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“The owner of Bean Rush. Welcome,” Sophie said.
Ben slipped into the seat next to mine.
“How are the coffee wars going?” Remi, the owner of Remi’s Juice Shop, asked.
“We’re not at war,” I said as Ben raised a brow.
Remi smiled wide. “It’s still early yet.”
“Customers are trying out Ben’s place, so the end result remains to be seen.” Not that I was waiting around to find out what would happen. I felt better because I was taking a proactive approach.
“Let us know if there’s anything we could do to help,” Sophie offered.
“I appreciate that,” Ben said.
“What’s going on at Java Coffee? I heard you have tarps up,” Easton asked.
“Just a little face-lift,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t ask any follow-up questions.
“Makes sense with new competition,” Sophie said.
Ben leaned over to whisper in my ear, “I didn’t know you were renovating your store.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I wanted to spruce things up. I haven’t done anything major since we opened.”
“It’s because of me.”
“Bean Rush’s opening forced me to do something different. It’s not a bad thing.” I hoped he wouldn’t ask for additional details. I didn’t want to lie to him.
Ben leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.
I hoped he wouldn’t get too hung up on the details because I wanted to forget about our competition for the night. I wanted to feel like I had when I woke up in his bed. I wanted to feel alive, not worry about numbers, retaining customers, and attracting new ones. I just wanted to feel good, and I hoped he was on the same page.
ChapterTwenty
BEN
“Ilike how supportive business owners are of each other here,” I said as we went downstairs to have a beer with the rest of the group.
“The historic area is small, and we all support one another. Even if we’re competing against each other for customers.”
“I like that.”
We found a place by the bar to stand. Max was behind the bar. Ethan, Savannah, Zoe, Sophie, Remi, Lily, and Gia were there. Lily was a new addition, having recently opened the flower shop, Petals.
Brooke sat on a stool next to some of the other women, and I stood behind her. I placed a hand on the bar next to her, leaning in close to order a drink from Max.
I tried to focus on Easton as he asked me a question, but my attention was on Brooke when she not-so-subtly sighed. She was affected by me.
“So, you and Ben are friends now?” I overheard Remi ask Brooke.
I’m sure she meant to be quiet, but I’d noticed that her personality was naturally outgoing, and she tended to be loud and exuberant.
“I guess you could say that.” Brooke’s cheeks heated, and I wondered if she was worried her friends would guess what happened between us.
“Friends and rivals,” I said with a wink meant for Brooke.
Remi beamed. “Friendly rivals. I like that.”
