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They made it to the counter, and she ordered his drink, plus a tall caramel macchiato. He still didn’t like letting her pay for it, but when he started to reach for his wallet, she shot him a dark, warning look so out of place on her normally friendly face that he chuckled and put his hands up in the air.
“Sorry, I’m just not used to a woman paying for me.”
“It’s a small repayment for what you did.”
Blake shifted his feet, uncomfortable again.
Once she finished, they grabbed a table in the small sitting area and settled in across from each other. Blake studied her covertly, liking casual Hannah. Out of her usual yellow uniform and in a pair of blue jeans, a soft-looking blue sweater, and a patterned scarf, it was no wonder he hadn’t recognized her. Her hair was half up, with the long caramel waves rolling over her shoulders and down her back.
“You look different outside of work,” he said.
Her hand flew up, playing with her scarf. “Is that a compliment?”
“Yes . . . I mean, you don’t look bad at work. It’s just different.”
She looked up at him from beneath those thick lashes, and his heart raced.
“Thanks,” she said.
The barista called Hannah’s name, and as she left to get their drinks, Blake stood up with her, wiping his sweaty palms on his legs. What the hell? Why was he so nervous? It’s not like this was a date or anything.
Hannah came back and handed him his cup, shooting him a puzzled grin. “Why are you standing?”
“Because it’s rude to sit when a woman leaves the table.”
“Where’d you learn that?”
She sat down, and he did the same. “From my dad, and then the military just instilled what was already there.”
“That’s nice. Gentlemanly.”
“Thanks.”
She took a sip of her drink, running her tongue discreetly across her upper lip. He wasn’t prepared for the shot of lust that raced through him in response to that simple gesture. Damn.
Shifting in his chair, he tried to focus on anything but her mouth.
“So, do you come here often?”
“Yes, it’s right down the road from my house. How about you? Have we been shopping at the same grocery store for a year and just never crossed paths?”
He shook his head. “I normally shop over at Winco, but it was pretty packed today, so I decided to change it up.”
“Lucky me.”
Blake took in her coy smile, and his heart kicked up another notch. “How is that?”
“Well, because I finally get to give you a semi-proper thank-you, since I haven’t seen much of you the last few days.”
He glanced away awkwardly. “Yeah, I’ve been busy, looking for somewhere to move to.”
“Really? That’s amazing, Blake. Any prospective places?”
“Still working on it.” He didn’t really want to get into his lack of success on the real estate front, so he changed the subject. “What’s been going on with you outside of the diner? I know you’re just subbing for now and that you want to teach kindergarten, but why? Why not high school?”
She glanced down at the table, and he noticed the nervous way sh
e fidgeted with her cup. “I find any grade above fifth a little . . . intimidating.”
