Page 31 of Harvest Heat

Rhys’s gaze dropped to Caleb’s mouth. He wanted to know what it would feel like to suck on his thick lower lip. He shouldn’t be thinking about Caleb this way. Especially not here, not in public. He looked away, focusing on the bunnies again.

“We’ll probably head out from here soon. When do you want to meet up to work on our entry?”

“I could pick up dinner at the pub, and we could brainstorm while we eat if you want to meet up at Cloud Nine around”—he glanced at his phone to check the time—“six thirty.”

That would give Rhys at least an hour home by himself to relax after being around people for the afternoon. He could shower and make himself a little more presentable, and there would be plenty of time for him to panic about seeing Caleb and maybe decide this was a terrible idea and Caleb should enter on his own and Rhys should just give up on the festival.

He nodded. “That sounds good.” It did, but should it? It wasn’t like it was a date. They could eat dinner together when they were working. That was fine, wasn’t it? “I’ll have to go to Frost + Foam if we start experimenting, but I can go get what I need after we talk.”

“Sure. It may take us a while to develop our ideas and learn what’s most important to each of us.”

“Right. Like I said before, historically, I’m not great at collaborating.”

Caleb smiled. “I think we’ll manage.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

Rhys wished he were as sure. He doubted it would take long at all for him to piss Caleb off. Just the thought of having to compromise on his own standards already had him agitated, but it really was the best way to give the town a chance to win.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t take forever to figure out an entry. The less time he spent in a confined space with Caleb, the less likely he would be to say something else as insane as telling Caleb he couldn’t think when he was shirtless. Right now, Caleb only knew that Rhys found him attractive enough to be distracting, but who wouldn’t?

His hotness was obvious, right? It didn’t mean anything that Rhys was attracted to him. He just needed to avoid acting on it. He would not let Caleb kiss him, no matter how much he wanted him to.

Rhys knew he couldn’t handle what would happen after a kiss. When Caleb realized Rhys was too difficult and too particular and not someone he wanted to pursue a relationship with, Rhys would be devastated. He wouldn’t be able to fight the urge to hide himself away from Caleb, from the town, from everyone who would see his undoing play out on Front Street.

CHAPTER 12

Caleb did his best not to stare at Rhys the entire drive back to Frostwick Harbor, but it wasn’t easy. He could watch Rhys all day. Seeing him sitting in the grass feeding the adorable bunnies had nearly done him in. It was all he could do not to sit down behind him, wrap his arms around Rhys’s waist, and pull him back until he was leaning against Caleb’s chest. His hand ached to touch Rhys. Working together wasn’t going to be easy.

Did he have to resign himself to only a working relationship between them?

Once again, Rhys had made it more than clear that he was as interested in watching Caleb as Caleb was in watching him, but he was skittish. As soon as anything began to feel intense, he looked away, and there were so many reasons why dating the other coffee shop owner in a small town was a terrible idea.

But working with him on their festival entry was the right thing to do. Their areas of expertise were going to mesh perfectly. They were going to come up with the most creative, best-tasting, most scientifically perfect beverage. How could they lose?

He realized he should’ve asked Rhys what he’d like for dinner, but if no one was supposed to know they were working together, he couldn’t exactly ask him in front of Tessa and Finn. So instead, after Rhys had been dropped off and Caleb had gotten home, showered, and changed into his favorite sweater and a tighter-than-necessary pair of jeans, he decided he’d simply get Rhys’s usual order at the pub. He had a feeling Rhys wasn’t a guy who would mind having the same thing he’d eaten a few days ago.

Caleb ordered a cheesesteak for himself and also got a Caesar salad instead of fries. He’d probably had way more fries than he should have since he’d moved. He’d been ordering out a lot. He’d been so focused on the shop that he hadn’t had time to get set up to cook in his apartment.

Abby was working at the bar when he came in to pick up his order. “Are you and Rhys having dinner together?”

Shit. He’d forgotten how everyone in town knew everyone’s business. Abby must have recognized Rhys’s standard order and known Caleb had ordered for him. “I told him I’d pick up something for him. We just got back from apple picking, and we both need to work on our festival entries.”

Abby smiled. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I bet it’ll be delicious.”

She’d been into Cloud Nine a few times since they’d met, and she’d gushed about all the drinks she’d sampled.

“I hope so. It would be a shock to win my first time entering, but I’m going to try.”

“You know, you and Rhys really ought to work together.” Apparently, everyone wanted them to. He understood why, but it added to the pressure to make a win for the town.

“That’s an interesting idea. Maybe I’ll talk to him.”

“You should do that.”

Was she in on trying to set them up like Tessa was? He realized he was going to have to be really careful if he and Rhys were going to keep their partnership secret.