Zara laughed. “Hey, Dave said if you stopped in for me to ask you if you have any contacts back in Boston. He has a friend who needs a hip replacement.”
After thinking for a second, I said, “I wish. I know a great team in Brooklyn. I’ll do some asking around.”
“Thanks. The usual?” Zara asked.
“Yes, but I forgot my mug.”
With a raised eyebrow, she looked me over. “That’s unlike you.”
“A lot on my mind, but I’ll be okay.”
“No worries. In fact, I’m going to gift you a Bean Yeti.” She grabbed a dark green one off the shelves and rinsed it out. “Murph, an extra hot Americano on the house,” she said, waving the mug in the air.
It was the first Murphy and I had made eye contact since I came in, and in an instant, a wave of calmness washed over me. Putting my worries of Branson behind me, I looked forward to spending the afternoon with Murphy.
Slipping a ten into the tip jar, I moved down toward the end of the coffee bar and waited for Murphy to finish making my drink.
“Here you go, hot and ready to go in your new mug.” Murphy held the Yeti until I took it from her, our fingers brushing.
“How about you? Are you ready to go?”
“Where? We didn’t make plans.”
“Now we do. Thought we would take a hike. I even brought sandwiches and snacks.”
With a wide grin, Murphy asked, “What kind of snacks?”
“Oh, that’s a secret.”
“Sweet or salty?”
“I wouldn’t dream of salty when it came to you.”
“Deal.”
Murphy quickly untied her apron and washed her hands. The new kid slid under the counter to take her place, waiting for his turn at the sink.
“Hey, buddy, don’t mess up,” Murphy teased before yelling, “See you on Sunday, Zar.”
Zara gave us a wave, and I waited for Murphy to grab her purse.
“Oh, shoot. Look at my shoes,” she said when she reappeared from the back.
“Yeah, those aren’t going to work,” I said, taking in her fashion sneakers. “I was counting on you wearing your boots.”
“I’m sure you were.”
Taking her hand in mine, I led her toward the side door. “We’ll swing by your place so you can grab something better.”
“Hey, are you Murphy?” A young girl in her mid-twenties peeked out from behind her book and asked.
“I am,” Murphy said, giving her all her attention.
“I heard about the book club. I can’t wait. If you need any recs, I’d be happy to share. This is awesome.” She held up a book with a sexy couple on the front, sitting on the kitchen counter, making out.
Whoa.
“Oh,” Murphy said nonchalantly. “I have that one on my to-be-read list.”
