Page 27
Bonnie turned to us and said that anything we ordered would be excellent. Angelica and I both ordered the special with cranberries. Bonnie got an iced vanilla latte with an extra shot in hers. She turned back to us. "But here in Jasper Creek, celebrity watching isn't a sport. It's more like bird watching. You observe from a respectful distance."
"Unless you're a local, and you’re in the middle of a romance," Angelica said as she grabbed her drink. "Then all bets are off."
I picked up my drink and took a sip. It was heaven in a cup. “I’m coming here every single day,” I sighed.
“Good choice.” Bonnie grinned as we followed her to an empty table.
"How are the twins handling having Uncle Code around?" Angelica asked Bonnie
"They’ve adopted him completely." Bonnie smiled. "Amber made him help with their science fair project. He didn’t do the work, he taught them. He was really impressive."
"He's good with them?" I tried to sound casual.
Bonnie and Angelica exchanged looks.
"He's patient." Bonnie chose her words carefully. "Not really a kid person, but he treats them like small adults. Amber respects that."
"And Lachlan?" Angelica asked.
"Thinks Uncle Code is the coolest person ever because he helped them win third place at the science fair."
A beautiful redhead appeared with a plate of what looked like homemade cookies. "On the house. Pattie from the diner sent these over. She's trying a new recipe."
We each took one. Lemon with lavender, delicate and perfect. Nothing like the protein bars that passed for treats in LA.
“Ruby, do you know Jase’s sister Angelica?” Bonnie asked.
Ruby shook her head and held out her hand. “I’m Ruby Miller,” she smiled. “I manage this place.”
“I’m going to come here every day,” I said.
Ruby’s smile got wider. “Another convert. I love it.”
I held out my hand. “I’m Kit. Angelica drug me along on her road trip.”
“Glad to have you here.”
“Can you sit down for a minute?” Bonnie asked.
Ruby looked over her shoulder at the line at the counter. “Not right now. I’ll take a raincheck. It was nice meeting you both.”
“Goody. She left the cookies,” Angelica clapped her hands.
Bonnie took another bite of cookie, then she turned to me. "So, are we talking about the thing or not talking about the thing?"
"The thing?" I asked.
"The reason you're here. The video." She kept her voice low. "Jase mentioned it, just the basics. I'm sorry you're dealing with this."
"It's..." I stopped. What was it? Terrifying? Humiliating? Career-ending? "It's a nightmare."
"But Code's on it now." Bonnie reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "If anyone can solve this, it's him. The man speaks computer like it's his native language."
"When he speaks at all." Angelica grinned. "Did you see how he shut down Jase? 'That's enough background.' I thought Jase was going to swallow his tongue."
"Code doesn't like attention." Bonnie glanced at her phone. "Speaking of attention, I should head back. Mrs. Forrest gets cranky if I'm late for her color."
We walked back to the salon together. Bonnie hugged us both before disappearing inside. Through the window, I could see her greeting an elderly woman with blue-tinted hair.