Ivana

The next day came faster than ever and I found myself back at the cafe, tidying up before rest often the staff started to file in for the day.

Mark and Samantha would come over soon and I wanted to get most of the prep done before they arrived. While contrary to my expectations the cafe hadn't been turned completely upside down in my absence, there was still a lot that needed to be done. They had clearly forgotten to vacuum the carpeted floor in some areas and the cafe's sign board seemed a bit wonky as well—as if someone had knocked it off its original position and then carelessly put it back.

I could only imagine the amount of money I'd have to cough up in case it fell on somebody. That alone could lead me to not just having a lawsuit against me but also losing all the money that I'd managed to save up for college by working my butt off all summer.

"I'm grateful you decided to finally show up again."

Hands still on my waist, a yellow dusting cloth hanging from the back pocket of my denim overalls, I whipped around at the sarcastic but extremely familiar voice.

"Mom," I acknowledged her begrudgingly as she ambled towards me, her eyes narrowing. She was dressed in a bright red dress which was way too fancy for the day and her hair had been curled to painstaking perfection.

I glanced at the stroller she was pushing and sighed. She wasn't here to ask me about my well-being or even reprimand me like any normal mother would if their eldest kid disappeared in the middle of the day. She was simply here to fulfill an obligation and hand Jer over to me so I could babysit him while she got to attend whatever party she had gotten all decked up for, guilt free.

It wouldn't be the first time either.

"I never took you for an irresponsible child, Ivana." She waved me off, not an ounce of relief or happiness in her voice. Instead, her sharp voice dripped with disgust as she stared me down angrily. "Where exactly were you for the past two days, young lady? Your to-be stepfather just notified me about your absence and needless to say, I was dumbfounded. Since when did my daughter started sneaking out in the middle of the day like that?"

I couldn't believe my ears. A new to-be stepfather? Just who was it this time? Not just some pompous, egocentric man with crappy morals but also a creepy stalker who was giving all the intel on me to my clueless mother?

I lowered my eyes to little Jer's face who was blinking up at me with large, liquidy, innocent brown orbs, his pink mouth drawn into a childish pout as he obviously longed to be free from my mother's grasp and run to me. At his age, he obviously couldn't understand a single word our mother was uttering. All I saw in his eyes was a desperate urge to just lunge at me as his little body squirmed in the baby stroller—because even though he was already past the age of three, he was still being wheeled around in that horrendously pink and uncomfortable thing because my mother just couldn't be bothered to walk him around.

Grimacing, I turned my attention back to my mother, who's patience looked right about ready to run out. "I didn't sneak out." I defended. "I was in Tempe. With a friend who needed my help due to some unavoidable circumstances."

"And you didn't care to tell us?"

I fumed. Her blatantly rude questioning and the way she was practically treating me as if I'd committed a crime, was really beginning to get on my nerves and I couldn't wait to put an end to this ridiculous interrogation, even if that meant adopting a more honest and consequently harsh approach.

"Tell us?" I scoffed. "Tell who exactly, mom? Last time I checked, I don't have a father and I absolutely refuse to acknowledge any one of your skirt-chasing, womanising and egotistical boyfriends as my stepfather!" I snapped. "As for you," I stared at her indignantly, an angry blush rising to my cheeks. "Were you really as much of a worried mother as you pretend to be, you'd actually be aware of my absence the moment I was gone, not after I've already returned."

My mother's expression darkened as she practically gritted her teeth together. "Do not give me that rotten attitude of yours, Ivana Meredith Cox. I'm your mother and will not be spoken to like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe say that the day you actually act like my mother, mom." I bit out before stepping forward to lift Jer up from his stroller. Ensuring that he was attached safely to my hip, I gave my mother one last look. "I'll take care of him so you can stop bothering me now and head to whatever party of yours that you're headed to."

Not bothering to glance back, I walked back inside, shutting the door behind me. As soon as we were inside, Jer was jumping again.

"Vana, I missed you!" He basically blubbered in happiness as he clambered up to my chest and threw his little arms around my neck. Grinning, I hugged him back, keeping one arm braced under his butt and the other gently caressing his hair.

He was so small and adorably cute that my heart hurt. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, I carried him towards my work station. "I missed you too, little guy. Also as you know, I have to work now so I'll need you to be a good boy, okay?" I laughed as he shot me sheepish smile pulling back his hand from a cranberry juice filled jar that he was reaching for.

"That means I cannot be naughty." He mused to himself while shaking his head adorably as I laughed and put him down where I could keep an eye on him.

"That's right. You're going to eat some delicious fruits instead. How's that sound?" Smiling, I stretched my hand out towards him, letting him pick a few berries off my palm while continuing to pull out containers of frozen fruit out of the freezer with my other hand.

Once I was sure that he was busy fiddling around with the berries in his hands, I quickly tied his apron around his neck so he wouldn't soil his clothes and then got to actually arranging the stacks of frozen fruit in an orderly manner so that I wouldn't have to rush back to freezers again and again when the demand for shakes and fruit punches skyrocketed in the afternoon.

