“What?” I finally say.
“You look like you had a good weekend.” He gloats as if every word is some kind of triumph.
“I did.” At the last minute, I stop my gaze from darting to Rose. It’s been stuck to her all day. I can take a break for five minutes.
I don’t actually know if I can.
He grins as if I confessed sordid details, turning to the woman herself. “Rose? Did you happen to have a good weekend?”
This kid wants to be on the fast track to getting fired.
To be clear, I wouldn’t.Exulted too much in his boss being low-key happy about his relationshipwouldn’t look good on the paperwork. And I can’t keep the place running without him. But this behavior is making me daydream scenarios where I hand him a pink slip just to get him out of my hair.
Rose’s dimple pops. A rookie mistake. She didn’t grow up with a crowd of people searching her every move for evidence to use against her. That smile will just fan his curiosity. “I did, too.”
“That’s so great.” Troy’s self-satisfied expression is quickly crawling under my skin. “Did either of you do anything fun? Separately or, dare I ask, together?”
I don’t need this. If I wanted to be harassed, I’d ask Lucy and Nathan to swing by.
“You’ve got this handled out here.” I turn, but my eyes betray me and home in on Rose like sweet-seeking missiles.
Troy snickers. I really need to work on my poker face. I had it down for years, but Rose has rearranged it in a weekend.
I stalk into the back office and sit in my chair, Troy’s “Girl, you need to spill,” just loud enough for me to catch.
“We’re happy.” I can hear the smile in her voice.
It’s for the best nobody can see mine.
“Ugh. You’re too cute for words,” he says, confirming my suspicions.
Customers cycle through, the sounds of the coffee shop filtering back to me as I enter numbers from the latest inventory. I never imagined the trivial, behind the scenes tasks it takes to keep a coffee shop running. I don’t like the forward-facing customer service any better. My soul-rejuvenating overnight trip into the forest with Rose doesn’t have nearly enough lasting effects to get me through this day.
My cabin was meant to be a refuge, but it doesn’t recharge me nearly as well as visits to the family cabin. Maybe Nathan’sright. Maybe I do need a few people in my life. One in particular.
“Do you mind switching shifts with me on Thursday?” Troy’s question drifts to me from out front. “Brendan and I want to float the river, and if I take the shorter shift, we can get started sooner.”
Long beats go by as if she’s debating how to respond. I turn my head to listen, waiting for her answer. She can make decisions for herself. I’m not in charge of her.
I still want to know how she’ll handle it.
“I’m doing the coffee cart on Thursday,” she says. “If I take the longer shift, that will be a really long day for me.”
It’s not a simple “No” and leaves the door open for pleading, but she didn’t apologize for her choice. That’s a win.
“No worries,” Troy chirps. “It’s not that much later if I work my scheduled shift. Have you done the river yet this year?”
“I don’t think I’ve floated the river since high school.”
“What? You need to fix that.” He snickers. “Just let Reed know. I bet he’d take you.”
Now I’m daydreaming about a day on the river with Rose. Not optimal for getting anything accomplished in the back office.
I distract myself from imagining what kind of swimsuit Rose prefers with the stack of mail on the desk. We usually get mailers from restaurant suppliers and IT companies that want to handle our website, generic ad lists I can’t waste my time trying to take us off of. At the bottom, I find a letter from a law office whose name I don’t recognize.
A prickle of unease swirls through my gut. The last time I got mail from a lawyer, it was about Harry’s estate. But this one is addressed toReed Bridger, Owner, Perk Me Up.
I open it and slide out the single sheet, my eyes scanning over it. Then again. Honestly, it takes a few more tries for the words to fully sink in. My brain feels slower with every pass, like my thoughts are sinking into a muddy riverbank.
