Before Hollyn could back away, the woman’s head turned, and the scowl she wore brightened into a welcoming smile when she saw her standing there. “Oh! Hey, um…”
The woman didn’t know Hollyn’s name. Hollyn could see her mentally searching for it. Hollyn knew hers—Andrea, goes by Andi—because she made a point to research everyone who worked on her floor. She was nosy that way.
“Hollyn,” she provided after clearing her throat.
Andi snapped her fingers and popped up from her crouch like a jack-in-the-box. “Right, Hollyn. Sorry. Pretty name. We must’ve never done the name thing.” She pointed to her chest. “Andi. I work a few doors down from you.”
“Hi.” Hollyn shifted and fiddled with her bag, willing her facial muscles to stay smooth and relaxed. She needed coffee, not conversation. Hell, she should have a T-shirt that said that. It applied in so many situations. “Where’s Jackee?”
Andi sighed dramatically and tightened her ponytail. “Gone. Apparently, she sold an educational app to a big company and did a whole Screw you guys, I quit routine last night. F-bombs were dropped, aprons were tossed. Somehow no one got this on video.” She rolled her eyes. “The night crew really let us down on that one. But yeah, she’s off to be some kiddie tech mogul, it seems.”
Hollyn’s eyebrows lifted, and her nose scrunched a few times against her will, the fight to keep her expression under her full control failing.
“I know, right?” Andi said, as if Hollyn had answered her. “I had the exact same reaction. I can’t imagine Jackee interacting with children in any way—unless it was to invite them inside her gingerbread house in the woods to go all Hansel and Gretel on them. I was half-convinced she was poisoning the coffee of anyone who didn’t tip well. But yay, good for her, rah, rah, siss boom bah and all,” she said, tone droll as she lifted her hands and shook imaginary pom-poms.
“Bad news for us, though, because I can’t get to the supplies, and Lucinda is locked in her office on a conference call, so I have no idea where to find the keys.” She gave the locked cabinet a murderous look. “How am I supposed to write a new chapter and record a podcast today with no coffee?” She put her hands out to her sides with a huff. “I can’t work under these conditions!”
Hollyn stared at Andi’s whirlwind of rapid-fire words and expressions. Andi was on her Avoid list for just this reason. She’d learned that podcasters wanted to chat up everybody. So. Much. Talking. Everyone was a potential guest for them to interview. It set off all of her run-and-hide instincts. Hollyn didn’t know what to say beyond, “So no coffee?”
Andi gave a grim headshake. “I guess I can go to Chicory across the street, but it’s so expensive, and the owner is this creeper who’s always telling women to ‘Smile, it’s a beautiful day.’”
Hollyn’s nose scrunched again, and she rubbed it, trying to quell the nervous tic that wanted to take over her muscles.
“Exactly. Does he not realize how aggressive that is? First of all, that’s a sign of a sociopath, trying to control my behavior.” She lifted a finger like she was making a point in court. “Secondly, dude-bro, I don’t need to smile to make you feel more comfortable. I’ll smile after I get my damn overpriced coffee and get out of your tourist trap.”
A laugh bubbled up in Hollyn’s throat, but it got caught and she made a weird choked sound instead. Ugh. Awkward, aisle one. Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn’t she just have a conversation like a normal person? So much of her wanted to be able to chat with ease with someone like Andi. Why couldn’t her body and brain cooperate?
Andi smirked and tapped her temple. “Sorry. Horror writer and true-crime podcaster. Everyone is a serial killer until proven otherwise.” She put her forearms on the counter and leaned closer. “But seriously, watch out for coffee-shop guy. Could have bodies in the freezer.”
“Ha.” Hollyn nodded. “Got it.”
“Do you want to walk over together? Safety in numbers?” Andi asked, stepping around from behind the bar. “If he tells us to smile, we can both give him our best resting bitch face.”
Hollyn’s cheek muscle jumped against her will, her tics surfacing with a vengeance when she had to interact with strangers. She didn’t have resting bitch face. She had resting twitch face. But either way, she wasn’t going to walk over with Andi. Yes, she was supposed to be here to push past her comfort zone (I hear you, Mary Leigh!), but she already felt like she was walking barefoot on thumbtacks today. “Um, sorry. I really need to get to my desk. Maybe next time.”
“Wow. You’re going to go without coffee?” Andi asked, blue eyes wide. “Brave woman.”
“I have a Vitamin Water,” Hollyn said, awkwardly patting her bag, which clearly had no room for a bottled drink.
Andi tilted her head, her dark-red ponytail tipping sideways, like she was trying to figure Hollyn out.
Good luck with that, Hollyn wanted to tell her.
“What’s your poison?” Andi asked. “I’m going over there anyway, and I can grab you something. I’ll get Lucinda to reimburse us for the coffee. We pay rent here and are guaranteed two free drinks. If she doesn’t have a barista, we get an IOU.” She pinned Hollyn with eye contact, trapping her.
“I, uh…”
“Café au lait, chicory coffee, cappuccino, mocha, latte, cold brew, black tea, green tea, matcha…”
Andi was going to keep listing until Hollyn gave in. “Iced decaf, whole milk, one sugar.”
Andi’s eyebrows lifted. “Decaf? Actual people order that?”
Hollyn’s ears burned. This was why she’d picked up a coffee habit in the first place—because “normal” people drink coffee and not drinking it causes others to comment. But too much caffeine was a big no-no for her, so decaf was her only option. “I had to quit the hard stuff. It messes with my sleep.”
“Ah, gotcha. My condolences,” Andi said with a smile that made the little ring in her nose glint in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. “I’ll bring your imposter coffee to your office.”
Hollyn knew it was shitty to let Andi fetch coffee for her. But walking over meant more conversation, and she was already sweating and restless under Andi’s observant gaze. So, Hollyn nodded and pulled a five-dollar bill from her purse. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem,” Andi said in a way that made Hollyn think she really didn’t see it as one. Andi plucked the money from her fingertips. “But if I’m not back in half an hour, call the police and tell them to look at coffee-shop guy first.”
Hollyn’s lips twitched into a brief smile. “Okay. Don’t die.”