Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger Page A

arabica
.
    The discovery of coffee’s restorative properties predates that of alcohol, although it is impossible to pin down an exact date; some legendary sources credit the Oromo people, whereas others (such as the
Abd-al-Kadir
manuscript) attribute the beverage’s invention to the enterprising Sheikh Omar, who boiled the beans in a last-ditch attempt to survive in the desert. Regardless of origin, the drink’s healing abilities have made its practitioners—the
baristi
—natural allies of the bartending community. But where they manipulate coffee in its raw form to
repair
the fibers of the body, the introduction of alcoholic components helps it instead
augment
the body or, in the case ofwhiskey, the mind. For best results, a pure arabica bean blend is recommended; robusta beans, though hardier and richer in antioxidants, are handicapped by their high pyrazine content, which produces a bitter taste and an aggressive diuretic effect unsuitable for magical potables.

    I RISH W HISKEY .
    Thrice distilled, unlike its twice-distilled Scottish counterpart, Irish whiskey is comparatively sweeter and smoother, and it lacks the peaty, smoky flavors in scotch that can destabilize the caffeine compounds. Whiskey (from
uisce beatha
, “water of life”) was first attested in the 1400s in the monasteries of Ireland, where one scribe called it “drinkable evidence of a loving and beatific God.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    “So,” Zane said, “ground rules.”
    “Now there’s a name for a coffee shop,” said Bailey.
    He grinned appreciatively, and Bailey willed herself with all her might not to blush. Which was worse: having a crush on Zane, the best friend she’d already rejected once, or having a crush on Zane, the best friend who was now in love with someone else?
    “Very funny,” Zane said. “I like a little sassy insubordination in my employees.”
    Nope. Worst was definitely having a crush on Zane, her
boss
.
    “Anyway, rule number one: no moonlighting. While you’re an apprentice, this is your one source of income. No second jobs, not even if it’s just helping out your dad in the shop for an afternoon.”
    “Okay, sure.” That much she was actually thankful for. She loved her dad, and as a kid she’d loved wandering through the fragrant candy-colored clouds of begonias and alstroemeria. But as soon as she’d reached the age where it was okay for him to put a spray bottle in her hand and set her to work, the fun had evaporated faster than spritzes of plant food. “This is a serious job, and you want my head a hundred percent in the game.”
    “That’s right,” he said. “No distractions.”
    Bailey nodded and tried her best not to be distracted, but the way Zane stayed close, even from across the counter, made it difficult.
    They were in the Nightshade Lounge an hour before opening.Bailey stood behind the bar, poised for action, while Zane sat on a stool, leaning hard on his elbows. She couldn’t see, but she knew him well enough to guess that his knees were bouncing anxiously. Zane never had been much for sitting still.
    “Next rule,” he said. “While you’re an apprentice, no magic outside work, and no using it for nonwork purposes. It’s the same reason you don’t swipe a pair of scissors from an office gig, except it’s magic instead of scissors and a bar instead of an office, so in hindsight maybe that wasn’t the best comparison.”
    “Got it. Use my powers only for work-approved good. Anything else?”
    He tapped a long finger on his chin. It was a good look for him. “All right,” he said. “If I know you, you’ve already started on your homework.”
    She rankled at being thought of as predictable. “Not necessarily …”
    “So if you were to show me your copy of the
Devil’s Water Dictionary
, it wouldn’t be covered in neon Post-its cross-referencing everything?”
    In fact her copy at home was fringed in enough adhesive flags to turn it into an attractive, if offbeat, Christmas