I lick my lips, feeling emotion swell in my throat. “Grizz, you didn’t have to?—”
“But I did,” he cuts in, turning toward the stairs. “Get this stuff inside, and come down whenever you’re ready. But with clothes on, yeah?”
I nod, fighting a smile and clutching the towel to my body like armor. “Yeah.”
He heads back down the stairs, his heavy boots echoing in the open space.
“Can you help—” I start, but Jovie is already darting past me, gasping in excitement as she digs into the bags.
“Mom! There’s hot chocolate mix! And pasta, the real kind that you see at those fancy stores, not the hard kind we always get,” she rambles, hefting a couple of the large bags and dancing back through the doorway.
I gather the rest, grinning widely as I carry the heavy load back into the apartment and kick the door closed with my foot, flicking over the lock before juggling everything to the kitchen counter.
“This is like Christmas!” Jovie exclaims, throwing open the fridge and shoving the rows of beer to the back. I pull things from the bags, handing them to her one at a time and watching as she lines up the fresh haul of food as if they’re trophies on a shelf. “The juice should go at the front. The eggs down here. Oh! Grapes!”
A completely unexpected laugh bursts from my mouth, and I lean back against the counter, enjoying the moment. Getting the giggles over a load of groceries is weird, I know. But it’s not just that. It’s the fact that for once, someone thought about me and Jovie. For once, I’m not counting dollars or explaining to her why fruit is a luxury we can’t afford.
It’s something so little that I honestly never imagined would mean so much, because I’ve been so used to living a certain life.
Could it just be because Grizz wants to make sure I stay and work hard so he doesn’t have to find someone else?
Yeah, likely.
Could it be more?
Nah.
Why would a man like him want?—
“Oh, look! There’s a coloring book and pens in here!” Jovie waves the book around, pulling me from my daydream.
“That’s perfect,” I say, smiling as I gather my wits. “I’m gonna get dressed and go down to help Grizz set up for the day. You can bring that with you if you want to hang out.”
She nods immediately, Jovie being a far bigger fan of company than quiet.
A quick change later, I pack her some snacks and we jog down the narrow staircase.
The scent of coffee brewing and old wood greets us as we step through the back and into the bar. It’s rich and comforting, and I’m instantly itching for some caffeine.
I head for the coffee maker behind the bar, while Jovie makes a beeline for Grizz who's sitting on a barstool at one of the tall tables. He’s hunched over some papers, his leather club vest stretched tight across his back as he taps a pen in a steady rhythm. It pauses when he notices us and his eyes lift, meeting mine briefly before sweeping over my body in one slow pass that again, draws a warmth to the surface of my skin.
In a blink, it’s gone, and he turns his attention to Jovie.
“You good at math, kid?” Grizz questions. “Cos this ordering shit is doing my head in.”
Jovie slaps her coloring book onto the table, her brow pinching as she considers her answer. “I know what pi is to three decimal points?”
“That’ll do. Get up here,” he says, reaching for the stool beside him and pulling it out for her to climb up on.
I press my lips together to hide my smile, trying to focus on getting the energy I need for when this place opens in a couple of hours, and the hungry hordes descend.
“Yes please, Brynn!” Sarah calls as she steps through the front doors, a bright smile on her face, though her nose is bright red from the cold. “I would kill for a latte!”
I nod, reaching for a couple of cups. “Coming right?—”
“Could you make that two?” another female voice chimes, this one a lot more poised and pronounced.
I glance up, seeing Sarah walk toward the bar but with an older woman trailing close behind her. She’s wearing a beige, floor length trench coat and tugging at the leather gloves on her hands.
