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Chapter One
Camryn Henderson hated Valentine’s Day.
A day designed to highlight over the top, mushy commercialism at its best. All that hearts-and-flowers crap might be good for those foolish enough to believe in romance but she knew better.
Boy, did she know better.
“That was some turn out today, huh?”
Camryn stopped swiping at the immaculate stainless steel surface behind the bar and mustered a tired smile for Anna, her best employee and closest friend these days.
“Our biggest day all year.”
She propped against the bar and shifted her weight from one aching foot to the other. Her favorite knee-high black leather boots with a two inch block heel might look great and add to her street cred running the trendiest café in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct but they weren’t built for comfort.
“You have to admit it’s pretty cool the way every café and restaurant along this stretch was packed today,” Anna said. “Nice to know romance is alive and well.”
Camryn refrained from wrinkling her nose in disgust at the mention of romance, just.
“It’s great for business but personally, I think it’s lame.” She rolled her eyes. “All pomp and show for one day when for the rest of the year those couples probably barely speak to each other.”
She’d worked on Valentine’s Day for six years, forced to watch cozy couples mooning over each other: the intimate smiles, the hand-holding, the roses, even the occasional marriage proposal.
She’d seen it all, had been relieved to have distanced herself from all that fanciful nonsense, but it was times like now, when the café had all but emptied and the tea candles had burned low, that she couldn’t help but wish for something she’d once had on this day…a lifetime ago.
“You’re the only woman I know who doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body.” Anna waggled a finger in front of her face and tut-tutted. “Maybe you should let the little fat guy with the bow fire an arrow your way for once.”
“No way.” Camryn had already been stung in the butt by one of Cupid’s arrows before and had the scars to prove it. “Besides, I’ve found my niche.”
They laughed as she picked up a black serviette with a bold fuchsiaCafé Nicheimprinted on it and thrust it toward Anna. “See, it says so right here.”
“And what the boss says goes. Yeah, yeah, I know.” Anna shook her head. “Want to know what I think?”
Camryn sighed as she poured milk into a stainless steel jug, hankering for a frothy cappuccino before facing the arduous task of closing up for the night.
“You’re going to tell me anyway so go ahead.”
Anna smirked as she slid two cups onto saucers and readied the espresso machine.
“I think Cupid likes a challenge and you, my friend, are it. The ultimate romantic rebel. Wouldn’t it be a notch in his bow to get you all hot and bothered over some guy?”
“That is so not going to happen.”
If her friend only knew how hot and bothered she’d once been over a guy and what had happened on this particular day.
“Though I kind of like the thought of being a rebel. Makes me want to wear black leather to work.”
Anna raised an eyebrow and sent a pointed look at her boots. “You already do.”
She grimaced as she wiggled a foot. “Yeah, and it’s killing me.”
“You don’t get to look as good as we do without a little pain.”
Anna cinched her belt made entirely of interlocking silver circles tighter around her ample waist and patted what she proudly referred to as her ‘bountiful booty.’
“Besides, I wish I could get away with wearing what you do. But sadly, skinny-leg jeans, clingy silk tops, and knee high boots hate me.”
“You always look great,” Camryn said, silently agreeing the chosen outfit she wore ritually to work definitely wouldn’t flatter her vertically challenged, curvaceous friend.
