Thumbing through his wallet for a five, Mitch looked up at the intricately chalked menu posted above the counter. There were some creative concoctions here, all with names that fit the area and its activities.
“I’ll try the Evergreen Elixir.” He handed off the bill to the teenager, who took it and punched the till with energy, dancingin place to the overhead music as the drawer popped open with a ding.
“My personal fav when it comes to our teas. The mint in that is the bomb.” The kid handed Mitch his change, and Mitch deposited the loose coins into the tip jar, adding another dollar bill. It was nice to see someone so passionate about their job, especially someone so young and spirited.
“We’ll call out your order as soon as it’s ready. Have a rad day, man.”
“Same to you.” Mitch ducked his head with a nod and moseyed back to his table.
Most of the patrons in the coffee shop had their heads buried in work, their focus on their laptops with headphones in place to drown out the background noise. He noticed a table of women, one whom he recognized as Trinity, the florist who had dropped off the heart-shaped wreath at the station the other day. He didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, nor was he really in the mood for small talk, so he kept his eyes down until he was in the sanctuary of his secluded table at the back of the place.
But just moments after taking his seat, the barista hollered his order, and he was up on his feet once again.
Mitch stopped in his tracks when the door to Bitter Cold opened and—much to his surprise—Faith walked in, the man from earlier at her side.
He wanted to drop to the floor. Stop, drop, andhide.
Instead, he did the only thing he could think to do. He retrieved his drink from the bar and then shuffled his way to his table with his back to the door and the line of patrons waiting to place their orders.
He dropped into the seat facing the wall.
It was funny, really, that he’d spent all day hoping to see Faith, and now he was doing everything in his earthly power to not be seen by her.
But it wasn’t Faith he was avoiding. It was the inevitably awkward encounter that would ensue. She would introduce them, and Mitch would have to pretend he was happy to meet the guy, when, in reality, the image of the bakery hug was something that made him inwardly cringe.
He drew in a sip of tea. The barista was right. The mint was a refreshing ingredient. Still, his mouth felt sour, his emotions unsettled.
“Mitch?” Mitch’s shoulders met his ears, jumping noticeably at the sound of his name. “Mitch, is that you?”
It was a woman’s voice, but not Faith’s. He peered apprehensively over his shoulder.
“Trinity.” Scooting his chair out, Mitch stood to greet the florist with a quick hug.
“I thought that was you.” She gave him a big grin before stepping back. “I was hoping to run into you, actually.”
“Yeah?” Even though he was talking with Trinity, Mitch’s focus fell just beyond her, tracking Faith as she settled into a seat at a small round table near the entrance of the coffeeshop. The man she’d arrived with stood at the barista bar, waiting for their drinks to be made, Mitch figured.
Mitch’s jaw set.
“I wanted to see if you knew who was in charge of the inspections this year for the Sweetheart Soiree. I had a couple of questions I wanted to run by them.”
“I don’t know who that would be off the top of my head, but I can definitely find out for you.”
“Really? That would be great. I know last year we had an issue with compliance, and I just wanted to make sure the decorations I had in mind were up to code.”
“I’m happy to look into that.”
“I would appreciate it.” Trinity turned around, intercepting the path of Mitch’s gaze.
The man had just returned to Faith’s table, two drinks in hand.
“Oh,” Trinity said, her voice suddenly dipping to a whispered hush. “Wow. I didn’t realize he was back in town.”
“You know him?” The words were out before Mitch could stop them. Curiosity sure had a way of ignoring the protocols of politeness.
“Oh, definitely. Weallknow him.”
There was infinitely more to it than that, and what Trinity didn’t say with words, her face gave away clearly. The man was not a town favorite.
