Melissa Kingsley had precisely three goals in life;
Keep her job at Brew & Buzz café despite her questionable work ethic, avoid public embarrassment at all costs, and never, under any circumstances, fall for Ethan Clarke again.
And now she had already failed two of those goals spectacularly.
First, let's talk about the spilled coffee
Melissa Kingsley never imagined that a spilled coffee, a viral video, and one extremely questionable chance at music performance would change her life forever.
It all started on a Wednesday because, let's be honest, Wednesdays are the most forgettable day of the week. Melissa, forever destined to be a hometown girl working at Brew & Buzz café, was already running late for her shift. With her unruly curls refusing to be tamed and her sneakers arguing with gravity, she sprinted down West Elm Street like a woman being chased by overdue bills.
"Melissa, you're late again!" her boss, Jerry, greeted her with all the enthusiasm of a man who knew his caffeine supply was walking through the door.
"I prefer the term fashionably delayed," she said, plopping her bag behind the counter.
Jerry eyed her skeptically. "I prefer the term 'get to work.'"
Everything would have been normal that day—maybe even boring—if it weren't for Mr. Antonelli, the café's most dedicated customer and Melissa's unofficial life coach. He was a retired musician who spent his afternoons preaching wisdom between bites of lemon scones.
"You know, kid," he said, stirring his coffee with the contemplation of a man who knew how to pluck a guitar string but not his own eyebrows, "you have one of those voices. The kind that could make people feel something."
Melissa laughed. "Mr. Antonelli, the only feeling people get when I sing is secondhand embarrassment."
"Oh, nonsense! Here, do me a favor—sing me something."
Unfortunately, what came out of her mouth was less a song and more a tragic interpretation of a drowning walrus.
And that's when it happened. The fateful, humiliating, utterly absurd moment that led to everything.
Melissa's best friend, Tasha, had been filming Antonelli's reaction for fun. But instead of capturing his wise nod of approval, the video caught Melissa's attempt at singing, followed by a customer tripping, sending a tray of iced latte catapulting through the air, and Melissa shrieking like a horror movie protagonist as coffee rained upon her.
What should have been an ordinary workday turned into internet chaos.
And somehow, the universe had a twisted sense of humor. Because beneath all the laughter, someone noticed something surprising—Melissa's voice wasn't terrible.
In fact, someone very important thought she sounded… special.
By 10 p.m., The video went viral with the caption: Wannabe Singer Gets Baptized in Coffee & Regret!
By midnight, Melissa's phone was blowing up.
And by sunrise, she had one unread message from an unknown number.
Unknown Number:Your voice has potential. If you're serious about music, call me.
Melissa stared at the message.
And somewhere in town, Ethan Clarke was already watching her viral video smirking
Melissa Kingsley had a strict morning routine: pretend she had her life together, avoid thinking of your ex, and avoid the internet at all cost.
By 10 a.m., she had already failed all three.
It started with a text—the mysterious message from an unknown number:
Unknown Number:Your voice has potential. If you're serious about music, call me.
Melissa's first reaction? Scam. Obviously, this was some scammer who had seen her viral coffee disaster and decided she was gullible enough to fall for a fake talent scout.
Her second reaction? Wait. What if it's real?
Her third reaction? Still scam. Probably.
Tasha, however, was not on the same page. "Melissa, this is huge! What if it's a legit producer?"
Melissa squinted at the message. "Or what if it's some guy named Larry trying to sell me vitamin supplements?"
"You have to call," Tasha insisted.
"I have to go to work," Melissa countered.
And that's where mistake number two happened.
Melissa stormed into Brew & Buzz café wit her friend Tasha, still mentally debating the mysterious message. What she wasn't prepared for? Ethan Clarke standing by the counter like he had never left town, leaning against the register with that same smirk—the one that had caused her years of emotional turmoil.
Melissa did the only reasonable thing a mature adult would do in such a situation or maybe not.
She turned right back around and tried to exit.
Unfortunately, Jerry chose that moment to yell, "Melissa! You're late. Again."
Melissa winced. Ethan turned his head. Their eyes met.
It was too late.
"Melissa," Ethan said, his voice betraying amusement. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Fancy seeing you anywhere, actually," she muttered, stepping behind the counter, as if coffee-making could shield her from the storm brewing in her chest.
"What, no warm welcome?"
Melissa grabbed the nearest coffee cup, aggressively ignoring his entire existence. "I didn't know you were back."
Ethan leaned in slightly. "Saw your viral video."
Melissa groaned. "Please don't remind me."
"You always did have an interesting way of making an entrance," he teased.
Tasha, watching nearby, looked between them with the gleeful excitement of someone witnessing top-tier drama unfold in real time. "So, Ethan, are you back back? Or just visiting?"
Ethan's gaze lingered on Melissa. "I haven't decided yet."
Her hands tightened around the coffee cup.
Just when Melissa thought things couldn't get worse, Jerry decided today was the day she would take charge of the café's new espresso machine.
Big mistake.
Five minutes in, Melissa had already miscalculated the settings. Ten minutes in, steam was everywhere. Fifteen minutes in, a mispress of the button caused a full-on coffee explosion, drenching her, Ethan, and two unlucky customers in high-quality espresso.
Tasha, bless her heart, had captured everything on video.
"I swear," Ethan said, wiping coffee from his jacket, "you have some kind of caffeine curse."
Melissa groaned. "I'm never going to live this down."
"Oh, definitely not," Tasha agreed. "Especially because this video is going viral too."
Melissa grabbed the nearest napkin, preparing herself for another round of internet embarrassment.
That's when her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:Interesting way to make headlines again. Call me.
Melissa blinked.
Maybe—just maybe—her life was about to change forever.