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He flashed a friendly smile. “Morning.”
His voice was thick, and gave me the sense that he’d just rolled out of bed. His dark auburn hair was ruffled and I could imagine him running a hand through it, spiking the edges with his fingers before running out the door. Even that little sliver of observation opened a crapload of questions about him. What was his life like? What did his house look like? Was he the type to keep it neat and orderly? Or was he the kind that didn’t mind clutter? Did he sleep naked? My cheeks flushed at that thought and I forced myself to look away, toward the coffee pot, before my eyes dipped to his belt buckle…and lower.
“Good morning,” I replied, my fingers reaching for the handle to pour myself a cup of coffee.
He leaned against the counter, casually giving me a once over. “You okay?”
Shit. He knew I was thinking about him naked in bed. Was I that transparent?
“I mean, with Alesha?” He arched a brow.
Carly, relax. What had gotten into me?
I blamed sleep deprivation.
I gulped a scalding mouthful of coffee and nodded. “I’m all right. Furious, but all right. Alesha passed out shortly after we got her home and as far as I know she’s still sleeping it off. Or at least, she better be. I swear, if she steps one toe outside the front door, I’m going to beat the crap out of her.” My stare drifted as the anger welled in my chest like a helium balloon.
Nick chuckled softly and I brought my attention back to his half-cocked smile.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I know. I’m like a total mama bear. I just don’t know what else to do.”
He held up a hand. “No judgments. I wish I had some sage advice, but I don’t. You’ll figure it out though.”
“Or ship her off to New Hampshire with her Grandmother,” I muttered.
Nick didn’t ask for an explanation of my threat. He looked over at the case of desserts and patted his washboard stomach. “I think I’ll go whole hog today and get a couple of things.”
I laughed and pushed off the back counter. I set my cup down and went to get a bakery box. Nick pointed out the assortment he wanted and I packaged it all up. I pushed the box across the counter toward him and then went to the espresso machine to make his drink. There were a handful of early birds in the shop, but no one was waiting behind him in line, so he propped up against the counter and kept me company while I made his latte.
“I had a lot of fun last night,” he said. “Well…before the part where I almost ran over your sister.”
I smiled. “Right?”
“How about you?”
I flicked the steamer wand into action, the sound of the frothing milk overpowering the conversation. My mind raced with possible answers. What I wanted to say was very different than what I should say, and the two replies fought as I finished steaming the milk.
When I had his drink completed, I took it to him and slid it across the counter and into his open hand. His dark eyes were locked on me, but he didn’t push. After a moment, I sighed. “Listen, Nick, I had a lot of fun too. But this isn’t a great time for me. Not with everything going on with Alesha. Even if we did go out again, I’d be too distracted to really give you a hundred percent. I’d be wrapped up in worrying about her sneaking out or who she was with, what she was doing.” I paused to gather my ramblings into a succinct ending. “You’re a great guy. I’m having fun getting to know you but I need to leave it at that. I promised my dad that I’d take care of Alesha while he’s gone and I need to honor that commitment.”
Nick didn’t move, holding me in his stare for half a minute, before nodding his understanding. His mouth was set in a hard line, but I couldn’t tell whether it was due to anger or disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” I added.
He shook his head once. “Don’t be. I understand. You have a lot on your plate right now.”
My heart pounded against my ribs, suddenly regretting my words. But it was too late to take them back.
Nick pulled out his wallet and I reluctantly took my place behind the register and rang up the items for his order. When he was done paying, he took a sip and then held up his coffee cup on his way out the door. “Perfect as always. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Carly.”
“Bye, Nick.”
I sagged down onto the counter once he was out of sight. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered to myself, burying my face into my hands.
