“What!? Where…I…” Kirk’s face grows as red as the tomato Dad still talks about. “I was just being polite, asking about your family.”
“Mhmm, and I’m just being polite, telling you it’s fine with me.” I might be wrong, but I’m almost positive the florist has a crush on my dad ever since dad would not stop gushing over how gorgeous his flower shop was last Christmas. Kirk isn’t a man of many words, so if he needs a push, I’ll push him with a smile on my face.
Kirk clears his throat. “Did you get a notice about business taxes going up?”
Classic deflection, but I’ll allow it. Lord knows I’ve used it a time or three.
“I did. Are you planning to go to the meeting about it?” Kissing Ridge is raising our taxes, and while it’s not a surprise since they do it every year, this year seems like a bigger leap than usual. Hunter even mentioned it since his new rodeo school training facility is almost ready to open, and now he has to rework some numbers.
“I might.”
Kirk and I chat a bit more before I see familiar faces heading into the coffee shop and one new face that makes my heart race. Kirk follows my gaze and raps his knuckles on the counter.
“I’ll let you get to work. See you next week.”
“Thanks, Kirk. Have a great day, Sug.”
Kirk exits, holding the door for Hunter, Jackson, and Rhett. Jackson waves before heading off to the washroom, and Hunter stops at the counter with Rhett.
“Hey, Dee. We have some business to discuss, so me and Jackson will take our usual.” He motions towards Rhett. “What do you like?”
Rhett scans the board, and Hunter points to the back. “Just join us in the back after you order.”
Rhett nods and remains silent, still not looking at me. I’m going to assume it’s because I look spectacular today and for no other reason than if he maintains eye contact for too long, he might ravish me in public.
Yeah…that must be it.
“What do you like?” I ask.
“Coffee. Usually.”
His voice is softer than I expected, and I like that about him since he’s all hard lines and scruff outside. A delicious dichotomy of sexiness. The other night, it was raspy with exhaustion, and I liked that too.
But right now, he’s overthinking a beverage order.
“I can just bring you a coffee, Sug. It doesn’t need to be today’s most difficult decision. Save that for when you choose your wardrobe every morning because that shirt is flannel-stitched sex. Good choice.”
He looks down at what he’s wearing, brows furrowed like cute little caterpillars.
“It’s plaid?”
“It is, and it looks great on you. I hope you have a closet full of that colour.”
Rhett’s gaze finally meets mine, andoof…those eyes. Give me a life vest because I will happily drown in them and regret nothing.His gaze lingers on my face before travelling down my body, and it takes all my effort not to ask him if he wants to see my clothes on the floor.
“Thank you for the cupcakes,” he says and returns his attention to the menu board. “Tater almost ate them, but I was faster.”
“Tater?”
“My dog,” he says, and when he smiles, it completely changes his face. The lines at his eyes crease in a way that tells me he used to laugh a lot, and when his dark eyelashes dust his cheeks again, I’m absolutely crushing on this man more than I thought was possible.
“That’s such a cute name. How could I forget little Tater?” My voice is breathy as I imagine him doting on the adorable little dog that tore into Hunter’s living room like it owned the place. I want to ask him more, but Hunter’s voice calls out, and he turns towards it. His expression morphs back to the mostly unreadable expression of a wax mannequin, and I wonder what I need to do just to get him to tell me more about his dog.
Or to smile like that again. Literally anything than stare at a menu board when he could be staring at me.
“I’ll just take a normal coffee. Nothing fancy. Thanks.”
He spins, and I watch as he strides across the coffee shop to join Jackson and Hunter at the back of the room. Jackson chose the cozy corner with the couch and loveseat, with a small table between them. Rhett takes a seat next to Hunter and leaves his back to me.
