“Thank you for coming in, Tara, and enjoy your tea,” Nessa said enthusiastically, waving farewell to one of her regulars.
Tara had stumbled upon her teahouse almost six months ago when she’d been searching for something to help her sleep. With a few different selections to choose from, they’d eventually found the right tea for her. Since then, she’d come by the teahouse every Monday like clockwork.
Tara wasn’t the only one to swing by. Mondays were always busy, and today was no exception. Work had been slammed since she opened. Nessa would need to order more pastries and sandwiches from her supplier and double-check her tea orders to ensure she didn’t run out of anything by Friday.
This was the first time all day that the place was empty, and she was more than ready for the reprieve. She was grateful her business was thriving, given how much money she’d sunk into the place, but she often felt exhausted by the end of the week from running herself ragged.
Soon, you won’t have to do that. You can work as much or as little as you want.
She smiled at the reminder, glancing down at the ‘Now Hiring’ sign taped to the surface of the counter near the register. An identical one was taped onto the main door, and she planned on posting some full-time positions to an online forum when she got the chance.
“Do you always act like that?” Jasper jutted his chin toward the front entrance.
He’d spent the last few hours pestering her with random questions, most of them silly. He only did it during lulls in foot traffic, though, which hadn’t been often, but Nessa enjoyed his absurdity more than she let on. If she let him know how entertaining she found him, though, he’d no doubt up his game.
She followed his gaze to the front door and then glanced back at him, her brow furrowing. “Act like what?”
“Like a peppy robot,” he clarified. “It’s kind of crazy to watch. One second you sound normal, you’re being mean to me and don’t have a care in the world, but as soon as that bell chimes over the door, you’re like a completely different person.” He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.
“That’s customer service, Jasper. I have to create an inviting environment or no one will shop here.” Her lips twitched and she turned toward him, leaning her hip against the counter. “And I’m not mean to you.”
Jasper frowned. “You wouldn’t let me eat any of the muffins.”
“You hadfivechocolate chip muffins and two ham and cheese panini before I told you to stop,” she argued. “For free, in case you forgot.”
“But you still told me I couldn’t have any more,” he whined, his mouth twisting into a pitiful pout.
“Because you would have kept stuffing your face if I didn’t. Then where would I be? Down fifteen muffins, all my sandwiches, and I’m assuming those chocolate cake slices I ordered last week.”
His pout disappeared, his eyes flashing bright with interest. “You have chocolate cake?”
“Not for you.” Nessa pointed a finger at him, letting him know she meant business. “That cake is for Murphy.”
She’d ordered it on a whim after learning how much he loved sweets and was eager to give him a few slices when he came by later on. She eyed the time on the register’s monitor.
Only a few hours left until closing time, and then Murphy would be all hers. She’d fill him up with dinner, cake, and then,maaaybehe’d fill her up with something a bit meatier to show his appreciation.
The image almost had her cackling with glee.
“What?!” Jasper exclaimed, interrupting her delicious thoughts. “Why does Murphy get cake and I don’t?”
“When you find your mate, maybe they’ll get you cake, too.” Nessa smirked. “On second thought, you’ll probably always have them in a foul mood, so probably not.”
He huffed, glowering at her. “Now you’re definitely being mean.”
“Just a little.” Pinching her finger and thumb together, she held up her hand for him to see.
“The odds of me finding my true mate are slim to none.” He sighed. “Murphy was lucky to find you, but it doesn’t work out that way for a lot of us.”
“Don’t give up hope,” Nessa said, tempted to reach out and squeeze his forearm to offer her support. Instead, she held back, not comfortable initiating contact. She trusted Jasper, but it still felt too soon. “I’m sure the perfect mate is out there, just waiting for you.”
“You think so?”
Nessa nodded. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet them when you go play bodyguard for that vampire.”
Jasper grimaced. “Mate a vamp? That’s got disaster written all over it.”
“Why?”
