“Here you go,” Kannon said from right behind us.
I smiled up at him, hoping he didn’t hear Ashlyn.“Thanks.”
“Any time.”He smiled at me, but his gaze slid to Ashlyn with a tense look.He definitely heard what she said.And it hurt because he had a thing for her.There was no doubt in my mind.A customer walked in, and Kannon excused himself to return to the register.
I sipped my coffee and studied my friend.“I think he likes you.”
“Who?”she asked.
“Kannon,” I whispered.
She threw her head back and laughed loudly.She drew the attention of everyone in the place, wiping the tears from her lashes when she finally stopped laughing.“You’re insane.”
I shrugged.“Maybe, but he keeps looking at you.”
“This isn’t elementary school where the boy pulls your pigtails.He glares at me every time I come in here.It was even worse the few times I came in with Rob.”She shuddered.“He watched us like we were going to destroy the place.Scowling and snarling at us.We started to go to the chain down the road instead.”
“Maybe he was jealous.”
Ashlyn sighed heavily.“You’re way off base.”She took a sip of her coffee and groaned.“But he can make a damn good latte.”She took another sip before she set her cup down again.“What are you going to do today?”
I shrugged.“I don’t know.I need to return those books I got from the library.But I need to do something else.As much as I’m enjoying my vacation, I can’t sit around your house all day.”
“You could go to the beach,” Ashlyn suggested.
I snorted.“That’s sitting around, too.”
She laughed.“Yeah, but it’s not at my house.”
“True.But I need something else.”
“There’s a ton of outdoor stuff to do around here.Hiking, swimming and boating on the lake, even white-water rafting.There’s an art studio in town with a retail space you could explore.”
“What kind of art?”
“All kinds.I think there are five coworking spaces, and the artists all have their pieces on display.Painting, drawing, sculpture, mosaics, recycled stuff.Oh, there’s a cheese store a few blocks from here.”
“Really?Why didn’t you start with that?”I asked.
Ashlyn laughed.“I know, I should have.I don’t go there often.But they sell a bunch of local cheeses.So many things.It’s amazing.”
“Sold.Maybe I’ll plan to go on a hike somewhere tomorrow.”
“Sounds like you have a plan.Sage wanted to get together again this weekend.We have a small group we sometimes meet up with if you’re interested in meeting everyone sometime.No pressure, though.”
“That would be fun.I didn’t come here to derail your entire summer.”
“You didn’t derail anything.”Her grimace said she didn’t want to think about who did.
I was happy to see she was doing as well as she was.Being with Rob for almost a year surprised me after all the things I knew, but Ashlyn said she loved him.I never heard about him saying the words back, but that wasn’t what mattered.She had big feelings for the man, and getting over those feelings was going to take time.
Unless her healing could move along a little with the help of a sweet man with a talent for making coffee.
If only she could see him as a friend and not the enemy.
We finished our breakfast and went our separate ways outside.I didn’t see any signs saying I couldn’t leave my car where it was, so I took off on foot, grabbing the library books from my front seat and a few canvas bags to carry new books and maybe some cheese.
At the library, Brinley helped me find a few new books.The library was busy, so I didn’t linger for too long after I got my new stack of books to read.
