Page 14 of Unspoken Love

And that was when she saw him.

He was crossing the street with an easy stride that ate up a lot of ground. He looked so comfortable with himself and within the town, like he fit perfectly where he was. He wore a dark gray T-shirt that hugged his shoulders, and his usual worn and damn-sexy jeans. His head was tilted slightly, like he was lost in thought. The moment he stepped through the doors, he looked up and his eyes locked with hers. In that moment, her heart did a strange, fluttering skip.

He smiled—not the big or showy kind, just a real genuine smile, as if he was glad she was there. And in that second, everything inside her chest felt soft and entirely too exposed.

She turned the page on her book but her hand trembled just a little.

When he looked at her, she felt weak all over. Then he moved toward her and everything shut off—her brain, her breathing, even her heart seemed to pause for too long.

“Hey,” he said, standing next to the booth.

“Hey.” She smiled.

“Checking the place out before you commit?” he joked.

“It seemed like a good idea.” She chuckled and motioned to the booth. “Got time to sit?”

He glanced over his shoulder and waved toward Clover before sitting down across from her.

“I’ve been wanting to read this one.” He tapped her book. “Any good?”

“I haven’t started yet, but I’ll let you know.” She set the book aside.

Nate leaned back against the booth, stretching one arm along the back of the seat like he had all the time in the world.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. It wasn’t awkward. Just… easy.

“So,” she started, “how long have you been running this place?”

He followed her gaze around the Brew-Ha-Ha. “Little over a year and a half now. My folks asked me to take it over when they decided to semi-retire. They said they wanted to travel more and slow down. So far, they’ve taken more than half a dozen trips or cruises. They’re leaving to take a cruise in Europe next week. They’re meeting up with Juliette and Max in Italy for a few nights.” He gave a short laugh. “They really haven’t slowed down at all. If anything, they’re doing more now than when they ran this place and when we were kids.”

She smiled. “They’re enjoying themselves.”

“At first, I figured it’d be temporary, working here,” he went on, looking toward the fireplace in the back like he was seeing a different version of the shop. “But I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.”

“What were you doing before this?” she asked.

He smiled again, that boyish tilt to his grin doing things to her insides she didn’t have names for. “I was going to college in Portland and working part-time at the bookstore on campus. I was taking business classes and had just started some law courses. I thought…” He shook his head lightly. “I thought I wanted to be some high-powered attorney. I even wore a suit and tie every day.” He reached up and shifted the neck of his T-shirt. “I took a few debate classes way too seriously.”

She blinked. “You? In a tie?”

“Hey,” he said, pretending to be offended. “I look pretty damn good in a tie.”

“I remember seeing you in one at the wedding,” she murmured. “You looked… uncomfortable,” she finished after a beat.

“I was.” He tilted his head. “The dress and shoes you were wearing looked a lot more comfortable.”

She laughed. “They weren’t. I had to strap myself into both. I could only eat a sliver of cake for fear the seams would burst.”

He was smiling at her. “Well, you wouldn’t have known it. You looked amazing.” He watched her for a moment longer before his expression softened.

“What changed?” she asked. “Why aren’t you still in school?”

“During the second year of college, I realized that I didn’t have the patience for law and for sitting indoors all day. And arguing all the time was taking a toll on me. It started to wear me down.”

“So you came home?” she asked, as if trying to fill in the pieces of a puzzle.

“That’s when my folks asked me to take over.” He nodded slowly. “The Brew-Ha-Ha was always kind of the family heartbeat. My aunts started it long ago, then my parents bought them out and took over after they married. And now…” He motioned toward the counter where Clover was wiping down the pastry case. “I guess it’s all mine.”