It was day five of Operation Girlfriend, and Cora was...weirdly confident.

The day before, she had finally asked her apartment's building manager about when the elevator would be fixed. Then, after her shift, she had asked conversing shoppers at the grocery store if they could step aside from the discount produce she was trying to peruse. And at the beginning of today's shift, she had mustered up the courage to question Darlene's decision to cut hours. While Darlene hadn't understood Cora's nervous mumbling, and Cora wasn't brave enough to repeat herself, she had at least tried once, and that was progress. It was also unnatural, and Cora wasn't sure if she should be proud or concerned over the recent development.

But she could think about that later. In the meantime, she was content with enjoying another beautiful day at Cool Beans as she cleaned one of the espresso machines as thoroughly as she could.

Of course, it helped that it was the perfect spot to sneak a peek across the food court without being obvious. It was also at the right angle to see Farron's small stature hidden behind their coworkers and Fruitastic's blenders, and Cora could watch as their hands flew over the machinery and between ingredients with intense focus.

Did Cora feel a little creepy? Absolutely. But every time Farron glanced at her to shoot a wink across the food court, Cora found herself even more captivated than before.

That is, until Kevin stepped in front of her on the other side of the machine, his brows raised.

Cora frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be mopping?"

"Aren't you supposed to be flushing out the machine? At this rate, you'll probably burn yourself by accident. And you'd still be grinning like you just were."

Cora forced her frown to deepen as she craned her neck around Kevin, but her smile reappeared as soon as she found Farron already staring back at her.

Kevin sighed. "Could you at least save the flirting until after my shift is over?"

"You're just jealous," Cora said as she tried to return Farron's wink, only to succeed in blinking instead.

"Maybe I am, but don't tell my partners that." He paused. "For real, though, it's great to see you like this."

While Cora had planned on watching Farron lift a heavy tub from under the counter, Kevin's admission was enough to make Cora turn towards him. "Huh?"

He shrugged as he picked at the splintered top of the wooden mop handle. "You seem happier lately. And not the fake stuff for customer service. Like actual happiness."

Cora's instinct was to protest. She always enjoyed her work and helping customers, and the implication that she was faking her enthusiasm was mildly insulting, as if she didn't care enough. But maybe that's not what Kevin meant. Maybe he meant it was a different kind of happiness. That would explain why it filled her with confidence instead of anticipation.

"I suppose I do feel a little different," Cora said, as she continued her cleaning. "In a good way."

"And I love that for you," Kevin said, then leaned a bit closer. "Would you be willing to take the trash out for me then?"

Cora beamed. "Absolutely not."

Kevin straightened his posture with a frown, but a slight grin still appeared at the ends of his lips. "Worth a shot."

"I don't want to take that opportunity away from you anyway," Cora said. "You have to befriend those crows sooner or later."

"How do you—" After a beat, Kevin's shock turned into a pout. "Farron told you, didn't they?"

Cora shrugged. "You can't expect free food from Farron every time those birds scare you. They probably see you as an easy target."

"Compared to their beaks and talons? I am an easy target."

"They don't need to know that. For all you know, they just like your gauges."

Kevin clamped his hands over his ear lobes, only to release them to catch the mop he just let go. "I can't let them take my ears."

"Not your ears, your—"

The familiar sound of the money safe closing in the backroom cut off Cora's words, and she and Kevin had jumped back into cleaning by the time the door opened. While Cora excelled at feigning focus, Kevin's acting was subpar, and Cora was grateful that his guilty face could be directed towards the ground without arousing suspicion.

"I hope you plan on doing another deep clean at the end of the shift," Darlene said from over Cora's shoulder.

Cora stiffened at her manager's unexpected proximity, but she refused to let it show. "Absolutely! We have to set the openers up for success, after all."

"That's the goal, at least," Darlene muttered. "I'm heading off to the main office, and if I hear another complaint from the openers, that's your tips on the line."

Cora's eyes widened at the monetary threat, then she spun around when the rest of the sentence sunk in. "You're not coming back?"

Darlene raised her brows. "I have a very important meeting. Is that a problem?"

Yes.

"Of—of course not," Cora lied. Then, before her courage could dwindle completely, "But the afternoon rush is coming up."

For a few seconds, Darlene stared at her, her brows still raised. Cora resisted the urge to fidget, determined to stand her ground. She wanted answers, needed them, and she wasn't afraid to get them. That's right, she was strong and confident and brave and Farron's girlfriend and smart—

"Exactly," Darlene said, pointing at Cora's face. "So don't mess it up."

Okay, maybe Cora wasn't as confident as she thought, and all she could do was nod as Darlene left without another word.

"This isn't good," Kevin muttered from the other side of the espresso machines.

That was an understatement. Sure, Darlene had left Cora to her own devices before, but that was usually closer to the end of the shift. While she had Kevin, he hadn't even been on the job for a full five months yet, and his confidence as a barista was on par with Cora's over her life decisions. The situation was a recipe for disaster.

Cora's gaze drifted across the food court, as if expecting to find the solution to her grievances amongst the tables of families with their meal-throwing children. While an answer didn't magically appear before her, she did find Farron staring back at her, their brows furrowed with confused concern.

Somehow, that was all it took for Cora to strengthen her resolve and steady her mind.

"Kevin!" she said, spinning towards him. "What are you feeling today? Register or bar?"

"Uh..." Kevin hugged the mop handle as his eyes darted between the two options. "Register, I guess?"

"Alright, log in to the far register in case I need to jump on the other one, and double check that you have enough change," Cora said, speeding up her cleaning of the espresso machine. "Then prep another batch of the daily brew, but don't start it yet. Let me know how much we have right now."

Kevin nodded, his frazzled hair bobbing along to the movement, before scrambling to the backdoor. As Cora started flushing the espresso machine out, the hum of the motor and the hiss of steam accompanied the clamoring and muffled yelps from the backroom, and Kevin hurried out a few seconds later.

"It's about a quarter full!" Kevin said after fiddling with the coffee carafe.

Cora took a beat to think, imagining the rush ahead of them. "Prep the second one for a half batch and the first one for a full batch. As soon as someone orders one, start the half batch."

From there, they scrambled around with quiet intensity. While Cora had expected herself to panic under the unexpected pressure, she felt as calm and focused as she did during any other rush. Maybe that's exactly what it was—just any other rush. Darlene and her had tackled the late afternoon crowds with just the two of them. The only difference was the change in roles: Kevin was in Cora's position and Cora was in Darlene's.

This was Cora's chance to prove herself again, and this time, she was ready.

She had just finished scooping the available ice to the front of the machine when the first customer arrived.

"Could I get a small blended? Caramel mocha."

Perfect timing.

The sound of the blender almost drowned out the next customer, but Cora stopped the machine just in time to hear the tail end of the order: a medium daily brew, and Kevin's cue. Still, Cora focused on pouring her beverage into the caramel-lined cup—the last thing she needed was to spill it—before glancing across the store. To her surprise, Kevin was already flicking on the switch for the second coffee machine, then gave Cora a thumbs up before handing the ordered brew to the awaiting customer.

Cora grinned, and her excitement began bubbling in her chest and extending to her limbs—or maybe the smell of espresso triggered her caffeine jitters. While the job was frustrating at times, Cora loved those moments when she was fully absorbed in the rush, and her mind and body would follow the flow of the constant stream of customers. And this was only the beginning. She was just getting started.