Espresso Your Love (The Coffee Loft Series: Fall Collection)

8. Ryan

8

Ryan

Cassie is my neighbor; that’s a nice surprise. When she opened the door and I saw her in her pajamas and hair a mess, it was such a contrast to the Cassie I normally see. She’s always impeccably put together, from her outfit to her hair. But yesterday, I saw another part of her. The relaxed, down-to-earth Cassie—except for her behavior.

One minute she was nice and the next she was short. Like she didn’t know how to react. Maybe it's because she was caught off guard, I was too, or maybe she is just as affected by me as I am by her.

I wonder if Ethan knew…I’m sure he did and didn’t bother to tell me. His words echo in my head. The house will be good for you . Either he knew or he just meant it would be good to get out of the Cozy Nook Inn.

But now, I have a front-row seat to Cassie. She’s always at Coffee Loft, we’re working on this event together, and now she’s my neighbor. We’ll be running into each other while carrying the groceries in the house or taking the trash out.

The rest of the week goes by in a blur. Anytime I’ve seen her, which I can count on one hand, she’s been cordial but distant. No banter, no witty comments. Maybe she’s nervous about the festival? She mentioned how important this is to her career.

Maybe she’s just not interested . That thought stings a bit.

“Earth to Hayes.” Mitchell gives me a playful punch on the arm. “Care to share with the class?”

“Oh, nothing. Just zoning out.”

“I think it’s about your neighbor.” Mitchell gives a knowing smirk as he rubs Max’s head.

“You knew didn’t you? You had to know the house for rent was next to Cassie.”

“Hey, you needed a house, and I helped you find one,” he defends.

I shake my head.

“Just make a move. Remember step two: Action.” He slaps me on the shoulder.

“But then step three: the inevitable.”

“I was wallowing in self-pity. But that’s not you. Like I said, I think Cassie likes you.”

I huff. “Have you seen the way she’s been with me lately? It’s the opposite of like.”

“Maybe she’s scared too and needs to know how you feel. So you taking the first step, like asking her out, would give her confidence on how you feel.”

I give him a flat, disbelieving stare. “Do you hear yourself?”

He furrows his brow. “What?”

“Why aren’t you taking your own advice with Ashley?”

He waves his hand in the air. “It’s not about me right now. I’m giving you a pep talk. You need to just ask her out.”

A female dispatch voice comes over the radio. “Unit 3, we’ve got a call from Ms. Patterson at 258 Maplewood St. She’s reporting that some lawn ornaments are missing—specifically, some garden gnomes. Nonurgent, but check it out.”

“Dispatch, this is Unit 3. We are in route. Copy,” Mitchell responds then turns to me. “Probably teenagers bored and playing pranks. We’ve had some things similar.”

“Let’s find out.”

Ms. Patterson fills us in on her missing lawn ornaments when we arrive. We reassure her we’ll find Glenn, Ben, and Ken—yes, she named them, and no, I’m not making this up. We’re now driving around the neighborhood in hopes we find kids running around or her missing gnomes.

“Look there, is that one?” I ask as Mitchell slows the cruiser to a stop.

“It’s got a green hat like she said.”

I grab the gnome and put it in the car. “Does this look like a Glenn, Ben, or Ken to you?”

“I’ll bet it’s Ken.”

Some of the calls I’ve been on so far seem silly and insignificant, but it’s a breath of fresh air. I like this slower pace of everyday life. Being an officer in the city meant putting my life on the line every day and never knowing what I was walking into. The stakes were high every call of every shift. Each time I put on my uniform, I’m still doing the same thing—I will risk my life for my community, but it is different here. And it’s been exactly what I needed after my last security detail.

I shudder as the events of that day run through my mind. Too many people’s lives were on the line, and I can’t let this Autumn Festival be a repeat. It’s why I’ve gone over the plan a million times. I’ve talked it through with Mitchell; I even went to Chief and told him my plans. I need to make sure this is a safe event for the town, for its people, for Cassie. This event will go off without a hitch—for her sake and mine.

“Found another one.” Mitchell pulls over and grabs this one. “I’m guessing Glenn on this one.”

“He looks like a Ben to me.”

“I’ll bet you a coffee tomorrow morning that it’s Glenn.” Mitchell grins, placing it in the back with Ken.

“You’re on.” We shake on it then Mitchell pulls away.

We drive by the town park and see a group of teenagers walking by, gnome-less. We stop to give them a gentle interrogation about the gnomes to see if they know anything. If they did, they were probably just trying to have harmless fun. While I don’t encourage stealing someone else’s property, it’s not the worst they could be doing.

One starts to look extremely guilty. No one fessed up, but they point us to the third gnome. We give them a reminder about respecting others and their property then drive back to Ms. Patterson’s house.

“I knew you boys would find them!” she exclaims as we put them in her yard.

“Can you put Glenn by that pot?” She points to her flower bed.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mitchell says to her then whispers to me. “Coffee’s on you tomorrow, Hayes.”

She thanks us profusely and sends us away with a box of freshly baked cookies.

