳e got your back.
Grumpfather cocks his head, staring down at me like he wishes I抎 drop through the floor.
揇epends. Who the hell抯 asking??
I snort. 揑抎 like to ask you the same question. I抦 just wondering what kind of rich ass-clown gets off on starting his mornings by verbally torturing a barista??
揟he kind who owns the place,?he bites off.
揙h. Right, right, right.?I laugh harshly. This guy thinks he抯 something else, doesn抰 he? Talk about exaggerating your title.
Like the owner of the entire Wired Cup franchise梐 multi-billion-dollar corporation梥hows up in random stores just to grump at people making minimum wage plus tips.
No way.
I抦 sure Mr. CEO has flawlessly pressed espresso served on silver platters, all while lying poolside at some exotic villa, somewhere far, far away from here.
揂re you finished? You don抰 have to self-insert into business that抯 not yours,?he growls.
Somehow, it feels like he grows another inch, towering over me higher with every snappy remark.
揂nd you don抰 have to be a huge jackoff to this barista. The coffee抯 fine. It always is when Wayne抯 at the helm. He抯 easily the best guy here,?I say matter-of-factly.
He stares through me.
揑 have nothing to prove to you梬hoever the hell you are,?he mutters.
I hold up my paper cup.
揕ook. I just had a cup of the same new drink you did. The coffee抯 fine. There抯 nothing wrong with it. For a big chain, it抯 pretty dang good. Now, I抦 sorry the coffee isn抰 up to your high and mighty tastes, but don抰 those come from your recipes??
His glare hardens, so venomous I have to clear my throat to keep breathing.
揂ll I抦 saying is, you don抰 have to scapegoat. Why take it out on the person grinding away to sell your product while he deals with rude customers and scalding hot liquid all day??