It was almost half-past eight by the time I was done prepping and cleaning. The only thing that worried me now was the signboard outside. As for the issue of keeping an eye out for Jer, I was sure I could convince Max to babysit him for a little while once he came in. All he needed was to strum his guitar a little and that would be enough to keep the toddler interested.

The doorbell chimed suddenly and I let out a relieved sigh, without even turning around to look at who it was. I didn't need to. Although, a little bit early, it was almost time for Max and Samantha to arrive, and there was no one else who could possibly visit the cafe right now.

"Good Morning, Maxie." You grunted from behind the counter, still bent on your knees trying to plug in the espresso machine properly. "I'm kind of occupied at the moment so please keep an eye on Jer. Don't want him toppling off the counter."

Silence met my request and I frowned, nearly knocking my head off as I shot up into a standing position. "Aren't you gonna respond, Max—Ace?" I furrowed my eyebrows, staring at him confused.

"Good Morning, Barista Girl." He drawled with his signature ease and I felt my grip on the wooden countertop loosening. For a second, I'd actually been terrified that it wasn't Max but a kidnapper who'd walked in to harm Jer.

"Couldn't you have responded?" I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I was scared something was going to—oh."

My eyes strayed to my brother's small figure carefully nestled against his arm as Ace leaned uncomfortably against the counter, almost as if Jer had actually been about to fall off the counter and he'd dived in right at time, keeping the child from hurting himself.

"Yeah," Ace chuckled awkwardly. "I think he was trying to get off the counter by himself since he couldn't see you."

"Oh Jer," I exhaled softly and reached out for him as he immediately turned to me, climbing into my lap, pouting like a scared child who wasn't sure if he had done something wrong or not.

"Thanks," I mumbled as Ace shrugged, taking a seat on one of the revolving chairs. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by, saw you were open and thought I'd drop by to say hello."

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when were you so friendly?"

"Ouch," He exclaimed dramatically as his eyes glimmered, intently roving from my face to Jer's and then back to mine.

"Is he your brother?" He asked quietly as I gently rocked the child clinging on to my neck back and forth.

"Yes,"

"He looks a lot like you."

"Does he?"

"Mhmm. The eyes, the nose...the mouth." He cleared his throat as his eyes wandered to rest on my lips. "It's all the same."

Consciously, I licked my lips gently before walking along the counter and laying him on the makeshift bed I'd put together especially for him, right next to where I worked. It wasn't anything special, just two staff chairs—I'd chosen the best ones, the ones with the thickest cushions and the bluntest, child-safe edges—pushed together to make a tiny little sleeping place.

Turning around to face him, I noticed that he was still staring at me coolly. Giving him a small smile, I reached out for the menu in the cabinet underneath. "So would you like your free coffee now or?"

"Yeah, now should be fine." Ace grinned. "When will I ever get the chance to have you attend to me in person again?"

"Right." I suppressed a laugh and slid the menu towards him. "Choose whatever you want. You have about—" I glanced at the clock. "—ten minutes until Max and Samantha arrive and open the cafe for the customers."

"I'll just take an espresso." He slid the menu back.

"How boring." I muttered under my breath.

Ace looked up. "Boring? What do you suggest then?"

"I don't know. Espresso is just way too mainstream." I stated. "Why don't you try something you've never tried before?"

"How about I challenge your Barista skills then?" Ace smirked. "Are you up for the challenge, Barista Girl?"

"Bring it on." I smirked back as he pulled the menu towards himself yet again and tapped it distractedly, scanning through it.

"What's the Strawberry Nut Breve?" He questioned suddenly and I paused.

That was the one type of coffee I could never make.

"That coffee's been discontinued." I cut him off before he could ask any more. "We don't offer it anymore."

"Why?"

Of course, he didn't take the hint.

"I've never heard of Strawberry Nut Breve before. I wonder what made you discontinue a coffee that sounds as good as this." He continued. "On second thoughts, I would love to try it...if you'd make it for me that is." He trailed off.

"No, Ace. I can't." I shook my head. "We really don't offer it anymore. Choose another."

"Anymore?" Ace mused. "When did you discontinue it?"

When my father died.

It was his recipe and died with him. He was the only one who could handle a mix as tricky as this one.

"Not too long ago." I stared at him imploringly, hoping he'd stop with his questions. "Actually I think you should just go with the espresso."

"Oh?" His face fell, realising I wasn't in the mood to talk. "Alright."

Nodding, I quickly got to work, pressing the coffee gently before fixing it into the machine.

"You are...very good with your hands." Ace scratched his neck awkwardly.

"Thank you," I flashed him a small smile, still  feeling a little bit on edge. There wasn't much time left before the people started pouring in and the atmosphere had gotten too tense for me to be able to breathe properly in Ace's presence. Moreover, I didn't want either Max or Samantha to walk in and elevate the awkwardness of the moment.

"Hey um, could you do me a favour?" I piped up as the coffee slowly began dripping into the mug.

"Sure."

"Do you mind putting your hands to use for a little bit?" I smiled sheepishly at Ace as he gave me a weird look before nodding.