Tom turned the Closed sign around with an immense sigh of relief. He’d been on his feet for hours and wanted nothing more than to collapse on the couch and stare mindlessly at the TV. Thank God for Netflix with all the reruns and the endless stream of new series to binge watch to keep him company.
Someone tapped at the glass door.
Tom paused in his progression to the back and stiffened.Damn!He’d jinxed himself by thinking about escaping upstairs. He was tempted to ignore the knock and pretend he didn’t hear it, but with some of the lights still on in the cafe, he could be seen from outside and it was obvious he was there. He turned slowly to see Bailey behind the glass. His frustration at being interrupted turned to sheer happiness. Suddenly he couldn’t keep the smile from his face or unlock the door fast enough.
“Hey, Bailey. What are you doing here so late?”
“I hope it’s okay to come after hours. I know you’re about to close but I wanted to talk to you. You’re always so busy during the day and I didn’t want to interrupt while you’re working.”
“Busy. Ha. That’s the understatement of the century.” Tom chuckled. He stepped back, holding the door open. “Come inside. It’s freezing out there.” The sun went down about five and the city temperatures had dropped suddenly. Bailey was wearing a coat but he was no doubt cold. Tom locked the door behind him. “Do you want a coffee or something else to drink?”
Bailey looked towards the coffee machine. “You haven’t cleaned up for the night?”
“It’s no problem to make coffee. I was going to make one for myself anyway.” Tom hadn’t been, but drinking an unwanted coffee was a small price to pay to spend some more time with Bailey.
“In that case, I won’t say no.” Bailey smiled, and Tom couldn’t help an answering grin. Bailey’s smile was infectious, the kind that lit up his whole face.
A short while later Tom had made them both mugs of coffee and turned off most of the lights in the room. Soft lamplight illuminated the lounge area where they both sank into the soft cushions of the couch. “Oh God, that feels good.”
Bailey laughed. “It must be hard being on your feet all day.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” Tom groaned as he put his feet up on the coffee table. He saw Bailey’s raised eyebrow and shrugged. “I’ll wipe the table down before service tomorrow.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.” Bailey chuckled. “More worried about you. How do you do it all by yourself?”
Tom took a sip of coffee before answering. “I’m not by myself all the time. She’s only casual, but I’ve got Lauren here most days.”
“I know, but you’re here nearly every day of the week.”
“I am, but I live here.” Tom gestured towards the ceiling. “It’s a bit hard to escape.”
“I meant down here working.”
Tom grinned. “I know what you meant. But actually, I don’t mind working. It’s sort of a labour of love. When I started the place I knew it’d be a lot of work—maybe not quite as much as it is, but I was prepared to work hard. And there’s something really satisfying about knowing you’re building up a business from scratch, something of your own.”
“So what made you decide to set up a cafe?”
“Ah, the million-dollar question.” Tom sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“I’d like to hear it if you’d like to tell it.”
Tom studied Bailey. He was relaxed and smiling as he sipped from his cup and looked at Tom over the rim. He seemed genuinely interested but in a no-pressure kind of way, but then he didn’t know Tom had stuff he didn’t like to talk about. Tom assumed he’d come from work, given his semi-formal outfit. He’d taken off his coat and flung it over the back of the couch, exposing a pale blue dress shirt with an open collar and a pair of tailored pants. The shirt sleeves were folded back to just below the elbow, exposing Bailey’s forearms. A strap of red leather was tied around his right wrist with a small silver medallion hanging from it.A dragon?There was something so appealing about Bailey’s forearms—lean muscles with a smattering of light brown hair. Tom wondered if the hair was soft to the touch—
“Sorry, that was probably too personal a question. I do that sometimes—ask things that are really none of my business.”
“Oh, no. That’s okay. I was just wondering where to start and whether to give the long version or the short one.”
Bailey nodded. “I’d like to hear the full version, so maybe it’s a story for another night?”
Does that mean he wants to get together? Like friends? A date?Warmth filled Tom’s belly at the thought of seeing Bailey again. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date. “Sure.”
Bailey put his mug on the coffee table. He leaned those sexy forearms on his knees and clasped his hands. “I hope you don’t mind, Tom, but I’ve got a favour to ask. I was hoping you could help me with something.”
Tom was surprised, but open to whatever Bailey had to say. “I guess we won’t know unless you ask.”
“The other day you mentioned you might be looking at bringing on some help.”
Tom nodded. “Yeah. I’m considering it.”
