Page 9 of Harvest Heat

The discussion dragged on as people made suggestions on how everyone could up their game for the various festival competitions. Rhys hadn’t been able to stop himself from glancing at Caleb when the Best Fall Beverage competition was mentioned. Rhys had entered the year before out of duty to the town, but he hadn’t won because his entry wasn’t exciting enough.

Agnes seemed thrilled that they’d now have Caleb’s entry as well. Rhys seriously doubted that winning Best Fall Beverage was going to change the future of Frostwick Harbor, but he managed to force a smile and nod along with what Agnes had to say.

As soon as the meeting was over, Finn jumped up, pushed his chair back, and helped Rhys escape through the gap. Rhys hurried out like he was being chased by wild dogs, or worse, coffee shop–owning bears.

CHAPTER 4

Caleb couldn’t help but notice the way Rhys had fled from the business owners’ meeting. He wasn’t going to give up, though. Now he had a reason to talk to Rhys other than just wanting to meet the beautiful man who also owned a coffee shop. Agnes had grabbed him just as the meeting ended, saying she had the most marvelous idea.

She thought he and Rhys should work together on the competition instead of submitting two entries. They could enter once for the town. Caleb wasn’t even sure that was allowed since you were supposed to enter for your own business. Wouldn’t they have to put the entry under one of their brands or the other? He decided to ask Agnes about details later. There was no point in discussing it at all if Rhys wasn’t into the idea.

He sighed as he entered the tiny bathroom in the apartment above his shop. He had to fiddle with the faucet for a few moments to get the cranky shower to turn on. Who was he kidding? Rhys wasn’t going to be into the idea. He couldn’t even get Rhys to talk to him.

It was painfully obvious that he made Rhys nervous. Tessa said Rhys was shy, but he seemed relaxed and open enough with his friends. Was he that afraid that Caleb was going to take his business? Was there anything he could do to reassure him? Because not only was Agnes’s idea actually a good one, but Caleb would do just about anything to feel Rhys pressed against him again, like he’d been when Caleb stopped him from falling. That moment when Rhys had relaxed into him had been heavenly. He was amazed he’d been able to keep from getting hard and embarrassing himself.

Being anything other than friends with Rhys was a terrible idea, but that didn’t change how much he wanted it.

He stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour over him. He needed a plan. Would it help if he and Rhys met when there wasn’t anyone else around, like early tomorrow before their shops opened? He could take Rhys a drink and maybe a cinnamon roll. Did he like sweets? He didn’t sell any sweet drinks, but everyone liked cinnamon rolls, didn’t they?

The next morning, Caleb headed down to the shop even earlier than usual. He wanted to get the basic business of prepping the shop for the day completed ahead of schedule so he’d have time to make a drink for Rhys and take it to him.

Based on what Rhys served at his shop, he wasn’t going to want the same type of drink Caleb made for Tessa or any of the other concoctions on his specials board. He needed to make something flavorful with a little bit of sweetness, but more subtle.

He considered making a dirty chai, but he wanted to do something more creative, so he experimented with adding honey and nutmeg. It was good and might need to be added to the menu, but his instincts told him it wasn’t quite right for Rhys. It had too many flavors competing for attention. Rhys would want something quieter and even less sweet.

A salted honey latte or maybe a cappuccino. He guessed Rhys would want a drink with less milk, not more. He made one, tried it himself, performed a few tweaks, and then remade it. Rhys was going to love this.

Caleb put a lid on the cup and fitted a cardboard sleeve around it. For added protection against the chilly morning, he pulled out an insulated carrying case. He was determined that the temperature would be perfect when he arrived at Frost + Foam. Rhys would not want a lukewarm drink.

Why was he working so hard on this? He wanted to believe it was just because he was new in town and wanted to earn the respect of the other business owners. He wanted to fit. He wanted Frostwick Harbor to feel like home, and if he didn’t have friends, it wouldn’t.

He’d already started making friends. Tessa had invited him to sit with their group at last night’s meeting, but he’d declined because he’d already scared Rhys off. He’d made other friends around town too, and he’d joined a local beer league hockey team. So why did Rhys’s opinion matter so much?

He pushed that question aside, not sure he wanted to answer it. He needed to focus on his business. He’d told himself that going out with anyone needed to wait.

When one of his baristas arrived, he let her know he was walking over to Frost + Foam for a few minutes, and then he hurried out the door before he got any more nervous about his errand.

Caleb saw Rhys through the shop’s front door. He was standing behind the counter, flipping through a stack of papers. Caleb waited a moment, hoping he would look up and notice him. He absolutely did not want to startle him again, but eventually, he gave up and knocked softly on the door.

Rhys’s head flew up, and his eyes widened. Caleb worried for a moment that he’d dash into the back and pretend he hadn’t seen Caleb. But after a second of staring, Rhys walked slowly across the shop. Was he afraid he would trip again?

Caleb wouldn’t mind catching him. He’d been surprised how firm Rhys’s arms were when he’d gripped them to steady him the night before. What would he look like under the baggy clothes he usually wore? Caleb wanted to find out, but the last thing he needed was to create problems. He wasn’t even sure Rhys wanted to talk to him, much less…

He switched the insulated bag to his left hand and held out his right. “I’m Caleb.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rhys said. Then he blinked as if suddenly realizing that wasn’t what he was supposed to say. “I mean… I’m Rhys.” When he shook Caleb’s hand, tingles raced up his arm. What was it about this man? Why did he intrigue Caleb so much?

Rhys jerked his hand back as if he felt those tingles too. “Sorry, I’ve been setting up. My hands are damp.” He rubbed his hand on his jeans as if to dry it off. I didn’t mind his sweaty hands. I wouldn’t mind them touching me in other places.

“I brought you a drink,” Caleb said. He lifted the insulated bag to show him. Rhys shifted his eyes away, looking uncomfortable. “Just try it and tell me what you think. I didn’t make it as sweet as a lot of my drinks. I figured you wouldn’t like that.”

Rhys met his eyes again. “You did?”

The surprise on his face made Caleb want to do a lot more special things for him. Had Rhys thought he’d be that oblivious to someone’s tastes? “It’s not too hard to guess what you like based on what your shop sells.”

“Oh, right.”

Caleb walked to the counter, set the bag down, and lifted the drink out. “Here. Taste it.”