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Daniel hoveredin the kitchen early the next morning. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. After the storm, he’d brought Megan back home and they parted ways as usual. She didn’t speak to him at dinner time. They didn’t say two words to one another after everyone cleaned up the meal.
Perhaps it was the stolen glances he’d caught from her that made him wonder if there had been a bigger shift between them.
She hadn’t come down for breakfast yet and he was getting worried that he’d miss her.
Why was he worried? He had to be going crazy. He needed to get to work and discuss with Corbin ways he could attract his customers rather than creating smear campaigns against his competition.
Time was up. He was needed at the shop and he’d just have to catch a glimpse of Megan later this evening. Daniel placed his mug in the sink then turned around and nearly bumped into the one person he’d been looking forward to seeing.
Megan gasped, her eyes darting up to meet his then dropping to the mug in the sink. “Is there any left for me?”
He nodded to the coffee pot. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly. Her hand reached up for the knob of the cupboard where the cups were held then she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Headed out?”
Daniel nodded.
“See you later.”
“Yeah.” He grabbed his hat and shoved it on his head. Once he reached the kitchen doorway, he shot one final look toward her. She wasn’t watching, thankfully. The last thing he needed was for her to catch him checking her out.
And on that note, he didn’t need to be checking her out because of the drama surrounding the two of them. Daniel spun on his heel and headed into work. One afternoon spent with the woman didn’t change a single thing.
The sleepy coffee shop only had two customers when he arrived, but by the time he’d gotten clocked in and ready for the workday, it was its usual amount of busy—usual for post-Megan’s arrival.
Daniel held out the usual order for Bryce Duncan and offered him a smile. “How’re things going?”
Bryce lifted his cup appreciatively. “It’s going. Things never slow down, you know? But that’s the life we lead when we run a ranch.”
His friend’s words stung him more than he cared to admit. He did know, and he missed it more than anything.
Bryce glanced around the coffee shop before taking a deep swallow. There were probably a dozen people at various tables or in line. “This place used to be so much busier. I didn’t think that bookstore stood a chance, but I guess the owner has a thing for her café, huh?”
Across the street people were coming and going from the building. Daniel’s stomach knotted but released just as quickly. “We’re both just trying to make our customers happy.”
His friend gave him a funny look. “You can’t be serious. You were here first. And before you, it was Carl. We can’t let her chase you out. I could accept the Holt triplets taking over their family’s property because it belonged to them. But this Megan isn’t even from here.”
“It’s gonna be just fine. Don’t you worry.”
“You know what I think? We need to take care of her and that café.” A few other customers added their agreement to the conversation.
Daniel held up his hands and chuckled. “Okay, guys. Like I said, you don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere. This place has been around a long time and it’s gonna stay that way. I’m done playing dirty. How about we put her out of business the old-fashioned way and put our money where our mouths are. No sabotage. No threats. Just good clean competition.”
A little cheer erupted in his coffee shop and for the first time in a while he felt a little better about where he was going. There were always going to be thin times and there would be good ones, too. He’d focus on worrying about himself rather than Megan and he’d win that way.
The rest of his afternoon and into the evening, he continued working hard and giving the best of himself. Corbin seemed to be in higher spirits as well and the whole atmosphere of the coffee shop shifted.
By the time he had to close up shop, he could already tell he’d had one of his best days. Only his bookkeeping would confirm it, but maybe things were finally taking a turn for the better. He had a group of hardcore supportive customers. They’d stand by him as long as they could and that would be enough.
Daniel exited the coffee shop and turned around to lock the door when something out of the ordinary caught his eye. The brick parts of his building had been vandalized. Paint, egg, and something sticky was smeared into the cracks and crevices.
He stared at the mess with dismay. How had anyone been able to get away with this? Sure, he’d been busy, but they had to have been seen by someone. And yet no one told him what was happening.
The lights were still on in the bookstore, but he knew better than to believe it had something to do with Megan. She was vicious, but in a different way. She would have never condoned vandalism.
Would she?
