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“I’m not sure, but it’s quite nice. Well done, it really is fab-brew-lous.”
He pointed to the vacant seat. “May I sit after I’ve handed these out?”
“Of course. It’s your shop.” I winked.
With a quick nod, he delivered the remaining mugs and dropped off a handful of survey cards before he returned and sat.
“So, what brings you out this way?” Like a flash, his gaze flickered to my laptop before returning to look me in the eyes. “A little far from the big city.”
Big city? It was Red Deer; a tenth of the size of the major cities north and south of me. However, comparing Ridge Heights to Red Deer was like comparing Red Deer to Calgary, so it was all in interpretation.
“It is a bit of a drive, but you know a great cup of coffee,” I tapped my mug after closing the laptop. “Is worth the drive. Besides driving gives me time to think.” And with this trip, I wasn’t screaming my head off. A definite bonus.
“Oh yeah, what are you thinking about?”
“All the things.”
“So, nothing’s changed?” His smile mixed with the crinkle in his eyes, both had the ability to set me at ease. How was that possible? Especially after all these years?
I shook my head and ran my hand down the length of my ponytail, pulling the extra length over my shoulder. “I’m still the same hot mess I was back in high school and college.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” He leaned closer and the tray bumped into my laptop. With a quick movement, he removed it and leaned it against the wall beside him. “Don’t let me forget it’s there.”
“I won’t.” I took another sip from the mug; it had an addictive taste, and my rating on it was increasing with each sip.
“Well, it’s nice to see you smiling again; you always had a great smile. Last week, you looked a little rough around the edges.”
A soul-crushing sigh blew out of my lungs with the weakest of effort. “Oh. My. Goodness. That was some day.”
“That bad, eh? Tell me about it? People have mentioned I’m like a therapist and all it will cost you is a cup of coffee, so I’m super affordable too.” Those deep eyes penetrated the crushing depths of my soul, but unlike most, he didn’t turn away. He pulled up a metaphorical chair and got comfy.
I, on the other hand, did turn away as a shiver coursed through my veins, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from talking, it just prevented me from making any kind of connection as I did so. “I’m getting a bit of a restart, in love and in the business world.”
“Ooh, those are tough, and both at the same time? Double rough.”
“I lost my job and my boyfriend within five minutes.”
“That’s a… wow. Within five minutes? Yikes. That’s a lot to take in a short amount of time.”
“And then I drove aimlessly until I somehow arrived here, ordered some refreshments, and was embarrassed beyond belief how I couldn’t cover my tab.” One flicker of a gaze to the questioning expression, and I buried my face into the palms of my hands. “It was a bad day.”
He reached across the bistro-sized table and gave my arm a squeeze. “I’m so sorry for that day.”
Slowly, I chanced a peek. He was every bit as warm and comforting as his voice led me to believe. “Thank you for helping me out of a pickle.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Speaking of…” I grabbed my purse and dug through until I found the right amount of cash and slipped it under my mug. “For the last visit.”
“No way.”
“It’s staying there. Your good man Harry will have it for a huge tip if you don’t take it.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked almost as if he was in pain. After a quick breath, he carried on. “Cara, I told you before, it’s all taken care of. It wasn’t that big a deal.”
“To you, maybe, but it was a big deal to me.” I pushed the mug-stacked cash closer to him. There was no way it was going home with me.
Carter pushed it back in my direction.
