I just want to start off by saying you all crack me up with your Jake comments. I hope this eases all your concerns.

First, I have to note the most awesomest (yes, I know it's not a word but I'm using it anyways!) addition to Team Coffee Girl, Kitchmill! She has taken over betaing duties for Brie who has gone MIA on me. I really hope everything is okay for her, but I wanted to make sure I stayed proactive in keeping you all going. Rachel is all caught up on the Coffee Girl front, and blasting though my prewritten chapters so fast that I can now tell you all that I will continue to update twice a week! Woohoo! Such awesome news, right?

The next bit of news I have for you is I wrote an outtake of chapters one and two from Edward's POV. I've decided to donate it to a cause, but am unsure of which one right now…if you have any opinions as to where I should, let me know.

Anyways, not much else here except thanks to Brie, Jen, Kelly, and Kim for prereading. More at the bottom!

Today you get to hear about the Olsen Twins. They are the sweetest and shiest girls I've ever met. They never came in together, but Mary Kate was kind enough to give me an autograph for my sister, who was a huge fan at the time. They always got no sugar added tea lattes from TC&TL.

Chapter Four

I jumped away from Edward at Jake's bellowing voice. "Jesus, Jake," I hissed. "Could you be any louder?"

"Maybe if you were actually working and not flirting with Mr. Hollywood, we might get out of here on time. Besides, you should have locked the doors five minutes ago," he huffed before he slammed the tray from the dishwasher on the counter.

"Jealous much?" muttered Edward. I elbowed him in the gut and gave him a 'shut the fuck up' look that silenced him completely; that action earned a little chuckle from Esme.

I glanced at my phone and saw it was indeed after eleven. With a sigh, I turned back to Edward and Esme. "He's right. I have to lock up so we can get out of here by a quarter to midnight. Thanks for coming in."

While Edward pouted at me for kicking them out, Esme spoke up for both of them. "It's fine, Bella, really. Edward was right about your coffee making skills, though; that was fabulous. I need to get my boy home and to bed. He has a busy day at the studio tomorrow."

"Mom," Edward groaned and then huffed like a petulant child. "I am an adult. I don't need you to put me to bed."

She patted him on the cheek. "Keep telling yourself that, darling."

I couldn't help letting go of the gut wrenching laugh that bubbled up at their display. Edward truly was a mama's boy. "Oh my God. That's priceless. I still have a couple of hours of studying to do before I put myself to bed. My professors don't care if I had to work tonight, and eight o'clock in the morning will be here before I know it."

I walked them to the door. Esme pulled me into a hug, and I was worried about soiling her pristine clothes with my coffee-covered apron, but she didn't seem to care. Her hug was warm and felt so comforting; I could see why Edward was still living at home under her watchful eye. She oozed love and sweetness from every pore.

Edward grabbed my coffee stained hand and placed a sweet kiss on top. His eyes were dark and full of passion. I was practically a pile of mush under his heated gaze. "Until next time, coffee girl," he whispered.

I could only nod. He rendered me speechless and thoughtless and utterly incoherent with one look from those eyes of his.

Until next time, indeed.

~o~o~o~

After that night, Jake requested to work different shifts than me, and I didn't care. Things were easier without him around to hound me relentlessly, anyway. I didn't want his puppy dog eyes or his eager-to-please-in-hopes-I-would-like-him-back persona around. It was bad enough he witnessed me turn into one of those girls who hummed and sighed after she met the Hollywood heartthrob she had been crushing on.

My shifts at work continued to fluctuate around my school schedule, and my classes became more difficult as the semester moved forward. My Musical Industry Foundations class was by far my favorite because of its focus on copyright laws, publishing, and licensing information. These things were extremely important to me since the focus of my major was writing lyrics. The last thing I wanted was to be taken for a ride, or just blatantly screwed over because I was unfamiliar with how everything worked. My talent wasn't enough to go by in an industry that could eat me up and then spit me out like a flavorless piece of gum.

I was ecstatic that I had also found a way to function even with Edward on my mind. I hadn't seen or heard from him in three days, not that I thought he was calling the store and checking up on my schedule or anything, but that would've explained how he knew when I was working the night he brought his mom in. If I hadn't been so enchanted by his eyes and the presence of his mother, I might have realized that he knew I was working and could have only gotten that information one way…and that would have been by calling in.

The possibility that he could be stalking me wasn't as scary as it could or should have been. The man had paparazzi swarming around him like wasps on most days and if he ever tried to hurt me, or even kidnap me, it would make every gossip blog or magazine within a couple of hours. His fans had no problem ratting out his whereabouts, either. Since I didn't have any desire to be a part of the public fodder for newsworthiness, I was happy that he somehow had managed to make his visits to my work privately.

Today was another morning shift, and I could honestly say they were my favorite. The aroma of coffee first thing in the morning before the sun was up had been signaling the start of most days for me for over three years, and it never failed to wake me up.

This morning I had the pleasure of getting to choose what flavor of ice tea we would be serving for the day. We always carried three different types: black, green, and herbal. Oddly enough, the non-caffeinated herbal was my favorite. The dark berries began seeping into the clear liquid, causing ribbons of tea to tint the water. I couldn't wait to have a large, ice cold glass to ward off the oppressive heat wave we were having here in Southern California.

