Credit Squeeze "What do you mean 'declined'?!?" Julie Sanchez demanded incredulously to the pimply faced cashier at her favorite coffee shop. She knew she didn't have huge sums of cash in her bank accounts, but she had enough to pay for a damn mocha ice and a chicken salad wrap! "I've got money in that account, it should be going through!"
"I'm sorry miss," the teenager replied, not sounding very sorry at all to the werewolf's ears and smelling like he hadn't showered in days to her sensitive nose. "It says 'card declined' -see?" He held up the credit card pad, which had the aforementioned words burning out of the display accusingly. and she restrained the urge to snatch the device out of his hands and throw it into the wall.
Julie huffed, frustrated, and pulled out her billfold from her purse to try and dig up enough cash to pay the bill. "I don't believe this," she muttered, face bright red from embarrassment.
"Here. Let me."
The voice came from just beyond Julie's right shoulder, and a wadded-up twenty dollar bill landed on the counter like a wounded bird. "Keep the change," Oliver said through a smile he didn't mean as he balanced his own large black coffee and roast beef sandwich. He had been at the opposite end of the counter getting his own order when the minor commotion took place, and his mouth was tight at the corners as the high school dropout behind the counter picked up his money and scuttled off.
"Having a day, are we?" he asked the werewolf archly, gesturing towards the table he'd intended to claim. "On second thought, you wouldn't mind eating outside, would you? I'm kind of expecting someone, and she doesn't like crowds. Besides, the people in here --" He jerked his head at the counter guy, who studiously avoided the spellcaster's attention "--leave a lot to be desired."
( One of those days )