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“Chase!” My head snapped in the direction of my name and I found Harley hanging out the to-go window. “What are you doing here?”
“Harley, hey! Hoping to get a coffee and some breakfast. But you seem to be a tad in demand.”
“Yeah, it’s been out of control. Is it just you?”
“No, two more. It’s fine if you’re swamped.”
“Give me a second. Strong latte and a double espresso!”
I should not have doubted Harley, a few minutes later the three of us were tucked into a corner table. The whole place smelled amazing. Coffee, cinnamon, and buttery pastry all swirled together, making my mouth water, and the menu was simple but all sounded delicious. Maybe Jeremy was right, change wasn’t so bad after all.
Mack was sittingon the bar staring at his phone when I arrived at Rudi a two hours later. He looked up as I approached, his face splitting into a wide grin, making my heart take off at a gallop against my ribs. He was just gorgeous. Cobalt blue eyes crinkling as he smiled, perfectly straight teeth framed by rosy pink lips and that not-quite-straight nose. He really should write Troy Parker a thank you note for breaking it in senior year. He deserved the drunken punch, he didn't have to go into that closet with Troy’s girlfriend and he didn’t need to do anything. But he was Mack, so he did go into the closet, and he did things, and Troy broke his nose. But, considering it only served to make him look even more rough and ready, Troy had done him a favor.
His hair was a little more unruly than usual today, which meant he’d probably been surfing this morning. How he could do that, in New York, in November, was beyond me but it sure did look good on him. And I already knew how he’d smell, like the ocean and sunshine and… him.
“What?” he said, running a hand through his hair, the curls flopping here and there.
“What?” I echoed, heat rising in my cheeks.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re looking at me weird.”
“No I’m not,” I scoffed, because I had totally been checking him out. I’d been checking my best friend out, and that was weird. “You had something on your face.” I pointed at my own chin and he wiped his.
“Did I get it?” He asked, jumping down from the bar and dropping a kiss onto the top of my head.
“Uh-huh, yep, you got it.”
He hummed a response as he handed me another coffee. I definitely didn’t need it, I was high enough on the strong Americano I’d had at Cream and Sugar, but I accepted the cup all the same and took a long, scalding sip. The bitter black coffee was tinged with sweetness. I never got my coffee with sugar, but Mack did because he knew I liked it better that way.
“And a donut for the lady?” He proffered a bag in my direction. I peeked inside and grinned. One blueberry cake and one original glaze, because I could never decide. It was almost embarrassing how well he knew me.
“Do you know my cycle too?”
He choked on his mouthful of coffee. “What?!”
“Nothing!” Why on earth did I just ask that? “Thank you, for the donuts, I feel like a shit for turning up empty handed.”
“Your presence is present enough,” he said with a wink and my insides did a backwards flip off the high dive. What was happening? I was not letting myself get a crush on him. No, sir. Maybe I needed to set him up with someone? Lindsay? She’d been sweet and easy going. Nope, not happening. Just the thought of the two of them together sent a wave of revulsion through me. That wasn’t good. I should want to see him with someone like Lindsay. Shouldn’t I?
My phone started wailing from my bag, a welcome distraction from the riot of whatever the hell in my chest. Not so much when I saw who it was, though. I had so far ignored a further two calls from my mother because I didn’t want to have this conversation. I told her I’d call back. And I would, just as soon as I’d figured out a way to tell her in no uncertain terms that I would not be attending her Thanksgiving celebration. Could I make it to dinner? Maybe, but I wasn’t going to say that because I didn’t like that my traditions were suddenly no longer important in the face of her ‘new family’. There was nothing wrong with our family before.
“You gonna get that?” Mack asked, peering over my shoulder.
“Nope.” We both watched as my phone fell silent and I dropped it back into my bag.
“You’ve escalated to screening calls. That’s not a good sign.”
I shoved a large piece of donut in my mouth to delay the conversation. If I’d been hoping he’d let me off the hook by the time I finished chewing (which took close to a minute) I was left disappointed.
“Well,” he prompted, stopping me from taking another bite.
“She’s trying to get me to go to Derrick’s place on Thanksgiving. She knows that we host, but that’s not important in the face of our ‘new family’.” I paused, my mind snarling. “We don’t have a new family. She has a new husband. There’s a difference.” I took another large bite of donut.
“Maybe not to her.”
“Of course not to her!” Crumbs flew from both my mouth and the half eaten donut in my hand. “She’s all loved up after her shotgun wedding that she didn’t bother inviting her own daughter to! Who gets married like that anyway?”
“People who are crazy in love?” he said with a shrug, spectacularly missing the point. If he hadn’t bought me donuts I’d walk out right now.
