Undercover Boss: riches, romance and ridiculousness

ffins, Meetin

me. His hand shot out from under the covers, blindly slapping the snooze butto

ires, 7 AM was an ungodly hour to be awake, especially when the day involved making cof

most incompetent barista. After a quick shower-one that actually involved luke

ing to work. Ethan dodged a cyclist and almost stepped in a puddle of something he di

here, as usual. She gave him her customary nod as he walk

handing him his apron. "Yo

. "Why do I feel like t

, turning to the coffee machine. E

major disasters, and he was even getting faster at using the espresso machine. He had just started to

the same thing: a double-shot espresso with a side of attitude. He was the type of c

oached the counter. "I'll take my usual

d teeth. He turned to the machine and started preparing the espresso, carefully c

ing his foot impatiently. "Any day no

so machine, watching the dark liquid pour into the cup. So far, so good. He grabbe

Ethan said, smil

pat it back out into the cup. "What is th

ked. "Uh..

ing the cup down on the counter. "I as

"It was hot whe

cold now?" Mr.

as lukewarm at best. How did that even happen? He scr

dle this," she said, giving Ethan a knowing look. She quickly remad

satisfied. He paid for his drink and left, still mutte

s gone. "What just happened?" he asked Ma

e machine acts up. Don't worry

ed. "I feel like I

. "Welcome to c

, it wasn't a grumpy regular. It was Larry. And he looked comple

, surprised. "What

le in the small, bustling cafe. "Sir, there's a sit

t they handle it wit

is... well, let's just say they'

ce and deal with the board members. But he also knew he couldn't stay in hiding

"But just for a few hours. I'

to protest but thought bette

it to Martha. "Can you cover for

. "You've got a meeting

with a sigh. He grabbed his jack

y leaned in and lowered his voice. "Sir, I must say, this d

ea, Larry. Trust me, this is e

d against the window as they drove toward the office. It was strange, switching between his two lives like this. One minute he wa

a deep breath and straightened his jacket. T

. The board members glanced up as he entered, their e

hitmore, the head of the board

said, taking his seat at the head of th

any's recent acquisitions, and there are concerns about the

sively. "They're always n

hey want reassurance. They want to know th

, resisting the urge to roll h

hysically, yes. But there are rumors

d an eyebro

"There's talk that you've been... absent. That you'

in the way they expected. But he couldn't exactly explain his underco

e company is in good hands. I've been working on som

nced, but he nodded. "Very well. We

mile. "You won't

t Ethan had already memorized weeks ago. By the time it was over, he was itching to get back t

im. "Sir, are you sure you want to go back to th

I'm going back. I'

d, clearly baffled.

double life, ready to tackle whatever th