“Yeah, I hear you.”
“You older or younger?” I ask, just trying to confirm that we’re talking about Eden here.
“Younger. You?”
“Older but only by five minutes. Violet’s my twin.”
“Oh, damn, but that’s kind of cool.”
“My mom said it was a nightmare,” I confide. He starts to dump coffee into the drip contraption. “Shouldn’t you put a filter in there?” I ask.
“Fuck. Yes. Sorry, man. I can make all kinds of pastries, but this coffee shit sometimes escapes me. I’m not really a fan of coffee, actually. I usually get my caffeine from pop. I guess I like cold drinks. We serve some killer blenders here. Have you tried them?”
I lean against the counter. “No. I’m not much of a coffee drinker either.”
“What? You come here every day.”
“Right but that’s because…” I trail off. Should I really be admitting that I’m hot after this kid’s sister? He might find that offensive. “Because I heard you make the best coffee in town and everyone was right because once I tried it, it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”
“That’s fucking cool. We should make that our slogan. Maybe we’d bring in more money.” He slides the coffee into my hand.
“This place is packed all the time. You’re not making good money?” This is probably an inappropriate conversation to be having, but the kid doesn’t realize it and I’m not going to tell him to shut up.
“I don’t know exactly, but my sister’s stressed a lot and gets grumpy after looking at her computer at night. We were eating Chinese and watching a movie last night, but she couldn’t concentrate. Feels bad, man.” He rubs one hand along his forearm.
This isn’t good news. I’ve been sitting back, enjoying the view, biding my time, but my girl’s suffering? I’m going to have to take action. “I’ve done a little marketing in the past. You should let me take a look at your accounts. I can do some studies about foot traffic, per customer value, margins, and the like. It’s what I do for a living.”
“Really?” His face brightens but falls immediately after. “I’d have to get permission from Eden though, and she doesn’t like outsiders in our business.”
“Are you bothering our customers, Ryan?” Eden appears in the doorway behind her brother. Ryan starts and gulps.
“Nah. We were just talking.” I hold my hand up for a fist bump. Ryan gusts out a relieved sigh and dabs me back. I reach past him toward Eden, my love. “I’m Miles Monroe, your new management consultant.”
Chapter Four Eden
I hesitate for a moment before I take his hand. I suck in a breath, jerking my hand back at the barrage of emotions that hit me from the simple touch. What the heck was that? It must have been in my head. I’m tired or the stress of trying to figure out why our profits are in the red when we should be in the black is finally getting to me.
“I’m Eden,” I finally manage to get out. Get it together. You’re making yourself look like a fool right now.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Eden.” A slow, sexy smile spreads across his kissable lips. This man is way too good looking.
“I don’t recall hiring a management consultant.” I know I didn't. Something like that sounds expensive. And since this place already seems to be bleeding money from somewhere, it’s definitely not something I can afford right now.
“It’s on the house.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I don't take handouts.” Then you become indebted to someone. I’ve seen how this turns out. My father was always getting in over his head with bookies. Nothing is free in this world.
“Okay, how about we trade then? You provide me with free coffee when I come in,” he suggests.
“You don’t even like coffee,” Ryan chimes in, reminding me that he’s standing right here. “How about bear claws?” He doesn't like coffee? He orders one every day.
“That could work.” Miles gives me a charming smile that meets his eyes.
“I’m not sure. It feels weird to just let someone look over my stuff. Are you really a management consultant?” My eyes run down his fancy suit. It’s clear the man has money.
“Yes. I’ve owned a lot of businesses over the years. There are a number of things we could do here.” He glances around the coffee shop. I watch his facial expressions, trying to get a feel for what he thinks of the place. I shouldn’t care, but for some reason his opinion matters.
“Let him help you, Eden. Why the hell not? You’ve already spent so much time going over everything and I know it’s stressing you out. Please,” Ryan pushes, knowing that I have a hard time telling him no. Plus, I know he’s right.
“Okay,” I reluctantly agree. Maybe he will see something that I don’t. What could it really hurt? At this rate I am going to have to shut down in a few months.
“Shall we?” he asks as he comes around the counter.
“Right now?” The coffee shop has slowed down.
“Why not, E? I got this.” Ryan bumps my shoulder with his.
“Yeah, we got this,” Clare adds. She gives me a look that says Don’t mess this up. I want to roll my eyes at her, but Miles might see me.
“All right. Come get me if we get busy.” Miles follows me through the door towards my office. “To be honest I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. We’re busy all the time. It makes me wonder how other coffee shops manage to stay open.”
“I’m sure there is something we can figure out. This is a prime spot.” I nod in agreement as we enter my office. It really is. We always get the morning rush and then get hit again in the afternoon from the local businesspeople who need another shot of caffeine to make it through the day.
“Just so you know, I’ve only graduated high school. My bookkeeping is self-taught.”
