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* * *
It was busier than he expected.
Every seat was taken, and what looked like a first date was happening in the far corner. The young woman played with her hair while he inched his hand toward hers on the table, landing the punchline of a joke that sent her into a fit of giggles.
Hayley couldn’t have written it better.
Was this whole city drunk on love?
Something small hit his calf, and when he looked down, a cell phone lay at his feet, mercifully unbroken. As he reached for it, a gentle hand collided with his.
Behind him stood a very pretty blonde in a sundress. The dress was an odd choice, considering it was still winter, but Harrison knew better than to judge anyone’s fashion choices when he regularly exemplified the termhaphazard.
“Hi there,” she said, collecting the phone. “I’m Beth. Sorry about that. I’m so clumsy today. Or nervous, but nerves always make me clumsy.”
He nodded, taking a step forward as the line moved.
“Are you here for the festival?”
He didn’t want to talk. He thought he’d been broadcasting that clearly enough with his back turned, but she plowed ahead. Fitting, considering her thick southern accent was forcing images of hay bales and tractors into his mind.
“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Valentine’s festival. Imagine my surprise when I heard about it!”
He could imagine. Wasn’t the ridiculous holiday enough of an overblown spectacle?
Capitalism had a lot to answer for.
“I only just arrived this morning.”
Oh good, she wasn’t done.
“I was supposed to be with my best friend — she makes the most amazing chocolates, and she’s a finalist in the hearts and kisses competition — but she couldn’t make it, so I agreed to come in her place.” She brushed her hand along his forearm, leaning in to whisper loudly, “Don’t tell anyone. I’ve already met one of the judges, and he’s been so rude already.”
Harrison couldn’t help it. He laughed. Had Hayley sent a friend to give him this ridiculous story as payback?
But Beth’s face crumpled at the sound.Shit. It was one thing to trade barbs with Hayley; she was strong and sharp and deadly. Beth looked like every bright-eyed ingenue in a made-for-TV movie.
Christ, he was a dick.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
The smile leapt back in place, and the line before him blessedly cleared.
He quickly stepped forward. “Earl Grey and an espresso. Oh, and I’ll get hers as well.” He threw some extra cash on the counter.
Beth practically swooned. “Aw, that’s so sweet of you.”
He shrugged. Yes, she was overly optimistic, and he was certain her heart would be crushed someday, but he couldn’t let himself be the reason she realized life was disappointing. No doubt the city would wring out the sparkle in her eyes… and didn’t that thought kick him in the nuts?
* * *
The coffee shop gave Harrison the creeps. Now that he’d had enough time to take the place in, with its too-cheerful staff and little hanging plants, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling it gave him. The whole scene could have been lifted straight from a TV show about singles in the city.
It’d probably be perfect for the film.Busy professionals crossing paths at their regular morning stop. A mix-up and swapping of numbers later…
He stopped himself. How annoyingly bland. No doubt Hayley would love it.
While he waited, Harrison contented himself with pocketing half a dozen sugar packets, the same he’d seen her with earlier. He wasn’t sure why anyone would even bother with tea, but if she wanted to drink a cup of hot sweet milk, who was he to care?
