All That and a Bag of Chips

Chapter 10

Soon it was time for the doors to be unlocked. Marvin was the first to arrive, as usual. He shot back his two ounces of wheatgrass and then took his orange juice to go.

Two days ago, Avery had come in at this time. But that didn't matter anymore. Collin didn't care where she was right now. Or what she was doing. Or if she was happy with her choice.

He carried the empty blender over to the sink and washed out the streaks of orange pulp.

"Think it's going to be busy today?" Tom mused as he grabbed a spray bottle and cleaned the doors.

Collin blinked away the memories that he refused to care about and cleared his throat. "It's Saturday. It's always busy on Saturday."

"True." Tom said, his rag squeaking against the glass.

People slept in on weekends and the morning started off slowly. They had plenty of time to restock merchandise in the front, make the carrot display perfect, and prep many buckets of frozen fruit for the walk-in. But around nine-thirty, right after Greg–a high school kid–started his shift, a line formed. At ten, after Christy came in, things got really crazy.

"We need a second register open," Tom observed.

"You want to jump on?" Collin asked. "I can handle the smoothie orders as long as you fill any juice orders that come in."

"Sure thing, boss." Tom walked to the second register as Collin grabbed several empty blenders and started slapping on the incoming tickets that spit out automatically.

It was a hectic half-hour and Collin barely had time to think of anything except smoothie recipes.

Then, just as the rush was dying down, Tom called over. "Hey Collin, this one's for you."

Collin looked up from where he stood, both hands clutching ice cream scoops, and saw Heather, their eyes colliding like two asteroids. Sunlight flooded in from the large windows, catching the loose frizz of her hair, making her glow.

Tom walked over to the two half-completed smoothies. "Switch?" he offered.

"They just need fruit and ice," Collin said without breaking eye contact with Heather, and then he practically skipped to the register. "Good morning. How are you doing?"

Something about her smile made his breaths feel shallow. Like he couldn't inhale enough of her. And it had nothing to do with his binder.

"I'm good," she answered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Feeling like a smoothie. Do you have your recommendation prepared?"

"Well, are you in the mood for a fruit smoothie, or would you prefer something chocolatey?"

"Fruit," she said without hesitating. "We have chocolate things at the cafe."

"Of course. Makes sense. So, my next question is, soy-based or juice-based?"

Heather tilted her head. "Huh, never thought of that. Is that an important difference?"

"Incredibly important," Collin answered in a serious tone. "Soy-based drinks have a smoother, more creamy texture. Juice-based ones have a stronger fruit flavor, and depending on which you choose, they can be sweet or tangy."

"What do you prefer?" she asked.

"Well, I think of myself as a pretty smooth guy," he smiled, biting the edge of his lip.

"Ok, smooth guy. Surprise me," she said, matching his smile.

"Do you like strawberries?"

"Is the ocean deep?"

He laughed.

A balding man with a bushy beard cleared his throat impatiently behind her, and Collin quickly rang in the order, refusing to take the comp card and instead marking it as his daily free drink.

"Christy would be happy to help you," Collin told the bald man, rushing over to help Tom and Greg get the orders out.

"Heather!" Collin called out when he poured her drink a few minutes later. "I have a smoothie for a Heather."

"Thanks," she said, walking up to the pickup counter. "Hey, I meant to ask you, do you have plans for tonight?"

Collin hoped Tom was listening to this exchange, but he didn't dare avert his eyes to see. "If you're asking, then I guess I do now. With you."

"Don't you want to know what I was going to ask?" She reached for the smoothie, the tips of her fingers brushing against his.

"That would be wise. I need to know where to meet you."

She laughed. Light and melodic. "My girlfriends and I are going out dancing and I wanted to know if you wanted to join us. You could bring a friend, too, if you wanted."

Didn't sound exactly like a date, but he was getting closer. "Sounds like fun."

"Text me later," she said, sliding a piece of paper across the counter to him and then she turned and walked out.

Collin glanced over at Tom, who was giving him a thumbs up. "Are you going to ask me to go dancing with you?" he asked.

"Dude, you wish." Collin shook his head. His chest was suddenly abuzz with anticipation. Maybe Sam would play wingman again. He'd have to ask.