Slowly, I turn to look at her with raised eyebrows, but I’m not all that surprised by the confession. Like I said, Mia’s ruthless.
“She said after three years, it would be just as satisfying for her as it hopefully would be for me.”
“Sounds like something she’d say,” I admit and laugh.
Calypso smiles and walks up to order for both of us. Before I can pull my wallet out, she’s already using her phone to pay.
She hands me my drink and I say, “Thank you—I would have paid. But thank you.”
“I can afford two drinks, if not earrings,” she insists. “Especially when you’ve had to play the role ofboyfriendmore than once.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say and take a sip. I’ve never had this flavor of agua fresca before, but it’s good as fuck.
We walk in silence for a few minutes, enjoying our drinks and the cool, salty breeze. The end of the pier is coming into view. Even with some of the booths overflowing onto the sidewalk, our time together is coming to an end.
Against my better judgement, I ask the question that has been rolling around since we left the last booth.
“Does he bother you?” I ask. “Your ex—Stefan. The way he talked about knowing Brighter Daze’s address feltweird.”
She side-eyes me before nodding. “He sends me mail once or twice a month. It may have been his attempt to rekindle at one point, but now it’s a delusional power move, I think. Last week, he sent an invitation to their wedding,” she spits out. “I truly couldn’t care less that he’s engaged to another woman. I just feel bad forher.”
I let out a low whistle. “She was young. I can’t imagine if one of my sisters were engaged to a man like that.” She takes a long sip of her drink but doesn’t say anything.How old was she when they got married?“Have you told Mia that he’s contacting you?”
“No,” she says quickly and firmly. “And you aren’t going to either.”
“Calypso, if he’s harassing you—”
“Botheringme, like a fly,” she says with exasperation. “Not anything more than that.”
We’ve stopped and are staring at each other now. Both of our arms are crossed as we face down. I’m stubborn andreallydon’t want to give in at this moment. However, it’s Calypso’s life—I know I can’t do anything that she doesn’t want me to. Pushing her boundaries, especially when we are getting to know each other, isn’t going to work in my favor either.
“Fine,” I say. “I won’t tell Mia, or anyone else.”
She waits but there’s nothing else to say. I’m being honest with her,andshe has a new, sometimes clingy, friend who knows about her secret.
Finally, Calypso nods and we continue walking through the market. We’re not in a rush, despite the earlier tension. After half an hour, I’m hugging her outside of her little red car and watching her drive away.
Walking to my 4Runner, I’m already setting my morning alarm for an hour earlier, giving me enough time to stop by Brighter Daze for coffee before work.
Chapter Seven
Liam
Taking a sip of my dark chocolate strawberry latte—Calypso’s choice—I walk into Pippa’s dance studio.
It’s been three days since the farmer’s market, and I’ve stopped by Brighter Daze for a coffee and pastry each morning. It took Calypso approximately three minutes to figure out what my plan was—to befriend her, since I’m the only person who knows about Stefan and I don’t trust him for one fucking second.
After she complained and tried to threaten me—the promise of her hands around my neck were much more enticing than she expected—she gave in. I let her win on Sunday but no matter how pretty she is, especially worked-up like that, I couldn’t let it happen twice in a row. For a second, I really didn’t think she’d serve me a coffee.
I only got a black coffee on Monday, but it’s fine. I’m not picky.
Yesterday and today she made specialty drinks for me. The maple latte and bear claw combination was great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to today’s combination. The dark chocolate strawberry latte is not something I’d ever order for myself, but it’s my new favorite, and the almond scone balances it well.
Not that I doubted her instincts for a second.
This morning, she greeted me with “Vacation”by Simple Plan playing through the store’s speakers. The message wasloudand clear, despite the roles being reversed—a love sick girl who won’t leave the singer alone for even a day. Too bad I love that fucking song.
While I was there, I got a call from Pippa who asked me to meet with her this morning. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but Calypso was quick to assure me she wouldn’t waste my time.
