Page 19 of Harvest Heat

If he and Rhys could take first and second in the competition, the town would be over the moon. Agnes was determined the town would sweep every category they entered, but all he could do was work on his own entry. He really wished Rhys had agreed to do this together.

He tried a drink with a maple-forward flavor, but it was too sweet, even for him, and the maple was too dominant. No one wanted to wonder if they were just drinking coffee-flavored maple syrup. Next, he tried an apple-flavored concoction, but he didn’t like it. The apple didn’t taste real enough. After multiple iterations of the maple and apple drinks, he attempted a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin latte. It was better, but still not right.

His stomach growled, and he realized it was way past dinnertime. Most of the neighboring businesses were closed by now, but he saw a light on at Frost + Foam. Was Rhys working on his drink too? He squashed the urge to go and find out. Instead, he grabbed his jacket and hat and headed toward the pub.

Up ahead, he saw Rhys step out of his store and cross the street. Caleb accelerated his pace to catch up with him and arrived at the door right behind him. “Hi,” he said as Rhys reached to open the door.

Rhys whirled around, looking startled. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know anyone was behind me.”

He looked so damn cute when he was flustered. Caleb wished he could wrap his arms around him to settle him down, but he was afraid that would make things much worse, so he grabbed the door, holding it open for Rhys. “Go on in.”

He hurried inside, and Caleb followed. “Are you meeting someone here?”

Rhys nodded. “Tessa. I was working late, trying to…”

“Test out drinks for the festival?” Rhys looked away nervously as he nodded. “So was I.”

“I saw your lights on.”

Caleb smiled. “I saw yours too.”

Rhys glanced back at him, and their gazes held. Caleb tried to say something else, but he couldn’t get over the beautiful darkness of Rhys’s eyes.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here, Caleb,” Tessa called as she moved their way.

He quickly looked away from Rhys. “I hadn’t planned to be, but I was working late and thought I’d come down here and grab something to take back to Cloud Nine.”

“We walked in at the same time,” Rhys said. “So I haven’t gotten a table yet.”

Suddenly, Tessa pulled her phone from her bag, looked down at it, and frowned. “Actually, Rhys, I’m so sorry to do this, but maybe you should get something to go, or you two could eat together. I actually have to run.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Marianne. She needs me. She’s got… um… a baking emergency.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Rhys looked utterly confused.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m really sorry, but I’d better run. It sounds like she’s really in a bind.”

Could she be any more obvious? Caleb did not need her trying to push him and Rhys together. “Okay. Good to see you, Tessa.”

“Yes, good to see you too. Why don’t you get a table together? I’m sure you need a break from working late.” She hurried out the door before either of them could respond.

“She was acting strange, right?” Rhys said.

Caleb smiled. “Absolutely.”

Rhys shrugged. “She’s kind of high-strung. Sometimes I have no idea what she’s thinking.”

Caleb wasn’t about to fill him in. “So how did you and Tessa meet?”

“We were in the same class in second grade. It was a new school for me, and I didn’t know anyone. I hardly spoke, and most people avoided me. My parents had just gotten divorced, and my mom moved us here from Buffalo because my grandmother was close by. Tessa was in my reading group and my math group, and she kept asking me questions until I was forced to talk to her. She decided to be my friend, and I didn’t really have any choice. It was like she understood how to talk to me when other people didn’t.” Rhys paused and took a breath. “Oh shit. That was too much information.”

“No. I’m happy to listen to anything you want to tell me.” That was the most words Rhys had ever said to him, and even though he’d been speaking faster than Caleb thought possible, he loved that Rhys wanted to share something with him. “That must’ve been hard. Moving like that and trying to make new friends.”

Rhys looked down, and Caleb watched as he rubbed his thumb over his fingers. “I didn’t really have friends in Buffalo, so it was okay. I like living close to the ocean.”

“There’s less snow here too, right?”