After school, Dean and the others went straight back to the cafe, but Dean didn't open it right away. He had Claire, Bianca, Ruby, and Lily sit down at a table.
"Alright, let's figure out our jobs here at the cafe," Dean said. "First, Lily and I will be behind the counter as baristas. Claire and Ruby will serve the customers, and Bianca will be on the register. Sound good?"
"Why is Lily behind the counter?" Bianca asked.
"Because she can't talk yet, and it's not like she can be on the register. I'm going to teach her how to make coffee today," Dean replied.
When Lily heard that, she nodded enthusiastically, happy with her new job. With no one else protesting, Dean began teaching Lily to make coffee behind the counter. Meanwhile, Bianca and Claire taught Ruby how to make pastries in the back, which really just meant baking them. Dean smiled, seeing how quick Lily was and how serious she was about listening to him.
Every time she made a cup of coffee or ground the beans, she would show Dean her work and have him try it. If Dean shook his head and said something was missing, Lily would get a little pouty but immediately start over. Finally, in the late afternoon, after a whole lot of trial and error, Lily brought a cup to Dean, and he took a sip.
"Hmm... okay, this is perfect. You did it," Dean said, patting her on the head.
Lily, of course, immediately jumped for joy and then made another one that was just as good. She brought it to Dean, who tasted it and smiled, nodding. Then Lily brought coffee for Claire, Bianca, and Ruby, and they all sat together at the table, enjoying Lily's coffee.
"This is great, it's delicious," Bianca said, looking at the cup in front of her after taking a sip.
"Yeah, it's true. You're amazing, Lily," Claire added.
"She's always been a quick learner, even when she was a ghost," Ruby added, sipping her coffee.
"I'm glad one day was enough to teach her," Dean said, taking a sip of his coffee and turning to Lily. "Keep it up, this is really, really good."
Lily looked proud and smiled wide, nodding emphatically. Then she took a drink of her own coffee. "Ugh!" Lily choked and spat it out. She looked at Dean, Claire, Bianca, and Ruby, who were all calmly drinking her coffee. Lily quickly grabbed Ruby's smartphone and typed, then showed them the screen.
"Why is it so bitter? It's not good," the message read.
"Oh... that's right. This is your first time drinking coffee, isn't it?" Ruby asked.
Lily nodded, her face looking disappointed and worried that her coffee was bad. She quickly typed another message.
"You guys weren't just pretending to like it, right? I really made good coffee, right?" Her face was full of genuine worry.
"Yes, it's really good. But if this is your first time drinking coffee, it's normal that you don't know it's supposed to taste bitter," Dean replied.
"He's right, Lily. To me, this coffee is delicious, seriously," Bianca said.
"Don't worry, none of us are faking it. Your coffee is really good," Claire added.
"See, Lil? Did you hear that? You've just never had coffee before," Ruby said, turning to Lily with a smile.
Lily immediately looked relieved and slumped back in her chair. She pushed the coffee cup away from her on the table and there is still doubt in her heart about her coffee. "Thump, thump," came a knock on the roll-up door. Dean, Claire, Bianca, Ruby, and Lily all turned to look at the entrance. Dean stood up.
"I'll get it," Dean said.
Dean walked to the door and opened the roll-up door. It was Liam, and he was holding a folder.
"You're not open?" Liam asked.
"I'm training a new employee today, Uncle," Dean replied.
"Oh, okay. Can I come in?" Liam asked.
"Come on in, Uncle," Dean said.
Dean stepped aside and let Liam enter. As he stepped inside, Liam was stunned to see Claire, Bianca, Ruby, and Lily all sitting at a single table. He turned to Dean and smiled.
"Looks like you're having fun here," Liam said.
"Huh? What fun? Don't be ridiculous, Uncle," Dean shot back.
"Haha... you're really all grown up," Liam said, ruffling Dean's hair.
Liam then sat down at a table and asked Dean to sit opposite him. He placed the folder on the table and slid it over to Dean.
"What's this, Uncle?" Dean asked.
"This is the land certificate for the cafe. It officially belongs to you now," Liam said with a smile.
"Oh, okay... so it's done," Dean said, opening the folder.
"Yeah, it was finalized yesterday. Congratulations, and please continue my grandma's cafe," Liam said, extending his hand.
"I will, Uncle. Leave it to me," Dean said, shaking Liam's hand.
Suddenly, Lily arrived, carrying a tray and a cup of coffee for Liam on top of it. Without hesitation, Liam took a sip. His eyes widened, and he turned to look at Lily, who was still standing by the table.
"You made this?" Liam asked curiously, holding up his coffee cup.
Lily nodded slowly, her face full of anxiety as she waited for Liam's reaction.
"What's your name?" Liam asked.
"Her name is Lily, Uncle. She can't speak," Dean said, answering for her.
"Ah... I see. Well, this coffee is amazing... It tastes just like my grandma's. You're incredible," Liam said to Lily with a smile.
Suddenly, a single tear rolled down Lily's cheek. She was clutching her tray tightly, and Liam looked completely confused.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Liam asked.
"Um... she just learned how to make coffee today, and today is the first time she's ever tasted coffee. She's been worried all afternoon whether her coffee was good or not, since she doesn't know what good coffee tastes like, so please bear with her, Uncle," Dean explained.
"Oh, I see." Liam stood up and gently put his hand on Lily's head. "You're great, be confident. Your coffee is delicious, I'm telling you. And your name is Lily, right? That's the same name as my second daughter."
Lily looked up at Liam and nodded slowly, then she walked inside. Dean turned to look at Claire, who gave him a thumbs-up, while Bianca and Ruby smiled.
"Did you tell Lily to serve a cup to Uncle Liam, Claire?" Dean asked telepathically.
"Hehe, yeah. She asked us again while you were talking to Uncle Liam, and I told her that before you, this cafe belonged to Uncle Liam, who was a barista. So we encouraged her to make him a cup," Claire replied.
"Hehe, thank goodness Uncle Liam liked it. I don't really know him that well, though," Bianca added.
"Claire already told us everything. I'm just glad Lily can make coffee that's as good as his grandma's," Ruby chimed in.
"Thank goodness... I thought you were all pretending so I wouldn't be disappointed and sad. If Dean's uncle likes it, I'm so happy, and I'm happy you guys weren't faking it," Lily replied.
Dean, Claire, Bianca, and Ruby all froze hearing Lily's voice in their mind. Dean continued talking with Liam, but in his mind, he was communicating with the others.
"Lily, you can talk with your mind?" Dean asked in his head.
"Yeah, you can talk to us, Lily?" Ruby added.
"Why have you been silent all this time, and why did you use a smartphone earlier?" Claire asked.
"This is a real surprise, but I'm so happy Lily can talk to us using her mind," Bianca said.
"Um... I just found out I could do it too, hehe," Lily replied, looking a little embarrassed and happy, with tears still streaming down her face.