Billy set the coffees and the white bag of pastries down for me.
“Thanks,” I said.
She flashed me a quick smile and a wink, already turning for the heavy cream to use on her next order.
I made my way over to Cooper.
He lounged in the booth, both arms out across the back of the bench seat, watching me, his eyes on my mouth.
The song in my head kicked up a notch and my headache tightened. I hooked my boot around the leg of the chair and pulled it out, scraping it noisily across the tile floor. I tossed the bag on the table.
“You owe me seven bucks,” I said.
“Sorry about making you get the food.” His eyes were on my eyes. “I had to jump on the table while we had a chance.”
I placed the mocha in front of him and gulped three throat-scorching swallows of my coffee, ignoring him, my headache, the power song, and everything else in the building.
Sweet, sweet caffeine.
“Delaney?”
“Shhhh.” I held up a finger and swallowed fortitude.
Bliss.
He claimed the bear claw. I spun the bag and lifted out my cruller. There was a maple bar in the bag. Had Hogan screwed up our order?
I shot a questioning look over my shoulder at Hogan and held up the bag so he could see. He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up, then smoothly went back to the next order.
I couldn’t help but smile. Maple bar was Jean’s favorite. He knew I’d see her at her shift change and give it to her.
I wondered just how serious it was between Hogan and my youngest sister. Serious enough that he was making me a de facto pastry cupid. He worked early mornings and she worked night shift. I guessed love, and the people in it, always found a way.
“Problem?” Cooper asked around a mouthful of bear claw.
“Not at all.”
“What about us, Delaney?” His voice was softer than I expected, as if he’d already given up hope, but didn’t know it yet. “We were good together. Think we can give it a go?”
“We already gave it a go, Cooper. This is our stop. We’re done.”
He nodded, his eyes flicking away as he drank coffee.
I rubbed at my temple again, wishing the headache would let up. But it only got worse the longer I sat here with him.“So what did you do when you left town?”
He winced. “I, uh, joined a band.”
“Of course you did. Why didn’t you stay with the band?”
His gaze slid to the window, where he stared out at the cloudy day. “I don’t know. I thought… It sounds weird, but I thought maybe I left something here. Maybe I took off when I should have just stayed. So I came home to see if I’d lost…if I’d left something behind.”
“Did you?”
He took a drink of coffee, thinking that over. “Maybe not.” He put his coffee down. “I don’t know. When I’m around you…it feels…right.”
“Cooper…”
“You kissed me,” he said.
