I’m only filming him because it’s good business to show the owner sometimes. It has nothing to do with the way his biceps flex while he pours the cold brew, or the corded muscles that pop out in his forearms when he presses on the flavoring syrup pump. Zooming in on his broad hands and long, thick fingers is purely for the details. If anyone else notices his delightfully messy hair or perfect beard, well, that’s not my intent. This is to add personality to our feed, not eye candy.
Even if the eye candy is front and center.
“Now slide it across the counter like you’re serving it to me,” I coach.
He does, and his gaze flickers up to meet mine. His deep brown eyes focus on me, and my stomach swoops. It’s been on a rollercoaster since I started the day seeing him asleep on my couch. I still feel a little guilty for peeking at him when he had no idea I was watching, like a stalker. But he looked so cute with my cat sleeping on his feet, I couldn’t resist.
And cute really doesn’t begin to cover it. He was handsome. Sexy. Ruggedly gorgeous. Seeing that big, grouchy man totally at peace in my space did something to my heart rate it hasn’t recovered from.
“Are we done?” he asks, handing the drink over to Troy.
“It’s been five minutes.” You’d think I was tweezing his beard whisker by whisker.
“Run it on a loop.”
“I need more than one action shot.”
“I don’t have any more actions.”
He’s so ridiculously obstinate. “You’re not in a very chipper mood for someone who started his day with homemade waffles.”
“I didn’t realize the waffles were a bribe for filming videos.” He crosses his arms, and I’m tempted to start recording him again. The light in his eyes as he stares me down makes my overactive heart flip. This man should not get cuter the crabbier he pretends to be.
“The videos were a bribe for not painting the coffee shop. Keep up.”
His scowl breaks, letting amusement shine through the cracks. My insides cartwheel over that tiny change along his mouth. Which I maybe shouldn’t be staring at quite so obviously. But after the teaser smile he gave me this morning, I’m even more impatient to see one at full strength. I’m like an avid bird watcher, ready to whip out my binoculars and notebook so I can jot down every last detail of a rarely-experienced sight.
Troy’s gaze darts between the two of us, piecing the conversation together. Possibly also noting the dreamy face I’m making. “This is finally happening?”
Oops. I haven’t told him anything about us yet. Reed said I should do what comes naturally, but “Guess what? I’m dating our boss!” didn’t feel all that smooth. Although I guess that would have been right in line with the way the rest of the town found out.
Reed turns on him. “What do you mean, ‘finally?’”
“You know.” He laughs, but Reed doesn’t join in. Troy sobers, clearing his throat. “Nothing. I mean good for you. It’s time for me to clock out.”
He sidles past Reed, giving me a secret thumbs-up as he goes. Reed’s still watching him, that line of irritation back between his eyebrows. We’ve moved from faux crabbiness into the real thing.
“Let’s try one of you at the register.” I need to distract him before he can change his mind about being recorded.
He moves over to it and mimes using the touchpad. “Like this?”
I hold my phone up, ready to capture him. “Maybe put a little more heart into it?”
“Heart’s your skillset.”
Aww. “What’s yours?”
“Bluntness.”
“Probably not the right direction for customer service. Make smiling your skillset.”
One of his eyes twitches. “Did you just quoteElfat me?”
“Kind of.”
The bells on the door chime, and a feminine gasp comes from behind me. Lila Irwin walks in wearing chic linen trousers and an oversized sleeveless top. Her effortless style always gives me a little pang of envy. She looks cool and comfortable despite the heat, like the fashionable Instagram influencer she is. She also looks like she’s painting us with a big red stamp of approval.
“Did I interrupt some content creation?” As head of Sunshine’s tourism, she’s a vocal proponent of any and all social media buzz.
