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She grunted when Sheila’s elbow connected with her ribs.
“Seriously, Roxie, who is that? You know him, right? I mean, you know everyone. Youhaveto introduce me.” Sheila gasped. “Oh my god, ohmygod, he’s coming this way!” She gave her hair a quick toss and then did some sort of shimmy thing that magically produced more cleavage. “How do I look?”
Roxie blinked. Twice. Wow. She definitely needed to learn that trick. “You look great. Also, you do realize that he’s probably coming up here to order, right?”
Her sarcasm was lost on Sheila, who said in a frantic whisper, “For the love of god, Roxie, introduce me.”
The poor guy didn’t stand a chance.
“Hey, Cade,” Roxie called out with a wave. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, it has,” he said, approaching the counter. “Happy New Year. Sorry we didn’t catch up last night at the mayor’s party.”
Her eyes widened. How in the world had she missed him? “You were there?”
“I was.” He chuckled, as if privy to some inside joke she didn’t know about. “I didn’t stay long, though.”
She paused a moment to take him in, noting the dark circles under his brown eyes. Granted, the man was still smoking hot. He just looked... tired.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “The last few weeks have been nuts. We had some issues over at the Seattle gym—a couple busted pipes and a ton of water damage. Of course it had to happen right around the holidays, so it was a massive pain in the ass to get everything fixed. But things are wrapping up, so I was able to finally come home.”
“Yikes.” Building issues—on top of her hectic schedule—were a nightmare she didn’t want to imagine. “How about some caffeine and calories?”
Sheila cleared her throat. Loudly.
Roxie sighed. “Cade, I don’t think you’ve met Sheila yet. She started about a month ago. Cade, Sheila. Sheila, Cade de la Rosa.” As the two shook hands, Roxie added, “Sheila is Poppy’s cousin.”
His head tilted ever so slightly to the side. “Really? Poppy as in Poppy Walker?”
“Really,” Sheila said. Her smile was blinding. “Poppy wasn’t always so lean and willowy. When her boys were little, people would mistake the two of us for sisters instead of cousins. She looked exactly like me”—slowly, she ran her hand from the curve of her waist down over her hip—“only older and a brunette.”
“Wow.” Cade scratched his head, still looking at Sheila in wonder. “I never would have guessed. You guys seem like complete opposites. Shows you how crazy genetics are, I guess.”
“Sure does,” Roxie said with a snort. Not only were the cousins complete opposites figure-wise, but personality-wise as well. Sheila was Sheila in all her flirty, bubbly, over-the-top sweetness. While Roxie admittedly didn’t know Poppy well, the lean brunette was friendly, but on the reserved side. Quiet demeanor or not, Poppy was a savvy businesswoman who also managed to raise and launch into the world twin teenage sons who were respectful, helpful, and charming. As a childless woman, it was a feat Roxie couldn’t imagine, especially considering she and Poppy were roughly the same age.
“So, Cade,” Sheila said, leaning her elbows on the counter and plumping up her boobs, “are you from Hudson originally?”
Cade shot Roxie a wide-eyed and amused look, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “Cade’s grandparents are Hudson old-timers, but he’s fairly new to the island.”
“Hey now,” he said, his hands raised, “I’ve been full-time here for over two years.”
Roxie arched a brow. “And where did you stay while you were dealing with your Seattle gym’s issues?”
“My condo in Seattle,” he grumbled, his eyes dancing with humor. “But I spend way more time out here than over there, so I’m basically a Hudson Island local.”
She scoffed. “I wouldn’t go that far, buddy.” Turning to Sheila, she added, “Cade and his brother run the big fight gym at the north end of the island.”
“I didn’t know the island had a gym. I’ll have to sign up.” Sheila gave Cade a very obvious, very lascivious once-over. “Maybe you could... spot me.”
Oh. Good. Lord.Roxie cringed.
Catching Cade’s eye over Sheila’s head, she mouthed a heartfelt apology. The corners of his lips twitched. Thank god he had a sense of humor.
“An Americano with room, Cade?” she asked.
At his nod, she nudged Sheila toward the register.
