“Hang on,” I shouted, scrambling off the bed and smoothing down my sweater.
When I opened the door, Laura, one of the senior associates, stood there with a bright smile.
“Would you mind grabbing coffee for everyone? There’s a little cafe next door.” She paused, checking her watch. “Meet everyone in twenty?”
“Of course. I’m on it.”
I grabbed my coat, practically floating down the stairs. Even a coffee run felt like an adventure when you’re in love.
Perfect Brewssat just a short walk from the inn, and when I pushed through the door, bells chimed overhead.
The smell hit me first—cinnamon and roasted coffee mixing with pine from the garland draped over the windows. Christmas carols played softly in the background, and the warmth wrapped around me like stepping into someone’s living room.This place was achingly charming.
I made my way to the counter, humming along toJingle Bells. Life was good. I was in a beautiful town with a job I was good at, and tonight… tonight I’d finally tell Derek how I felt.
I was trying to decipher Laura’s messy handwriting when the bell above the door chimed again. Nothing special about it, except that the entire cafe went quiet. Not gradually but instantly.
The milk steamer behind the counter quit hissing. The two women at the corner table stopped talking mid-sentence. Even the Christmas music seemed to fade into the background, like someone had reached over and turned the volume down on the entire world.
I turned, not because I wanted to, but because the stillness forced me to, curiosity getting the better of me.
I saw him then—a man who stopped traffic simply by existing. He was so tall that the doorframe looked like it might clip his head. Black hoodie, dark denim jeans, snow melting off his broad shoulders as he stood there absorbing all the warmth of the space. He looked like trouble that had wandered into a Hallmark movie.
It took a ridiculous amount of effort to drag my gaze away. My pulse felt like it was beating in the wrong places… my throat, my wrists, low in my stomach where it had no business being.
What is wrong with you?I scolded myself, forcing my eyes back to the menu board.You’re in love with Derek. Focus on Derek.
But he was still there, drawing me in like gravity, like a magnet that had flipped the polarity of the entire room. I stood stiffer, smoothing my hands over my coat, wondering if my hair was messy from the wind. I scolded myself again.
When the barista finally handed me the tray, I felt a heat at my side. Not the cafe’s ambient heat, but something different… Every hair on my arms stood at attention. My hands trembled. It was him, the man who had entered. I was sure of it even without looking. I’d never felt energy like that before.
“That’s a lot of coffee.” The voice came from directly beside me—low, textured, rough.
I turned without thinking, without permission from my brain, and found myself staring up at eyes so blue they didn’t seem real… like an ocean under a cloudless summer sky. Buteverything else about him was shadow and winter. Dark stubble lined his jaw, and his hair looked like he’d just rolled out of bed… or a fight.
“Oh.” My hand stuttered, nearly sending one of the takeout cups tumbling. I fumbled with the serviettes, needing something to do with my hands. “Coffee run. Someone’s gotta make sure everyone stays awake.”
I tried a joke, but he didn’t react. He watched my hands fumble and flex before zeroing in on my mouth.
“Coffee’s the only thing that makes mornings bearable,” he said.
To my absolute horror, I felt a hot flush creep up my neck. Everything from my collarbones up felt feverish. I didn’t need a mirror to know I had gone red… just from hearing his voice, just from being this close to him.
I wanted to sink into the floor. Here I was, planning my romantic confession, and some stranger in a hoodie walked in and turned me into a puddle just by talking to me. It felt like a betrayal of everything I’d been building forward.
“Hello. I’m Eunice.” I thrust out my free hand too quickly. “I’m with Rutherford & Blake.”
His gaze dropped to my outstretched hand. For a second, I thought he was going to leave me hanging. Then, slowly, his hand closed around mine. Warm. Rough. Large enough that my fingers disappeared entirely. The grip was solid, but then his thumb moved, pressing a deliberate weight against the inside of my wrist, right where my pulse was racing out of control.
I forgot how to breathe. He had to feel that. He had to know he was affecting me.
“Dom,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine again. “We work together.”
I blinked. “We do?”
“Yeah.” His thumb was still there, feeling my racing heart.
“Really?” I pulled my hand back, my skin tingling where he’d touched me. “Which department?”
