“Right?” He laughed as he wrote my name on a cup. “Nah, they’re just doing inventory, so they left me out here to fend for myself. You looking for someone?”
“Uh—” I’d planned for this, too. It’d be ridiculous to come here looking for her and then not ask about her just because she wasn’t out front. A lot of wasted energy psyching myself up to come in—and then there was all the support of my Elf Planet channel. “I wondered if Maeve was working here now?”
His brow furrowed slightly. I realized I had mumbled the whole thing, and he was trying to figure out what I’d said. I flushed but opened my mouth to repeat myself.
“Oh! Maeve! New girl! Yeah, she’s in the back. I’ll make your drink then run and tell her you’re here.”
I sighed in relief. “Oh, uh, my name’s—”
He held up the cup, which a
