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She nodded.
“I’m obviously not going to work here when I get my job at the hospital. But I’m never leavingyou.”
She both loved and hated that he knew she had to hear this.
Wrapping her arm around him for a side-hug, she breathed in the smell of coffee beans and his spring-meadow soap. “Yeah, I know, Peaches. Just not going to be the same without your wiry ass hanging around, getting all up in my business on the daily.” She forced a grin. “Where else am I gonna find a hot, twenty-six-year-old, fresh-faced dude who likes dirty jokes and fuzzy slippers?”
He kicked out his slim, muscular leg and rotated it like a display. “These are Uggs.”
“It’s June.”
He snorted. “And my ass is more bubble than wiry, thank you very much.”
She grabbed the clipboard to review the audit list again when the front door rang. A hipster strolled in looking like a human mullet. Business suit pants, a meticulous man bun, and exactly one-quarter rolled sleeves showing just enough of appropriated tribal tattoos to let people know that underneath his perfectly conditioned beard, he was areally coolguy. If this guy was with a group, he’d be the best tipper of the day. Flying solo, she was almost guaranteed nothing.
“Hey, there. What can I get for you?”
“Tall macchiato,” he said. “Less foam the better. I don’t like head.”
Ben leaned into her ear. “Said no man ever.”
She pinched his arm, thankful the man had on AirPods, and felt an odd satisfaction in her expert observational skills when he marked$0for the tip.
Several respectable drinks later, she rotated the bakery itemswhen the bell jingled. Mack stood in the doorway with her subtle-yet-edgy energy, short, inky-black hair, and rockingthe hellout of skinny jeans and a white T-shirt.Oof.Charlie’s mood lifted from zero to ten.
“New York. Welcome back.” Charlie gravitated towards her like a magnet with a hum vibrating in her lower belly. “What can I get started for you?”
“Tall drip.” Mack dug into her back pocket for her wallet, stretching the fabric of her shirt against her chest.
Stop looking. Rude.Charlie forced her focus to the ticketing screen.
“And apparently, I’m supposed to try your blackberry scones.”
“Yeah?” The idea that people talked about her coffee shop gave her the mist of hope needed to lessen her drought of despair. “Is there some Yelp review I should know about?”
“My dad’s been here before and said they were amazing.” Sitting at the same spot at the bar as yesterday, Mack threw her bag across the chair and pulled out a laptop.
“Ah.” Charlie scribbled the order on the cup. “Good to know I’ve impressed Papa New York.”
Charlie put Mack’s order in front of Ben, who had a hint of a lifted eyebrow, and she fought the urge to poke him. Ben would get none of her attention right now. All her attention was on this mysterious out-of-towner with the curious smile and haunting doe eyes.
Mack captivated her. Quiet, yet engaged. Fidgeted a lot. Seemed to observe, maybe even study, her surroundings with the way her eyes moved deliberately across the room. Had a New York ruggedness to her when she spoke, firm and direct, but the tone tiptoed on hesitation.
“How’s Seattle treating you so far?” Charlie’s throat turned thick, and she had to clear it.
“It’s pretty here.” Mack swiveled her chair to look outside. “Like someone plopped a city in the middle of a forest.”
“Agreed. And the air feels different than other places. Anytime I leave the city, I miss the smell of ferns and weed in the air.”
Mack laughed. “Thereisa distinct smell of marijuana in the air. And patchouli oil. Swear to God it’s being pumped through the vents in the lobby of my parents’ condo.”
“Patchouli. Gross. I hate that smell. Pretty sure half the city bathes in it.”
Ben approached from the side. “Tall drip and blackberry scone.” He glanced at Charlie through his peripherals and whispered, “Meow.”
She glared and shook her head, grateful he said it low enough that Mack probably didn’t notice.
Mack took a small bite over the plate and dusted off her fingertips. The bell chimed and Charlie’s attention diverted to an arriving customer. Just her luck—hardly any customers all day and the moment Cutie McCuterton popped in, the place starts hopping.
