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Chapter 4
Hallie left Mocha Madness with a silly grin that stayed with her the entire fifteen-minute drive to her store. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made her feel so happy and relaxed in such a short amount of time. As promised, Caden hadn’t pressed her about why she’d sent that tip to the FBI, or asked any personal questions except for why she named her shop The Mystic Cow. She only wished she could’ve given him the whole story instead of the watered-down version, but that just wasn’t in the cards.
“Hey there,” Alicia McKinley called out to Hallie as she approached the red brick building that housed her shop, sandwiched between Alicia’s clothing boutique, Dress It Up, and famous cowgirl Meg Poole’s cowboy store, Top O’ Da Mornin.’
Alicia was a tall, lanky woman in her mid-thirties who’d opened her store last year. The women became fast friends after finding out they had many similar interests, including books, fashion, and home decor. Hallie was shopping at Alicia’s store almost as often as Alicia was finding home decor treasures at The Mystic Cow.
“Hi Alicia,” Hallie smiled. “Did you watch the next episode of Bridgerton?” They’d been watching one episode a week of the last season to make it last longer, and enjoying every second of it.
Alicia’s face lit up. Her crush on the lead actor was a topic they covered on a weekly basis at least. “I did, and I was swooning,” Alicia practically sang out.
“Are we talking about Bridgerton?” Meg Poole came out of her store with a bright smile. “I don’t know how you ladies manage to watch just one episode at a time. I saw the first one and knew I was going to spend the rest of last Sunday binge watching the season. After everything I went through with my ex, it’s kind of nice to see how gentlemen act for a change.”
“Nah,” Hallie said.
“We like making it last,” Alicia added.
Katelyn came out of Hallie’s shop wearing jeans torn at both knees, a t-shirt with the name of some band Hallie hadn’t heard of, closed toe flats, and her bag slung over her shoulder. She had dark hair, sea blue eyes, and the smoothest skin Hallie had ever seen. “I put all the books that arrived today onto the shelves after inputting them into the inventory. I also dusted a little and started a new pot of coffee in the back room.”
“Thanks,” Hallie said. She’d hired Katelyn about six months ago when she came in gushing about the store with a resume in hand, telling Hallie this was exactly the kind of place she imagined spending her time in while finishing her degree.
“See you tomorrow,” Katelyn called out as she rushed to the corner where the walk light had just turned on.
Hallie turned back to Alicia and Meg. “I better get inside. I’ll see you ladies later.” All three women went back into their respective shops.
Hallie hurried to the register where she shoved her purse into a cabinet under the counter, and perched herself up on the raised chair she liked to sit in. It gave her a nice view of the entire store, as well as the front door. She’d thought about installing cameras after a few small thefts, but she didn’t want her customers feeling awkward or like they were constantly being watched. Her shop was meant to be cozy and personal, and she did her best to keep it that way in a quickly changing world.
The Mystic Cow was located in a posh part of Dallas, with cute shops all along the main drag. The street was lined with mature trees, and the wide sidewalks had recently been given a facelift to make them sparkle in the sunlight. Hallie liked it, but thought it was kind of extra to put glitter on sidewalks. She couldn’t deny it was unique and gave the street an even more eclectic feel to it. The area was known for its art galleries, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and unique gourmet coffee shops. Considered a very walkable part of town, the only bad seed was that old laundromat across the street. The owner was hardly ever there and it often attracted a less than desirable crowd. Hallie wasn’t sure what had happened to it, but its doors had been shuttered for over a week now and she couldn’t help but hope that something a little more suitable would replace it. This part of Dallas was special, and she wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.
Hallie busied herself with sweeping the floors and catching up on some bills. Thoughts of Caden drifted through her mind - the way he smiled, how his eyes lit up when she laughed, how kind and attentive he was, how he never once made her feel rushed or on edge. For one whole hour, Hallie felt like she was someone’s entire world, and it was the most amazing, heartwarming, and reassuring feeling ever. She craved more time with the man who shared her love of sweet coffee drinks, and devoted his life to honoring his brother. His story had touched her heart, and made her want to know more about the handsome man who’s steel gray eyes she knew she’d never forget. She did her best not to keep looking at the clock or glancing at the door every time someone came in, and finally sat down with a book, hoping it would help pass the time until he came. There weren’t a lot of customers coming through, but she pushed that worry aside, not wanting any negative thoughts to ruin what was the best day she’d had in a long while. One slow afternoon wouldn’t affect her business that much.
The book she started reading quickly engrossed her in a fantastical world. Devouring the pages, Hallie was so absorbed in the story she didn’t hear the door chime or notice that she wasn’t alone in the store until the clearing of a throat made her look up with a blank stare.
Her gaze locked with Caden’s steel gray eyes and warmth spread through her body and up her neck as she lay the book on the counter. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as her eyes eagerly ate up the delicious man standing in front of her. But there was something about his expression that made her uneasy.
***
After his coffee date with Hallie, Caden called Luke on his way back to the office to ask if it would be okay if he brought someone to the party on Sunday. He felt an uncanny connection with the beautiful brunette and he was excited to explore it further. He didn’t usually introduce the women he dated to his friends, but everything about Hallie felt different. Besides, given his crazy work schedule, he wanted to take every opportunity to spend time with her, and Luke and Orly’s party would be the perfect way to introduce her to the people he considered family. He had no doubt they would love her, and she would fit right in with them.
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to meet her,” Luke said.
Caden laughed. “How do you know it's a woman? Maybe it’s a work friend or something.”
He heard the chuckle on the other end of the line. “What’s her name?”
“Hallie,” Caden said, liking the way her name sounded. It had a soft and sweet ring to it.
“Is it serious?” Luke asked.
Caden had a feeling whatever this was with Hallie would become something very serious, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. “I guess we’ll see.”
“I’ve been where you are, and don’t worry. If it’s meant to be, it’ll turn out just fine.” Luke was ever the optimistic one these days, telling everyone they too would find their happily ever after. It was cheesy as hell, but Caden was over the moon that his best friend had found someone to settle down with. Orly grounded Luke and completed him in ways Caden hadn’t even known his friend needed until he’d seen Luke with her.
Caden wasn’t jealous, but no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he enjoyed his bachelor life, he knew he’d gladly give it up for the right woman. And judging by the way he was feeling right now, Hallie Owens could very well be that woman. “Thanks, Man. See you Sunday,” Caden said.
No sooner did he end the call with Luke, when Avery called and requested to see him as soon as he got back from lunch. That was the first sign something was up.
Twenty minutes later, Caden arrived at the bureau and was met with several agents giving him the ‘oh shit’ look. He was either in the dog house or he was about to have his ass handed to him. Caden made a bee line to his desk. He’d just spent an hour with a woman that he had a feeling was going to change his life, and he couldn’t wait to see her again tonight.
