Tyler was midway through his shift at the coffee shop when the espresso machine chose the worst possible moment to die.

It sputtered, hissed, and burst into a cloud of angry steam, leaving behind the sad reality that, for now, only instant coffee was available. A tragedy, really.

He stood behind the counter with the instruction manual in hand, squinting at unfamiliar foreign words that might as well have been a curse spell. None of it made sense.

Then the bell above the door chimed.

At the same time, another breath of steam curled through the air — and when it cleared, a girl was standing in front of him.

So sudden, so silent, she might as well have materialized out of thin air.

Tyler flinched, blinking at her like he’d just seen a ghost.