Sweet Dreams (Ladies of Stanford #1)

17. Coming Soon

The Perfect Blend -Ladies of Stanford Book Two

T he cheerful tinkle of the bell above The Daily Grind's door barely registered over the post-competition buzz. Zack Harrington looked up from the espresso machine, his hands moving on autopilot as he crafted yet another latte. The café was packed, a sea of familiar faces riding the high of Stanford's first Christmas Baking Spectacular.

"One oat milk latte for Sarah," he called out, sliding the cup across the counter with a practiced smile. As Sarah reached for her drink, a flash of movement caught Zack's eye.

Dr. Jessica Brooke stumbled through the door; her arms laden with what looked suspiciously like scientific equipment. Her chestnut hair had escaped its usually neat bun, frizzing around her face like an Einstein-esque halo.

"Jessie?" Zack called out, raising an eyebrow. "Everything okay there?"

Jessie's head snapped up, her green eyes wide behind slightly askew glasses. "Zack! Yes, fine, absolutely tickety-boo. I just need to, um..." She glanced around wildly before making a beeline for an empty table in the corner.

Curiosity piqued, Zack signaled to his barista, Mike, to take over. He grabbed a towel, wiping his hands as he approached Jessie's table. She was already hunched over a notebook, scribbling furiously.

"Can I get you anything?" Zack asked, unable to keep the amusement from his voice."Coffee? Tea? A particle accelerator, perhaps?"

Jessie looked up, blinking owlishly. "What? Oh, no, I'm fine. Unless..." Her eyes narrowed, focusing on Zack with sudden intensity. "Actually, do you have any of that Brazilian single-origin you were serving last week? The one with the hint of blackberry and dark chocolate notes?"

Zack's eyebrows shot up. "You remember that?"

A faint blush colored Jessie’s cheek. "I have an eidetic memory. It's both a blessing and a curse. Did you know that the average human brain can store up to 2.5 petabytes of data? That's equivalent to about three million hours of TV shows. Of course, that's just a theoretical—"

"Jessie," Zack cut in gently, "the coffee?"

"Right! Yes, sorry. I'd love a cup, if you have it."

Zack nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Coming right up. And maybe you can explain what allthis is about?" He gestured to the equipment strewn across the table.

Jessie's eyes lit up. "Oh! Well, I was thinking about Beth's winning dessert from the competition. The gingerbread castle was structurally fascinating, but what really caught my attention was the mirror glaze on the lake. The molecular composition must be incredibly precise to achieve that level of reflectivity while maintaining optimal viscosity for pouring and setting. I hypothesized that by adjusting the ratio of gelatin to glucose syrup, we could potentially create a glaze with even greater tensile strength and light-refracting properties. Of course, that led me to consider the crystallization process of various sugar compounds under different atmospheric conditions, which is why I brought the hygrometer and..."

She trailed off, noticing Zack's blank stare. "And I'm boring you, aren't I? Sorry, I tend to get carried away."

Zack shook his head, chuckling. "Not boring, just... intense. Tell you what, let me get that coffee, and you can explain it to me in small words. Deal?"

Jessie nodded, offering ashy smile. "Deal."

As Zack made his way back to the counter, he couldn't help but glance back at Jessie. She'd already returned to her notebook, her tongue poking out slightly in concentration. It was, he had to admit, kind of adorable.

"Earth to Zack!" Reese's voice cut through his thoughts. He turned to find Beth's assistant manager grinning at him, a knowing look in her eyes. "You planning on making that coffee sometime today, or should I tell the doc to expect it next Christmas?"

Zack felt heat creep up his neck. "I was just... thinking about bean ratios."

"Uh-huh," Reese smirked. "And I'm the Queen of England. Spill, Harrington. What's with the googly eyes at our resident mad scientist?"

"There were no googly eyes," Zack protested, busying himself with the coffee grinder."I'm just... scientifically curious."

Reese snorted."Right. And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the way her hair catches the light, or how cute she looks when she's all flustered."

Zack nearly dropped the porta filter. "I... that's not... shouldn't you be at Sweet Dreams?"

"Day off," Reese shrugged. "Beth's too busy making heart eyes at her Belarusian beefcake to mind the store. Besides, someone's gotta keep an eye on you lovesick puppies."

Before Zack could formulate a response, the bell chimed again. Beth and Yuri walked in, hand in hand, looking disgustingly happy.

"Zack!" Beth called out; her smile radiant. "Just the man we wanted to see. Got a minute?"

Zack nodded, grateful for the distraction. "Sure, just let me deliver this coffee first."

