“What do you guys do?” I asked.
“Sometimes we go to each other’s houses,” she said, and I tried not to let my grimace show. I was pretty sure she caught it because she smiled and continued. “Sometimes we come here.”
“That sounds fun.”
Grace’s eyes lit up. “We’re actually here quite a bit. Marjorie and Henrietta put on a lot of classes and we love to join.”
“Can I give you my number?” I asked.
“Yes. Do you want to just hand me your phone?”
I nodded. I made sure our hands didn’t brush.
After my phone was safely in Grace’s possession, I frowned. I’d touched Theo the night before, yet I still had the habit of avoiding it with others.
While she put her number in my phone, I thought about letting our hands brush.
My body immediately tensed at the idea. Just like it had with the idea of going to Jade’s shop.
I had to resist the urge to sigh. Last night with Theo, I’d been nervous, but I was able to push through. The idea of touching Grace was far scarier. I liked her, but there was no way I could touch her.
And that meant I still had work to do.
Theo was in his usual spot when I walked into The Reserved Bean, and Kelsey was behind him. He gave me a small smile when he saw me, but she nearly ran to the front to talk to me first.
“There you are. I heard that you saw Grace at the library today.” She leaned on the counter with a smile on her face. “Wanna tell me about it?”
“Does news really travel that quickly?”
“It definitely does here. But Grace texted us. We have a group chat that you need to join.”
“I still need to meet everyone first,” I said. “But that sounds fun. Grace was very nice. She invited me to one of the girls’ nights at the library.”
Kelsey raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to go?”
“I’m going to try.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Theo’s eyes slide to me, and I slipped into the past where my hand had been on his arm.
My skin erupted in gooseflesh and I had to cross my arms to hide it. The idea sent a thrill down my spine, and I knew I wanted to try it again.
“You’d really like all of the women in town,” Kelsey continued,unaware of my thoughts. “They’re sweet and really care about each other. I’ve thought about joining for in-person hangouts more than once, but I don’t plan on staying here for too long. Strawberry Springs is just a temporary stop for me.”
That got me out of my thoughts. “You’ll be leaving? When?”
Her face fell. “When I find a job that’s in my career path or when I finally have enough money to move somewhere else. Both are way harder than I thought they would be.”
“I pay you decently, don’t I?” Theo frowned. “Is this a passive way of asking me for a raise?”
“You pay me more than enough, but I have student loans that drain my bank account.”
“That’ll do it,” I said with a sigh. “And I need to make sure my own get paid, so I should get my coffee and work.”
“Boo,” Kelsey said as she stuck her tongue out at me. “I’ll get it started. She’s all yours.” After a grin toward Theo, she was gone.
He only let out a long sigh. “I’m guessing you want your usual.”
“I do.” I handed him my card. For once, I didn’t hold the corner of it, leaving things open for our hands to touch.
