I kept my gaze trained on the window. "Nothing. That's the whole point."
He moved next to me and began staring, too. After a long moment, he said, "But there's nothing but the rain."
I shivered. "Yeah, tell me about it." The last few days had been rainy, but today was something else entirely. It was late afternoon, and the wind had been howling for hours, sending the rain sideways as it pelted the windows and anyone foolish enough to be caught outside.
I just prayed this didn't include my roommate. This morning, Maisie had mentioned having a meeting on the mainland, which meant she would need to take the ferry to Mackinaw City – thereandback.
I shuddered to think.
I'd sent her a couple of texts, asking how she was doing, but the weather was wreaking havoc on my cell service, so I couldn't say for sure if those messages had even gone through.
Next to me, Skip asked, "So, how long are you gonna stare?"
I shrugged. "I dunno."
His tone grew peevish. "But you've been doing that all week. Maybe you should do something else."
I turned and gave him a look. "Like what?"
"I dunno." But then he perked up. "You could make me a mocha."
I stared. "Sothat'syour solution? To have me make you a drink?"
"Hey, you asked for ideas."
"Andyou'reasking for trouble. Trust me, I'm not in the mood."
He scoffed. "You're never in the mood."
It sounded almost sexual, and my patience snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He drew back. "Chill, will ya? It means you've been frowning all week. Like now. If you're not careful, your face is gonna freeze that way."
"Oh, yeah? Well, ifyou'renot careful, you're gonna find something extra in that mocha."
He brightened. "So you're gonna make it?"
Talk about missing the point."No. I was being sarcastic."
His shoulders drooped. "Well, that's disappointing."
I shook my head. "I don't get it. Why do you even own a coffee shop?"
"Hey, it wasn'tmyidea. I hate this place." He grimaced. "I don't even like coffee."
Seriously?But now that I thought about it, he mostly drank sodas that he brought in from heaven-knows-where. "Then why do you want a mocha?"
"It's sort of like hot chocolate, you know?"
I gave him a perplexed look. "Then why not ask for a hot chocolate?"
He looked confused by the question. "Do we sell those?"
Was he for real?"Yes, actually."
"Oh. So…will you make me one?"
Oh, for God's sake."No. But I'll showyouhow to do it."
