“Don’t flatter yourself. I was trying to be nice since you gave me a compliment first.”
I take the flower from his grasp, fragrance tickling my senses as I lift it to my nose and inhale. “My Romeo,” I mumble, a hint of sarcasm lacing my voice. It’s fully open, deep pinks in the center fade to softer pink along the edges. It’s stunning. My insides melt a little at the gesture.
“Forgive me?” The timber of his voice makes my heart skip. I contemplate his request. Luke lifts a hand to his chest, fingers splayed across his heart. His eyes go soft and his eyebrows scrunch. I suspect it’s his version of a puppy dog face, and dammit it works really well.
“I suppose I can forgive you. This is my favorite sweatshirt, though, so…” I gesture to the stained shirt.
“I’ll just have to make it up to you somehow.” His voice dips to a sultry tone, the sound zipping straight between my legs.
Luke walks forward and climbs onto my little patio. My eyes track his movements. His shirt clings to his muscular body, his skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. When he lifts his shirt to wipe his face, I’m graced with the view of chiseled abs and a line of hair that dips below his waistline.
Good Lord.The sight of his stomach causes tingles in all the right places.
Dropping his shirt, he sits down in the chair next to mine.
“Oh, okay, sure. Make yourself at home. I wasn’t having a quiet moment to myself or anything.” I wave my hand in his direction.
“Hey thanks! Very hospitable of you.” He smiles and leans back, rocking gently.
A comfortable silence fills the space between us. Me, sipping my coffee and twirling the rose between my fingers, Luke lazily rocking until he rolls his gaze toward me.
“Enjoying the coffee?”
“Solid small-talk effort. I’m impressed,” I tease. “But, yes, it’s really delicious. Tastes exactly like the coffee I get at home, so that’s nice.”
He laughs. “Yeah, small talk isn’t my strong suit. I’m not surprised it tastes just like the coffee you get at home.” He pauses for reasons I can’t discern. I arch my brows, waiting for him to continue. “I had to go all the way to Manhattan to get it.”
Pieces begin clicking into place. Seeing him at Bean & Brew all those weeks ago.
“What’s the matter, can’t find coffee around here?”
“Well sure, but you can’t argue that Bean & Brew has the best coffee. I know the owner, Claire; she and I grew up together. You probably know her too, since it seems you go there often. Or were you just there hoping to see me?” The lightheartedness in his eyes is adorable and disarming.
“Seeing you there was a lucky coincidence.”Oh my God, I can’t believe I just said that. What is this man doing to me?I clear my throat and take a sip of my coffee, earning another panty-melting smile from Luke. He doesn’t call me on it though, and I’m grateful for that.
“I go there almost every day, either with Viv or by myself. Our office is right around the corner.”
Did I know Claire was the owner? I must have, right? Have I been so consumed with myself that I didn’t pay attention to that detail? She knows our coffee order by heart, and that I love her croissants and pastries, so the least I could have done was listen more carefully. Guilt worms its way through me, burrowing deep.
“What’s happening in that brain of yours? You're thinking so hard. I feel like steam is about to come out of your ears.” Luke’s chair creaks as he rocks.
“I’m just wondering why you’d go there. I mean, I understand that you know her, but that's like… seven hours away just for coffee grounds. Solid commitment to the coffee game. I appreciate it tremendously”—I hold out my coffee for emphasis—“just seems like a bit much.”
“Claire and I wanted to partner up. We purchase her coffee exclusively to have here at the B&B. In return, she’ll have advertisements for our bed-and-breakfast in her coffee shop. It’s a busy little shop, so it’s a win-win, really.”
“Why don’t you just use social media to advertise?” I searched the Huffman House when Viv mentioned it, but didn’t comeacross any social media accounts. All I found other than their website was a Google Reviews page.
“Eh, I’m not a big social media guy.”
I nod as he speaks, lost in thought again. I bet I can get Holly on a social media account. It’d only help the bed-and-breakfast’s exposure more. I’ll check with her about that later.
The distinct sound of buzzing rings out across the lawn, and I see Josh along the edge of the path with a weed trimmer. Today must be lawn maintenance day.
“So, who’s Josh to you? You don’t look like brothers.” I realize the question is incredibly direct and internally scold myself.Too intense.I lift the rose to my nose again, eyebrows scrunching.
Luke, noticing my line of sight, seems unfazed though, and happily answers. “Not my brother by blood. He’s actually my cousin, but he grew up as my brother.” Luke looks in my direction, and my face must convey confusion, so he continues.
“My mom and Josh’s mom were sisters. When Josh was about four, his parents were killed in a car accident. My parents had the twins—they were one—and me. They took Josh to stay with us and went from a family of five to six overnight.” He’s quiet for a moment, thinking about it like he remembers it all well.
