Arizona Sunsets - Sam Hubbard

I

The little bell above the entry door rang, informing the two women behind the counter that a new customer had just entered the coffee shop.

Smiling, Liz set aside the rag she had just used to wipe down the countertops, wiped her hands dry on her apron, and made her way to the counter where the guy who had just walked in was standing.

"Must be 8 o'clock if he's here" Charlotte mumbled to Liz as she walked past her, nodding in the direction of the customer before making her way to the confectionery display to restock the cookies.

"Hey, what can I get you?" Liz asked the guy politely. She recognized him immediately, he came in every morning at the same time and the faces of regular customers were quickly memorized by Liz. Especially when they were as attractive as he was.

He was at least 6'5'' and was broadly built despite his height. His muscular arms were probably four times as big as Liz's. His hair was short, brown, and only brought out his green eyes more.

Despite his appearance, which was sure to intimidate one or two, he made a very friendly, kind impression, perhaps due to the sweet smile he always wore on his lips.

Really, Liz was sure she had never not seen him smile in the last week and a half that she had seen him on each of her shifts at the coffee shop, which was more than could be said for any customer at 8 in the morning.

"Hey, a White Flat, please" the guy ordered with a smile. "Sure, coming right up" Liz turned to the large coffee maker with a grin, and with a few flicks of her hand adjusted it to the right setting.

"to go as usual?" She asked over her shoulder as she poured the milk into a small silver pot to warm it up. "yes, as always" the guy replied smiling. Immediately Liz grabbed one of the paper cups and placed it under the machine before turning back to the customer.

"As often as you get coffee to go here, you should consider getting a reusable cup. Think a little about the environment, you know?" Liz laughed as she typed the order into the register.

"That's honestly not a bad idea. Do you know where I can get one anywhere around here?" the guy grinned. "Well, without advertising. We sell our very own here. With a nice design and of course our logo on it. You can admire them in the window when you leave" Liz pointed to one of the big store windows next to the entrance.

"can I get you anything else today besides your coffee?" she asked as the guy turned back to her. "No, thanks" he replied, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Did you bring your loyalty card then?" Liz grinned after cashing him out and getting the coffee that Charlotte had finished making in the background by now and placing it on the counter.

Proudly, the guy nodded and pulled the paper card out of his wallet. "Oh, the eighth stamp already. Two more and you get a free coffee" Liz noted as she stamped over the eight with the small coffee stamp.

"Plan to get the card full by Friday and get my free coffee on Monday" the guy explained to her with a grin. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem for you" Liz laughed before handing him back the card.

"Have a great day and enjoy the coffee" she bid him farewell. "Thank you so much. I will. Have a nice day" he raised his hand in farewell, grinned at her and turned around.

Liz looked after him with a grin. Not many customers could be said to be as nice as he was. She appreciated that about him. He was one of those customers who made it fun to be behind the counter.

Amused, she watched him stop in front of the window, intently examining the reusable coffee cups that had been set up. After a few moments, he lifted his head and caught her eye, Liz grin only grew bigger as he looked away, almost caught, and then left.

"Earth to Liz, are you still here?" Charlotte nudged her lightly from the side. "ouch, yes I am" Liz grumbled rubbing the spot where the tip of Charlotte's elbow had just hit her.

"Sorry, you were so engrossed in staring after him that I didn't know if you were even in this universe anymore. Here..." she handed Liz one of the napkins. "...you still have a little drool hanging from the corner of your mouth" she grinned as she dodged Liz's indignant slap.

"I wasn't staring after him and I definitely wasn't drooling" Liz rolled her eyes, crumpled up the napkin and tossed it into the trash can under the counter. "Of course you weren't. You don't flirt with him when he orders coffee every morning either" Charlotte scoffed.

"I flirt with every customer. It's called strategy for sales" Liz retorted, turning away from Charlotte to clear away the remaining dishes that were sitting around. "Of course. The older man from Table 3 raves about you all the time. Watch out, I'm sure he asked you for your number later" Charlotte laughed.

"You're impossible. You better grab a tray and clean up a bit before I report you to the boss for refusing to work" Liz gave her a provocative look. Charlotte laughed as she grabbed a tray and a rag.

"You'd never do that anyway. You love working with me way too much" she winked at Liz before running over to the tables and starting to load up the dishes and wipe down the tables.

Shaking her head, Liz looked after her. Charlotte was right. She enjoyed working with her far too much to risk them being put on different shifts. Charlotte, along with the high school students who worked here after school and the other staff, was the only one Liz's age and by far, the one she got along with best.

She thought of the guidelines as suggestions for behavior rather than rules to follow, and had no problem telling customers directly if she didn't like their behavior at all.

Liz was the complete opposite. She didn't like confrontation and was happy to have Charlotte shove herself in front of her like an angry terrier as soon as a customer spoke up to her. She put people in their place and even silenced a Karen or two.

The teasing she did towards Liz all the time was one of the downsides that came with working with Charlotte, but Liz had to admit that she would probably miss it a lot if Charlotte didn't tease her about every little thing.

Sighing, she looked at the clock. It was quarter past 8, just under two hours until her shift was over. After that, she'd be at the museum until five, and after work, she'd get through her work out at the gym before spending the evening relaxing on the couch.