Coffee Wars - Excerpt # 16

Coffee Wars - Chapter Six, Part One

April threw May’s door open and stomped in. She scanned the room, and when her gaze found Christina as she swept the café floor, she stomped over. “Do you know what that asshole did?”

Christina could tell her sister was pissed and glanced over at the counter. One customer. One barista. Neither seemed to notice April’s outburst.

“Which asshole are we talking about?” Christina said.

“That asshole Keith,” she practically growled, punctuating her statement by flinging her arms up in frustration.

Christina eased back so she wouldn’t get swatted the next time April spoke. “What did he do?”

April planted her hands on her hips. “Told me to come over here and spy. Wants me to report back to him about how May’s is doing such good business.”

Christina braced herself, using the broom like a cane. It might’ve been the only thing holding her up as she felt the blood drain from her face. “You already know why, April. Did you tell him?”

There went April's arms again. Good thing Christina had backed away, or she would’ve gotten smacked under the chin. “Of course not,” April growled again. “If I tell him, the cops will be all over this place, and you could get arrested.”

“Then what are you going to tell him?”

“I’d like to tell him to suck it, but I’d probably get fired.”

“Probably.”

“Fuck it. I’ll order something, hang out for a few minutes, then tell him I didn’t notice anything weird.”

“Okay. What do you want? I can get it for you.”

“A large iced mocha. No, wait. Make it a medium. I can hear Keith’s bitching now if I order a large.”

“A medium iced mocha. That all?”

“Well, I really want a brownie, but again, Keith would probably bitch. So, yeah that’s all.”

Christina made April’s drink and brought it to her where she was sitting at a table close to the hallway leading to the restrooms and back patio.

“He wants me to find out what’s down the hallway.”

“He said that? The hallway specifically?”

April closed her lips around the straw and took a quick sip of her drink. “Yeah. He’s convinced whatever is down the hall is the secret to May’s success. I’m just going to pretend I went out back because, if I really do, I’ll go back to work reeking of weed.”

“Why does he care so much? Expresso is still doing good business.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like he’s obsessed with putting May’s out of business.”

Then it dawned on Christina. “The bonus.”

© 2025 Beth Pontorno