Sam blinked. Mrs. Bellows never used that tone with him. “I’m in the middle of…”
“Maya can handle it.” Mrs. Bellows gestured sharply toward the back room.
Maya materialized beside the register, eyebrows climbing toward her purple hair. Sam handed over the transaction and followed his boss, his stomach sinking.
Mrs. Bellows shut the office door with a hard shove. She was a petite woman, barely five feet tall, but she could project authority like a general.
“That man.” She pointed toward the front. “The one in the expensive suit who tips you forty-seven dollars for a two-dollar-fifty coffee.”
“Mabon?”
“Is that his name?” Mrs. Bellows crossed her arms. “Well,Mabontried to buy my shop.”
Sam’s leg wobbled. “What?”
“Last week. He showed up at my house with a briefcase full of documents and an offer for twice the market value.” Mrs. Bellows’s mouth thinned. “He was very insistent, almost desperate. He kept saying he wanted to ensure the establishment maintained its current standards and staff.”
Sam’s throat closed. “He wanted to buy the Daily Bean.”
“Wanted to buy it, keep everything exactly the same, and apparently pay me enough to retire to the Bahamas.”Mrs. Bellows shook her head. “I told him no. This shop has been in my family for thirty years. It’s not for sale at any price.”
Sam couldn’t breathe properly. The walls felt too close.
“He seemed surprised when I refused.” Mrs. Bellows studied Sam’s face. “Then he asked if you were happy working here, if the wages were fair, and if I treated you well.”
Oh, gods, no.
“Samuel, I don’t know what’s going on between you and that man, but…”
“Nothing’s going on.” Sam could barely get the words out. “We’re not… He’s just a customer.”
“A customer who wants to buy your workplace.” Mrs. Bellows’s expression softened slightly. “Look, I’m not telling you who you can or can’t associate with. But that kind of behavior? Trying to purchase a business just to what? Control your work environment? That’s not normal. That’s concerning.”
Sam’s hands were shaking. He shoved them in his apron pockets.
“Just be careful, all right?” Mrs. Bellows opened the door. “Whatever he wants, it’s clearly not casual.”
Sam walked back to the counter on autopilot. Mabon stood by the window, sipping his maple latte, looking composed, heartbreakingly handsome, and possibly insane. Why else would he have tried to buy the coffee shop?
Maya caught his eye, mouthed “you okay?” but Sam couldn’t answer. He grabbed a cloth and started wiping down the espresso machine even though he’d cleaned it twenty minutes before.
Mabon turned, caught Sam staring, and smiled, that same genuine smile.
Sam couldn’t help it – he looked away.
Finishing his latte, Mabon approached the counter with the empty cup, and Sam’s fingers tightened on the cloth.Just ask. Just get it over with.
“Mrs. Bellows said someone tried to buy the Daily Bean.” The words came out steadier than Sam expected. “Was that you?”
Mabon went completely still, the cup frozen halfway to the counter, his dark eyes widening with something that looked remarkably like panic.
“I…” Mabon set the cup down with exaggerated care. “Yes, that was me.”
Sam’s stomach twisted. “Why would you try to buy this place?”
“Because…” Mabon’s throat worked and his knuckles whitened against the counter edge. “Because I wanted to give it to you.”
Sam had to check for a moment just to make sure his heart was still working. “What did you say?”
