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He’d used me, and I had no idea. How could I ever think about dating again after that? I couldn’t trust my instincts or my judgment. It was safer to avoid it altogether.
ChapterSix
BEN
Itried to forget my run-in with Brooke at her store by focusing on mine. Brooke’s coffee was perfect, not too hot, and the brew was a rich, bold flavor, just how I liked it. The only thing that set our stores apart was that I featured beans from around the world in large glass jars on shelves behind the counters.
All coffee shops smelled like coffee, but when you walked into mine, I liked to think it was a richer, more enticing scent that drew customers inside. A sign on the wall boasted my ability to find whatever bean the customer desired. The beans combined with my historic grinder gave it a classy feel. I hoped customers would want to come inside for an experience.
At the last minute, I decided to add a shelf to sell varying mugs and to-go cups, along with several options for coffee makers with a bean grinder. I was happy to grind customers’ beans, but I wanted customers to fall in love with the superior flavor of freshly ground beans, which they could do by grinding their beans in their own homes.
I was anxious to open the store, but we had to plan the perfect grand opening celebration and get the word out that we were opening next week. I’d changed the sign out front to reflect our plans and was frequently stopped with questions. I hoped it was more than small-town curiosity and that customers would sample my coffee and return for more.
I’d been so confident when I looked at the projected numbers in my office in Philadelphia. But now that it was a reality, I worried I’d invested my life savings in something more likely to fail.
On Saturday, I drove Cammie to baseball practice. It was early, so she was uncharacteristically quiet in the back seat. When I arrived at the baseball fields, the lot was just starting to fill up.
“Do you think we’ll get our uniforms this morning?” Cammie asked, her excitement picking up.
I cleared my throat, parking my sports car next to the larger SUVs and trucks. I needed to buy a more family-friendly vehicle. “The coach didn’t say.”
“I hope so.” I helped Cammie out, grabbing her bag from the trunk.
“Good morning,” another dad sleepily said as we fell in step beside him and his son.
“Morning,” I lifted my to-go mug. “I haven’t even had a chance to drink my first cup of coffee yet.”
“Yeah, what’s up with the early morning practices?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” I was an early riser and had long since been awake. If I hadn’t been, Cammie would have made sure to wake me.”
“I’m Chad, by the way,” he said, reaching out a hand to shake.
I took it and gave him my name, and we continued chatting once we got to the field, exchanging details about our children. His son played for the last two years. I tried to ignore the niggling worry that Cammie wasn’t ready to play with kids with so much experience, but there had to be others in the same position. And Cammie had determination. She would learn quickly.
The coaches placed them in groups, with a few of the dads helping out.
A few minutes into practice, Hunter came flying down the hill, his bag bouncing on his back. “I’m here. I’m here.”
The coach told him to put his bag on the fence and grab his bat.
I wondered if Hunter’s mother would be present today or if it would be Brooke again. I tried not to get my hopes up. I shouldn’t want her to be there.
Within a minute, Brooke came over the hill with a chair slung over her shoulder and a kids’ water bottle in her hand. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and she wore a long-sleeve shirt over leggings. She looked soft and inviting, so different from how she’d looked at her store the other day.
“Everything okay?” I asked as she passed Chad and me.
She gave me a sheepish look. “Yeah, just running a little late. Abby had a last-minute event this morning she needed to cover.” She raised her hand with the water bottle. “I need to give this to Hunter.”
“No problem.”
After tucking the bottle into the side pocket of Hunter’s bag, Brooke brushed a strand of hair out of her face, scanned the crowd of parents present, and made her way back to me.
I tried not to feel pleased she’d sought me out. I was probably the only person she knew, but I couldn’t be certain. If she was frequently helping out her sister with Hunter, she probably knew the other parents. I tried not to think about other single dads hitting on her. It wasn’t my place to care.
Brooke grimaced. “Hunter was so upset we were running late.”
“I think it’s okay. The coach seemed cool about it.”
