“How are you?”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting your brother this morning. I had plans to come in here and…”
She lifts her eyebrow when I don’t finish that sentence.
“And?” she finally says.
“And not deal with him quite yet.” I make a face, expecting her to laugh, but she just stares at me.
“Ahh.” She nods. “What can I get you this morning?”
Shit. I’m fucking this up all over the place, but I’m not sure how to fix it. “Coffee…and whatever you recommend.”
Her eyes flick to Jackson across the room, then back to me. She hesitates, then pours me a cup of coffee and hands it to me. My fingers brush over hers when I take the mug, and she glances up at me.
“Cinnamon rolls are fresh out of the oven.” Her voice is stilted now, and I want to leave so I can come back and start over. “There’s one serving of quiche left.” She looks at the clock behind her. “Since it’s eleven, you might be ready for lunch. The soup of the day is Hungarian mushroom; sandwich of the day is grilled cheese.”
“I’ll take it all.”
She blinks. “All three things?”
“I can’t think of anything better. I’ve been dreaming of that soup and the way you make a grilled cheese for a few years now,” I admit.
“Really?” she says, looking surprised. “I don’t remember you ever having this soup.”
“One time when I was at your house, you’d just gotten home from school, and Jackson pulled out the leftover soup. I couldn’t get enough of it.”
Her eyes brighten for a second, but she’s still being way more cautious than I’d like.
“Suzanne or I will bring it over in a few,” she says.
“Quit hogging Juju. I need a refill,” Bosco hollers from the table behind me.
Juju sighs. I turn and glare at Bosco, who gives me a surly look right back.
“I hope you’re not talking to Juliana that way,” I say.
His head rears back. “Juliana,” he sniffs. “Who the hell calls her that around here?” He makes an exasperated sound. “Juju knows I don’t mean no harm, don’t you…Juliana?” He mimics me in a low voice.
“I know how to handle you,” she tells him, which makes him laugh.
I think the only people who can get Bosco to laugh are Juju and Goldie.
When I look at Juju again, she gives me a pointed look. “Better go sit down. Jackson will be wondering what’s keeping you.”
Fuck. She’s pissed.
“Juju,” I say under my breath.
“Cammie,” she sings.
I narrow my eyes playfully and see a tiny crack in her aloof demeanor.
“What?” she asks, sounding a helluva lot perkier than before.
“Do I need to kiss the sass off your mouth?” I say under my breath.
Her breath catches, and her eyes flash to mine. She presses her lips together, and I watch the way they plump back up when she releases them, my pants getting tight as I think about taking that bottom lip in my teeth.
