Page 4 of Harvest Heat

“I… Oh, shit. I… I’m sorry.” He glanced around. “I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Caleb said, but Rhys had already turned to flee.

Tessa looked stunned as she glanced toward the sidewalk, where Caleb could see Rhys hurrying back toward Frost + Foam. “I’m sorry about that.”

Caleb shook his head. “No need to apologize.” He ran a hand through his hair. He wanted time to process what had happened, but reassuring his customers had to be his priority. “Everything is fine. The machine just needed to be reset.”

Fortunately, conversation quickly resumed, and he shifted position so one of his employees could start a drink for the next person in line. Tessa moved along the counter with him.

“Does Rhys always notice things like that?” Caleb asked.

Tessa smiled. “He’s very observant, especially about anything to do with coffee. When he’s passionate about something, he often doesn’t think before he acts.”

Caleb could tell she was trying to defend her friend, but she didn’t need to worry.

“It really is okay. I appreciate the help.” Caleb was truly thankful Rhys had noticed that the heat had been turned up too much, and while someone else touching his machine might have made him angry, Rhys doing it was somehow charming. The man intrigued him. “I wish he’d stayed. I want to get to know him.”

She frowned. “He’s a little shy.”

“I’d guessed that.”

“Congratulations on opening day,” Tessa said. “It looks like things are going great.”

“They are. Thanks. Let me make you a drink. Whatever you’d like. It’s on the house.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”

“All right, I’ll try the…” She glanced up at the menu and smiled. “I love all the doodles and colors.” Caleb had spent a long time on the chalkboard menu, decorating it to make it more than just a list of drinks.

“Thanks. I just decided to let my personality come through, and if that worked, then it did, and if not…” He shrugged.

“It’s perfect. What do you recommend that tastes the most like fall?”

Caleb knew exactly what she needed: a Pumpkin Dream Latte. It was a creation he’d worked on for weeks because he wanted it perfect.

Caleb tried not to fidget as Tessa blew on her drink to cool it before taking a sip. When her eyes lit up with delight, he finally relaxed.

“That’s delicious. And you’re right. It tastes like fall. You should enter this in the drink contest for the Harvest Festival.”

“Thank you. I’ve been thinking about what to enter. I understand the festival is a big deal around here.”

Tessa grinned. “It’s a lot of fun, even if some people act like it’s a fight to the death for our town’s honor. Everyone is extra hyped since it’s Frostwick Harbor’s year to host, and Agnes always gets excited for us to win more ribbons than Newland because her sister lives there, and she wants bragging rights.”

Caleb laughed. He could just imagine that. “I’m still thinking about my entry. Speaking of drinks, what’s it going to take to get Rhys to try one of my drinks?”

Tessa bit her lip. “A lot of persuasion.”

“I’ll have to get him to stay in the same room as me long enough to persuade him.”

Tessa laughed. “One way or another, we’ll make it happen.”

Caleb studied her. “Why do I feel like you’re good at devising schemes like that?”

Tessa grinned. “I don’t know why you’d say that.”

He laughed at the obvious lie.