Coffee Beans

Helping

Unlike most people in their mid-twenties, Ellie got out of bed with a spring in her step. She always looked forward to opening up the shop but today she'd be able to have a critique done of her coffee skills. Sure taking night classes in being a barista helped, but no-one had checked her coffees since then.

Ellie got dressed quickly and put some cereal in two bowls and filled up the kettle, switching it on with a single click. She popped her head around the door of the living room and wasn't surprised to see Jason still fast asleep. "Silly thing," she mumbled, smiling at his calm face.

Back in the kitchen, Ellie wrote down a few instructions on a piece of paper so Jason would know what was going on when he woke up.

'There is a bowl of cereal for you in the kitchen and the kettle might still be hot enough for you to make a cup of tea. I'll be downstairs in the café but stay as long as you need to. You don't do work on Mondays, right? Either way, I hope you got a good nap on my sofa!'

She left the note on the coffee table beside Jason's head before heading down to open up the café. She was surprised to see a few people waiting outside already. She unlocked the door to let them in from the cold and explained that they'd have to wait for the coffee machine to warm up before she could serve them.

"That's alright," one of the businessmen said, smiling through the shivers. "It's just nice to be out of that freezing wind if I'm being honest." The huddle of gentlemen laughed and sat down together at one of the tables, allowing Ellie to organise herself and ready the cake stands.

After serving the group their seven coffees and three slices of cake, the shop quietened down a bit. A couple of Mums came in with their kids and sat on one of the sofas to chat. An elderly lady came in asking if she could leave some leaflets by the till.

"The local community choir is having a charity concert next weekend. Would you be a dear and give some of these to your customers for me?" The lady said, rosy cheeks adding to the perfect grandmother look.

"Of course I will," Ellie took all of the leaflets and piled them next to the till, making a mental note to give one to as many customers as possible. She could even slide one between coffees when someone ordered a takeaway.

The elderly woman thanked her and left. Of course, she bought a slice of "that beautiful looking cherry cheesecake" which allowed a subtle boost in Ellie's confidence. Her Grandma had taught her to bake, so praise was always welcome.

"Do you ever take a day off from helping people?" A familiar voice echoed through the shop.

A/N: A cliffhanger?! Nope, I'm not sorry XD Anyways, happy reading people :)