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Sam opened the curtains of the front window, watching as Logan made his way back to his truck. She’d thought of inviting him in for coffee, knowing it would be a mistake. Their attraction to each other was too great to put them in a situation anyone on the ranch could misconstrue.
His comment about enjoying her company didn’t surprise Sam. She felt the same about him. They’d spent a great deal of time together while packing and cleaning his mother’s home. The more they talked, sharing their experiences, the greater her desire to spend more time with him.
The desire didn’t erase the issues facing them. It also didn’t stop the growing apprehension in her heart.
A spark of fear warning her anything so wonderful couldn’t last.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Miguel Hobson strolled along the sidewalk at seven in the morning, stopping outside Brilliance Coffee & Bakery. He could see Lydia, the shop owner, through the front window. She sold the best coffee and pastries in town, often running out of popular items before mid-morning.
Twice, he’d tried to buy a glazed bar with maple icing but left with something else. Today shouldn’t be a problem. It was early, and there were few customers inside.
The bell above the door jingled when he pulled it open, alerting Lydia of a customer. She glanced at him with a smile.
“Good morning, Miguel. How are you this morning?”
“Good, Lydia. Do you have any of your maple bars left?”
“I do. How about coffee with it?”
“Black. I’ll add cream.” He nodded toward the counter a few feet away offering sweeteners and several flavors of cream.
Paying, he found a table by the window. Before he could take a bite, Laurel Maddox appeared, heading straight for the counter. They’d never met, which was a pity, as she was a beautiful woman, and a widow. She was also a friend of his former wife, Sam.
Maybe he should ask Sam to introduce them. He smiled at the thought, knowing his ex would look at him as if he were nuts. Which he might be.
Laurel chose a table across the room against a wall. He watched her sip one of the frozen coffee drinks which had become popular over the last decade. Drawing several more sips through her straw, she opened the bag which contained what appeared to be a chocolate croissant.
Miguel watched as she took a large bite. Swallowing, her eyes lit up with satisfaction. He couldn’t help smiling at the look of absolute peace on her face.
Lifting his cup, he took a sip. As he swallowed the hot, tasty brew, Miguel thought of how the length of time between satisfaction and dissatisfaction was often less than a second.
“Here you go, Logan.” Laurel handed him a finished arrangement for placement on the top shelf of the refrigerated display case beside the front window. Topping off at seven feet, it was one of two oversized units she’d had custom built to match the original maple woodwork.
Two more custom units, shorter but wider, had been placed on either side of the soda fountain. The fountain eating counter had been refurbished with black granite. The sides were the original black and white marble. Twelve stainless steel stools had been cleaned and recovered with new black vinyl.
Sam worked with one of the employees to unpack, price, and display unique products for several existing cases. The registers, one for the floral counter, the other for the soda fountain, had been installed. Laurel and her employees had already spent time learning the system.
“There’s someone pounding on the back door,” Laurel said as she removed gloves. Several minutes passed before she returned. A delivery man pushing a moving dolly loaded with insulated boxes followed behind her.
“Ice cream and other food products for the soda fountain,” Laurel called out as she moved behind the counter.
Sam’s and Logan’s eyes met, each smiling at her excited announcement. He closed the distance between them to rest an arm over her shoulders.
“What else can we do for you, Laurel?”
She turned toward them, brushed hair from her face before placing a hand on her hip. “Nothing more to do, Logan. You two have done much more than I expected. Thanks so much.”
“We enjoyed it,” Sam responded. “Wish we could be here in the morning. I’m sure your grand opening will be a great success.”
“There will be lots of pictures for you to see. I’m going to make an album using one of those online services.”
“You could keep it on a table for customers to look through.”
“Great idea, Sam. I have the perfect table for it.”
Logan looked out the window at the growing darkness. “If there’s nothing else, Sam and I will head out.”
