“Of course,” I throw back at him, “but I bet you can’t guess the second one.”
“Okay, okay,” he drawls. He rubs his chin as he looks me over and the man might as well put his hands on me. “Hazelnut?”
“You’re close,” I tell him, honestly surprised.
“Black coffee for Sheriff Rhodes,” Gianna’s sets our drinks down on the counter and the man in question shoots her an eager look, “and one almond, vanilla latte with caramel drizzle.”
“Almond,” he repeats under his breath, but just loud enough for me to hear.
The look on his face can only be described as him making a mental note of my order. I feel my cheeks heat, and I grab my iced latte and take a sip while shooting Gianna a grateful look. As I reach inside my bag, Rhodes is already handing her cash.
I shoot him a look, but all he does is wink at me when he glances in my direction. After clearing my throat, I breathe out, “Thanks.”
“Of course,” his words are lazy.
When I step away from the counter, he follows and it takes everything in me not to fidget where I’m standing. I can’t help but blurt out, “Why are you here, though?”
He leans toward me as if he’s going to tell me a secret and my soul leans right on back. His voice drops to a low murmur, “I grabbed a sliceof the Orange Creamsicle Moonshine Cake the other day from Dolly’s and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
His eyes sweep over me again as if he’s telling me it wasn’t just the cake he couldn’t stop thinking about. Still, I find myself laughing, completely understanding since that cake can make you an addict and a devout believer at the same time.
Before I can tease him, the bell above the door jingles and we both turn toward it. The moment I see who has walked in, I let out a low groan of annoyance. Of course, Thad would walk in right at this moment.
At the moment when I might be flirting with Sheriff Rhodes Wilder.
Thad Price, ex-boyfriend and current defense attorney in our little town, is a dickwad. There’s no other way to put it.
And the man relishes in making my day more difficult.
Which becomes very clear to me when he sees me and his eyes light up with maliciousness. I stiffen, unable to help my reaction to seeing the man I would rather avoid at all costs.
“Oh, kill me fucking now,” I mumble under my breath, but from the way Rhodes stiffens, he hears me.
Great.
Even better.
“Helen,” Thad’s voice is smooth and slimy. It makes me want to go home and take a shower. “What a surprise.”
“Thad,” his name lands between us like a fart in church.
He practically wiggles his eyebrows at me as his eyes rake over me. My shoulders curl inward and I barely stop myself from tugging at the bottom of my sweatshirt even though it covers my ass. I hate it whenever I see him around; he always makes me feel like he’s remembering how it was when we were together.
Imight have been heartbroken at the time, but him cheating on me was the best thing that ever happened to me. The reality of the bullet I dodged only sunk in after we had broken up.
“Come on, Baby,” Rhodes’s voice is smooth as it cuts through the tension in the coffee shop, “we need to get going.”
His large hand finds the small of my back before he deftly maneuvers me around the offending buffoon in our way. The moment we step outside and the door closes behind us, I suck in a deep breath.
I hate the concern written all over Rhodes’s face when I look up at him. “Thanks,” I tell him softly, a vulnerability in my voice I wish I could hide.
But it’s out there now floating in the space between us.
I glance back inside Uncommon Grounds to find Thad glaring at Rhodes. When he notices me looking, he smooths his eyebrow like he hasn’t plucked those things within an inch of their life already. He always took longer than me to get ready and that was before he had any money to back up his ridiculousness.
Imagining what it would be like to be with him now makes my stomach roll. Gross.
The look Rhodes is giving me is full of an understanding which I desperately want to lean into, but I know I can’t. Or I shouldn’t.
