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“Hey!” I protest. “I paid.”
Piper frowns at Luke. “I told you not to charge him.”
“How many times have I told you?” Luke says. “That’s no way to run a business.”
She shrugs. “He gives me free loaded fries.”
“And shots,” I say with a grin.
Luke rolls his eyes. “Neither of you know how to run a business. You can’t give everything away.”
“Hey, Cole,” Piper says.
“Yeah?”
“Out of curiosity, did Luke charge you for his marketing of Peach Fuzz when you first opened?”
I grin as I pop the last bite of scone into my mouth. “Nope.”
Luke rolls his eyes. “That was different.”
“I don’t see how,” she says. “Marketing costs more than scones.”
“Look at you two,” I croon. “Already bickering like a married couple.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Luke asks. “Somewhere not here?”
I clutch my chest dramatically. “Ouch. That stings.” Picking up my coffee, I take a big sip. “But no, actually. I’ve got a couple of hours to kill before work, so I figured I’d come have some coffee and the world’s most delicious pastry.”
Piper laughs and rolls her eyes. “Stop it. You’ll make me blush.”
“He’s not allowed to make you blush,” Luke says. “That’s my job.”
“You two are disgusting,” I say, only mostly teasing. “Piper, if this man ever treats you badly, you know where to find me. I’ll marry you for these pastries alone.”
She laughs and Luke glares at me.
“You? Married? That’ll be the day,” he says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laughs before noticing that the question is a serious one. His brows draw together in confusion.
“Seriously?” he asks. “Cole, you don’t want to settle down. I know you, remember?”
What the hell? He’s the second person to tell me that today. Does everyone think I’m some man-whore who’ll never have a serious relationship? Not that I’ve ever been in a serious relationship. I mean, there was one girl in college, but that was a long time ago. But I have been sleeping with the same woman for more than a year. Not that I can tell them that. Besides, I don’t think that counts when Layna and I established in the beginning that what we were doing wasn’t serious and would never be.
“Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf,” I say.
My words don’t even sound convincing to my own ears. Is this what everyone in this town thinks of me? Probably. It’s not like I’ve given them any reason to think differently. Is this what Layna thinks of me? Yes. It’s why she didn’t consider me for a second when she was deciding to start dating again. I’m not boyfriend material. The realization stings, but I shouldn’t be shocked by it.
“Really?” Luke asks, clearly skeptical.
I wonder for a second if it’s worth trying to convince my best friend that I’m not the kind of man I used to be. I haven’t been that guy for more than a year—not since Layna and I made our rules and agreed to only sleep with each other for as long as we both wanted it to last. It’s true that I’m not that guy anymore, but I can’t explain to Luke why. The idea of going back to the old me who was content with casual hookups that meant nothing no longer appeals to me.
I force a laugh. “Nah. Not really.”
Piper rolls her eyes, smiling, and walks over to help a customer at the counter. Luke just smiles at me.
