He laughed. “Not for a piece like this. This will be your standard ‘places to visit this Christmas’ job. We’ve got people on the ground at various markets in the UK. It’s a puff piece really, but people like to read about Christmassy shit to get them in the mood, don’t they?”
“I guess so,” she said, thinking about the much-anticipated Christmas edition ofGood Housekeepingmagazine in her suitcase. As they wandered along the street she noticed the A-boards outside the cafés showcasing the “festive coffee of the day” or offering a motivational coffee quote—A Coffee a Day Keeps the Krampus Away!
“Let’s try here,” she suggested, as they reached Meg’s Coffee Cup Café. Swags of holly and ivy looped across windows, behind which cake stands were filled with pastries and slices. This place had been going since she was a kid, and she wondered if Meg herself was still here, or if she had sold it on.
“Sure.” Warren went in ahead of her and held the door.
The atmosphere was cheery, the decor homely, and the voice of Bing Crosby crooning out Christmas tunes added to its charm. They seated themselves at a table covered in a wax chintz cloth.
A familiar laugh made her turn to the counter in time to see Ryan leaning in to kiss the cheek of the pretty barista beside the coffee machine. From out of nowhere jealously pricked at her and she felt her cheeks color. She had a stern word with herself. He’d been many things to her when they were younger, but he’d never been hers. It was being back here, especially at Christmas, that was stirring up all manner of strange emotions.
“What will you have?” Warren asked, unaware of her inner drama.
“Oh, um”—she pulled her attention back to the handsome man at the table—“I’ll have a mocha.”
Warren nodded with an unexpected air of authority. “You can tell a lot about a person by the coffee they drink.”
His absurdity made her laugh. “Really? And what does my mocha say about me?” She was glad of the distraction. She hoped if Ryan spotted her, it would be now, while she was having fun with a new friend…Get a fricking grip!
“That you’re not a serious coffee fiend, for a start, and that you’re a person who hedges their bets, you’re cautious, you look before you leap, but that means you make good decisions.” He smiled, satisfied with his assessment.
Fred gave him a skeptical stare. “You got all that from me choosing a mocha?”
“Don’t knock it, it’s a science.” He was teasing her. It was flirty, and she was up for it.
“I don’t think it is. Okay, what will you have, let’s see what it tells me about you? And by the way, I should add that I am averyserious coffee fiend, but I happened to have a salty second breakfast and now I’m craving something sweeter.”
He shook his head and leaned in closer to look into her eyes. “There is such a lot about that sentence that I would like to break down.”
Her stomach tickled delightfully, but she played it cool.
“Too late, it’s my turn, what are you having?”
He leaned back, grinning in challenge. “Macchiato, double shot, extra hot.”
“Oh, well, that’s easy,” Fred said, folding her arms. “You are a textbook smarty-pants.”
“A smarty-pants?” He observed her coolly.
“Yes. You think your choice of coffee makes you deep and intimidating. You want to be taken seriously. But if youwere honest with yourself, you’d probably prefer a hazelnut latte with whipped cream.”
For a second his expression clouded over, and she wondered if she’d offended him, but then his face broke into a wide smile and he let out an explosive laugh.
“You got me,” he said, just as the waitress reached their table and he placed their orders. To her delight he ordered himself a hazelnut latte with whipped cream, and then turned his smile upon the waitress, who flustered under his gaze.
The waitress dropped her eyes and gave Warren a full-on Princess Diana smile. “Of course,” she said. “Can I get you anything else?”
But Warren’s eyes were fixed back on Fred, and she was held in their tractor beam.This is a moment. Oh my crikey, we’ve only just met and we’re having a moment!
“Is there anything else you’d like?” Warren asked her, in a way that sounded like pure smut.
“Just the mocha, thanks,” she managed to squeak out. She actually blushed.
Warren noticed and grinned.
“Hello again.” Ryan had come to stand next to their table.
“Oh, hey!” She tried to inject a sense of “oh my god, I totally didn’t know you were here” into her voice. “I thought you would be at work.”
