Her perfect white teeth slide over her bottom lip, and she bites down, holding that pose for a moment. “I actually have everything cleaned already.”
“Oh.” I sit up straight and rotate on the stool so my legs angle toward the door. “Ah, that’s fine. I got stuff to—”
She reaches over the counter and places her hand on mine. Fireworks explode right in my palm—no exaggeration. I struggle to feel my skin as she says, “I got all my cleaning done early, because I was hoping you’d want to hang out.”
The heat from her hand zips all the way up my arm and doesn’t stop until it makes a nice ring around my heart. “Okay,” is all I can manage.
“I thought we could have coffee together.” She grabs a coffee that was sitting on the back counter, waiting for her. “I made one for myself.” She gestures toward the table up front next to the window. “Is that okay?”
“Sure.” I rise to my feet, and we drift together as we cross the room. Now I’m wishing I’d put on my good aftershave, the one I haven’t worn in a year. Too late for that. I take a deep breath as a light row of perspiration layers on my lower back.
She gingerly slides into her seat, and I plop down across from her, and when our gazes slide together, everything else fades away. My nerves instantly melt because it’s the most natural feeling in the world to sit across from her. She leans over hercoffee cup and blows into the drink hole before asking, “How was work?”
I blink, hardly even remembering work. It’s impossible to think about anything but her gorgeous pale-blue eyes when I’m sitting this close to her. “It was work. How about you?”
“It was wonderful.” She runs her hand over her hair, tucking one of her wild strands back behind her ear with a dainty twist of her wrist. It’s mesmerizing to watch the way she moves with such feminine grace. “I love being here, and I’ll be sad when I have to leave.”
Wait. What? She’s leaving?
My hand finds my chin, and I rub my beard while I rewind my memories. “I remember you said you were new to town but guess I didn’t realize you weren’t staying.”
She slouches back in her seat, appearing to get more comfortable. “I’m from Boston but was looking to stay in Long Island with my brother for a while when he decided to open this store. My brother is my boss, and well, he’s not actually my boss, because I don’t officially work for Coffee Loft. It’s just easier to call him that.” Her words trail off into an airy laugh.
“Interesting.” I can feel my brows bunch together, all while a sting digs into my chest, and I repeat, “I didn’t realize you’re leaving.”
She nods, her head bouncing several times into the silence. “Yeah, Sunday will be my last day.”
I clear my throat, wishing it was that easy to clear the sting in my chest. “Then I guess we should make use of the time we have together getting to know each other.”
“Right.” Her tone is flirty and even, not disappointing at all.
I bite my lip, oddly feeling a tinge of relief. I was never looking for anything more than a little flirting. It’s actually quite perfect. We can hang out, but nobody gets attached. “So…” I return mycup to the table and lean forward. “Who else is enjoying your kisses?”
“Excuse me?” Her head springs back before she blinks and sputters out a laugh. “You mean the coffee, right?”
I shrug playfully, leaning forward. “Maybe.”
“Well, for the coffee-flavored kisses, I’ve actually saved that recipe for you, and for the uh, other kind of kisses”—her gaze dips to the floor before she rushes out— “I just had a breakup a few days ago, so nobody at the moment, which is how I like it.”
I stay quiet but maintain a full smile teasing my lips. She’s been flirting with me, so I give it right back.
“What about you?” she quips back, her posture extra tall, and her gaze is pointed. “I know you’re single, but it sounds like you had a recent breakup too.”
“Ah.” My breath is heavy as it crawls up my throat and forms the words. “Not real recent.” Her gaze dances around my face, softening as the silence drags on, but she doesn’t ask for more clarity. I suppose I could drop it, or change the subject, but as her expression continues to warm, she starts to feel like a friend—someone I could confide in. Maybe it’s a mistake, but she’ll be gone soon. I haven’t spoken about this to anyone other than Ryson. For a reason I will never understand, I test the words I’ve never even dared to speak. “I was engaged.”
Her lips form an O, but no sound leaks out.
“She left me suddenly a few days before our wedding.” My words are steady and surprisingly easy to express. My chest literally releases the tension that’s been there for months. “We never even fought. I had no idea, but I guess she had been talking to an ex-boyfriend for a while, and she wanted to be with him.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” El’s eyes swell rounder and her hand slides across the table, not stopping until it’s on top ofmine. “I actually know exactly how you feel. My last boyfriend was cheating on me too.”
“You definitely didn’t deserve that.” My instinct is to go off about how it’s okay she left, because she showed me how evil women are, and I dodged a bullet, but El’s hand is still on mine. A spiral of heat flows up my arms, melting those thoughts into nothing but air that makes it easy for me to breathe.
I don’t know how, but I allow my lips to slide over my teeth into a small smile. “You’re going to be okay.” A thick tension in the air, and neither one of us bends a lip upward, but our gaze is held together as we both seem to study each other from across the table.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A rapping on the window pulls our gaze to it, and El immediately gasps. “Look, a dog!”
