Exhaling wearily, her breath escaped in a white mist as Leya shifted her sliding tote to her other shoulder. The tingles in her hands persisted. And she wished for the millionth time she’d stopped to put on her safety helmet before rushing off to ride her bicycle all those years ago. But at six, she’d been excited about her birthday present. Minutes later, she’d hit a pothole in the sidewalk, flipped over her bike, and slammed her head on the curb.
It had left her comatose for two days.
Then she’d awakened, and these prickles in her hands started. They’d become a constant, disappearing then reappearing at any time. Medical treatment hadn’t helped. Nothing had, so she’d learned to live with it.
She rubbed her icy hands and shoved open the door to the coffeehouse. The place was abuzz with people and warmth.
“Ley? Over here, girl!” a familiar voice called above the noise.
She found Janelle at the back, clearing a table, a smile on her gorgeous, dusky face.
Leya detoured, bypassing several bookshelves on her right and tables on her left, stopping near her friend.
“You look like you’re carrying the world on your shoulders.” Janelle cocked an elegant eyebrow as she piled empty mugs and plates onto a tray.
Man, were her woes so visible?
“Work. Tough client, who doesn’t get that it’s still stinking cold, and plants aren’t happy with this weather, either,” Leya grumbled, dropping her tote on the floor. She shrugged off her vintage coat, draped it over the chairback, and flopped onto the seat.
“What you need, girl, is to get laid.” Jan’s husky voice belied her elegant, cool-as-ice features. “A sure way to work out all those kinks.”
“Find me a guy who knows what a G-spot or a clit is, and I’ll slot him in my busy day between shoveling compost and planting seedlings,” Leya grumped, blowing away her overlong bangs from her eyes.
Jan’s deep laughter broke free.
Heat rushed to Leya’s cheeks. Yep, her mouth tended to run faster than her brain’s ability to warn her of the pitfalls.
The fact that her love life remained a distant memory was neither here nor there—heck, she’d be happy just having a moment to breathe.
“Where’s Tori?” she asked, glancing around the busy place.
Whenever she could, Leya stopped at Caffeinated Books for their fab coffee and to see her friends who ran the coffeehouse. She’d known Tori since middle school, then when she started working for Janelle, they’d all become friends.
“Her ex turned up.” Jan’s expression hardened. “She’s outside, hopefully, skewering his cheating dick into tiny pieces.”
Leya winced in sympathy for Tori. While she hadn’t been in her friend’s shoes with a cheating partner, she knew the pain of being dumped. Lee, her ex, had grown fed up at being put on thesidelines. No, he never could handle not being the center of her attention.
Sometimes, she wondered if she’d ever be able to love someone enough to put them first and get married like her parents had. Coming from different cultures, they fought against every obstacle and they persevered.
Her ex didn’t matter, anyway; she didn’t have the space for relationships, not with the garden center taking up all her time.
“I hope Tori gets here soon. I can’t stay long. Hana’s coming home tonight, and I have an early start tomorrow.”
“She is?” Janelle straightened from wiping down the table. “What happened to theinner peaceshe needed? India has plenty of places for soul-searching.”
While Leya loved her sister, Hana could never settle. She’d gone to their maternal grandparents for a three-month stay. Four weeks later, she was on her way back.
Leya shrugged. “Maybe she found it. Hopefully, she’ll buckle down and help at the Center. Heck, keep any job long-term, and I’ll be happy.”
She regripped her unruly hair in a topknot, then flexed her sore, calloused fingers, frowning at her dull, chipped nails.
“Hands hurting?”
“A little.” Leya balled her fingers, blowing away escaping tendrils of hair from her face. “Overdid it today.”
“I feel you about the business. It took time to get this place on its feet when I started a decade ago. Jeez!” Jan groaned, flipping back her multiple braids. “Let’s not talk about the time thief when around you, okay? I’m already feeling my three decades. Let me go get your coffee.”
Leya laughed. “Make it a decaf, to-go.”
