My British Bear

Chapter 8

Hey, guys! So, I just wanted to thank all of you for the amazing amount of reads and reading lists this is getting, so thanks! I love you guys! Is there anything I can to thank you? Updating regularly is an option ;) 

"Alright, so this is how you make flavored coffee." Brooks started, pouring some syrup into the cup. He added some cream and poured the steaming coffee into it. He stirred it.

"Brooks!" I laughed. He looked up at me, his brows furrowed showing he was puzzled. I loved his puzzled face. His brows quirked up, his mouth tilted a little at the sides, and somehow even his glasses got a little crooked. "I know how to make flavored coffee. And all sorts of coffee. What I really need is to learn how to do cookies and such!"

It had been a week of 'training' with Brooks, who was completely incapable of teaching someone to do anything. He was innocent and adorable and really did try, but he was either teaching me something I already knew or was doing a horrible job of trying to tell me how to do it.

"How about this." I took the cup from him. "I do what I need to do, and you tell me if I'm doing it wrong. Or I'll ask you. Isn't that better than going through all this pain?"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. That would work better."

I smiled and sipped the coffee. "Exactly! Now, show me how to frost a cookie!"

Brooks nodded and led me deeper into the back. We slipped into a small room and an assortment of colors attacked me. "Geez Loueez! You guys have a color for everything! If Jesus came back you'd have a color for that!"

Brooks looked slightly confused, but giggled anyways. The room was small with a tile floor, counters, and white walls stained with frosting. There were cupboards and shelves full of tubes of frosting along with stencils, paint brushes, and decorations. Apparently they did all the decorating by hand.

Brooks vanished for a second and came back with a box of sugar cookies. A sticky note on the top read;

Brooks-

'fun and christmassy'.

due tomorrow.

"So, people order and tell y'all what they want?" I asked, examining the colors and wondering how many I could sample before going into a sugarcoma.

"Yup." Brooks grabbed green, red, yellow, and brown frosting. He rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a cookie.

"'Fun', hm?" He nodded. "I have an idea for fun!"

"What's that?" he raised a brow, completely focused on the cookie he was decorating.

"Mustaches!" Brooks looked up from his work and stared at me. "What? It's fun and everyone loves them! Make presents and Christmas trees with mustaches! Fun and Christmassy!"

Brooks almost looked alarmed. "What are you on about?"

"I'm serious! They said something fun and they didn't say we couldn't!"

"They didn't say we could..."

"They didn't specify! Come on." I shook his shoulders. "They'll love it. It'll go viral!" I spread my arms wide. "Everyone will know this coffee shop for its famous mustache cookies! I can see the headlines now- Sweets Beans, Bakes, and 'Staches."

Brooks blinked slowly. "You're scaring me." he said very seriously.

I giggled. "Dude, you know it's cool!" I blame all this on the half dozen cookies and cups of coffee I'd already had that day. I poked his cheek. "C'mon, you know it is."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, okay, fine."

"YAY!" I squealed.

"You are never allowed to have the caramel cappuccino again, do you understand me, Maria Farley?" he said sternly.

"Yes, yes. I understand, Lord Hughes."

I grabbed a different shade of brown and black frosting and offered to make the mustaches since Brooks had a ton more experience frosting detailed things. He would make a beautiful, large Christmas tree or present, and I would add a swirlly, french mustache on it.

When we were done with the three dozen cookies we stuffed them back in the box and examined out handiwork. The cookies were beautiful! Such details! Such mustaches! "They- they have reached a new level of absolute fabulousness!"

"Yes," he agreed.

I dashed out to the front and snatched up two cookies out of the display case. "One present, one Christmas tree," I commanded. He obeyed and I quickly mustachified the cookies. I shoved them in the display case and stuck a sticky note to the top. Mustache Christmas Cookies- Special!

Brooks shook his head, smiling, as he came up behind me. "You're crazy."

I nodded very seriously. "At least I'm not Jess."

"True."

I jumped as a shout echoed through the back. "I DIDN'T KNOW PIRATES COULD OPEN DOORS!"

I stared at Brooks, my mouth agape. "Wh-what was that?"

"That was Tiaz," he said calmly.

"What is a 'Tiaz'?!"

"A 'Tiaz' is a guy who works here and loves his Minecraft. He is also human, just so you're aware."

Brooks headed toward the office and I followed him into the dark room. A blonde boy wearing a green bowtie sat furiously pounding on the keyboard to the computer. "Why didn't you tell me pirates could open doors?!" he demanded, not looking up. I stared, confused.

"Because we all don't play Minecraft."

"Terraria," he corrected. He waved his hand and went back to his game, his green eyes focused on the screen. "There's a difference."

Brooks sighed, putting his head in his hand. "Hello? So your name is Tiaz?" I asked.

"Yes."

"No." Brooks shook his head, confusing me further. "His real name is Elijah, but he demands we all call him Tiaz."

"Thank you! Isn't Tiaz just a fabulous name?"

"Sure?" I agreed hesitantly.

He seemed to be a nerd (I mean, it was impossible to tell from his Zelda shirt, Mario hat, Tardis pants, and Ninja Turtle hoodie hanging on the chair).

Brooks shook his head. "He is a 'gamer'. He is supposed to work here, but he mostly plays Minecraft. In all honesty, I think Reese pities him."

I nodded and as we walked toward the front he began to yell about 'glowing pets'. "Okay, he is definitely a gamer."

Brooks nodded. "He's Jess's younger brother."

"That explains everything."

"Alright, you go take coffee orders and I'll frost cookies."

"Yes sir, captain, sir." I saluted.

There were three people without coffee, and two of the three seemed interested in the mustache cookies. I smiled and told them it was a 'new edition' and they said they'd try it at another time. As I was handing one man his coffee, I saw someone taking a picture of the mustache cookie.

Yes. It will go viral.