“How do you think he’d feel about sleeping onmycouch?” I ask.
Gwen freezes with the last of her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “No. No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve never even met Jasper. I’ll figure something out. Evan and I could give him our bed and camp out in the living room. It could be fun.”
“While I wouldn’t normally offer to let a strange man sleep on my couch, we’re talking about Evan's brother here. From what you’ve told me, the only danger I’d be in is from rolling my eyes too hard at the things he says.”
Gwen tries to hide her amusement behind her take-out coffee cup, but her sparkling eyes give her away. “Are you sure? He could stay with us until late in the evening and then we’d send him to your place to sleep. That way you wouldn’t feel like you have to entertain him or anything.”
“Whatever works for you. And whatever makesthis—” I lean forward and smooth the crease between her brow with two of my fingers—“go away. At this rate you’re going to need botox before your wedding.”
Gwen chuckles, running her thumb over her forehead where my fingers were. “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll message Evan and see where they are. If they’re not nearby, I’ll make sure he takes Jasper by the café later so you guys can meet before he ends up on your doorstep tonight.” She taps out a quick text on her phone, then reaches for the bag of cookies I brought. “I’m hoping to finalize the schedule for all the pre-wedding fun this weekend. I know it was our decision not to have a traditional wedding party, but if we had, you know you and Ivy would have been my bridesmaids. I want you by my side for as many activities as possible.”
“Nothing could stop me,” I tell her. “Marisol knows I’ll be taking time off here and there, and I’m sure our few employees will be happy about picking up some extra shifts, especially with the holidays coming.”
The crease returns between Gwen’s brows. “Can you…will you…” She blows out a breath and straightens in her chair. “Can you afford to take the time off?”
Gwen knows I’ve poured all my money into Cravings. When I first moved back to Bellevue, I thought I might have to stay with my mom for a while, but her busy social life—including the fact she dates far more than I do—forced me to dig deeper into my already over-extended savings to find a place of my own. It’s approximately the size of a postage stamp, the pipes are old and creaky, and the fridge is often empty, but it’s mine and I love it.
“Don’t worry about me,” I tell her. “Business is better than we ever could have hoped. Money is tight, but there’s no way I’d miss out on any of the fall fun you have planned.” Gwen still looks concerned, so I barrel on, wanting to get off the topic of money and make her smile again. “I hope everyone who’s invited to the pre-wedding festivities appreciates fall more than the guy who came into the café this morning. He turned up his nose at my decor and told me autumn wasn’t officially until next week. He was so stuffy, I kind of wish I’d had a bit more fun with him, although I’m sure any teasing would have gone right over his head. Flirting too, which is a shame because he was cute.”
“Cute, eh? You haven’t talked about a single guy, even in passing, since you got back to Bellevue. Does this by any chance mean you’re ready to start dating again?”
I’m about to tell her I’m not sure how she got ‘dating’ from ‘flirting’ when there’s a knock on the door, and Gwen calls for whoever it is to come in. Shifting in my seat to see who’s at the door causes my napkin to flutter to the floor. I have a second to catch a glimpse of Evan before I lean over to scoop it up. As I’m straightening, my gaze snags on a pair of legs encased in dark jeans. Dark,ironedjeans attached to long legs, a green pullover sweater, and…yep, rich brown eyes. It’s Mr. Decaffeinated Autumn Hater himself.
Neither of the men has noticed me yet, so I take a minute to study Evan’s companion. Within seconds, it hits me why he looked so familiar in the café: he’s a slightly older version of Evan. Everything Gwen has told me about Evan’s oldest brother clicks into place like a completed puzzle. Stiff, overly formal, matter of fact, socially awkward. The man from the café is Jasper Perry. And I just told Gwen I thought he was cute.
Evan strides into the room and goes straight for Gwen, giving her a quick hug and kiss. He comes around the table to hug me next. “I see you’re keeping my fiancée fed, as usual.” He peers over my shoulder at the bistro table and snags the half-eaten cookie on Gwen’s napkin before waving a hand behind him. “Willow, this is my oldest brother, Jasper. Jasper, this is a good friend of ours, Willow Stewart. She co-owns the café here in the Village.”
Jasper steps forward with his hand outstretched. I’m not sure if the way his brows are pinched is his normal expression or if he’s putting together the fact we met this morning. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Willow. Officially, that is.” His warm hand engulfs mine and he gives it a firm shake.
“Officially?” Gwen asks.
“Sherée wanted coffee as soon as we arrived, so I stopped at the café while she and Malcolm went into the shop next door,” Jasper explains. His diligence over the decaffeinated coffee makes sense now, seeing as his sister-in-law is pregnant.
“Huh.” The absent way Gwen says it, paired with the way her eyes are currently boring into me, tells me she’s put together what I said earlier with what Jasper just told her. I stare back at her, trying to keep my expression placid, even though I can feel heat creeping into my cheeks. After an endless moment, she turns back to Jasper and asks where Sherée and Malcolm are.
I listen to his response with half an ear as I tidy up Gwen’s and my lunch things. I tune back in when Jasper says he doesn’t want to be a bother and would be fine staying in a hotel for the night.
“It’s no bother,” I say. “My apartment is tiny, but my couch is comfortable, and it’s only for one night. We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the next few weeks for wedding stuff, so we might as well get a head start. I promise my apartment doesn’t have any autumn decor.”
A tiny hint of movement flits around Jasper’s mouth. Gwen has told me getting him to smile is sometimes like pulling teeth, although apparently he’s improved over the last year. The way amusement lights his brown eyes makes me curious to see his smile. And when I get curious about something, I tend to make it my mission to find out.
“That’s settled then,” Gwen says. “Jasper, you’ll come to our place for the evening, then you can head over to Willow’s later tonight.”
Jasper nods in my direction. “I’m much obliged.”
Much obliged!Oh, this guy. I give him a bright smile, which is met with another minuscule movement of his mouth. Operation Make Jasper Smile roots itself in my brain. After being all work and no play since returning to Bellevue, I think I’m going to have a little fun with Jasper Perry.
