There are worse things than talking to the dead--like talking to the living.
Sitting in a dark backroom of a coffee shop, Nessa Cruz leaned forward in her chair. The curtain of dark hair hiding her face bounced as she moved her head from side to side, mumbling incoherently.
Across from her, sat a man wearing a flamboyant silk parrot-patterned dress shirt. An expensive-looking coat clung to the back of his chair. His leg bounced in annoyance as he spoke on the phone.
"Can't you wait for me to get there? I'm in the middle of something," the man snapped.
The woman on the other line whined, "You said you were bringing me a latte, Gregorio. Where are you?"
The man named Gregorio twitched his mouth, making his uneven mustache dance. "A coffee shop. This place has an in-house psychic and I'm testing it out. If it's fake, I'm blasting them on social media."
Nessa slammed her palms against the table, causing Gregorio to jump.
"Gregorio, Petey is gone. You know psychics aren't real," the woman scolded.
"Yes, I know they're all frauds and scammers but I want to try," Gregorio pouted.
"So, why are you wasting your money on one? I'm thirsty and waiting. Is a dead parrot more important than I am?"
"I'm still wondering that myself," Gregorio huffed before disconnecting the call.
"The birds are watching. Birds. Parrots. I see it. One parrot. The parrot is flying," Nessa said in a strangled voice.
"Is it Petey?" Gregorio leaned forward against the table displaying Nessa's purple crystal ball. "Does he miss me? Hurry, I must know!"
Nessa lifted her brown eyes to squint at the parrot pin adorning Gregorio's collar. Her head tilted to one side before she made a squawking sound and screeched, "Petey miss Gregoriooo!"
"Petey! It is you!"
Nessa jumped on her chair and flapped her arms while squawking. "Petey miss Gregoriooo!"
"Petey! I missed you!" The man jumped forward, and Nessa slapped him over the head while waving her arms in the air like wings.
Gregorio dodged another blow before grabbing one of Nessa's hands. "Petey, it's me! It's Gregorio!"
Nessa inhaled sharply as her convulsing body jumped back and she slumped down in her seat.
"The connection is broken," Nessa moaned, her eyes closed.
"What? No! Please, I miss my parrot Petey so much. I just want to talk to him again. He was my emotional support bird," Gregorio explained.
Nessa nodded. "Yes, I understand. Unfortunately, I cannot control the ghosties. Maybe you can stop by another day? I'm usually here at Candi's Coffee in the morning."
Candi's Coffee was the cafe her best friend, Candi Mason, owned.
Nessa cleared her throat while placing a wicker basket on the table. She smiled. "I take cash for my readings but I also have an app if you only carry credit cards. Tips are also welcome."
Nessa waited a few minutes after Gregorio left before pushing aside the beaded curtain covering the doorway to her psychic reading room.
She strode to the front of the cafe where the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted her.
"Ahh...I love the smell of coffee more than anything in the world," Candi said clutching a large can of coffee beans to her chest. Her cotton-candy hair sat in a braid down her back in strands of pink and blue.
A walking rainbow, she turned to Nessa. "Can you honestly name anything that smells better than coffee in the morning?"
Nessa grinned before pulling her hair in a bun and making her way behind the main counter to stand beside her best friend. She passed a pumpkin spiced latte to a customer. "If I'm being honest, I can name a lot of things that smell better than coffee."
Candi raised a pierced eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Money," Nessa said, ticking a list off her fingers. "New car smell, expensive cologne on a handsome man...preferably a man in a suit, carbon paper, tres leches cake—"
"Carbon paper?" Candi's delicate nose scrunched up in distaste. "You like the smell of carbon paper? You might as well say that you like the smell of burnt pencil erasers or gasoline."
"Maybe I do." Nessa shrugged. "Carbon paper makes me think of office jobs which make me think of not being on my feet all day. It's my dream job."
Candi smiled. "Speaking of jobs, how did the reading go?"
Nessa smiled, showing off her perfectly straight teeth. "The man wanted me to channel his dead bird. Was it weird? Definitely. Do I care? No."
"Even if you get regular employment, I hope you still do readings here. It gives the place an extra gimmick to bring in customers," Candi said.
Nessa sighed. "People are fascinated with talking to ghosties. Especially around the holidays."
"They are," Candi agreed. "I'm grateful if it brings in customers and I'm thankful to you for coming in on such short notice to help me here at the coffee shop. I can't believe people keep quitting on me."
Nessa suspected Candi calling her in to cover shifts at the coffee shop had more to do with her friend wanting to help Nessa earn a paycheck than people actually quitting. Nessa's bank account lived in the negative and she had no financial support since she turned eighteen.
Nessa sidestepped her friend's comment. "Sure, you know I'm always willing to work an extra shift. Especially since I just got a notice my rent is being raised."
