“Thank you. It’s good to see you again. And to try this place. It’s ... n-nice,” she said. I would’ve believed her if her voice didn’t shake. “Glad to have found a new coffee dealer,though.”
Dealer.That word sent shivers up my spine.
“Better than other things.”
Her smile fell when I said it, and I wondered if she was somehow thinking the same thing I was. “This might be off topic, but a girl’s gotta check. Are there any parts of town I should avoid?”
She had the same train of thought as I had.
Kelsey immediately laughed. “Uh. No. The only person who causes trouble is in jail, so the sheriff spends most of his time at the diner. Well, he did until the station moved into the new town hall, now he’s always there. Unless you count fashion mishaps as a crime, then you might wanna worry about Kerry.”
“Kerry?” Piper asked.
“Town gossip,” I replied. “You don’t wanna be on the receiving end of the rumors she starts.”
“Just the threat of her leaving a bad review made Theo hire me.” Kelsey laughed.
Piper joined her, but I had a feeling her real smile usually reached her eyes. Her knuckles were still white from where she gripped her bag. She only let go to grab her cup. I could see her hands were shaking. “Well, thank you both. Have a good day.”
I expected her to leave with how nervous she was, but Piper went to one of the tables in the back corner and sat. I watched the whole time.
“Ease up on the staring, buddy,” Kelsey muttered.
I blinked. “What?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t look away from her once that whole conversation. It’s like you were trying to see right through her.”
Shit.“I wasn’t ... I didn’t—” My stammering was cut short by Dean, who’d returned to the counter. I snapped back into work mode. Did they need a refill or napkins? I’d be happy to help themwith that.
Then Dean opened his damn mouth.
“Looks like you need some tips.” His smile was downright evil, and my stomach fell into my ass.
This was the smile I’d seen three times on various people in the town. Three couples had fallen in love, and I knew the excitement when I saw it.
And now it was directed atme.
“You saw nothing,” I muttered.
“Oh, I saw enough. And as the most recent resident to get his love story, there are some rules to try and follow. Don’t add to the population, don’t subtract?—”
“Leave the poor guy alone,” Grace said as she walked up. She gave me a kind smile. “Sorry about him.”
“It’s fine.” I looked down at the register. “Nothing is gonna happen.”
I thought that was the end of it, but Grace spoke again. “My money’s on you being wrong. I guess we’ll see in a few months.”
They walked away, and I could only glare at their backs as Kelsey laughed too.
“They might have a point. I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.”
“I could fire you,” I hissed.
“Oh, I’m sure you could. But I saw what I saw.”
I shook my head, looking anywhere other than where Piper sat. Three people had noticed me staring. That was three too many.
The town would be alight with this news, and I needed to make sure that they didn’t see anything else. It didn’t matter that she was gorgeous. It didn’t matter that I recognized the fear I saw in her eyes. None of it mattered.
