Catching her eye, Joel smiled brightly at her, and Sapphire froze a little under the beauty of it. He was certainly an attractive man. Images of him flashing that smile while working at his bar popped to the forefront of her mind. Yeah, drinking and staying out all night probably wasn't the only thing he was doing.
Joel slapped his hands together and rubbed them together. "How about a test?" His midnight blue eyes gleamed as he looked at her. "Show me those barista skills."
Tilting her head slightly to the side, Sapphire gave him a tiny smirk in silent acquiescence.
Joel stepped closer to the counter, and he rested both hands on the edge. "Give me one cappuccino with that little leaf design you do with the milk."
Sapphire hesitated before narrowing her gaze at the man who she now recognized as pure evil.
Joel's smile grew wider at her scowl. "Yeah, I saw you struggling to learn it yesterday," he confessed. "Come on," he urged gleefully, "show me what you got."
"Fine," she muttered under her breath.
Turning around, she facedthe beastand grabbed a white coffee mug from the top.
The cappuccino was easy. After a few dozen tries over the past few days, she pretty much mastered that and other drinks. It was the blasted art she had a tough time with. Thankfully though, most customers were happy enough with a cinnamon stencil design. A snowflake there, a squirrel here, and maybe a few Lone Star designs for the sheriffs, but of course, Joel wouldn't make it easy for her.
Pulling the readied cappuccino from the machine, she turned her back to Joel, who let out a chuckle from behind her as she resentfully concentrated on the worst part. Holding the steamed milk pitcher in one hand, Sapphire tilted the cup just as Julie taught her and began to pour. Nearly spilling it, she turned stiffly back around and handed Joel the cup, all the while avoiding his eyes.
Silence filled the room.
Periodically Sapphire could hear movement in the back kitchen from Julie, but that was it. Unable to take it anymore, she forced herself to look up at Joel, who was looking directly at her, his eyes dancing with suppressed laughter.
"Just what in the hell is this?" He finally said with a laugh, pointing at the milk design. "I said a leaf not…well, hell, I'm not sure what the heck this is…a fat spider, maybe?"
Sapphire pressed her lips together in an indignant pout. "Itisa leaf," she argued. "And besides, what do you know?" she said, waving to the pushed-up sleeves of his burgundy long sleeve shirt that showed off his tattooed forearms, specifically the giant spider tattoo on his right arm she had spotted the other day. "You're a biker slash bar owner slash café owner. A spider should suit you just fine."
Lifting the cup to his mouth, Joel drank from the cup as he twisted his other arm with the spider tattoo to look at the design himself as if he had forgotten it was there.
Joel sat the half-drained cup on the counter and grinned at her.
She suddenly felt a little awkward at the silence.
"You don't look like the type to own a coffee shop," she blurted out, immediately wincing at how stupid she sounded.
Joel gave her a considering look. "Interesting," he murmured. He ran a hand over his blond stubble.
She couldn't help but follow the movement with her eyes. Neat and trimmed, Joel's beard was perfectly edged. The same couldn't be said for his brother. Hayden's beard was just as thick as his shaggy hair and just as maintained. She hardly knew what the man really looked like under there.
"Tell me, what type do I look like?" Joel prodded.
"Well…" She let the word drag out as she looked at him thoughtfully. "You honestly look like someone who should be working in a mechanic's shop or a member of some biker club."
Joel flashed his white teeth at that, and she felt her lips go dry. Though he was infuriating, she could not deny his good looks. "You're good."
She raised a brow at that. "How so?"
"I used to be in a club…of sorts back in the day," he said, turning his face toward the window as a shadow passed over his face.
She shouldn't pry. She should just shut up and do her job, but with every half second that passed between them, she couldn't pull her curiosity from the dark look that suddenly filled his eyes. "But not anymore?" she prompted.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, Joel looked back down at her and gave her a small, if not tired, little smirk. "No, not anymore," he answered quietly.
For a moment, Sapphire thought that was it. That he would turn around and go out the door, but a glimmer of his earlier cheerful mood returned and brightened his dark eyes.
"Now, I'm simply one of the owners of this shop and the bar in town," he explained.
Julie had mentioned the name of the bar the other day as well as some other customers. The infamousThree Heathensbar that sat in the woods on the edge of town.
