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I go to tug the door open, but before I can, it swings toward my face. I jerk back before it can slam into me, tripping on an uneven part of the sidewalk. As I fall back—arms windmilling like a cartoon character—I try to find purchase on anything.
This isnotthe way I want to start this morning; falling on my face in front of the only place I know of that’s hiring in town.
Miraculously, before I can hit the ground, strong hands grip my arms and pull me upright. My hands land on a hard chest as I stumble forward from the overcorrection, and I pause, trying to get my bearings.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus. That was close.
Looking up to thank whoever saved me from utter humiliation, I find myself staring into the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. His eyes captivate me, causing me to pause even longer. They’re beautiful, a color I’ve tried so hard to capture in my paintings but can never seem to get it right.
I’m so stunned, my mouth runs away with me and tells him as much.
“Your eyes are beautiful; I want to paint them.” His sweet chuckle brings me back to reality.
Oh shit.
Did I just say that out loud?
Oh, God. I totally did.
Heat races up my neck and blossoms on my cheeks. My humiliation from the fall was nothing compared to this, but it’s all out there, my expression and coloring saying everything I can’t.
Movement draws my gaze downward, and my eyes widen as I realize I still have my hands on this complete stranger’s chest. I yank them back like his chest is on fire, andboy,what a chest it is. It’s firm in all the right places, with a perfect curve to fit even more perfectly in my hands.
“Oh my god. I didn’t mean to say that!” I blurt.
While I didn’t think my face could turn any redder, I can feel the fire in my cheeks burning even hotter, and I realize I wassovery wrong.
He stares a beat too long, long enough to convince me he thinks I’m a complete nut.
“That’s okay. I hope I didn’t get you with the door. Are you alright?” He gives me a once over, his eyes never lingering in any spot too long as he checks for injury.
“I’m fine. It was my feet that got me.”
He smiles at that and steps back to let me pass. My nervousness and awkwardness getting the best of me, I say nothing as I go for the door again.
Hopefully, I have better luck actually making it into the café this time.
Before I step over the threshold, I peek back at the man with the deep ocean blue eyes, finding them staring right at me.
He smirks. “Have a good day, ma’am. Watch out for those pesky doors.”
I laugh in response, shaking my head. “Uh, yeah. I’ll do my best.”
With nothing more than a parting smile, he turns to walk away, and I’m left standing in stunned silence for a moment. A church bell rings, snapping me back to attention, and I quickly turn to make my way into the café, hoping no one noticed me staring after the stranger.
That hope is destroyed the moment I walk inside. Several customers stare in my direction, at the door, and out onto the sidewalk, smiling behind their coffee cups.
As I head to the counter, I feel like I’m doing the walk of shame. All eyes are on me.Great, this is off to a blazing start. There’s a twenty-something woman with a killer hourglass figure and a warm smile standing behind the counter. She’s pretty with red hair down her back. A flower is tucked behind one ear, and two front sections of her hair on either side have been woven and clasped together in the back for a bohemian look.
“Hi, what can I get you?”
I clear my thoughts, trying to banish my nerves. “Hi, I’d love a coffee, but I was also wondering if there’s someone to speak to about the open position?” I pull the flyer out of my pocket as I’m speaking to her and hand it over.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t realize those were still hanging up!”
My heart drops. “Does that mean there isn’t a job open?”
Panic rises as I wonder what I’ll do if this doesn’t pan out. No one had listed anything else there, so I’ll have to go business to business until I find something.
