AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t mind.” He moved into the small space behind the machine and nudged her to one side.
“Personally, I think it’s best to buy the whole bean coffee and grind it yourself.”
“It’s not easy to source here.”
“If you like ours, I could order more, and you pay me?”
“Really? That would be great, thanks.”
“Do you have any syrups?”
Mandy shook her head.
“Okay, you need those, people enjoy them.”
He talked to her as he made the coffee, and Mandy watched and learned. She’d watched videos and read up on it as much as she could, but there was no substitute for learning on the job.
“Hello, darling, it’s lovely to meet you again.”
Mandy looked up as the large, handsome Texan who was with the bachelor party wandered in. She’d met him yesterday.
“Hello, Mr. Gelderman.”
“Ethan,” he said, giving her a killer smile. “I’m the most handsome in the Hawker party.”
The man who’d wandered in with him howled in outrage. Mandy remembered he was Buster Griffin. Joe had told her he was a cafe owner.
“That man was born with a silver tongue,” Ted muttered.
“He’s harmless and nice.”
“How do you know he’s harmless?” Ted looked at the milk he was frothing.
“You can just tell with some people, especially when you’ve spent a lot of time studying them. Plus, he’s friends with the others, and they’re good men.”
“So they don’t scare you?”
“Not everyone and everything scares me, Ted.” Mandy went for honesty. This man was helping her and giving up time to do that; she could give him a little bit of herself. But not the dark stuff. That stayed locked away.
“But lots of stuff does?”
She nodded, then moved back in front of the machine when he backed away to watch her. He offered instructions as she worked.
“Nice coffee,” Jake McBride said ten minutes later.
Ted didn’t say anything, just smiled and took his own cup back to the table.
“Mandy, love, coffee stat!” Fin Hudson was the local head ranger here in Ryker, and she knew he’d been working long hours over the last few weeks because her aunts pretty much knew everything that went on in town. He had brown hair and blue eyes and kept things on the mountains in order without raising his voice. He slumped into a chair with the others.
“I heard you make the best scones,” the Texan said.
“I don’t know about the best—”
“They are,” Ted confirmed.
“Edward?”
Mandy watched Ted’s eyes shoot to the door of Tea Total. A man stood there. Tall, with a rangy build, he wore a pale gray suit and blue shirt.
