“You frothed the milk into soup, Mason.”
Ava laughs.
And just like that, I don’t care how bad it was.
Hours pass. Orders blur. She works beside me like she never left. I don’t leave her side.
Eventually, I glance out the window.
Street’s quiet.
Last customer long gone.
So are Sage and Havoc.
“They left?” Ava asks.
I check my phone. One missed message from Havoc:Don’t burn the place down. You owe me a drink for this.
“Yeah. Said not to screw up too many orders.”
She snorts. “Too late.”
We clean up in silence. No talk about what happened. No mention of what it means.
When the last trash bag’s out and the counter’s wiped, I grab my keys.
“I’ll ride you back.”
She nods, quiet. No argument.
The ride to the cabin is different this time. Slower. Steady. She doesn’t hold back when she wraps her arms around my waist. Doesn’t flinch when we pull into the gravel drive.
She unlocks the door and turns to me, hand still on the knob.
“You want to come in?”
I do.
More than I should.
I follow her in. Shut the door behind me.
She turns.
I’m close. Closer than I meant to be.
Her eyes lift to mine. Her breath stutters.
So does mine.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I murmur. “I’m trying to be decent.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to be decent.”
My hand rises, brushes her cheek.
Soft. Warm.
