AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Perfect. Want an iced one on the house for being a great taste tester?” Michael asked.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“No, I insist. Unless you were dead set on something else to drink.” Michael paused with his hand on the stack of clear cups next to the bar.
“I was just going to get something for me and a friend,” Hannah said.
“So two iced toasted coconut lattes on the house.” Michael said with a broad smile that made Hannah’s heart flip over in her chest. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Okay, sure. Thank you.” Hannah bit her bottom lip, feeling fidgety.
Hannah watched him walk the barista through making the lattes, her thoughts racing so fast that she couldn’t decipher any of them. She had so much to ask Jessie about when they hung out.
“Here you go. Anything else?” Michael asked, tucking the drinks into a caddy for her.
“Two chocolate croissants would be great.” Hannah pulled out her wallet. “And I insist on paying for those.”
Michael went over and rang her up while the barista grabbed the croissants for her.
“Thanks again for being my taste tester,” Michael said, still smiling.
“Yeah, any time.” Hannah smiled back and left, feeling a new lightness in her step.
She walked all the way down to the boardwalk near a spot where she and Jessie had met up frequently since high school. Even though the spot wasn’t near anything specific, Hannah could have found it in her sleep. Every part of the boardwalk was familiar to her, even the spots where the wood was a little bit worn through.
She spotted Jessie’s curly dark hair sitting on their favorite bench and sat down next to her. They had been friends since middle school, staying close through their awkward teenaged years. Jessie had gone to the community college a thirty minute drive away for two years and like most people Hannah had grown up with, had returned to Blueberry Bay to work for a small real estate office.
Out of all her friends, Jessie was the best person to talk to about problems with guys. She had dated around more than Hannah had—not that Hannah had dated much at all—and now had a boyfriend, a guy she had met through a friend from college. He was a nice guy, the kind of boyfriend that most people probably wanted: attentive and kind.
“Hey!” Jessie said, only slightly startled at Hannah’s sudden appearance. She took a latte. “Thanks for breakfast.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Hannah handed Jessie a croissant too and rested her coffee on the wooden ledge acting as a barrier between the edge of the boardwalk and the sand below. “It’s a toasted coconut latte.”
Jessie stabbed her straw into the cup and took a sip, eyes widening as she swallowed.
“That’s amazing,” Jessie said, taking a longer sip. “Is this new?”
“Yeah. I was the official taste tester and Michael gave them to me for free.” Hannah laced her words with meaning.
“Oh.” Jessie had also worked for Tidal Wave Coffee while she was taking classes at the community college, so she was very familiar with both Michael and Hannah’s crush on him. “Wow. Both of these? Free?”
“Yeah.” Hannah sipped hers. “So the other day, I was just getting a coffee like I usually do and he asks if I like oat milk. Then I came in today so I could see Michael and get a better sense of how he feels about me, and he asks me to be his taste tester, like I said. He seemed so enthusiastic and happy to see me. That has to be a good sign, right?”
“Yeah. It’s not a bad sign.” Jessie broke off part of her croissant and popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“Did Michael ever have customers taste test things?”
“Not that I can remember, but I never worked there around the luau. But he was pretty strict about not giving friends freebies, so maybe he does feel something for you.”
Hannah’s heart pounded and her body heated up so much that the chocolate of her croissant seemed to melt in her mouth even faster. Having Jessie’s perspective gave her hope, but then she remembered her other issue.
“There’s a little knot in this situation,” Hannah said. “Do you know Luke? Sandy and Daniel’s nephew?”
“Of course. He’s the one who’s fixed like, half the gadgets and computers in town already.” Jessie snorted, pushing a curl out of her face. “Wasn’t he helping out at The Crab?”
Growing up with her friends in a small town was a double-edged sword. On one hand, people knew you through thick and thin, through every awkward phase. They understood Hannah in ways that people she’d become friends with as an adult didn’t.
But on the other, having a secret was near impossible. She trusted Jessie, of course, but if Luke was connected to Sandy and Daniel, then Jessie might bring up Luke if someone mentioned Sandy’s Grocery. Not in a malicious way of course, but in a way that would get the rumor mill rolling. Sometimes just having a droplet of information created a whole flood.
