Must be Layla.
I’ve heard Tessa mention her a few times during our daily conversations. Her smile is genuine when she speaks of her, and I get the impression that more than a coworker, she falls in the category of friend.
I join the line and wait for my turn, watching Tessa work. She’s wearing a long-sleeved shirt again despite the summer heat, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. There’s something different about her today. She seems lighter and more present somehow. Her facial expressions are relaxed, and her eyes aren’t darting around the space. In fact, I don’t think she’s noticed me yet, which is odd, because Tessa notices everything almost immediately.
The line moves forward, and when it’s finally my turn, Tessa looks up.
Her face lights up the second she sees me.
“Hey,” she says, and that smile—the real one, the one I’ve been coming here every day to see—spreads across her face.
“Hey, yourself,” I say, leaning against the counter. “Busy morning?”
“A little.” She glances at the line behind me. “But I always have time for a local celebrity.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Celebrity? That’s a bold statement.”
“Given the way I’ve seen some people in here react to you, I think it’s a fair one.” She grabs a cup and starts making my drink.
“Look at this line.” I gesture behind me. “There’s a bunch of people, and not one has asked for an autograph. That’s not screaming celebrity to me.”
“Maybe this is the non-sporty crowd. Even celebrities are bound to have a few moments of peace,” she teases and squirts some honey into my cup.
I grin. “Fair point.”
Layla steps up beside Tessa, eyeing me with obvious curiosity. “So you’re Logan?”
Tessa’s cheeks flush pink. “Layla?—”
“What?” Layla shrugs innocently. “I’m just putting a face to the name.”
“You talk about me?” I ask Tessa, unable to hide my amusement.
“No,” Tessa says quickly.
“She does,” Layla confirms with a grin.
Tessa shoots her a look that could kill, but Layla just laughs and goes back to helping the next customer.
I lean in closer, lowering my voice. “So you talk about me, huh?”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Tessa mutters, but a smile tugs at her lips. “I tell Layla pretty much everything. All she knows about you is that you’re a regular who likes to ask questions. I’ve picked her brain a few times to help me come up with my daily question.”
She finishes my latte and slides it across the counter. Our fingers brush when I take it, and I don’t miss the way her breath catches.
“Are you ready for today’s question?”
“Of course.” She leans against the counter, giving me her full attention.
I take a sip of my drink—perfect, as always—and consider my options. I want to ask something that matters. Something that gets me closer to understanding her.
“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?”
She blinks, surprised by the question. “Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
She bites her bottom lip, thinking. “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.”
