Coffee and Cafés - Book Two of the Café Latte Trilogy

Cappuccino, Extra Shot

Welcome!

This is Café Latte, the sequel to Playing With Fire. It can be read as a standalone book, as it follows Tom rather than Jasper/Ross. However, I think it's best enjoyed as a sequel!

This takes place before the epilogue of PWF - in the epilogue, Tom is mentioned to be with someone named Angelo. This is the story of Tom and how he met Angelo. It has, of course, been re-written along with the others.

In the original PWF, Harper died. This isn't the case in the re-write, so I hope you enjoy how it changes this version of CL. Enjoy!

Love, Cam

*****

Chapter One

I pulled my scarf tightly around my neck and hurried along the street. It was busy. The January sales were raging on, and I knew a computer store had dropped some ridiculous discounts on games, so the streets were full of people. It was that strange period of time in which everyone felt the need to change themselves, join a gym, or learn a new skill.

I didn't bother with the 'new year, new me' stuff. I thought it was bizarre that people didn't just try to better themselves throughout the year instead. It was much less expensive.

Reaching Café Latte, I pushed the door open and breathed in the welcoming warm air, filled with the scent of coffee. I rushed up to the counter and called, "Cherry! I need coffee in an IV!"

Cherry rolled her eyes, and handed me the pot. "Go nuts."

I grinned, opening my travel thermos and pouring in a hefty measure of espresso. "Thanks!" I returned the pot to her. "Mum around?"

Cherry pointed at the floor. I craned my neck over the counter to see my mother lying on the floor, fiddling with a screwdriver. "Mum?" I asked.

Lucie looked up at me, frowning. "Hi, sweetie," she replied, but her tone was irritated. "How does your mother do this?"

"Practice," I supplied helpfully. "You need a hand?"

She smiled at me. "Thank you, yes."

I ducked behind the counter, setting my thermos down on the side and kneeling to see what she was doing. "The damn grate came loose," she said, pointing at where the grate was lying on the floor.

I picked it up, examining it closely. "Looks like it's warped a bit. You might need a new one. Ask mum, she'll know better, I'm a glorified DIY Wikipedia entry."

Lucie groaned, and we both stood up. I leaned the grate up against the wall and said, "I'll put it in the staff room so no one trips up."

"Thanks, baby," she kissed me on the cheek, and then looked out at the café. It was starting to get busy; people were leaving the shops and searching for lunch. "Can you stay for an hour to help out? Lunch rush is so bad at the moment."

I checked my watch. "I can give you twenty minutes, but then I have to get to the station. I'm meeting Harper today, remember?"

Lucie handed me an apron and smiled gratefully. "Best of sons," she told me, patting my cheek gently. "Love you."

"Love you too, mum," I kissed her on the forehead and wrapped the apron around my waist. I dashed around the café taking orders as quickly as I could, scribbling them down if they were food related and shoving them to Simon, who was cooking today. It was my current job, and I was damn good at it, but I desperately needed something that wasn't just working for my mother at her place.

"Hi," I greeted the people stood at the coffee bar. It was a man and a woman, both wearing tailored suits. I wondered if they were from a nearby office. "What can I get you?"