It was mid-October and the temperature had been lingering in the high eighties. Angela had opened with me this morning, and it had been nice not to be responsible for the money as the shift supervisor. I loved days where I could just be a barista: taking and filling orders, keeping the front of the store functioning. I liked completing the required daily, weekly, and monthly chores that had become second nature for me, and it was more enjoyable for me to do them myself instead of having to delegate.

I opened the doors at half past five, and then proceeded to wait behind the counter. I knew Ben wouldn't be in this morning, so I figured I had a few moments to prep the daily samples. I had just finished cutting up the piece of crumb cake when the door chimed. I wanted to finish placing the chunks into the small cups, so I told whoever had walked in that I would be right with them.

Imagine my surprise when I turned around and there was Edward in all his glory, shockingly clad in a pair of plaid pajama pants and the same cherished holey black t-shirt he wore the first day I met him. He had changed out the baseball cap for a navy blue knit beanie that allowed bits of his hair to curl around the edges. I would say he was in need of a haircut, but the shaggy look worked for him. At least, it did when he washed his hair.

The five o'clock shadow he was sporting was thicker than ever before, and it was stuck in that middle stage of a beard: patchy and longer in some areas than others. On anyone else it would have been unsightly, but on Edward Cullen it just added to his beauty. Even with the extra facial hair, his ever present smirk was in place, and it reached his light eyes that were surprisingly clear for such an early Saturday morning.

I was glad I'd put a little extra effort into my appearance this morning; the French braid had taken longer than I'd liked, but it left my almost translucent skin exposed and my larger than average bedroom eyes on full display. I'd been told many times before that people could get lost in my eyes and that they were more expressive than others who had similarly shaped peepers.

I knew that if I could see my own right now they would be full of surprise and an edge of delight that only Edward could bring to them.

"Good morning, Eddie," I goaded. "Would you like your usual?" The man was so easy sometimes.

"You know I would, Bella," he grumbled under my heckling.

I nodded. "Much better. For here or to go?"

"For here, and I would like a piece of crumb cake as well." Someone must have been hungry this morning.

"No problem." I immediately prepared his order, taking a bit of extra time to add a heart in the top of his foam. It was the least I could do after teasing him.

When I was ringing him up, I decided to torment him just a bit more, all in jest of course. "Are you stalking me, Edward? Because I think I should inform you that my father is an LAPD officer and licensed to carry a gun." He visibly paled and then choked on the piece of cake he'd just taken a bite of. "Oh my God, Edward!"

I quickly ran to the other side of the register and patted him on the back. Once I was sure he didn't need the Heimlich maneuver, I got him a cup of water. I was on the verge of tears, afraid I may have even scared him off. "I'm so sorry. I was just razzing you. I know you're not actually stalking me. I mean, what would GQ's most eligible bachelor want with the coffee girl next door anyway? It's not like you actually have feelings for me and—"

His hand was covering my mouth, and I froze. I hated my tendency to babble whenever I was nervous, and he brought out all my little quirks when he was around. This included my blush, which I was sure was on full display as well right now.

"I never knew you could talk so fast, but you really need to learn to stop while you're ahead." My shoulders dropped; it was obvious this would be the last time I ever saw him, and I wouldn't even be surprised if he asked me to change his order to go. "I hate statuses, especially that one."

He dropped his hand and began to pace the lobby. I couldn't help but lick my lips, wanting to have whatever taste of him I could. There were bits of cinnamon and the crumb topping from his cake on my lips, and I couldn't help but moan at the taste. It really was one of my favorites, but I didn't eat it often because of the amount of calories it carried with just one piece.

"God, you make me crazy." His eyes were ablaze with longing and a hint of lust. "I haven't been able to get you or your coffee out of my head. I've desperately searched the whole valley for another café au lait that might come close to yours, and no one could do it. And your eyes, fuck, your eyes, they call to me."

He stopped pacing and stood directly in front of me. His hand cupped my left cheek, and I couldn't help but lean into it. My eyes closed at the warmth that radiated through my skin with his contact and I sighed at gesture. It was so sweet and caring. I felt so many emotions running through me: hope, desire, bliss, and vulnerability, just to name a few. He made me feel so much—some might even say too much.

"Say you'll go out with me, my coffee girl. Let me take you on a date. I want to show you more of who I am outside of the public's eye."

My eyes popped open in shock. I never actually expected him to want to take me out. "What? Who? How?" I was a bumbling and stuttering fool.

Conviction was written all over his face when he repeated himself. "I would be honored if you would allow me to take you out on a date, to show you more of me. Would you do me the absolute honor of saying yes?"

He owned me at coffee girl; there wasn't any other choice. "Yes."

No cliffy! Now a few of questions to the reviewers…Which do you prefer: Monday updates with teasers for Friday's chapter on Tuesday and Wednesday? Or Tuesday and Friday updates without teasers? Let me know when/or if you review. I will make my decision based on your feedback.

The second question I have, Is how important is it to you that an author responds to your reviews?

And lastly, do you all know how much I flove you? No, well I do!

xx Dee