Snow is Falling, Cocoa is Calling! (The Coffee Loft Series: Fall Collection)

5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

CAITEY

W hen Caitey lifted her eyes to his again, she gave a start. Marcus took the opportunity to gaze at her. He watched while her eyes floated across his lips and then rose to his eyes.

She blushed and picked at her bagel. She was taking tiny, careful bites and glancing about the room.

“ Jenna hired you for her wedding, then,” he said, pulling her nervous attention back to him. “Are you close cousins?”

“Oh, yes. Jenna hasn’t always lived in New Orleans. We both grew up in San Diego. She moved there several years ago, and loves the history, architecture, and the casual lifestyle. She went to business school, then opened her own Coffee Loft franchise.”

Marcus nodded. “That’s what Logan told me when they were dating. Now, I’m curious why you suddenly ran off. ”

“You mean back at the house?” Caitey blushed. “Because you were watching me . Very strangely, I might add.”

“Well, that’s my job,” he said with an amused grin.

“I was surprised neither Jenna nor the family was there. The place was deserted—except for the surveillance guy,” she quipped, giving him a stern look from under her lashes. “You should have said something, you know!”

“I was going to,” he protested, opening his hands in a show of innocence. “But you went around the back of the house and then zoomed off in such a hurry, I figured I had frightened you somehow. I decided not to approach you. Not when everyone was gone.”

“Jenna texted me that they had car trouble and were at the mechanics. She suggested I come into town and get a drink. So, thanks for the consideration.” She added, “You do realize that maintenance people don’t usually wear suits.”

Marcus let out a chuckle. “Touché! I hadn’t thought about that. When I’m in work mode I always wear a suit.”

She blinked at him. “Seriously? Why?”

“It’s what I’m used to. I wore a uniform for too many years. And now I wear suits.”

Caitey cocked her head at him. “May I ask what sort of uniform? UPS delivery guy? Electrician? TV repair guy?”

Marcus found himself leaning in closer, his hands cupped around his mug. She was teasing him, and he discovered that he was grinning. In addition to her professional dress and high heels, she was funny and adorable, too.

“None of the above, I’m afraid. I hope I don’t disappoint you when I admit I’m a retired Navy grunt. Special forces for part of it. . .” his voice trailed off for a moment.

“When you say, special forces in the Navy, what are you referring to?”

He gave her an unassuming smile. “SEALs.”

“Wow,” Caitey whispered. “I’ll bet you have some wild stories.”

“I’d tell you all my secrets, but they’re classified,” he said with a big grin.

She returned the smile. “If you told me, you’d have to kill me?”

“Something like that.” Now they both laughed.

“So did all that dangerous, classified work lead you to this job. . .?”

Marcus nodded. “Yeah, I loved the Navy, actually and wanted to keep doing something similar afterward so I went into intelligence and spy ops. That’s the reason the Hearst family hired me. I still do high-end security jobs for politicians and celebrities who are coming in for an event. You’d be surprised at how much demand there is in Southern California.”

Caitey blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting that but protecting high profile people does make sense. Do you like it?”

“Of course.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Sometimes. But I like living dangerously,” he added in a low voice.

There was a slight pause, and he watched her finish her soda. Her body language showed nerves, but Marcus didn’t want to make her feel nervous. His instincts were always to protect, serve, rescue, and help others.

He grinned, glancing at her plate. “Are you going to finish that bagel?”

“Oh!” She gave a little laugh. “Guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought. Do you want it?”

“Heck, yeah. I’m always hungry.”

“I suppose tramping through woods and climbing trees makes a person hungry.”

“I have a stepladder in the shed for when I climb the higher limbs.”

He loved how her lips curved into a soft smile when she teased him. “Can’t get your fancy designer suit dirty or torn.”

“You better believe it. These nice suits the Hearst family purchases for my work are the only way I get respect,” he laughed. “Honestly, I have a long reach, so installing security stuff is usually not a problem.”

“Is there anything else you do as part of your job?” she asked.

“I also do bodyguard work. Living so close to Los Angeles and Hollywood gives me a lot of opportunity.”

Her eyebrows came together in a slight frown. “I didn’t spot a car. Do you walk back and forth from town to the estate? That’s got to be ten miles.”

“My vehicle was parked in the garage. I have an access code, and there are several parking slots. Usually, when I’m doing security at the property, I don’t want other people to know I’m there, so I don’t park my car or work truck in the driveway.”

“That makes sense.” She finished off her drink, making a slurping sound through the straw, indicating the drink was gone.

She gave an embarrassed laugh, and Marcus chuckled, too.

Her next question came out of the blue. “Did you follow me here to the Coffee Loft? It startled me to see you right behind me.”

“Yes. And no. Logan called to tell me they were delayed. Getting a tire fixed. Jenna got on the phone and told me to keep an eye on you. When you took off like a shot down the mountain, I sprinted down the hill and behind the house to get my car and keep up with you.”

Caitey smiled shyly. “That’s nice to know they were worried about me. I sat in my car and texted Jenna when I got to the Coffee Loft, so she knew where I was.”

“I’ll escort you back to the estate if you’re ready?” he asked.

“I suppose that’s a good idea,” she said hesitantly. “In case I have a flat tire,” she added with a laugh.

“No more tire blowouts or car breakdowns today.”

She rose and picked up her handbag. “I’m in the Nissan SUV just outside the shop.”

“I know,” he said with a smile.

Caitey gave a self-deprecating laugh. “ Right. You literally just followed me here. From now on, I’ll think of you as ‘security guy in a million-dollar Armani suit.’”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” he protested, smiling down at her. “This is my second-best suit. I use it for outdoor jobs only.”

“Well, you must be a pauper while you’re at work,” she said, her grin lighting up her entire face and dazzling blue eyes.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. But she was reserved and careful, which was smart.

“I almost forgot,” he said. “Just remembered that Logan and Jenna want me to bring back iced coffees for them. She said that dinner isn’t until seven tonight and they’ve been waiting at the auto place most of the afternoon. Will you wait while I grab those to go?”

“Of course,” she said, waving a hand toward the order counter.

There was a lull in customers—only two teenage girls giggling in a corner were left in the shop besides them.

After ordering, Marcus pulled out his wallet to grab his credit card while Caitey darted forward, reaching toward the tiled floor. She appeared to be studying whatever she picked up quite intently.

She finally glanced up at him. “I think you dropped this photograph. Fell out of your wallet.”

He froze for a moment. “Thank you,” he said stiffly, taking the photo from her hand. Their fingers brushed and it was like that moment in the old movie, Somewhere in Time, when the past and the present collided and the world seemed to tilt.

The photograph was a wallet-sized image of his old girlfriend, a studio glamour pose in which her hair and makeup were professionally done. She wore an off-the-shoulder red evening dress, the same dress she had worn on the night of their engagement dinner celebration four years earlier.

It was the last night of happiness between them before their wedding plans ended, throwing Marcus into a dark and terrible world where nothing made sense.