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

7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

MARCUS

M arcus was distracted while he, Logan, and Reginald unloaded Caitey’s SUV. The boxes weren’t heavy despite being filled to the brim, and it only took about fifteen minutes to empty the trunk and the car interior.

Everything was stashed in Mrs. Hearst’s study, one pile and box at a time, while Reginald directed the best layout of each item and box.

“Look at all this stuff,” Logan said with a chuckle, pointing out ribbon and tulle, and cut-glass centerpiece bowls. “So much gold and red with dashes of mauve and teal.”

“Teal? Really? Never thought I’d hear my best friend use the word ‘teal,’” Marcus said, giving him a hard time.

Logan snorted a laugh. “It’s the popular new color, don’t you know? Get with the program. Jenna uses it all the time. She even painted a wall of her Coffee Loft shop in New Orleans a teal color. Said it was her accent wall.”

“I guess shops and stores and—fancy mansions—all have accent walls these days.”

Logan stuck his hands on his hips, nodding with a crooked smile on his face. “My mother is particular about her accent walls. Even the outdoor gazebo had to have an accent wall.”

Marcus let out a big laugh. “Now that’s going too far.”

“It does look pretty good,” Logan admitted with a shrug.

They returned to Jenna’s vehicle one last time to ensure they hadn’t overlooked any items.

Logan went to punch the button to lock all the doors, but Marcus stopped him. “Let’s make sure Caitey has her car keys with her inside the house and not under a mat.”

“Good thinking. We’ll check with her.” There was a moment’s pause, then Logan said, “Speaking of Caitey . . . what do you think of her?”

“Um, why would I think anything? I barely met her.”

“I know you too well. I saw that look you gave her over your shoulder.”

Marcus shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. “Just making sure she didn’t have any last-second instructions. Carry out a task, and the women send you back with forgotten items.”

“Sorry, Marcus, I’m not buying it. Jenna was on the other side of the room when you turned your head.” Logan paused, then with a knowing smirk said, “Caitey does seem nice.”

“Yes,” he said noncommittally.

“And . . . you have nothing else to add? Jenna mentioned that the two of you grabbed coffee while waiting for me and my parents to show up.”

“How would Jenna know that?” Marcus asked, trying to distract Logan, already knowing that Caitey had told Jenna she was at the Coffee Loft, and that Jenna knew he was at the Coffee Loft as well.

“Because Jenna told her to go there while she had to wait for Jenna and me to return from the tire shop. Caitey isn’t an unknown hired wedding planner. She and Jenna are not just cousins but close friends.”

“That’s true.”

Marcus wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he didn’t want to reveal his intense attraction to Caitey Belgrave. It seemed too soon. The two of them had just met.

“We bumped into each other in town. She was locked out here while everyone was gone. Reginald hadn’t arrived yet for the evening. Gus doesn’t answer doors or telephones. I was doing security. We just happened to go to the same place to get coffee. It’s the best place in the village. Although . . . now that I think of it, neither of us actually ordered coffee.”

Logan laughed. “Don’t change the subject. So, did you sit at the same table? Ignore each other? Caitey is incredibly good-looking. She seems like a poised woman, and Jenna obviously loves her. You haven’t taken notice of anyone since Shelley—”

Marcus raised his hands. “Don’t remind me.”

“Sorry, buddy, I don’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

Marcus shrugged. “I didn’t particularly notice Caitey’s good looks. Well,” he added with a sly laugh, “she does have excellent legs.”

There was a moment of silence while Marcus hoped Logan would drop the subject.

Instead, his friend narrowed his eyes. “How long were you there?”

“Uh, I wasn’t watching the clock.”

Logan chuckled, shaking his head. “That tells me you didn’t just order a drink and leave. You stayed. You got a table. You two had a little mini date.”

Marcus lifted his hands to stop him. “We did not have a mini date. Caitey hardly looked at me or spoke to me. She accused me of stalking her, for crying out loud.”

Logan took a step backward. “Come again. She what ? Why would she think you’re a stalker? What did you do ? ”

“Stop with the hundred questions,” Marcus said, walking a few steps away from Caitey’s vehicle and heading toward the stone pathways back to the garden.

Even though Marcus would be guarding the estate over the next several days, but didn’t realize he’d have to guard his thoughts and actions from his best friend in regard to a gorgeous dark-haired woman.