CHAPTER1
Coco
Sabrina is going to kick my ass.I’m doing it again.She hates that I put myself in danger every single time, buthedoesn’t give off those vibes.Lucca is stern and never smiles, but he appreciates good coffee, so I have faith that he wouldn’t berate me if he ever caught me tying the little crocheted stockings with perfectly baked butterscotch chip or snickerdoodle cookies I leave for him on his car door handle.
It’s one of the few sparks of joy in my life lately.
Things have been stagnant for years.Aside from working, hanging out with Sabrina, and starting my little Etsy store, there’s not much in the “happy” department for me.But I’ve begun to look forward to seeing Lucca three days a week, doing whatever he does, even if he doesn’t give me the time of day.When my mission shifted from seeinghimto seeing him smile, I have no clue, but I’m a determined woman.
He shows up at random times for every visit, which means I wait to take my breaks until after I’ve served him, so that when he sits down with the other man…Preston, I think…I make quick work of leaving him my gifts.
At first, he’d tossed them in the trash, and I admit to crying over those days, but now, he’ll look around to try to find the culprit.I don’t think he’s figured out it’s me yet, though I could be wrong.It wouldn’t be the first time.
My childhood memories of growing up in foster care surface, but I stifle them down while fastening the bow.As I stand, a gust of cold wind and a flurry of the fresh overnight snow billows around me like a miniature tornado, and laughter erupts.I just love all things winter and Christmas.
Since I was a little girl, it was always magical, but it left me dreaming for more than I was given, though not in the material sense.More in the one-day-I-wish-to-have-a-family-of-my-own-to-love-and-spoil kind of way.
Sighing as the snow settles and the wind dies down, my eyes catch Lucca and Preston getting ready to leave, so I hustle away from his vehicle and cross the street as the light changes.Running on ice isn’t smart, but I manage to make it to the alley before they exit Love & Lattes.
I come across my boss as soon as I slip in the back door.“Hi, Janet!”My voice is overly high-pitched, and she looks at me oddly.“Just going to head back up front.”She opens and closes her mouth without saying a peep.
Janet is one of the nicest people I’ve worked for.She pays decently well, lets us make our schedule and keep all our tips, and doesn’t ask a lot of questions.Which, honestly, is the best part.
I toss my coat in the employee lounge, and my legs move faster than the rest of me as I hit the front counter at full speed and nearly topple over.
“Coco!”Sabrina laughs as I grin.
Catching sight of Lucca outside as he opens the stocking, pulls out a cookie I made fresh this morning, and takes a bite, makes my pulse flutter.When he glares at Preston, I imagine him growling as he guards my baked goods like they’re something to be cherished.
“You could try talking to him.”Janet startles me with her observation.
“Uh, no, I definitely could not.Have you seen him?Now look at me.”
All my belongings come from the church charity bins or Goodwill stores.He’s Versace and Hugo Boss.Complete opposites.That man would never be interested in a nobody like me.
“What’s wrong with you?”Sabrina slams her fists on her voluptuous hips.
“I’m rags, he’s riches, and I look like a prepubescent boy.No hips, no ass, no boobs.If not for my long hair and ultra-feminine voice, the mistake would be made more often.”She matches my glare as Janet watches us, highly amused.
“Now, girls, no catfights; save it for the alleys.”
Our eyes widen as we turn to look at the older woman.She really is more like our mother.From my first day almost two years ago, Janet took me under her wing.She never scolded me when I screwed up an order or anything and was always encouraging.The way I imagine a mom would act.
“Oh.My.Shit.”At Sabrina’s shocked voice, I whip back around to notice her staring out the front window, her head bobbing up and down, and a huge clownlike grin on her face.
“What?”I nearly shout.She points behind me, and I turn to find Lucca leaning on the hood of his fancy SUV, pointing towards me with an eyebrow raised in question.“Sabrina!”I scream and drop to the ground, crawling towards the back.“What did you do?”My voice carries through the entire shop.Thankfully, the breakfast rush is gone, and lunch isn’t for another hour, so only a handful of customers remain, and they are pretty much our regulars, so they know us.
“He asked; I answered.”She peeks around the doorframe.
“Is he coming?”What I wouldn’t give for a giant crater to open beneath me right now.
“Nooooo, but he looks…I dunno…disappointed…” My heart cramps a little at that, but I can’t talk to him.I’ve never spoken to a man beyond asking for their coffee order.Definitely can’t talk to one I have the hugest crush on.“He’s gone,” she relays, and I finally get to my feet and come out.
I half expect her to have lied to me, so when I look outside, and he’s gone, tears pinch my nose.It’s foolish when I just said he would never be interested in me.I’m not wrong, I know I’m not, but a girl can damn well dream, right?
CHAPTER2
Lucca
