She eyed me warily and I’d be damned if she wasn’t judging me on everything from the tie I was wearing to the watch I’d selected, frowning almost instantly. “We’re all out of hazelnut.”
So she was going to play hard to get. Little did she know that only enticed me even more. “Anything you choose will be wonderful.”
At first, I thought she was preparing to toss me out. Then a slow, sly smile crossed her face. “Fine.” Spinning away, she yanked a cup from a stack of them, almost knocking the others off the counter in the process. With fastidious hands, she made some concoction, slamming the lid with enough force, liquid slipped from the side. As soon as she shoved it in front of me, the smirk intact, she folded her arms.
If she thought that would keep me from her, she was dead wrong.
“That’ll be fifteen fifty.”
“For a single cup of coffee?”
“Twenty if you keep asking.”
“Wow. Inflation, huh?” I pulled out my wallet, tossing her a fifty. “Keep the change for a tip.”
“Not a chance. I wouldn’t want to be beholden to you under any circumstances.”
Before I entered the salacious debate, another customer walked in, her eyes immediately drawn to whoever it was.
While it was brief, I noticed a flash of not quite fear but something close.
“Can I help you? We’re about to close.” She turned her full attention toward the customer, biting her lower lip as she did.
I left the fifty, heading to a table on the far wall, sitting down in a chair where I could see the front window and door as well as whoever she was interacting with.
“Black coffee.” There was a quietness about the man’s deep voice. He was nothing special. Just a guy dressed in dark fatigues and a bulky sweater. With no evidence of ink covering his fingers, I doubted he was a member of the biker gang Alexander had warned me of.
Yet I was a cautious man.
On the surface, nothing about him should bother me. Only her reaction to his presence did.
He didn’t make a scene, paying for the small cup with cash. But the fact she hadn’t asked him anything about his preferences meant he’d ordered from her before. As soon as he grabbed his coffee, he moved to another table against the opposite wall. Looking away from me. Preventing me from seeing his face.Even the reflection in the glass did nothing to allow me to see his features.
While he wasn’t paying any attention to either one of us, my instincts remained on alert.
Meanwhile, Josette busied herself with wiping the counter and turning off machines. From my vantage point, I continued to notice she was anxious. About me or the other gentlemen nursing his coffee and glaring at his phone?
A few seconds later, she darted a glance toward me. She was doing an excellent job of masking her thoughts. If she believed that by ignoring me that I’d walk away, she was dead wrong. I leaned forward, noticing it was apparent the man in the chair had received a message.
I unbuttoned my jacket, noting that after he received the text, he quickly tossed me a glance, allowing me to catch a glimpse of his silhouette. Not enough for me to try to recognize him.
Her eyes narrowed and she stared at her phone, her breathing hitching. She darted her eyes to the front window, appearing even more uncomfortable.
Well, well. It would seem my lovely beauty had issued a warning. Or perhaps he was her boyfriend and she was telling him I was an issue.
Josette moved from around the counter, careful to avoid getting too close. Yet she tossed me another look, finally stopping a couple of feet away. “What are you doing here?” She kept her voice low as if worried someone would hear her admonishment.
“I came to see you. You invited me. Remember?”
I expected an agitated response or a roll of her eyes. “That was before.” The three words were full of tension. Something was off. Wrong.
“Before?”
Suddenly, the man got up and headed for the door, tossing his coffee before he did.
“Before I found out who you were.” She threw a look over her shoulder.
I was ready to reach for my weapon.
