“Actually, if you get a fire going in the fireplace, that would be amazing. Instructions are right in that drawer.” I pointed. “Everything else is on the hearth. It’s easy, I promise. If Rina can handle it, anyone can.”
“I’ll be careful.”
He’d said that all husky, sending tingles racing over my skin.
I believed Grayden. He wouldn’t be involved with anything illegal. I refused to be one of the people who made assumptions about him simply because of his prison record.
We’d been through all this before. And yet, he kept on proving himself.
The split-second of distrust I’d felt was less to do with Grayden and everything to do with Danny. My ex had taught me how risky it was to give my trust away to the wrong man. To give myheartaway.
But I wasn’t giving my heart to Grayden. No matter how much I felt drawn to him. So…I had nothing to worry about anyway.
After stuffing our house-made sourdough with all the goodies, I placed each sandwich on the panini press. “Drink?” I asked. “Espresso?”
Grayden was kneeling by the fireplace in the dining room, all his intense focus on his task. “Give me something different tonight. Whatever you’re having.”
After thinking a moment, I decided on flat whites. Something different, but not too different, and not too sweet.
Grayden approached the counter just as I was setting out the drinks. He brushed off his hands. “Smells great already. Fire’s going.”
“Thanks. Sandwiches are almost up. I’ll pour some glasses of water too.”
Once the cheese was good and melty, I piled everything onto a tray and carried it to the loveseat near the fire. Flames licked at the split logs beyond the grate, sending out light and warmth.
Ugh, I’d needed this.
The loveseat was the coziest spot in the entire coffee shop. Out of sight of the front windows and the door.
The tray fit perfectly on a little side table made from a tree ring. I took off my shoes and curled up on one side of the small couch, pulling my plate onto my lap.
“So this is what you meant by comfort food?” Grayden asked. “No shoes required?”
“Hush and sit down. Just wait until you taste this sandwich. I’ll have you know it won a blue ribbon at the last Hart County Fair.”
“Well, with a recommendation like that…”
Grayden sat heavily on the cushion beside me, shifting as he settled in. His thigh brushed the tips of my socked feet. I tucked my toes under his leg, and a tiny smile graced his lips as he grabbed his plate.
Then he took a big bite of the melty, cheesy panini, the crusty bread crunching in his teeth. And he groaned. “Damn, blue ribbon all the way. Fucking hell, Piper. How did I not know about this heavenly sandwich?”
“You could’ve ordered one before. It’s right there on the menu. Ask and you shall receive.”
The sideways look he gave me made those tingles start up again.
I took another bite of my panini, slowly chewing. The coffee shop had all its familiar scents, like ground coffee and hints of butter and cinnamon mingling with wood smoke.
Most of the main lights were off, which made the place feel smaller and more intimate than during the day. And outside, the sun was setting, which added to the pink and orange tint of the light coming from the fire.
Somehow, all of that just made Grayden stand out more. His strong silhouette, the cut of his profile. The dusky lines of the black rose tattoos on his neck. He looked like the coziest thing of all, and also by far the most exciting.
My heart sped up, forgetting a beat or two along the way.
When he’d almost finished his meal, Grayden asked, “Are you going to say something to Danny about the police showing up to my place? Might be better if you don’t.”
I set my plate on the tree-ring table. “I won’t in front of Ollie. But I have to. I have to dosomething. If Danny has anything to do with drugs, I can’t let him take Ollie for days at a time. Earlier today, he wanted to take Ollie for the entire weekend. No advance notice.”
“But you’re not letting him?”
