"Huh!? Why that smirk?" Abigail frowned when she saw his expression.
He smiled before saying, "Well, Abby, I feel so old sitting beside you."
"Seriously? How old are you? You don’t look so old," She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to guess. Even though they’d only met twice, his attitude seemed mature. And his face didn’t look old. He looked young, and she assumed he might be in his late twenties.
He quickly glanced at her, "Guess my age?"
Abigail silently swallowed, looking at his beautiful smile, "Twenty-nine?"
He shook his head, "Thanks, but not even close, Abby—"
"Seriously?"
"Thirty-two?"
"I’m Thirty-five, Abby—"
"Damn! Ten years older than me?" Abigail gasped in shock. She didn’t even think this man looked like he was in his thirties, more like a mature twenties.
"I know, right..." Sawyer chuckled. "I feel so old now."
"No. No..." Abigail immediately explained when she saw him seem disappointed by her reaction. "What I’m trying to say is that you look young. I thought you were only twenty-nine."
"Oh, come on... don’t try to humor me, lady." He chuckled.
"I’m not trying to do that. I’m serious." She raised her hand and made a V sign. "Sawyer, listen, if someone says you’re not young, maybe they have a problem with their eyes."
Sawyer said nothing, but somehow, hearing her words warmed his heart. He liked her compliments.
***
At the end of the trip, the two of them chatted more casually. Abigail no longer felt awkward around him; the same went for Sawyer.
Not long after, the car finally stopped in front of the Crimson Leaf Café.
"Why did you come here?" Sawyer asked, looking around.
"I might work at that café. They have a vacancy for a barista here," Abigail said, pointing to the Crimson Leaf Café. "Alright, I have to go now. Thank you so much for your help. And see you again, Sawyer."
"Sure, let’s meet again sometime. Hey, Abby, call me if you need anything, okay?" Sawyer replied.
Sawyer smiled when he saw her make an OK sign before she stepped out of the car.
"What a fun girl," he muttered while his eyes still looked in her direction until she entered the café.
Sawyer didn’t rush to leave. He took his phone and texted, "Please check what happened to Abigail Snow yesterday. You can start from Autumn Garden Nursing Home in Orange Town."
After sending the text, he looked in the café’s direction one last time before hitting the gas pedal.
***
At Crimson Leaf Cafe.
That afternoon, the café was bustling. The queue in front of the cashier was pretty long, with only one female staff member taking orders. At the same time, Lana skillfully and swiftly makes coffee, even as she works alone.
The tables below were almost filled with visitors. A few pairs of new customers were heading to the second floor, and two staff members were busy cleaning tables and delivering customer orders.
Observing the lively atmosphere, Abigail could picture the café being quite packed at lunchtime. No wonder Lana felt exhausted when she saw her the previous day.
’Not bad! They probably pay their staff and baristas quite well, right?’ Abigail wondered. She needed money and didn’t care if she had to be busy all day. At least she could earn enough to pay her grandma’s monthly fee at the nursing home and support herself.
Abigail waved to get Lana’s attention as she placed the coffee on a table for the next customer. After several attempts, Lana finally noticed her and smiled, calling her over to the back counter.
Abigail rushed over, surprised when Lana handed her a black café apron.
"Sis, Lana...did you forget about the contract and salary discussion?" Abigail tried to lighten the mood for the exhausted Lana.
"Abigail, I know. I know what you’re thinking," Lana faintly smiled before pulling her to the corner to speak privately. "But because you’re already wearing your black shirt, I need your help. Let’s settle the formalities after we finish serving the current customers and the lunch rush. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good!"
"Perfect!" Lana gently tapped Abigail’s shoulder. "Alright, girl, hurry, don’t keep the customers waiting too long." She winked and rushed back to continue making coffee.
Abigail felt sorry for Lana, seeing how desperate she looked.
"Alright, sis. No worries," Abigail said as she immediately put on her apron and tied her hair in a ponytail. She joined Lana to help with the orders.
Although Abigail just joined, she managed to work rhythmically with Lana. Together, they quickly processed the orders that had been taking a long time. In just a few minutes, there was no longer a queue in front of the cashier.
Lana finally relaxed and gave Abigail a thumbs-up. Earlier, she watched Abigail make coffee and realized she was terrific—perhaps even better than herself, the café owner.
After ensuring no more customers were waiting, Lana gestured for Abigail to follow her to the back office. She wanted to secure this girl’s work in her café; she was a valuable asset.
"Let’s go to the back office and sign your contract, Abigail," Lana said, giggling when she saw Abigail widen her eyes in surprise.
They entered a minimalist, not-so-big office room. A black work desk and a matching chair were placed near a small window.
Across from it, in the corner of the room, were two double couches, a small coffee table, and another window.
"Please sit on the sofa, Abigail," Lana said as she walked toward the work desk to retrieve the work contract for Abigail.
Abigail nodded and headed to the sofa. From her seat, she could see the parking lot next to the building. Surprised, she saw her suitcase in the corner, near her seat.
Before long, Lana joined her, carrying a black folder and giving it to Abigail.
"This is the work contract I prepared yesterday. You can check it. I believe all your questions are answered there; read it carefully. And if there’s something you don’t understand, feel free to check it on me. Otherwise, go ahead and sign it," she smiled.
"Sure, Sister Lana."
"Just call me Lana. I guess we’re not far apart in age. How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
"I knew it! I’m only a year older than you. Just call me Lana, deal?"
"Okay, sure."
"Alright, you can read the contract; I’ll step outside to check and be back in a few minutes."
"Lana, can I charge my cell phone?" Abigail asked for permission to use the electricity.
"Sure, dear."