Two days later, the bell above the door jingled as Amelia stepped into Dakota's Cafe for her first shift, clutching the apron that felt far too stiff and official for someone like her. The smell of fresh coffee and baked goods hit her instantly, warm and inviting. She tried not to let herself get too excited. She had a job to do.
"Ah! You must be Amelia." A voice came from behind the counter. A petite woman with bright pink hair grinned at her. "I'm Lila. Don't worry, we'll break you in easy."
She paused. "Mostly." Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?" Lila winked. "The 'mostly' is the fun part." From the corner, a tall guy carrying a tray of croissants muttered, "And I'm Jake. If you survive Lila's welcome, you'll survive the rest of us." He smirked, his hands dusted with flour.
"Great," Amelia muttered under her breath. "I'm in for a lot of fun, apparently." Training was quick but intense. Amelia learned the register, how to pull an espresso shot, and the secret behind Dakota's flaky pastries—all while dodging Lila's endless jokes and Jake's sarcastic commentary. Somehow, by the end of the morning, she was sweating and laughing at the same time.
"Not bad," Lila said, clapping her on the shoulder. "You might actually survive this café." She grinned. "And if you do, I promise you'll have stories to tell."
The first few customers came and went, and Amelia did her best to smile politely and remember every order. One elderly man complimented her attentiveness. A mother praised her patience with her restless twins. It wasn't much. But Amelia felt... competent. For the first time in weeks, that small spark of confidence began to glow again She wasn't sitting in front of a laptop waiting for another rejection. She was working. She was earning. She was doing something.
Later, while Amelia prepared an order behind the counter, she overheard Lila and Jake talking. "Did you hear about Steel Corporation?" Jake asked. Lila nodded. "Everyone's talking about the new developments." "Something about the CEO," Jake continued. "Young, ruthless, apparently."
"Complicated," Lila corrected. Amelia's hand paused. Steel Corporation. She knew that name.
Xavier. She quickly returned her attention to the coffee machine. She wasn't sure why the conversation made her curious. Perhaps because she'd already met the man behind the name.
Twice.
And neither encounter had been particularly easy to forget. Later, as Amelia wiped down a table, her phone buzzed. A picture from Beth.
Kale stood in some fancy cafe with Beth and her friends, holding a bouquet of flowers like he'd stepped straight into a romantic comedy. Amelia stared at the picture.
"Really?"
She rolled her eyes.
Kale's charm might have been entertaining Beth, but Amelia couldn't imagine herself being swept off her feet that easily. Still, she couldn't help noticing the contrast between her quiet little cafe world and the glamorous chaos Beth seemed to enjoy. And then there was Xavier.
For someone she barely knew, his name seemed to be appearing everywhere. By the time her shift ended, Amelia was exhausted but oddly proud. She had survived her first day, navigated quirky coworkers, handled customers, and earned her first real sense of accomplishment in weeks.
Maybe this wasn't where she'd imagined herself ending up.
But it was a beginning.
And tomorrow, she'd come back.