AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’s right behind me. I can feel him. His heat. His presence.
I glance over my shoulder and force a smile. “Oh. Hey, Mack.”
“Hey.” His brows are tugged low as he looks me up and down.
“Two pumpkin spice lattes for Kate,” the barista calls out.
“You already ordered?” he asks.
“Uh, yeah. I was early…”
“I would’ve bought it––”
“I know,” I tell him. “I ordered one for you too. I didn’t know what you preferred, but…”
“Kate?” the barista repeats.
“I’ll, uh…” I clear my throat and head to the pick-up line, grabbing our lattes. Mack follows me, his gaze unsure.
This is so freaking awkward, and it isn’t even Mack’s fault. It’s mine.
“Thanks for meeting me,” I add, handing him his drink and blowing gently into the small slit at the top of my cup.
“Yeah, no problem. It actually worked out. I’m on call for the hockey game in a little while.”
“Oh.” I take a sip, but it scalds my tongue, and I hiss. “That’s convenient.”
He lifts his cup. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The Bean Scene is relatively empty, thanks to it being later in the day, but it still feels stifling. Like I’m locked in a crowded room. Like I can’t breathe. Maybe it’s the uncertainty in Mack’s gaze or how his scent wraps around me, making the entire situation with his ex seem like a distant memory.
“So, are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” he prods, stepping closer to me. “Why you asked me to meet you here?”
Just say it, Kate.
Tell him you ran into his ex. Tell him what she said. Tell him how she’s most definitely talking shit behind his back.
Tell. Him.
The words catch in my throat, and I take another sip of my coffee.
Still scalding.
His lips pull into a frown, and he drops his voice low. “What’d I do wrong, Kate?”
Wrong?
He thinks he did something wrong?
He has to be joking.
The guy’s practically a saint and has been since the moment we met. No. Saint isn’t the right word. But reliable? Sweet? Charismatic?
Yup.
He really is a golden retriever.
