I will not have a panic attack. I will not trip over my own feet. I can do this job. I know I can. I make some of the best froth art out there. I know I do. Come on Melinda remember the mantra. One step at a time.

Taking the stairs down to the store one at a time, she paused on each of the thirteen to repeat the whispered words. The first week of school was intense. Skipping the first year of the degree because of the way she got her high school diploma already put her up against tougher courses. Melinda kept to herself, hiding in the back rows of the classrooms. One of her lectures was in a massive auditorium with over a hundred people. Who knew Economics 202 was so popular?

Today was her first time opening the store. The best part of working at Cozy Corner, was no morning rush. Her bosses didn't want the crazy press of commuters racing for work in their store. The whole business model was set on one key idea. Come in, relax, and pamper yourself. Opening was at ten, and closing was at ten in the evening. Her boss, Peggy was Lana's sister, and she was great at doing the schedules, inventory, and running the books and backend of the business.

But as much as Peggy loved coffee and all the particulars of different beans, roasting styles, and flavoring, she had no clue about preparing it and watching the freshness of the brewed product. That was her department. And now Mirabelle from the bookstore wanted to add another facet to the refreshment end of things.

Tea. And not just a variety of already available commercial teabags, custom blended loose tea, and herbs to flavor it. Worse yet, construction of her tea station was about to start. All Melinda could think of was the debris and trip hazards. She knew herself. She could end up on her knees just because of her natural klutzy tendencies. Obstacles were terrifying.

The bakery which occupied the other half of the upper floor of the building was Elena's department.

How am I supposed to keep this all straight? I have to admit listening to Elena's start up in the middle of the night is comforting. I'm never alone really. She's the best, cause there's a door between us if I ever need her. Elena doesn't lock her side.

At the bottom of the stairs, she skirted the dumpster then checked her watch. She had time to go around to the front door. The sign was one of her favorite things. A painted wooden panel protect by shiny shellac, declared Cozy Corner, with Open from 10-10 except Sundays under the fancy calligraphy store name. Sundays were already her study day and because Dr. Elizabeth insisted, her nature day. But it was the tulips on the sign which were a personal signal to her. They proved she was in the right place.

Coming out of the back lane onto the sidewalk, she enjoyed the warmth of the sun. September was warmer than usual, and she shrugged out of her black jacket exposing well toned arms and her pale butter yellow tank top. Tucked into stone washed jeans, the outfit emphasized her petite curves. If there was one thing Melinda wished for, it was just two more inches of height. At five foot two, the store mini step ladder was her best friend, especially in the storage area.

Reaching into her front pocket she found the key, and the numbers to disarm the security system flashed through her head. Two other students jogged toward her, and she recognized Mandy and Ralph. Randy was her helper and Mandy took the cash register in the bookstore. Elena generally did her own sales except on Saturday when either her daughter or grandson came in to help her. Everyone knew the bakery closed at one in the afternoon.

"Are you ready to get the coffee brewing Ralph?" she asked as she put the code into the alarm keypad.

"I'll get the Columbian, Arabica and Brazilian blends going. What do you think will be the flavor of the day today?" he asked as he headed to the huge brewing urns.

"Hard to say. I expect pumpkin spice, especially since Elena has a fresh batch of pumpkin tarts for us." Melinda said.

"I know what I want for coffee break then," Mandy said as she disappeared through the arch into the bookstore where several comfortable easy chairs were scattered between the shelves.

"I'll just make sure the tables are clean then," Melinda said, as she squeezed the excess water out of her cloth. "I'm opening the doors in five minutes."

She knew the early customers had the routine down. Peggy didn't expect her employees to come in early to prep. The regulars watched in anticipation as the pastry and baked products were loaded into the display cases. The muffins were usually still warm from the oven. Melinda knew competition for the window tables was fierce.

Mandy touched her shoulder as she finished the last table. "Do you see who's over there?"

"Hmmm, don't recognize them. Do they come in often?"

"Where have you been hiding? That's Gregory Ste. Claire."

"And why should I know who he is?"

"Only the most important food blogger in Colorado," Mandy whispered.

Melinda's heart sank, and her heart started to race.

"Don't panic. I've seen your work. And he's already set up his laptop," Ralph called from the counter where he was already serving the first cups of coffee to two other patrons.

"What's his order?"

"Straight vanilla latte with a hint of cinnamon. Simple."

"Yeah, but what's his version of a hint?" Melinda grumbled.

"Just make it the way you always do."

"I'll add a couple of mini pumpkin loaves to his order. Elena's just bringing them down now."

Ralph nodded. "That works."

She went to work, dealing with the froth and turning the foaming layer into her version of a carved pumpkin. Balancing everything on a small tray, she started over to the tables. The power cord the carpenter working in the bookstore stretched across the space between the tables never caught her attention until she felt it catch her foot.

The tray went flying and Melinda's chest tightened as she watched her fragrant vanilla-cinnamon latte create a perfect arc dropping onto Gregory St. Claire's laptop. It splashed onto his chest and dripped over the edge of the table into his lap, creating a sticky spill on the floor.

"I'm so sorry." Her knees were screaming, and she was loosing her battle to breathe. Her apology came out as a hoarse croak. "I think I just lost my job."

A/N: Word Count 2426 Prompt 19 is mentioned in the last two paragraphs.  Word 2000 is about 2/3 of the way through the chapter.