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“Why what?”
“Why do you want to get coffee with me?”
He drew his brows together. “Why wouldn’t I?”
She sighed. “You don’t have plans with Abby?”
Mark blinked. Was she jealous?
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business, Mark.” She paused again. “I don’t think I’d be very good company today. I’m kind of grumpy.”
He chuckled. “Maybe some tea would help. Or a walk around the park?”
“I thought you said coffee.”
“You drank tea when we met before.”
“Oh.”
More silence.
“Please? I don’t care if you’re grumpy.”
Silence. Then, “You’re weird.”
He laughed. “What’s wrong with being weird?”
It took her a moment to respond. “Okay. Some tea sounds nice.”
“Same place as last time?”
“Sure. Is an hour okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
* * *
Why hadshe agreed to meet Mark again? Emily stared at herself in the mirror as she scrunched water out of her hair with a towel. Why did he want to spend time with her?
She supposed she should be grateful. It wasn’t every day someone like her caught the attention of a celebrity like Mark Pierce.
And honestly? She wanted to go. She liked him. He was kind. He didn’t want anything from her, except her love of music. Though in some ways, that was more terrifying than what the men from the Café wanted from her. Music was the essence of her soul. A part of her she’d tried to kill off years ago. It wasn’t dead, though. Mark had brought it back to life with the stroke of his bow.
She couldn’t resist.
Couldn’t resist the music.
Couldn’t resist him.
Spending time with him felt deliciously naughty.
She finished getting ready and headed out the door to walk to the coffee shop near the Kennedy Center. Could she be brave and not run away this time?
She walked inside, the bell above the door jingling, and saw Mark sitting at the same table they’d sat at the last time. Two paper cups with lids sat on the table in front of him. He smiled when he saw her and stood. “I got you hot water. Tell the barista what kind of tea you want.”
“Oh. Okay.” She walked to the counter and tried to get the barista’s attention, but only received a glare in return. Oh well. She could drink hot water. She returned to the table and sat down.
“Where’s your tea bag?”
