I Knew Her As August

nine: cold coffee

Finally, all the preparations were finished and the Introductions Ceremony was ready. It had been decided that it be held in Salt Lake City in the same shopping center as Diamonds in the Skye. Milo insisted it was safer to already have an Angel presence in the vicinity.

They left early in the morning to avoid any crowds. Nicki and Tulip both slept in the car on the way. They yawned as they watched the workers set up for the presentation and found themselves only getting in the way. Everything was too heavy for them to help with, like the podium and speakers, but they were too excited to just sit on the side and watch.

"You girls are underfoot," Milo grumbled as he propped the stage up with one arm. "Why don't you go get a coffee or something while we set up?"

He called over to a guard with his free hand to go with them. Nicki thought his name was David or something, he was one of the new recruits. He had bright red hair and a splatter of pimples across his cheeks.

Together the three of them looked at a map to find the nearest coffee shop. There was one on the second floor that didn't seem too hard to find. Tulip chatted with the young guard — Darren — while they walked. The shopping center wasn't open yet so all the store windows were dark, like a ghost town. There was still a fresh morning dew on the bushes and shrubs along the sidewalks. It all made Nicki want to crawl back into her warm bed and go to sleep.

Nicki was glad to finally reach the intoxicating aroma of the café and let it tickle her tastebuds, giving her a jolt of awareness. Her mother never liked her drinking coffee for fear it would stunt her growth, so drinking it was like a special occasion. The dark notes and sweet streaks filled her nose like a long lost friend.

"What type of coffee is good? Are there flavors?" Tulip asked helplessly, she'd never even tried coffee before. The poor dear.

"Lattes are always a safe bet. My favorite is an iced coffee with hazelnut; can't beat a solid iced coffee," the cashier exclaimed, suddenly there and ready to help. She was a cute Hispanic girl with a dark ponytail down her back. Her name tag read Ariel.

"Well, I want something sweet but not too sweet, and something that will wake me up but not, like, too awake..." Tulip rambled on, the cashier intently listening to her every word like she was describing a stranger's face for her to draw.

Nicki figured this would take a while and looked around the store. Apparently, it wasn't just a coffee shop, there were several racks spread around with different things for sale. One rack was filled with CDs, another had books, one rack even had different electronics on it. Nicki inspected it closer, finding a laptop and cell phone still in the box, even a PlayStation.

"Can I help you find something?" a familiar voice asked. Nicki jumped up from her search and saw Conrad in front of her wearing a matching black hat and apron with the store logo on it.

"Conrad? What are you doing here?" Nicki gasped.

Conrad looked down at her apron and back up at Nicki. "I work here. It's the day job, at least."

Nicki felt foolish. "I had no idea. Gus said he played music gigs for money. I didn't even think about if you had a job."

Conrad shrugged.

"It's one of the few places that'll hire Demons. People don't care who makes their coffee, as long as it tastes right. You order something? I'm supposed to be on bar now," Conrad asked, ready to serve.

"Not yet. Tulip was still deciding last I saw," Nicki teased, although she checked out of the corner of her eye if she was still undecided.

"I'll make you something special." Conrad smiled at her before heading back behind the counter. Nicki watched her pour milks and creams, steam billowing up around her. It made Conrad's hair frizz, even though it was tucked away in braids.