Break/Open

5. Analyze This

The thin red needle in the thermometer gradually climbed to 145 degrees; the perfect temperature for frothing milk. Nina watched the temperature closely as she maneuvered the tip of the steaming wand around the pitcher, creating a silky, smooth froth that would perfectly blend with the shot of espresso brewing into the demitasse under the nozzle of the machine at the bar. Scalding hot steam flooded over her knuckles, but she was immune to the burn by now. She turned the knob to stop the steam just in time, when the froth was perfect, velvety, and consistent.

She carefully poured the silky foam into the rich, full-bodied espresso shot, watching the milk beautifully incorporating into the coffee's thick crema layer. She moved the paper to-go cup along as she poured, and the abstract image of a leaf ending in a heart came to life as the coffee reached the brim. Nina carefully placed a sleeve onto the cup, and carried it to the counter, glancing at the line of customers curving away from the door, and crowding the small bakery. She definitely needed a bigger space, with more seating room than the four small tables near the window, and a bigger kitchen that could cater to the menu she wanted to have, rather than the limited one she served now.

"Have a great day," she smiled as she set the perfectly crafted cappuccino down onto counter, handing the addictive concoction to yet another customer.

"Nina, we're out of almond croissants already," Yara called out as she checked the pastry display case.
"Can you go grab some from the back? I've got this," Nina motioned at the diminishing line of customers as she prepared another coffee. Yara squeezed by her, and Nina smiled at the calming flow of energy that always surrounded her. If there was a polar opposite to Johanna's disposition in Nina's life, it was Yara. She was calm waters, and Johanna was a storm; and Nina couldn't do without either one of them.
Yara hummed a melody as she pushed through the kitchen doors and disappeared behind them, leaving a trace of sandalwood in the air to merge with the aromatic roasted coffee and caramel wafting through the bakery.

"Hello, beautiful," Nina's next customer grinned, his hazel eyes sparkling as he stepped up to the counter.
"The usual?" She double-checked, and Sean nodded in approval until a pair of hands curled over his shoulder.
"The usual for me too," Marcus interjected, and then scanned the bar behind Nina. "And my baby?"
"She's getting croissants from the back. She'll be right out," Nina placed two cups under the espresso nozzle. She stopped Sean just as he pulled a $20 bill from his black leather wallet. "Your money's no good here. We've been over this."

He muttered something under his breath, and then slipped the bill into the glass tip jar instead. At his side, her brother's features lit up when Yara emerged from the kitchen with a tray propped up in her hands. The blow he received to his chest was just as strong as it was the first day he had seen her, and he relished in it every time. She smiled up at him, her nose crinkling at the bridge. Her buttery brown skin was make-up free, accented by the silk scarf tied up into her thick mass of coils. The only piece of jewelry on her was her coveted engagement ring, and it flashed in the sunlight as she sprung up onto the tips of her toes, straining to reach his lips over the counter, and Marcus looked over at his sister innocently.
"Go! Go! Take your lunch break, I'm good here," she issued at Yara, dismissing the two of them with a wave of her hand. Yara's pristine white apron came undone quickly, and she hurried around the counter, and into Marcus' arms. He loosened his tie as he pressed another, unobstructed kiss into her lips, and then whisked her out through the front door, with their arms looped into one another and their hands interlocked.

Cleaning up after the lunch rush was an odd destresser, and when the bakery fell into its slower afternoon lull, Nina pulled the clip holding half of her hair up, and she smoothed her bob down to skim her shoulders. She tugged off her apron, and carried a small tray to the corner table Sean always occupied during his break. She settled into the chair across from him, and he smiled up from his tablet screen, grabbing the refill of his coffee that she'd brought over. After tapping out one final line onto his keyboard, he clasped the leather case shut, and ran his hand over the sticker that decorated the front of it. The black and white logo was the symbol of his and Marcus' collective hard work on their startup real-estate company, and it made Nina proud every time she saw it; knowing how far her brother had come with the person he looked up to.