And somehow, his eyes look even brighter in here than they did on the ice.
“That’s a dangerous thing to say to someone with access to pastries,” I reply.
“I trust you,” Zane counters, and I laugh.
“Alright. One black coffee and a pain au chocolat, it is. Best thing in the bakery.”
“That’s a bold claim,” Zane smirks.
“It’s not a claim. It’s a fact,” I say, placing a hand on my hip.
“Ok, I’ll take your fact.”
My hands feel clumsier than usual as I pass him his order.
“So what brings you here?” I ask, handing him the cup of coffee.
“Leo told me to stop by. He said he’d be around,” Zane explains.
“Leo left during lunchtime. He said something about a meeting, which is billionaire code for ‘someone is panicking, and I need to put out a fire,’” I explain.
“It happens,” Zane shrugs. “Or at least, I guess it does. I don’t have much business sense. My agent has saved me from plenty of sketchy deals.”
He rests an arm behind his head as he speaks.
“I’m pretty sure I know even less about business than you do,” I laugh.
I watch him take a sip of coffee while his gaze drifts around the bakery. He somehow seems even taller without skates than he did on the ice.
“This place is incredible,” he says, taking it all in.
“Yeah, Tess did amazing. We recently opened a program to help the youth in the neighborhood. It’s been great,” I explain.
Zane nods, listening.
“What time do you usually close?” he asks, glancing at the clock.
“About five minutes ago,” I laugh. “You came at the right time.”
“Oh, sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve come earlier.”
“Don’t worry. We’re always happy to help people deprived of caffeine.”
Zane laughs, and it does something to me that I immediately try to ignore.
I can’t do this, I repeat to myself.
Until he looks at me again.
“So you’re technically done working, then?” he asks, holding my gaze.
His eye contact makes my nerves spike, and I accidentally drop the spoon I’ve been fidgeting with.
“We still have to clean up, but my shift is almost over, yes,” I tell him.
“Is there any chance I could take you out for a coffee?” Zane asks.
He sounds… nervous.
