Leaves [gxg]

21

21

Her chin rested upon her hand as she leaned against the counter. She followed the movements of Antoine, her new staff member, with only a passing interest. At the urging of Erisa, River had finally made a choice. Dismissed that choice and decided on another candidate. Panicked and wondered whether she could afford to hire all the people that had applied for the job and then decided, once and for all, on one, final choice.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Erisa emerged from the door behind her. Changed out of her normal work clothes, she now wore a sensational flared cocktail dress that tickled the top of her knees and clung to a body that many women would cry for. River wished she had a body half as fit and toned and she wondered when Erisa managed to exercise as well as work, go to university and keep a happy, satisfied, gorgeous boyfriend.

"I shall have a steaming cup of that new tea, from McInnerny's, please, boss." With make-up applied so perfect, it almost made River cry, Erisa slipped on to the stool in front of the counter. She glanced over her shoulder towards Antoine. "How's the new boy doing?"

River turned away, hiding the little grimace by preparing to make Erisa her cup of tea. She tried to think of the best way to describe Antoine as the kettle rose to a boil. She swilled out the little tea pot, dropped a spoonful of tea inside and then poured the fresh, hot water inside. Setting the tea pot before Erisa, she caught the raised eyebrow and realised she had taken too long to answer.

"He's good. Great." A clean cup, placed onto a saucer, clinked as River placed it before Erisa. A tea spoon followed and River adjusted it a few times until it sat straight. "He's nice. Friendly. The customers seem to like him. He's a little ... he can be a little ..."

The sound of a cup shattering on the floor turned everyone's heads. Antoine held up his hands. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Clumsy. He can be a little clumsy." She leaned forward, whispering to Erisa. "I'm a little afraid I'll lose all my profits by having to buy new tableware. But, apart from that, he's nice. A nice young, pleasant, friendly, clumsy man. It's good. Is it good? Have I made a terrible mistake? He likes tea, though. Apparently."

Erisa cast a studious eye upon Antoine as he crouched down to pick up the broken pieces of cup. He used his table cleaning cloth to mop up the remains of the tea, and Erisa pursed her lips. However, she gave an appreciative nod as several of the older women, sat at various tables, cooed and fussed about as they helped him clear up his mess.

"I'm sure he'll learn. The customers like him, it seems." She waggled a finger towards the scene, a perfect, long painted fingernail making wheels in the air. "He's the type people mother. You'll get repeat custom from people who just want to pinch his cheeks. Give him a little time and see how it goes."

That all seemed perfectly reasonable. As Erisa twirled the tea spoon in the pot and then poured out the tea into her cup, River noticed the new necklace about Erisa's neck. Delicate and fragile looking, it complimented Erisa's dark skin so well, resting upon the top of her flawless chest. Erisa took a sip of the tea and smacked her lips in appreciation.

The new teas had proven popular, even though most people would find it difficult to tell the difference between them. The increase in customers had steadied over the past few days and River now doubted it would ever return to the quieter levels of before. She missed those times, but enjoyed the extra money that she banked.

Taking on a new staff member had eased the majority of River's worries, freeing Erisa to reconnect with her life outside Leaves. She hadn't wanted to mention anything, but she had seen a mid-semester test result of Erisa's and her grades had slipped. Only a little, but Erisa rarely ever had bad grades. River could do nothing but blame herself. It made River happy that Erisa could now focus on the more important aspects of her life; her education and her boyfriend.