“No. There’s no one.”
His eyebrows only rose. “Right. There’s no one.”
I had the sinking feeling that he was only playing along for my sake. I tried to think of something to say to actually make him believe me.
“What do I owe you?” he asked, holding out his card.
I blinked and made myself focus. I told him his total and took his payment, still trying to find the right words.
“I’ll actually pretend I don’t know anything,” he said softly. “But I do talk to Dean, so I have an idea about who it is.”
“Nothing is going on.”
“Okay, but if it does, you can talk to us. Or if you want someone to nod along and say nothing, Cain’s an option too.”
“I don’t need to talk at all ... but thanks.”
Henry gave me a smile before walking out of the shop.
When I was alone, I let out another long breath and rubbed my face.
That hadn’t gone well at all. I hated the idea that Henry and Dean had talked about me. I hated that far too many people were noticing a thing that shouldn’t have been happening at all.
I had to put it out of my mind and focus on work.
With a sigh, I focused on the customers coming in. For a few hours, things were normal.
Then in the afternoon, my eyes slid back toward the door, and I saw Piper walking in.
Dammit.
“Hi,” she said. “One black coffee, please.”
“Are you feeling better?”
She blinked, but then her lips curved upward. “Mostly. Still a little off, but I’m here. That’s a win. And I plan to be here for a while.”
“It’s good timing too. We’re slow up until close.”
“Exactly,” she said.
“Will the caffeine make you stay up all night?”
“Please.” She laughed. “I could drink espresso and go to sleep after.”
“I know the feeling.”
As I turned to grab the coffee for her, she asked, “Is Kelsey not here?”
“It’s her day off.”
“When’s your day off?”
“I don’t take those.”
“Oh,” she said. “That’s probably not good for your mental health.”
“There’re worse things,” I replied.
