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“Oh, I suspect I will. Especially if this coffee tastes anywhere near as good as it smells.”
“I like to think it tastes even better,” he winked.
“I can’t wait. What do I owe you?”
He waved me off. “This one’s on the house. Consider it a welcoming gift.”
“Really?” I asked in disbelief. “Wow, thank you so much. That’s so…thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. I’ll see you soon.”
“Definitely.”
I turned around in a rush, maybe because I was afraid that if I lingered any longer, I would do or say something to ruin the friendly moment, something to make him rethink his invitation for me to stop in often or the free coffee he gifted me.
But I did so in such a hurry that I instantly collided with a hard wall of bone and flesh. It all happened so fast, crushing my cup in my hand, spraying its contents all over whatever was blocking my way.
I looked up slowly, thinking only how sad I was that I ruined the coffee given to me for free. And worse, as my eyes drifted upward, I could see a man’s white t-shirt now soaked and splattered with that free coffee. The wet spots of the cotton shirt made the fabric cling to what were clearly thick rippling muscles underneath.
“I’m so sorry,” I winced in humiliation and a little shock from the coffee that had splashed on me as well.
My eyes shot up to the face of the man, only to be locked with two of the bluest eyes I had ever seen. His face looked like it belonged on a Tommy Hilfiger ad, not in Lakeside Coffee House in the middle of nowhere. He had chiseled cheeks with a strong jaw, stubbled with sandy blonde hair. He had a deep earthy tan, nothing like the fake ones so many people sported around the city, or the fresh tans that people got on their tropical resort vacations. No, this was the kind of tan that had obviously been years in the making.
I expected him to look angry. He certainly looked surprised, but his plump deep pink lips eased into a slow smile…lips that had to be the most kissable I had ever seen on man, in league with Brad Pitt and Tom Hardy.
“Hi,” I said in a breathless whisper.
5
DEREK
Em had been having night terrors ever since we lost Rebecca, and last night had been the worst of them I’d seen for some time. I scooped her small sniffling body up from her bed and carried her to mine, holding her close. But every hour or so, she’d wake up again, crying out into the dark bedroom until the sunlight started streaming in.
Nights like those were the worst. I wanted to cry out for Rebecca at night too, but I had to be strong. Still, every helpless cry from Em’s sweet, innocent little voice was a stinging reminder of everything we had lost…as if I needed one. And the worst part about it was there was nothing I could do to make it better for her. I could try. I could be there for her and do the best I could. But it wasn’t enough.
I was exhausted and in a horrible mood from it all as I popped into Lakeside for a quick cup of coffee before work. I had barely made it five feet past the door when someone slammed into me, splashing their coffee all over me. Thank god it was cold brew.
I fanned out my shirt in annoyance, surveying the damage for a moment, then looked down to see who would have been in such a damn hurry to not look where they were going. No one’s in a hurry around here.
My irritation faded slightly when I saw the petite woman staring up at me with wide, troubled deep blue eyes. She was like a deer in headlights, I guess waiting to see if I’d go off on her for bumping into me and drenching me in her coffee.
She had a short, curvy frame and the most beautiful porcelain skin with big apple cheeks, blushed pink…even more so now as her mishap sank in. Her pink lips were rounded into an ‘o’, and she had long beautiful rich brown waves with streaks of auburn and caramel colors. They reminded me of fall setting in, which was appropriate for the time of year.
It was hard to stay angry at someone so pretty, even if they had just assaulted me with their drink.
“Hi,” she said softly, still in shock.
“Hey, where you runnin’ off to so fast?” I asked, not knowing what else to say. I was a little taken back myself, now more so from the look of her than the coffee incident.
“Oh my gosh,” she buried her face in her hand. “I am so sorry. Here, let me help you.”
She flung everything in her hands down on the nearest table and scrambled to snatch up wads of napkins. When she made it back over to me, she immediately set to work on blotting up as much of the mess as she could.
I was torn between telling this complete stranger to take a step back and let me handle it, and letting it slide for a moment just to enjoy such a beautiful woman putting her hands all over me. I couldn’t lie…It gave me a bit of a thrill. I threw my hands up for a second, catching the sly smirk that Charles flashed me from behind the counter.
But as she kneeled down, inching closer to the belt of my pants, I reluctantly put a stop to it.
“I got it, I got it. Really, it’s okay,” I insisted, taking the wad of sopping wet napkins from her hands.
