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Hannah froze, wishing an actual tidal wave would wash her away. Mortification didn’t cover the level of embarrassment she felt. How had she gotten it so wrong? How was she going to ever look Michael in the eye ever again? She had spent hours and hours of analyzing every single interaction they ever had for clues and apparently, she hadn’t seen the forest for the trees.
“Oat milk latte on the bar,” the barista called.
“I have to get to work,” Hannah sputtered, standing up so quickly that her chair squeaked on the hardwood floor. “My drink is ready. Bye.”
She snatched the drink off the bar and hustled out to her car, hoping Michael didn’t notice how red her face had gotten.
* * *
Luke gently placed a box of the latest shipment of cereal down to be loaded onto a pallet and stocked on the shelves. He didn’t mind unloading or shelving, especially since he could usually listen to his music or a podcast as he worked. But today, he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering back to Hannah. Everything seemed to remind him of her—certain songs, mundane items, customers who he spotted out of the corner of his eye who looked like her.
He sighed, going for the next box. He’d blown it with her by nearly kissing her. Every time he thought about it, his neck got hot. Thinking about it now, he wondered what he had been running through his head. But in the moment, it had felt right. He thought she was showing some interest, with her big smiles and the way they laughed together. And he could have sworn she had leaned in, just a little bit.
But apparently not. Or more accurately, her feelings for Michael were stronger. He wanted to kick himself. It all felt so obvious. Now what was he going to do? He loved The Crab’s food but he didn’t want to make things awkward by going there and ordering a sandwich. What would he have said to her? Sorry for almost kissing you?
“Hey, Luke,” Sandy said, appearing in the doorway to the back. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad.” He stood up straight, stretching his back.
“You’ve gotten so much done.” Sandy put her elbow on a stack of boxes that were almost as tall as she was. “It’s nice having you around here. And not just for the extra help.”
“I like it here too,” Luke said.
“Enough to stick around?”
“No. I don’t think it’s for me in the long run. It’s nice to absorb the quiet and the slower pace for a little while, but I think I like a faster pace for my everyday life.” He shrugged. “Plus, I don’t know if I’d ever find a girl who I could relate to if I stayed here long term. We’d probably want different things.”
Sandy raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile coming onto her lips.
“Oh? What do you mean by that?”
Luke cupped the back of his neck. “Well, you know when I went over to help at The Crab after their system went down. Hannah and I worked together for most of that afternoon and I thought we hit it off. I know I’m starting to feel for her.”
He paused, debating whether to tell Sandy that they almost kissed. The thought made his whole body feel even hotter, so he decided against it. He was shoving that embarrassing moment in his mental vault, where it would inevitably pop into his head at inopportune times and make him cringe.
“But basically, I think I read her wrong and she has feelings for someone else.” Luke sighed. “I don’t know what to do now. What should I do? Or should I just leave it and pretend it didn’t happen?”
“I think you should be honest with her. Clear the air and make sure she’s actually feeling what you think she’s feeling. Maybe she doesn’t see it the way you’re seeing it,” Sandy said. “It’s pointless to ruin what could be a friendship even if it was an awkward situation. Think about it. You’ve probably had awkward moments with your friends a bunch of times. Now you don’t even think about them all that much.”
Luke absently scratched at his beard as he thought Sandy’s words through. He did like her. It had been a while since he’d had feelings like this for someone—that flutter in his gut, the warmth that spread through him when she smiled at him. Being just friends with someone who he had those kinds of feelings for wasn’t something he’d done before.
But he did enjoy Hannah’s company. And letting that slip by seemed like something he’d regret.
“That’s true,” Luke said. “I’ll try to clear the air with her.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The temperature in the office seemed to drop by several degrees when Dane came in from a brief break outside. He and Alissa locked eyes, but Alissa looked back at her computer, her back tense. Josie looked between the two of them, her eyes wide.
Dane nodded in greeting and went to his office without a word.
Alissa sighed through her nose and tried to focus again. They hadn’t spoken much since she left Rossi’s and the more time passed, the more confused she felt. And the more hurt. He had genuinely been confused when she told him how she felt. She hadn’t thought he’d respond that way at all. She figured he’d either explain everything that was going on, or at least apologize for how much he’d been ignoring her lately.
She hadn’t intended to storm off like that, but she was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t sit there and pretend she was okay any longer. She had walked and walked until she found herself back at home. After sending Dane a text telling him that she was okay, she had curled up in bed, questions preventing her from slipping off into sleep.
Her confusion lingered until Dane stepped out to get coffee. Not having him across the hall let her relax. Josie appeared in her doorway, tapping on the door frame.
“Hey.” Josie leaned against the frame, concern on her face. “Is everything all right?”