Candi's hand tightened around the dish towel she was using to wipe down the counter. "Your landlord is the worst. Instead of increasing the rent, your building needs a lot of repairs."
"You're right but it has the cheapest rent in town and I'm trying to save money. I need to prove I can do this on my own."
"Do what, exactly?" Candi asked.
Nessa huffed in fake indignation. "Live independently. I refuse to mooch off my parents."
"You haven't taken a dime from them in years, Nessa. You've been through a lot. It's okay to ask for help now and then. Especially if they're wanting to help you. Do you know how many people would kill for some help like your parents are willing to give?"
"It's not that I'm not grateful. I am. The problem is their help comes with strings attached. Years ago, it wouldn't have mattered but it does now. My parents want me to be the perfect high-society daughter and that's not me. I'm not perfect. They need to learn to love me flaws and all. Is that too much to ask for? It's not like I can't ignore who I am and I'd rather just be me--an imperfect woman who eats too many tortillas and gives psychic readings for extra cash."
"I'm sorry. I know you've told me this before. I won't push even though I think you should at least consider it."
Nessa lifted an eyebrow but smiled at her friend. "I have to go."
"Sorry, I know you have another temp job today so I won't keep you. Eat some scones before you go. I've been hearing your stomach growl all morning. Are you nervous?" Candi asked as she watched her friend pop a scone in her mouth and untie the green work apron from around her waist. The morning rush ended before she did Gregorio's reading and it would be quiet for the next couple of hours.
Nessa shrugged before putting on a coat that had seen better days. "Not really. It's just a secretarial position but the temp agency said if I did well, it might turn into something long-term and I have a good feeling about this. Apparently, me being bilingual is what made them choose me."
"You don't speak proper Spanish," Candi accused her.
Nessa laughed. "So, I speak enough. Besides, what I don't know, my translation app will."
Candi frowned before pointing a finger at her. "Nessa, don't forget to be on your best behavior. I swear in the past two years I've known you, you're the only person I know who gets fired from temp jobs for being a walking calamity. Last time you got fired after you ate your co-worker's lunch. Only lowlifes do that."
"Hey, I'm no lowlife. I honestly thought it was my sandwich...until I bit into it. I couldn't put it back after I had already taken a bite. Also, I saved her life! They put pecans in that chicken salad sandwich and she was allergic to nuts! She would've died if she ate it. She should've thanked me instead of reporting me. It's not like I didn't offer her my lunch."
"Your lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"
"Isn't it the thought that counts?" Nessa chuckled and reached below the counter, grabbing a dark tote with a stitched-up shoulder strap.
"I just wish I could let you work here full time," Candi murmured.
"Don't worry. I'm like a cat. I always land on my feet. Besides, you already have that huge psychic readings sign next to your daily specials. That helps me earn extra cash." She slung the tote over her shoulder and gave a mock salute to her friend. "Wish me luck!"
"Luxmar is lucky to have you, Nessa! Just be sure not to pull down anyone's pants this time!"
Nessa groaned after being reminded of yet another one of her work-related disasters.
"Another accident! And they weren't pants. They were sweats. They should've properly labeled the wet floor outside the exercise room. I tripped and just hung onto whatever. I didn't mean to pull down his sweat pants. It's not like I saw anything so I'm not sure why he became so embarrassed. It's his fault he wasn't wearing underwear."
Candi's laughter followed Nessa to the door. "You can do it!"
Twenty minutes later, Nessa pulled on the hem of her black dress and straightened her posture. If she had any hope of staying in her current studio apartment, she needed to hold on for dear life to this temporary position for the next two weeks. Otherwise, she'd be out on the streets.
"You can do this," she whispered, echoing her friend's words before taking a deep breath and entering the lobby of the Luxmar hotel.
Years ago, she had worked as a seasonal maid at one of the smaller Luxmar hotels but was fired after accidentally pulling down the pants of a stranger.
Nessa took in the opulent surroundings and smiled. She'd be working in the business center on the top floor. She headed towards the nearest elevator to see its doors closing. She pressed the elevator button and the doors re-opened, only to reveal an incredibly handsome man.
He reminded Nessa of a romance book model with his broad shoulders, blue eyes, and hair the color of dark honey. He looked as delicious as the drinks she served at Candi's shop. He was flanked by two other men who were discussing some business deal, but he wasn't listening. Instead, he wore a disinterested expression and glanced at his Rolex. He started to look up when Nessa gasped and covered her face with both of her hands.
One of the men noticed Nessa and asked. "Are you getting on?"
Nessa shook her head, still hidden behind her hands. She deepened her voice to say, "No."
Her hands still covered her face as she slowly backed away. The elevator doors closed and Nessa leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths, ignoring the curious glances from strangers.
Candi was right. Nessa was a walking calamity. Only she would come face to face with the man whose pants she had accidentally pulled down years ago.
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