Before Everlee came along, Liam wouldn’t even have acknowledged the woman’s presence, but clearly things had changed. Because my usually broody friend looked poor Angela straight in the eye and smiled.
“Thanks, my wife loves it too.”
I had to bite back a laugh. I’d enjoyed his company pre-Everlee, however, this version of him was far more entertaining.
Not that our server thought so. When she turned to me to take my order, her expression was eerily like someone who’d sucked a lemon.
I jerked my chin toward Rafe. “I’ll have the same but change the espresso to a large Americano.”
After she scribbled our orders, she hurried into the café.
“Cavolo. This ordeal really did a number on you.” Rafe’s amused voice filled my ears.
A frown tugged my brows together. “What?”
“This is usually the part where you ask the pretty server girl if she has plans tonight.”
He wasn’t wrong. My gaze drifted to where Angela had disappeared to. Instead of seeing our server though, another familiar face filled my vision. One I’d spent way too much time wondering about last night.
Without thinking, I pushed to my feet and fished out my wallet.
“I gotta go.”
I dropped a few bills on the table and made a quick exit. Both Rafe and Liam’s confused voices followed me. I ignored them and picked up speed until I spotted Kate on the sidewalk.
“Kate,” I called out.
She didn’t stop.
“Dammit.” Widening my strides, I hurried after her and slipped my hand around her elbow. “Did you not—”
Kate’s open palm connected with my cheek. The stinging slap made my ears ring.
“What the fuck?”
“Oh crap, I’m so sorry.”
We spoke at the same time.
Grinding my jaw, I pressed my palm against my fiery skin.
Kate furiously pointed to her ears. “I didn’t...” Shaking her head, she heaved out a sigh then pulled out two small buds. Dropping them into her palm, she held her hand between us.
The bass of an upbeat song drifted into the air.
My lips curved. “It’s not good for your ears to listen to music that loud. It can cause permanent damage.”
She shrugged. “Can’t listen to my favorite song with the volume down.”
“Oh?” Intrigued, I reached for one of her pods, but she was faster.
Curling her fingers into a fist, she shoved her hand into her coat pocket. “Did you need something?”
“Yeah.” I invaded her space some more. “Imagine my surprise when I returned from my meeting and couldn’t find you anywhere.”
She swallowed, and for whatever reason, my gaze shot to her throat. I was oddly fascinated with how incredibly smooth and silky her skin seemed.
“I had dinner plans.”
