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“You grew up on the same street, and you went to the same school. You’re saying you never even spoke to one another?”
“I wouldn’t say that. It was more taunts and barbs, trash talk if you will. We weren’t friends. We didn’t care about each other.” Except for that one time, when Brooke was noticeably absent from an important test at school. My mind went to the worst-case scenario—was she in a car accident on the way to school, had someone close to her died? I couldn’t relax until I knew what had happened. I stopped by her house after school to find out she had the flu. It eased my worries, but I didn’t see or talk to her.
Christopher raised his brow. “Are you sure about that?”
I needed to talk to someone about it, and having just returned to town with a child in tow, I hadn’t had time to reconnect with any high school buddies. Christopher and I had become closer while working together so much, but I couldn’t talk about it in front of customers. “Lacey,” I called to the barista. “You okay by yourself for a minute?”
“I’ve got it,” Lacey said with a smile.
I threw a thumb over my shoulder, looking at Christopher. “Let’s go to my office.”
“Oh, this should be good,” he mumbled as he followed me to my office.
I let him precede me inside, closed the door, then sat across from him. “What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room.”
He leaned forward in his chair and made a zipping motion over his lips with his fingers. “My lips are sealed.”
I didn’t know Christopher well, but he seemed to have my back. “I went to see her last night.”
He tipped his head. “Who? Brooke?”
“I meant to confront her about the free coffee. I was pissed.”
“Were you still angry when you got there?” he asked, a smile playing on his lips.
I sighed as I gathered my thoughts. “I was, but when I saw her, I lost my head. I kissed her.”
“Nice.” He looked pleased.
I shook my head. “I fucked up. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have.”
He sobered quickly, his smile dropping. “The only line is the one you drew yourself.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “It’s necessary. You read the paper. Brooke is concerned the reporter’s not done with us yet. That she’ll jump all over it if she gets wind of a relationship.”
Christopher’s expression was skeptical.
“I can’t have anything interfering with the business. I need it to be successful. I promised Cammie I’d have more time with her if we moved here.”
Christopher tilted his head to the side and asked, “How does Brooke stop that?”
“She’s my direct competition.”
“I get that, but you said yourself there’re plenty of stores that sell the same thing in town.”
“That’s ice cream and fudge, which are in higher demand than coffee.”
He raised a brow because I’d always said that wouldn’t be an issue.
“Trust me. It’s a bad idea.” I couldn’t say the words out loud. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see where things could go with Brooke. I crushed on her in high school, but I had no idea how she felt about me.
His eyes widened. “She’s the one who put a stop to it, didn’t she?”
How had he guessed?
He smiled slowly. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“She said it was a bad idea, but she’s not wrong.”
