Her brow pinched, but she placed her usual order and I followed her to the table.
“If you’re trying to break up with me, I’m afraid the answer is going to be no.”
I startled. “What? Why would I be doing that?”
“You have a very guilty look in your eyes.”
“It’s not that, I promise. I just have some plans next week in Nashville. The franchise owner wants to meet up.”
Piper blinked, considering it for a moment. “Is that all?”
“Well, yes.”
“Oh. I thought it was something way worse.”
“It’ll be on my only day off.”
“I could try to convince you to take another day off, but considering how busy you are—” She gestured to the front. “I have a feeling you’ll want to be here.”
I looked to the front where a line was forming. Kelsey was handling it well, but I knew I needed to get back.
“Sorry,” I said.
She only laughed. “It’s fine. The Reserved Bean deserves this. We’ll make time inother ways.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not worried about it.” I nodded, trying to match her calm energy. It didn’t work. “Areyouworried about it?” she asked.
“A little. And I like spending my day with you.”
Piper’s lip twisted as she considered it. “You know, I could go with you.”
“Are you ready for that?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. But it could be fun to try.”
I knew immediately that I liked the idea of her going with me. I knew things were easier for her with me there, but I didn’t realize how much easier it was for me when she was around.
“Hey, Theo?” Kelsey called. “Are you coming back soon?”
“Shit, I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk about it over dinner, love.” Without thinking, I pressed a kiss to her cheek and went back to the counter.
It didn’t hit me until later just how natural that felt.
The day was so busy that I wondered if I should hire another person. The baked goods added a wave of people that didn’t like coffee, especially in the afternoons when it was usually slow. It extended past Strawberry Springs into the smaller towns around us, and I didn’t get to stop until I locked the door.
Kelsey had to stay as well, and she dropped her head onto the counter the second the last customer left.
“What was that?” she muttered.
“Good business,” I said. “Thank you for staying to close even though you weren’t scheduled to.”
“You needed the help. And I’ll stay longer, even if I want to die while I do it.”
“Need help?” Piper’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.She was on the other side of the counter, staring at us with a small smile on her face.
“You know how I feel about you helping with closing,” I said.
