Coffee Beans

Morning Cappuccino

Ellie grinned dramatically. "No I don't; helping people is what should be done at all times if it's possible. Isn't it what you do for a living?" She turned away from the tall, dark and handsome figure, returning to her coffee machine. Soon enough, another mug was filled with a shot of coffee, awaiting the frothed milk to finish the drink. A few seconds later and Mark's morning latte was plonked onto the work surface.

"There you go," Ellie said, tapping some buttons on the till's keypad. "That's one pound fifty-five please." She held out her hand and continued tapping on the till. She daren't look at Mark's face.  The money was cold compared to his warm hands and Ellie shook her head at herself.

"No-one has taken your usual corner yet," the words half-fell from her mouth as his gaze intensified. Suddenly, Ellie's phone pinged from her pocket; she had a text. "I need to get this if you don't mind?" She glared at Mark until he sulked away into his corner.

As soon as the phone left her pocket, the screen glared a bright white compared to the softer mood lighting in the shop. On-screen showed an old picture of a little boy, no older than eight. It was a message from Jason. With a couple of taps, the text message opened.

 Hey sis. Just to let you know, I'm gonna talk to Kate and see about educating her in the world of steak. Thanks for the talk. And the note. See you soon. Jason.  

Ellie grinned, pleased that her brother was, finally, back on track. 

"Who's that?" Another familiar voice said. Ellie looked up and was greeted by a smiling Robin. "The boyfriend?" There was a playful glint in her eye and she continued to grin like the Cheshire cat.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "No, not in the slightest." She put her phone back in her pocket and looked over to Mark. He was staring out of the steamed-up window, every now and again taking a sip of coffee.

"Is he the boyfriend then?" Robin leant on the worktop, looking up at Ellie with an even wider grin than before.

"Still no," Ellie set the coffee machine to produce a double shot cappuccino. "He's a friend that works at the homeless shelter. I donate my spare cakes to them." She added the extra frothy milk and chocolate sprinkles. The mug clinked onto the wooden work surface, just below Robin's face. "Tell me what you think of this," she said, laughing to herself at Robin's startled reaction.