Page 3 of Blush Crush

He grins, stepping away toward the back. “I beg to differ.”

I swear, this man makes it his mission to get on my last nerve every chance he gets.

Sadie shakes her head, still sorting her tip money. “You okay?”

No. Absolutely not. My heart is somersaulting in my chest. Not only did Cole catch me staring at Wesley, but he just had to call me out on it.

“Perfect,” I say, though my voice cracks like a teenage boy.

She leans closer, briefly glancing toward Cole’s retreating back. “Did he just call you doll?”

I grimace. “Yeah.”

“Is that a new thing?”

I roll my eyes, mortified, and weirdly warm all at once. “He just started doing it one day. No idea why.”

“And you let him?”

“I didn’t say I like it,” I mutter. “But knowing Cole, he could be calling me something a lot worse.”

Sadie shakes her head. “The bar is low with that one.”

There’s no point in over-analyzing anything when it comes to Cole. The man has the emotional depth of a puddle—unlike a certain professor.

When I finally allow myself to sneak another glance toward the stage, Wesley is already looking at me.

My stomach swoops.

His brows lift—an unspokeneverything okay over there?—and embarrassment floods me so fast I’m surprised I don’t actually melt on the spot. This is not how I wanted to get his attention, by making a fool of myself and causing a scene.

I snap my gaze away and practically dive behind the counter, pretending the pastry case is suddenly the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen.

Sadie smirks. “Subtle.”

“Don’t,” I warn, grabbing the tongs. “Please. No commentary.”

She hums to herself like she’s considering it, then flashes a look toward the back hallway where Cole disappeared. “You’re really going to serve him?”

“He’ll be insufferable if I don’t.”

“He’s insufferable anyway.”

This is also true.

I’ve always known who Cole is—our families have been in the wine business longer than either one of us has been alive, and are basically sworn competitors—but it wasn’t until he bought the building that we actually started interacting beyond himjust being a customer. Then he opened a Benton Winery tasting room right next door.

Now he comes in nearly every day, orders whatever the special is plus a chocolate croissant, and somehow, in just a few months, he’s managed to become a massive thorn in my side.

He’s more than easy on the eyes and effortlessly charming, but he’s also painfully aware of it, which means whatever initial attraction I had vanished fast. Cocky is not my type.

Honestly, it’s almost funny now, remembering how I used to trip over my words around him. Glad I got over that quickly.

With the poet still reading, I slip into the back as quietly as possible, trying not to make any unnecessary noise.

Until Cole shatters the silence and speaks.

“Took you long enough. Thought maybe you passed out from all the potent masculinity coming off the dude’s elbow patches.”