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“Well, good morning to you, too, Mr. Grumpypants. I do believe somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed.” She wagged her finger at him as if he were a small child rather than her boss. Sophie had come to Love courtesy of the Operation Love campaign started by Jasper. With her Southern accent and sweet-as-pie personality, she was a favorite with all his customers and the residents. Best friends with his sister-in-law, Grace, she knew her way around a coffeehouse like nobody’s business.
“Who’s grumpy?” Hazel barked as she appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Not Prince Charming here?”
Sophie jutted her chin in his direction. She adjusted her apron around her waist and began prepping her work area.
“Cameron Prescott! You’re too blessed to be cantankerous,” Hazel said, planting a hand on her hip.
Cameron rolled his eyes at her. “Says the woman who’s dating my grandfather, the most ornery man on the planet.”
Hazel grinned from ear to ear. She was practically glowing. “He’s downright sweet with me. Tender. Romantic. And he’s a good kisser to boot.”
He shuddered. “Hazel. Do me a favor and never mention anything even remotely related to the two of you kissing. Never ever again.”
Hazel began humming a lively tune as she sauntered over to a table and greeted the day’s first customers with lively banter. Cameron couldn’t help but laugh. Sophie and Hazel sure did keep things interesting around the café. They were an important part of the success of his establishment. He still needed a replacement for Grace, who’d returned to journalism full-time after a brief stint as a barista.
As customers trickled in, Cameron busied himself taking orders and making specialty coffee drinks. Time passed quickly as the morning crowd dissipated and he began the prep work for the lunch rush. A quick glance at his watch sent a feeling of dread coursing through him. It was almost noontime! Lately it seemed as if Jasper and Boone showed up like clockwork for the lunch specials. The sheriff’s office was located right across the street, so Boone didn’t have far to travel. Knowing his grandfather, he was champing at the bit to find out the particulars about his conversation with Paige last night. As it was, he had a whole lot more to tell his family than they could ever imagine. He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as Emma’s sweet face popped into his mind.
At twelve thirty, his hunch about his family showing up at his establishment proved to be accurate as Jasper, Boone and Grace came in and settled down at one of the bigger tables toward the back of the café.
“Hazel, are Boone and Jasper here to talk about Paige and the money?” Cameron asked with an exasperated sigh. He didn’t need this right now. He was trying to run a successful business. A table full of Prescotts never boded well. Now was not the time to discuss Paige’s return to Love or the idea she’d presented to him about the cannery. Besides, he had more pressing matters at hand. He had to find a way to tell them about Emma. And he wasn’t about to do it in front of all his regular customers so it would become the talk of the town.
Sophie was over at the table, taking their orders and laughing at something Jasper was saying to her. She threw back her head and chuckled, pulled in by Jasper’s charm.
“What do I look like? A mind reader?” Hazel grunted. “Go on over and ask them yourself.”
Knowing he had to deal with them sooner rather than later, Cameron headed over to his family.
“Hey, guys. Fancy seeing you all here,” Cameron drawled.
“Hey, Cam. I’m loving the new additions to the menu,” Grace said with a smile. “It’s making me nostalgic.”
“Thanks, Gracie,” Cameron said, not missing the way his brother reached out and touched his wife’s stomach. He had the feeling a baby announcement would be coming any day now. For now, he would just pretend he hadn’t noticed the warm gesture. He winked at his sister-in-law. “Your barista position is still open if you’re interested,” he teased.
“Sophie is ten times the barista I ever was,” Grace admitted, giving Sophie a thumbs-up sign, making the young woman blush prettily. “Besides, I’m too busy writing about the great state of Alaska. Matter of fact, I can’t stay. I’m on deadline, so I’m grabbing a coffee to go.” She stood up to leave, then leaned down and brushed a tender kiss across Boone’s lips. With a parting smile, she walked over to the counter and picked up her coffee, then headed outdoors into the afternoon sunshine.
Cameron shoved his hands in his front pockets and looked nervously around the table. Jasper and Boone were staring at him as if they were waiting for breaking news. “Listen, guys. I need to talk to you all about something. This place is packed right now, so I’d like to do it at a more private moment. Maybe we can grab some dinner at my house and invite Liam and Honor to come, as well.”
“Is it about the money?” Jasper asked, leaning forward across the table. His eyes were glistening with excitement.
“No,” he said with a frown directed at his grandfather. “It’s not about the money. This is...personal.”
“Whatever works for you, Cam. We’re here to support you, no matter what,” Boone asserted.
Jasper nodded. “That’s pretty much the reason we came by here today. We know it’s not easy to have Paige back in town.”
“Thanks, guys,” he said, fighting to speak past the huge lump in his throat. He didn’t know what in the world was wrong with him. It was a rare occasion when he let his emotions get the best of him. A long time ago he’d learned to stuff them down so no one could see his hurts. He considered it his special power.
The loud jangling of the bell hanging over the Moose Café’s entrance announced the arrival of customers. Turning his head to greet them, Cameron froze as he instantly recognized the honey-blond hair and the heart-shaped face that never failed to make his pulse quicken. Paige had just sailed through the door of the Moose Café with his look-alike daughter cradled against her chest.
Knowing his worlds were about to collide, Cameron dived right in. “I have something to tell you,” he said, looking back and forth between Boone and Jasper. “Paige didn’t co
me back solo. She brought my daughter with her.”
Jasper’s eyes bulged and he began coughing. Boone’s jaw slacked.
His grandfather sputtered. “What are you talking about?”
Cameron met Jasper’s harsh gaze without flinching. “That little girl over there is mine.”