“Does everyone give baked goods as a thank you in this town?” I ask.

“The charm of small-town living, my friend.” He slaps me on the shoulder and walks around the cruiser to get in.

I grab two cookies out of the box and hand one to Mitchell.

“I can get used to it.”

We get back to the station to fill out paperwork on Operation Garden Gnome Rescue. After that gruesome torture, it’s time to head home and feed Max. There’s a town meeting tonight, my first one since I’ve been here, and I’m truly curious how these things work. Is it really like the movies and television shows make them out to be?

I change out of my uniform and get Max his dinner.

“Be a good boy. I’ll be back soon.” I scratch his head and walk out the door.

Leaving Max feels like leaving my wallet at home. Maybe that’s not a good analogy since I left my wallet at Coffee Loft pretty easily. But it feels weird like I’m missing a limb. He’s always with me, from home to work.

I lock the door and head down my steps when I see her. She’s her polished self again, no dressed-up-dog pajamas in sight. Her blonde curls are loose but tame, flowing down her shoulders on her purple coat.

“Hey, neighbor.” I give her a soft smile, not too eager, even though my heart feels like it will burst at any moment.

“Hey, Officer Hayes.” She greets me with a smile.

I move my hands down my outfit. “Just Ryan right now.”

She laughs lightly. “Right, Ryan.”

“You headed to the town meeting too?”

Her eyes light up. “Yeah, I can’t miss any town news.”

“Walking or driving?”

“I planned on walking,” she replies, glancing around us. “It’s such a beautiful evening.”

“Me too. Mind if I join you?”

She considers it for a moment before giving me a soft smile. “Sure.”

“You lead. I’ll follow.”

We start walking toward the town square in silence. I have so much to say, but I’m oddly very nervous. She’s been giving cordial vibes lately, and I’m not sure where we stand. The festival is always a safe topic. Maybe she’ll open up if I ask about it.

“How’s the festival organizing going?”

“It’s going well.”

“Any more hiccups?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” she says confidently.

Short and sweet. This might be a bit harder than I thought. It’ll be an interesting ten-minute walk.

“You mentioned a few vendors canceled. Were you able to find replacements?”

“Yes, luckily the festival is in high demand. So it was easier than I expected.”

“Any good ones?” I prod, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Yeah, actually. I found this vendor who creates themed escape rooms in trailers. It’s really amazing how they manage to squeeze an elaborate room into a small trailer. Have you ever done an escape room before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Oh! You’ll have to stop by. Ashley and I went to one in Huntsville a few years back.”

“Did you escape?”

She chuckles. “No, we didn’t. Ashley was absolutely no help but made me laugh the entire time. It was still fun. I’m sure with your police skills, you’d finish it pretty quickly.”

“We’ll have to put that theory to the test.”

“Yeah, I guess we will.” She smiles softly at me.

“What other vendors did you find?”

“This one’s a little different, but I think it’ll be a hit with the crafty folks. It’s a DIY candle-making station. She walks you through everything from picking the scents to molding it. And then you get to take home the candle you made. I think it offers a unique twist instead of just buying fall-scented candles.”

As she speaks, I could see the excitement in her eyes. It’s clear how much effort and time she puts into this, and I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together.

“It’s a little more personal.”

“Exactly.”

We take our seats in the town hall. Cassie is next to me with Ashley on the other side of her. Townspeople banter back and forth, gavels hammering, and the mayor calling for order. I don’t know why I’d ever doubt Gilmore Girls . The meeting is exactly like the television shows makes it out to be. Sadie is going to freak out.

I lean over to Cassie. “Did you bring the popcorn?” I whisper playfully.

She covers her hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter.

I lean in. “Is it always like this?”

She nods and whispers, “Pretty much.”

Her breath brushes along my neck, sending shivers down my spine. My heart rate picks up, but not like when I’m in a dangerous situation on the job. No, this is a different kind of danger. Danger of falling. I resist the urge to turn and look at her, knowing our faces would be centimeters apart if I did.

Suddenly, Cassie bumps into me, and I look over to her. Ashley looks towards us and whispers, “Keep it down over there, you two,” then winks at Cassie.

There’s a blush on Cassie’s cheeks now, but she doesn’t move away from me. Her arm is now pressing against mine. Another good sign that my judgment is correct, this is not one-sided.

I try to focus on the meeting as an older woman takes votes on whether or not another bench should be added to the town square. But my eyes keep traveling back to Cassie. I watch her through my peripheral vision, trying to be subtle. Her eyes flicker towards me, and she smiles. She caught me.

“What’s your opinion on the bench, Ryan?” she whispers with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“You can never have too much seating,” I respond as even toned as possible.

She chuckles and nudges my arm.

Cassie’s presence is filling me with unexplainable energy. All my reservations are gone. I had started to think she wasn’t interested or was avoiding me, but the way she’s engaging with me now—the way she looks at me with those piercing eyes—there has to be something between us.

I have no doubts about it now. It’s decided. Tonight, when I walk her home, I’ll take step two: ask her out.