I walked past Joel and Ozzie’s bar and restaurant—both still closed for another hour—and let myself into the Seguin Bean. It was starting to rain, and the cozy, inviting interior was a welcome change. When Allie noticed me, her mouth broadened into a big smile. “Hen! It’s so good to see you.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, kissing her cheek. “How’s business?”
She gestured to the square outside. “That Syrup project that Ozzie and Joel have going is really helping. Getting more businesses downtown sends more people my way.”
“That’s good to hear,” I said, searching the extensive chalkboard menu behind her. “You still make that drink with the chai and three other kinds of tea?”
“Oh, the Orgy? Absolutely,” she said, unsubtly selecting a massive ceramic mug instead of a to-go cup.
I grinned and found a booth in the back. I recognized a lot of the other patrons, but everyone kept their distance. I wasn’t sure if they didn’t recognize me or were respecting my privacy. Either way, I’d take it.
A few moments later, Allie appeared at my table holding the mug full of chai, white, green, and black tea goodness. In her other hand she carried a small plate.
“Is that your coffee cake?” I asked, grabbing for it. “I haven’t had this in forever.”
“Well, there’s more where that came from. Eat up. Looks like you could use it.”
I sent her the best smile I could manage and went to town on the coffee cake. Inside, I winced at her comment, though. I generally didn’t like it when people pointed out how skinny I was.
Still, Allie’s coffee cake covered a multitude of sins. I was dragging my finger through the last morsels on the plate when I sensed another presence.
“Hendrix?”
I looked up to see a couple I guessed to be in their late fifties. They seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite put a finger on where I knew them from. “Yes?”
“We’re the Finches. Sawyer’s parents.”
Oh. Ohshit.
Sawyer didn’t talk much about his mom and dad, but I knew they’d all worked hard to build their family back up again. I knew exactly how delicate that could be, and I didn’t want to do anything tooHendrixand fuck things up.
“Hey!” I said, hopping up to give Mrs. Finch a hug, which she returned effusively.
Mr. Finch didn’t seem like the hugging type, so I offered my hand. He shook it, and I awkwardly pointed to the open seats across the booth. “Want to join me?”Please say no.
Sawyer’s dad hesitated, but his mom grinned. “Oh, that’d be lovely,” she said, sliding in. Mr. Finch reluctantly joined her, and they both stared at me.
Before I could think of something uncontroversial to say, Mrs. Finch pointed at my mug. “That looks divine. What is it?”
I chuckled. “It’s called the Orgy because it has, like, four kinds of tea. Allie denies it, but I’m pretty sure she named it after me.”
Her eyes widened, and I slapped one hand over my mouth, then another. Why was the first thing out of my mouth a reminder that I was basically a whore?
“Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Finch,” I said as I lowered my hands. “Agnes says I should not be allowed out in public, and… he might be onto something.”
“Agnes?” his mom asked, confused.
Fuck.
“I, uh… It’s my nickname for Sawyer.” Their stunned silence made the anxiety crawl up my throat and spill out of my mouth. “S-sometimes I call him a fussbudget. He once said that he was going to make that his FetLife username, but I’m pretty sure that was a joke.”
She blinked at me.
“I did double-check the app. If he’s on FetLife, it’s not under that name.”
Oh, God. What the fuck was I saying?
Kill me. Kill me now.
