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“Hmm, yes. An admirable employee. I see.” Lily was clearly fishing for more, but Daniel was determined not to give her anything with which to hang himself. She was notorious for gossiping, and if he said anything further, the news would be around town before the day was out.
“Yes, Lily. Coffee, please?” He batted his eyelashes at her with a small smile.
Lily smacked him with a dishcloth and rolled her eyes, “Okay, okay. No need to turn on the charm. Two coffees to go. Both black?”
Daniel grimaced as he recalled Tessa’s specifications. “Actually, Tessa prefers hers to taste like sugary milk. So hers will have three creams and four sugars.”
For a moment, it seemed like Lily wanted to say something else. But she must have seen something in Daniel’s expression because she merely nodded and turned around to grab the to-go cups. After she had poured a generous amount of coffee into both cups and doctored Tessa’s, she pushed the cups across the counter with a smile, “Don’t be a stranger, Daniel.”
Daniel took the cups of coffee and nodded. “Of course not, Lily. You have the best coffee in town,” he said as he put a few bills on the counter.
That made Lily beam with pride. “Oh, that always warms my heart to hear. You know that new hipster coffee shop has been encroaching on my business a little.”
“They could never replace this fine establishment with their frou-frou cappuccinos,” Daniel held up the styrofoam cups with a grin. “This is the good stuff, right here.”
“You’re too much, dear!” Lily gave him a loving smile as she turned back to a patron who was flagging her down.
Daniel felt the warmth of the coffee through the cups as he exited the diner and walked back toward the bookshop. This was the first time he had left Tessa truly on her own. Here was hoping she hadn’t managed to burn the place down in his absence.
As the bookshop came into view up ahead—thankfully, fire-free—Daniel quickened his steps. He was looking forward to the way Tessa’s face lit up whenever she took that first sip of coffee. It was undeniably adorable.
The bells above the door jingled as he entered, and he looked to the counter where Tessa had been when he left. Oddly, she wasn’t there. He scanned the bookshelves around him in search of her blonde curls, but he didn’t spot her.
“She better not have left the shop,” he muttered to himself, his mood souring. It would be just like her. Flighty, inconsiderate, irresponsible. Suddenly, he wasn’t as interested in that adorable way she sipped her coffee.
“In here!” Tessa’s voice called out from the back office. She sounded somewhat distracted.
“Tessa,” he grumbled as he approached the office. “If you’re here alone, you really shouldn’t—” Daniel stopped dead in his tracks as his gaze fell on Tessa, sitting at the desk.
He hadn’t closed his laptop when he had left to fetch the coffees, and Tessa was sitting there,readinghis manuscript. She was scratching Pippin absently with one hand as she scanned the text document, chewing on the thumbnail of her other hand. There was that small crinkle in her brow that he had grown to like. Of course, right now, it was a lot less cute.
“What the hell are you doing?” His voice came out louder than he intended, and Tessa jumped, nearly toppling out of the desk chair.
She turned, holding her hand to her chest, “You scared me!”
“Good!” He exclaimed. “What are you even doing in here?”
Tessa looked from the laptop and then back at him, a sheepish expression on her face. “Oh. Well, I came in to grab a granola bar when I saw this," she gestured toward the document. “And I just couldn’t help myself. You are a really talented writer, Daniel.”
Daniel couldn’t help the swell of pride that rose in his chest. Since Tessa had started working at Turn the Page, they had discussed her previous job as a book reviewer a few times. He knew that her opinion had some professional merit. Still, he wasn’t exactly pleased that she had taken it upon herself to read his words without permission.
“You shouldn’t be reading someone’s work without asking them,” he said roughly, moving toward the laptop to take it back.
Tessa frowned and chewed on her lip slightly, “I really am sorry about that. I just—I get curious. Are you mad?”
Was he? He had been, at first, but the heat of his anger was starting to fade even now. Daniel sighed, placing the coffee cups down on the desk. “I mean, a little. I don’t—I don’t normally show my work to others.”
This seemed to surprise Tessa, and that furrow in her brow was back. “Well, you really should. This is great. Do you think I could see more?”
The audacity,he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he snatched the laptop off the table. “I don’t think so, Tessa. It’s not ready. I need more time to perfect it before I feel comfortable showing anyone.”
“Well, consider me a beta reader! I can help you polish it—get it ready for more people to read. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I am quite good at giving literary suggestions.” Her eyes sparkled with humor.
Somehow, Daniel could feel his resolve crumbling. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, considering, “You would really help me?”
Tessa nodded emphatically, her eyes wide, “Yes! Itwasmy job to determine if books were worthwhile. I can provide you with feedback to make your book even better! Please? It would be so much fun!”
Daniel groaned and rolled his eyes. “Only because I’ll never hear the end of it if I say no,” he finally acquiesced.
