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“I’ll be there.”
“All right, see you then.” He turns and heads out of the cafe, then stops and comes back to me. He leans down and whispers in my ear.
“By the way, kissing you never felt like kissing my sister.”
Before I can formulate a coherent thought, he’s out the door.
FOUR
Jake
I glancedown at my phone to see I’ve made it right on time for lunch.
It was close though, with Ms. Mason stopping by the shop all in a tizzy about the fact her windshield wiper fluid wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t very well deny her service, even if it meant getting my hands dirty.
Excellent customer service is one thing those slick, quik lube places lack at times. Once I have the updated equipment like those places have, along with my reputation for putting the customers first, I’ll be able to level up the shop.
I might even have to hire some more help.
It puts a spring in my step as I walk up to the doors of the Silver Moon Cafe.
The wide windows are decorated with glass paint. A Christmas tree, Santa and his eight tiny reindeer, plus Frosty the Snowman adorn the windows. It isn’t as wholesome as it sounds though.
Santa and Frosty are sharing a pint of beer, with multiple empty glasses at their feet. The brightly lit tree is lopsided.
And the reindeer? Well, they’re in a drunken pile.
I laugh, shaking my head and pulling open the door.
Inside, I lift my shades and adjust my eyes to the darker room. The cafe by day, bar by night establishment looks like Christmas threw up on it, and holiday music plays through the speakers.
“Hey, Jake!”
Charley Reynolds heads toward me with a tray loaded down with food. The aroma coming from the plates makes my stomach growl and reminds me the coffee and Danish wore off hours ago.
“Is that masterpiece on the windows your doing?” I gesture over my shoulder with my thumb.
She grins. “Guilty as charged. Like it?”
“It’s hilarious.”
“Thank you. You got a to-go order to pick up?”
“I’m meeting Lia for lunch.”
Charley narrows her eyes. She might be tiny, barely making it to the shoulder of my six-foot-two frame, but she holds the large round tray like it weighs no more than a pillow.
“My cousin Lia?”
“Yeah, the chamber threw us together for a Santa workshop thing.”
She chuckles. “Now, that doesn’t surprise me somehow. She’s in the back corner booth. I’ll be over shortly. You want a Coke?”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
I meander my way around the various tables, waving at a couple of customers along the way.
Lia’s studying the menu so intently, she doesn’t look up as I approach. “I didn’t realize the Silver Moon menu made for such interesting reading.”
