Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
But it’s also a relief to be out of Dane’s orbit. Sure, the powerful alpha male hooked me up with a barista job at his company, but let’s be honest. Dane’s Coffee is based in Wyoming, and that’s where my dad’s friend spends his time: at corporate, talking with investors while managing an international empire. I don’t exactly see my dad’s buddy on a daily basis because Brooklyn is just a small satellite operation. Our neighborhood is nothing to Dane, and I’m safe here in the boonies.
Smiling to myself, I begin mopping up the floor in the café. Colette’s right. This syrup is especially gooey and gross, and while it smells okay, the color is a disgusting dark brown that seems multi-colored at the same time. Seriously, would customers really want to ingest this? Maybe once it gets blended in with coffee, it won’t look so much like toxic waste anymore. But the rainbow sliminess looks insanely artificial, and I make a note to check the other gallon drums for leaks before finishing my shift today.
Suddenly, Colette lets out a gasp behind me.
“Oh my god!” she whispers.
“What is it?” I ask. “Did someone leave a really big tip? Twenty? Fifty, even?”
There’s no answer as I continue to mop. But then, Colette lets out a chirp.
“Mr. Keneally!” she squeaks. “Hi, I’m Colette Malvern. I work for you. I mean, of course I work for you because I’m wearing a Dane’s Coffee apron, and I’m behind the counter here at your store. Oh, what am I saying? Welcome to Brooklyn, Mr. Dane! I mean, Mr. Kenneally.”
That’s when I spin around, every cell of my being suddenly aware of our new customer. After all, it’s true. My dad’s best friend has just shown up and his blue eyes gleam as he takes in my curvy form.
“Hey Jamie,” he says in a cool tone. “Funny seeing you here. How are you enjoying Brooklyn?”
All the air whooshes out of my lungs as my cheeks heat up because my dad’s best friend is here in the flesh … and this time, I know I won’t be able to resist.
2
Dane
I wasn’t sure if I’d see her at the cafe. Of course, I knew that Jamie had been hired by Dane’s Coffee in Williamsburg because I hooked her up with the job. Her dad, my buddy Ed, told me that his daughter was heading out to New York for college, and was looking for a part-time position while she attended classes. I snorted.
“Really? Jamie wants to be a barista? Are you not footing her tuition or something?”
Ed shrugged while burping his new baby across one shoulder.
“Naw, I told her that I’d pay for everything, but Jamie was insistent. It’s just something she wants to do. What can I say? My daughter’s independent.”
I smirked again, but made it happen. Jamie was hired the next week as a barista at our outpost in Brooklyn, and it was no big deal. After all, who’s going to question the CEO? Besides, servers don’t exactly make that much so there tends to be a lot of turnover. Dane’s Coffee is always looking to hire good people, and Jamie absolutely fits the bill with her cheerful personality and ready smile.
But I wasn’t sure that I’d see her today, of all days. I’m on a tour of some of our cafes on the East Coast because there’s been a move towards unionization recently. Nothing’s happened at Dane’s as of yet, but a lot of big conglomerates are experiencing worker discontent. In fact, at Starbucks, a young woman who’s a Rhodes Scholar is a lead labor organizer at one of their cafes in Buffalo. Can you believe it? If someone with a Ph.D. applied to work as a barista at any of my shops, I’d want to know why. She could get any job she wants, so why us? And why an entry-level retail job?
As a result, this “listening tour” is really important. I understand that a lot of people regard listening tours with skepticism because they want action, and we’re not promising anything in particular. But management is trying to understand what our employees desire, and we want to work with them to fill those needs. Furthermore, me being on this tour, specifically, as the CEO and the figurehead of the organization, lends the whole thing credence. This isn’t just random talking heads out to placate the masses. I’m the actual “Dane” of Dane’s Coffee, and bottom-line, this business is my baby and I care about it.
But yes, the Williamsburg location wasn’t on our original schedule. We were going to hit up the Manhattan flagship, as well as a café in Westchester, and another one in New Jersey. But looking over the itinerary, I told my VP to add the Williamsburg location at the last minute.