The next day, Uno arrived early again, eager to continue showing Denise the ins and outs of The Coffee Beanery. As he walked in, he found her already setting up the counter, her enthusiasm evident.
"Good morning, Denise," Uno greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Uno," she replied cheerfully. "Ready for another day?"
"Absolutely. Today, I thought I’d introduce you to the rest of the team and give you a proper tour of the place."
"Sounds great," Denise said, her eyes bright with anticipation.
Uno led Denise to the back area where they found Lance, a tall and burly man with a friendly demeanor, stacking some boxes. "Denise, this is Lance. He handles our deliveries and ensures we’re always stocked up."
Lance wiped his hands and extended one to Denise. "Nice to meet you, Denise. Welcome to the team."
"Nice to meet you too, Lance. Thanks for keeping us supplied," Denise said, shaking his hand.
"No problem at all," Lance said with a grin. "If you ever need anything special, just let me know."
Moving on, Uno brought Denise to a corner where Angelo, a bespectacled man with a perpetual look of deep thought, was scribbling in a notebook. "And this is Angelo. He’s our ideas guy, always coming up with new drink specials."
Angelo looked up and gave a quick smile. "Hey, Denise. If you have any creative drink ideas, I’d love to hear them."
"Nice to meet you, Angelo. I’ll definitely think about that," Denise replied, intrigued.
Next, Uno led her to the kitchen, where Matt, a jovial man with a flour-dusted apron, was pulling a tray of pastries out of the oven. "Denise, this is Matt. He’s our pastry wizard."
Matt gave a mock bow. "Pastry wizard at your service. Welcome, Denise."
Denise laughed. "Thanks, Matt. Everything smells amazing."
"Wait until you taste them," Matt said with a wink. "I’ve got a fresh batch of croissants cooling down. Help yourself anytime."
After introducing Denise to the team, Uno and Denise returned to the front of the shop. The morning rush had started, and they quickly fell into a rhythm, serving customers and chatting as they worked.
During a quieter moment, Uno began to tell Denise about the regulars. "You’ll notice we have a few regulars who come in almost every day. They’re a big part of what makes this place feel like a community."
"That sounds lovely," Denise said. "Who should I keep an eye out for?"
"Well, there’s Jada, she’s a writer and often sits by the window working on her novels. Olivia is an artist, always sketching in her notebook. Avva is a musician, usually seen with her guitar case. Zoey and Kate are best friends who come in together for their daily catch-up. Maury is a businessman who drops by for his morning espresso. And then there’s Lorenzo, he’s a teacher and loves to chat about his students."
Denise smiled, imagining the colorful array of personalities. "They all sound wonderful. I can’t wait to meet them."
Uno nodded. "They’re great. You’ll see them all soon enough. They really bring a unique charm to The Coffee Beanery."
As the day went on, Denise indeed started to meet the regulars. Jada came in first, settling by the window with her laptop. Olivia followed, her sketchbook in hand. Avva arrived with her guitar case, chatting with Zoey and Kate as they walked in together. Maury grabbed his espresso on the way to a meeting, and Lorenzo stopped by later in the afternoon, sharing stories about his students.
