Page 58 of Check You Out

Something in my chest eases. “Let’s start with coffee. We’re both good at that.”

He responds with a chuckle.

The café is quieter today, with only a few people on the first floor and no line at the register. It smells of coffee and strawberries. My stomach grumbles as I gaze at the glowing case of pastries and baked goods. Afternoon sun pours in from the old windows. The espresso machine whirs while the patrons maintain a low hum of conversation. But there’s something else playing over the speakers.

“Is that metal?” Dan asks, turning to me.

“Yes,” I reply, resisting the urge to vibrate along to the bass and guitar. Metal is a little too hardcore for me, but I appreciate it. “Liam must have nicked Nicole’s phone again and switched the playlist.”

The man himself is currently bobbing his head along to the music. Thankfully, his long hair is pulled into a bun.

My father raises an eyebrow and puts his hands on his hips. “You know the people who work here?”

“I come in here regularly.”

Dan eyes the menu for a few seconds. “What do you usually get?”

“Maple cinnamon latte,” Liam quips, not missing a beat with his head nodding. “And a bacon, egg, and cheese on an asiago bagel in the morning.”

I let out a chuckle and turn to Dan with a half-smile “What can I say. I have a usual.”

“Is that what you’re going to have?” he asks me.

“Yes, it’s pretty good.”

With a determined nod, Dan steps forward, “Two maple cinnamon lattes then, but we’ll skip the sandwiches.” He glances back at me and flashes me a closed mouth smile. He slaps a ten-dollar bill on the counter. “I’ve got it.”

I reach for my own wallet.

My father quirks an eyebrow and holds up his hand to stop me. “No, I’ve got it.”

I open my mouth to argue, but Liam settles it by snatching up the bill. “I’ll have those ready in a few minutes,” he remarks, leaving Dan and I to enjoy each other’s company.

I shove my hands in the pockets of my jeans as we wait in silence. It doesn’t escape me that we somehow ended up twinning today. We’re wearing similar dark wash jeans and light blue shirts, although again, he’s wearing a polo, while my shirt is just a cotton T-shirt.

“So, how are things?” I ask him, trying to add something to the heavy quiet.

“Fine, fine. I started taking a yoga class this week.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, and I’m very self-conscious that my father and I are basically doing the same thing. “It’s quite relaxing, you know. I like it. Anything new with you?”

I give a brief synopsis on the situation with the library and he listens intently. At first his expression is concentrated and tense, but it softens into a grin as I tell him about our progress and the steps we’ve taken.

“Nice work,” he says once I’m finished. “Send me the details of your speech. It might be good if a former member of the Howard County Council shows up in support.”

My chest tightens. Do I want my father to show up at an event where I’m going to have to make a public speech? Will it be like debate team all over again? Will he come and find some fault with how I’m speaking?

But what if he’s just trying to be supportive and wants to encourage you?

Before I can continue this mental debate, Liam hands over our lattes.

I jab a thumb toward the second floor of the café. “Shall we?” Dan nods and follows me upstairs to the larger, more open space. There are only a few groups of people here, and we’re able to find a cozy table over by a window that overlooks the town square. If I lean forward, I can see Sunflower Books and the windows of Charlotte’s apartment. I want to imagine that she’s either sitting in her window or looking out of the bookstore toward the café, maybe thinking of me.

“I’m telling you, Nicole, a vanilla latte with soy milk is technically a three bean soup,” a familiar voice sounds off a couple of tables over.

I turn and sitting there at a four-chair table are Xander, Nicole, and Charlotte. They have a mug each and a platter of some sort of croissants in the center of their table. Charlotte’s golden-brown hair is pulled up into a ponytail, revealing her beautiful face. Her bright blue eyes are magnified by a stunning pair of dark blue glasses. She has a copy of A Letter from the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall resting by her phone. She spots me, flashes one of those radiant smiles, and taps something onto her phone.

I didn’t realize that Charlotte wore glasses. Combined with her green dress, she has a sexy librarian look going. If I wasn’t so anxious about having coffee with my father, I would be incredibly turned on right now.

But what the fuck are they doing here?