“Great. Thrilled for him,” I deadpanned.
“Sam!” an older man shouted. “Kevin and Jim have to head home.”
“Welp, that’s my cue. Here.” He slid a Post-it note to me. “My number in case you change your mind.” He got up and moved to the counter.
I just stared at the bright-pink paper; it had his number and a stupid smiley face on it. I grabbed my trash, dumped it, and left the shop, leaving the number behind.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sam
He didn’t takemy number with him. Part of me thought maybe he’d put it in his phone so he didn’t need the Post-it, but he likely didn’t want it. He really was a mean guy and yeah, I deserved to be treated nicer, but something drew me to him.
“Here you are, Liz. I hope you enjoy your ice cream.” I handed her a cone with Thing fromThe Addams Familysticking out from the top.
“Thanks, Sam.” She smiled, her two front teeth missing.
We had special Halloween-themed cone creations this time of year. It was a lot of fun, and the joy on the kids’ faces were everything. Even an adult or two ventured toward a decorated dessert.
Through my entire shift, my mind kept wandering. Lukas Farren was gorgeous, rich, mysterious…an asshole, and very much alone. He’d spoken to me longer this time than the last. Maybe my persistence was exactly what would make him crack.
I wasn’t going to give up, and as I cleaned up the shop after we closed, I began thinking of all the things I’d say to him the next time our paths crossed.
It wasn’tuntil the night before Halloween that Brookridge’s newest resident showed his face again. Cone Creations was completely decked out in a bunch of spooky decorations. I’d dressed up as a werewolf, Natalie was a witch, and the other workers all had fabulous costumes on.
Ice cream was fifty percent off today, so it was pretty packed and judging by the frown on Lukas’s face, he wasn’t thrilled about that.
He glared at every person in the shop, and I couldn’t hold back my laugh once he finally made it to the counter.
“This is horrible,” he said by way of greeting.
“What is, joy? Is happiness offensive to you?”
His brows furrowed. “Why are there so many people here?”
“It’s Halloween Eve, of course.”
He cocked his head. “You say that as if it’s a proper explanation as to why there’s a crowd so suffocating, it makes me itch.”
When a little boy bumped into his leg, I swore he was going to kick him, the way he nearly hissed.
“Every year, Cone Creations has a bit of an ice cream party.”
He grunted. “Had I known, I’d have come a different day.”
“What’ll it be this time?”
He glanced once more at all the people prior to answering. “Chocolate ice cream with raspberry sauce and chocolate shavings in a large cup.”
“You got it.”
I went about getting him his dessert. I pumped a little more chocolate than I normally would, added extra sauce, and sprinkled the Godiva shavings onto the top. I handed it to him, and his eyes widened.
“It’s half off today, so that’ll be only five bucks.”
He darted his purple eyes up to me. “This is worth more than that.” He tossed a fifty onto the counter and walked away.
Most of the booths and tables were taken, but he went to a small round table in the corner. Ignoring everyone around him, he began eating. I couldn’t help watching him as his eyes closed, and I was sure he’d hummed. I couldn’t hear it, but I was positive.