He carefully carried the steaming cup to Jessie's table, setting it down next to a precariously balanced stack of textbooks. "One Brazilian single-origin, as requested. Careful, it's hot."

As Zack turned to head back to the counter, he noticed Beth, Yuri, and Reese entering the café. They waved him over, huddling near the pastry display with conspiratorial grins.

"Okay, what's going on?" Zack asked, crossing his arms. "You've all got that look."

"What look?" Beth asked, her eyes wide with faux innocence.

"The 'we're up to something and Zack's not going to like it' look," he replied dryly.

Yuri chuckled, slinging an arm around Beth's shoulders. "Can't put anything past you, my friend. We were just discussing the upcoming Valentine's Day festival."

Zack groaned."Please tell me you're not roping me into another baking competition. My ego's still bruised from the last one."

"Not exactly," Beth said, her eyes twinkling. "We were thinking more along the lines of a collaboration. Sweet Dreams and The Daily Grind, joining forces to create the ultimate Valentine's Day treat."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"We were thinking of some sort of coffee-flavored dessert," Reese chimed in. "Something that combines Beth's baking skills with your coffee expertise."

Zack considered this fora moment. "That... actually sounds interesting. But why do I feel like there's more to this plan?"

The trio exchanged glances. "Well," Beth said slowly, "we thought it might be helpful to have a scientific perspective. You know, to really perfect the recipe. We were thinking of asking Jessie to join the project."

Zack's eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. And I suppose it's just a coincidence that this collaboration would require me and Jessie to spend a lot of time together?"

"Purely professional, of course," Yuri added, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

Zack sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You guys are about as subtle as a sledgehammer, you know that?"

"Is that a yes?" Reese asked, grinning.

Zack glanced back at Jessie's table. She was now surrounded by a small crowd of curious onlookers, enthusiastically explaining something involving a lot of hand gestures and what looked like an impromptu diagram drawn on a napkin.

Despite himself, Zack felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, alright. I'm in. But!" he added quickly, seeing the triumphant looks on his friends' faces, "This is strictly a professional collaboration. Got it?"

"Of course," Beth nodded solemnly, though her eyes were dancing with barely suppressed glee."Strictly professional. We'll go talk to Jessie now and see if she's interested."

As his friends moved towards Jessie's table, Zack found his gaze following them. He watched as they explained the project to Jessie, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She glanced over at him, offering a small wave and a smile that made his heart do a funny little flip.

Strictly professional. Right. Somehow, Zack had a feeling this Valentine's Day was going to beany thing but ordinary.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of customers and coffee orders. Zack found himself stealing glances at Jessie's table whenever he had a free moment. She remained engrossed in her work, only occasionally surfacing to take a sip of her now-cold coffee or to answer a question from a curious patron.

As the crowd thinned out in the late afternoon lull, Zack decided to check on her. He approached the table, noting with amusement that she'd somehow managed to get a smudge of ink on her nose.

"Refill?" he asked, gesturing to her empty mug.

Jessie blinked up at him, as if surprised to find the café still existed outside her bubble of concentration. "Oh! Yes, please. That would be lovely."

As Zack turned to go, Jessie's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. The sudden contact sent a jolt through him that had nothing to do with caffeine.

"Wait!" she said, her eyes bright with excitement. "I've had an idea. About the Valentine's Day project."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I thought you were working on glaze viscosity or something."

Jessie waved a hand dismissively. "That was hours ago. Keep up, Harrington. No, I'm talking about the coffee-dessert hybrid. What if we approach it from a molecular gastronomy perspective?"

Despite his limited understanding of the term, Zack found himself intrigued. "Go on."

"Well," Jessie said, her words tumbling out in a rush of enthusiasm, "by manipulating the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients, we could potentially create entirely new textures and flavor combinations. Imagine a dessert that looks like a cappuccino but tastes like a tiramisu, or coffee caviar that bursts with flavor in your mouth!"

Zack couldn't help but smile at her excitement. "Sounds... intense. But interesting. You really think we could pull something like that off?"

Jessie's eyes met his, fierce and determined. "With your coffee expertise and my scientific know-how? Absolutely."

For a moment, they just looked at each other, a current of understanding passing between them. Then Zack cleared his throat, suddenly aware of how close they were standing.

"Well then, Dr. Brooke," he said, his voice a touch huskier than he'd intended, "I look forward to our collaboration."

As he walked back to the counter to get Jessie's refill, Zack couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just stepped onto a roller coaster he wasn't entirely prepared for. But as he glanced back to see Jessie already scribbling new ideas in her notebook, her face alight with enthusiasm, he realized something.

He couldn't wait for the ride to begin.