A Steamy Love Affair

Persephone de Cordova acclimated to gloomy Seattle weather almost immediately as she had never been fond of California sunshine and hot weather; she was the antithesis of other natives who longed to frolic on the beach and go camping to be one with nature. Persephone always thought ahead to where she'd be dealing with bright-red sunburns on her fair skin, excessive sweaty episodes and mosquito bites.

No, thank you.

Which is why Seattle was an ideal place for her to move when she bought a lottery scratcher from an automated machine inside her local drugstore and saw that she won the grand prize of twenty million dollars. After paying taxes on the winnings, she decided to buy a modest home and invest the majority. She kept a reasonable portion in her savings account in case of emergencies but her previous profession had cushioned her financial situation quite nicely.

On this Friday morning, she met with her financial advisor to discuss the best investment opportunities. A few million of the lottery winnings were already gone thanks to taxes, as well as the purchase and furnishing of her home. She was very much aware the impact of inflation could have on her savings in the future, hence why she opted to take a proactive stance.

By eight-thirty in the morning Persephone walked out of the advisor's office with the intention of getting back in her car and driving home but a passerby walked past her holding a very fragrant drink that smelled of coffee and something else she couldn't quite place but made her mouth water just the same.

For a split second, she considered letting the situation be but her caffeine addiction prompted her towards him. "Excuse me," she called out to the young man holding the drink.

The stylish man wore glasses and had curly black hair atop his head which was painstakingly coiffed to get a perfect result. He halted and turned to look at her.

"I am so sorry to bother you," she placed her hands over her heart, "But that drink smells so good. May I ask what it is and where you got it from?"

The young man smiled at her. "Oh, no problem, mami," he said in a friendly tone. He pointed across the street. "There's a coffee shop on the corner there called A Steamy Love Affair," he pointed to his drink. "Ask for Unexpected Love," he suggested. He waved his hand dramatically over his coffee cup. "Lavender and vanilla. I tried it three years ago and I have been hooked ever since."

Persephone smiled at the young man, "Thank you for that," she told him as she made her way to the business. "Have a great day!" She yelled out.

"You too, mami!" she heard him respond.

The shop itself was small but it was crammed to the brim with seating areas for customers, all of which were taken. The smell of freshly made coffee immediately invaded her senses and made her mouth water. She practically floated to the register to place her order.

As soon as that was done she noticed two professional-looking men were vacating a table that was part of a running built-in bench. Persephone made a beeline towards the newly available table and placed her clutch on the surface. Once the table was claimed she began to undo the fastenings of her black coat. So many people breathing in this small space was making the locale rather warm for her taste.

Once the coat was on top of the bench, she stood in a solid black sheath dress with a plunging neckline feeling more at ease. She noticed a few spills on the table likely courtesy of the previous inhabitants. Persephone reached towards the napkin dispenser for a napkin and wiped the spills.

"Ah- you have bested me."

She heard as she wiped. Slowly, she looked up to see the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen staring back at her. They came with a handsome male face that seemed to have been kissed perfectly by the sun. The lean chiseled face was framed with short hair, left a little long on top and brushed back.

"I'm sorry?" Persephone uttered as she stared, not realizing she was openly admiring the face staring back at her.

"Unexpected Love for Persephone!" The barista shouted from behind the counter finally bringing her out of the spell.