It’s what I wanted, but it still surprises me.
“Hey,” I manage, waiting for the spice under the sugar.
“I have a bear claw with your name on it. If you want it, it’s yours.” She sounds almost pleasant.
“Uh, yeah, that sounds great. Thank you. And a coffee, please.”
“Sure thing. Coming right up. Would you like it for here or to go?”
“I might sit down for a minute.”
She nods and goes to grab the pastry.
Okay, now I’m freaking out. We haven’t gone this long without throwing out a barb in over a decade.
Is she messing with me?
Hector winks at me. “Good to see you, Camden,” he says.
Hal sings out with a rich baritone, “There’s our man Cam, who’s a ham, but he’s like fam so we don’t give a damn.”
I laugh. “Seems like someone else is the ham around here,” I tell him.
He just grins and sings to the next customer walking in the door.
Juju hands me the plate and mug of coffee. “Have a good one,” she says.
“I haven’t paid yet.”
“It’s on the house.” She waves me off and looks at the woman behind me.
What the hell? Have I stepped into an alternate universe? I thought I wanted her to smile at me, but this nonchalant, distant thing where she’s acting like I’m no one to her is even more torturous.
This isn’t how we work.
She’s supposed to push back.
Throw sparks.
Is she mad that we almost kissed? If that’s what it even was.
I turn and nearly run into Ava.
“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” I say.
“No worries. I was distracted too,” she says.
Hector and Hal start singing “Pretty Woman.” Ava turns to look at the door, and Erin has walked in as well. She’s steadying her arms against the door in a dramatic way, her head falling back as she shimmies.
“Finally, someone sees my worth,” she says.
I laugh and so does Ava. Erin’s head pops up and she grins when she sees us. She walks over, and Ava laughs harder.
“Nice shirt,” she says.
Erin’s wearing a shirt that saysCome closer and I’ll bitein bold black letters. And then in a smaller red font it says,And you WILL like it.
Erin winks at Ava. “Do you need a nibble?”
