You Mocha Me Crazy (Coffee Loft: Fall Collection)

5. Aurora

Chapter five

Aurora

“Mr. Sanders! So nice to see you. Would you like your usual?” I’m grateful for the distraction of the Piney Brook Gentlemen’s Club, as I’ve dubbed them. The older men who come into the Coffee Loft on Monday and spend the afternoon gossiping about their wives, honey-do lists, and other town news.

He nods. “That would be great, dear. I’m just going to take a seat over here and wait for the rest of the guys, if that’s okay.”

“You bet. I’ll bring your coffee right over.” I rush behind the counter and begin making his drink, a hot coffee with enough cream to turn the whole cup nearly white.

“Don’t forget, more milk than coffee,” Mr. Sanders calls from across the room.

“You got it!” I chuckle to myself. If they only knew their wives gossiped just the same as they do when they meet here for a book club on Wednesdays.

“Here you go,” I say, placing the hot cup of coffee in front of Mr. Sanders. “I’ve got some cinnamon rolls in the back. I’m going to heat them up. Want me to bring you one when they’re ready?”

Mr. Sanders nods and takes a sip of his coffee. “That sounds great.” He pulls out a newspaper and opens it to the sports section. One thing about the Piney Brook Gentleman’s Club, they all like their physical newspapers. I thought everyone got their news online these days, but not these men. I asked about it once, and Mr. Walters said, “They can pry my paper out of my cold, dead hands.”

I step into the back and glance up at the back wall where the big analog clock I picked up at a thrift shop in Pine Bluff hangs.

“If you keep glancing at the clock, time might stop,” Lacey says from her place at the break table. “He won’t be here until five thirty. Relax.”

I shake my head. “That’s just it. How do I tell him it was a mix up? I can’t go out with him . I didn’t even hear him ask!” I take the tray of cinnamon rolls and slide it into the toaster oven.

She laughs and pops a bite of raspberry pastry into her mouth. “You agreed, though. Your dad looked quite happy about the whole thing, too.”

I shake my head. Of course, Dad would play matchmaker. He’s been hinting more and more that he’d like to see me settled down. Thankfully, Mom seems to understand I’m focused on my career right now. She isn’t pushing to have grandbabies in the next year, though Dad would be over the moon. “Do you think that’s why he insisted on hiring Bradley?”

“No,” she says. “Reid’s the best architect in the county. Maybe even the state. So I’m sure Lost Creek Construction is top-notch as well.”

“Oh,” I say, frowning. Figures he’d be great at his job. Now I really don’t have a reason to insist on using someone else.

Anyone else.

When the timer dings indicating the cinnamon rolls are warm, I take the tray out and set the rolls on a serving platter. “Better get these out there. I’m sure Mr. Sanders and the guys are wondering where I am.”

Lacey nods. “I’ll be out soon.” She turns back around in the chair and stuffs the rest of her pastry into her mouth.

“Take your time,” I say. “Don’t choke.”

At five o’clock, the dining room’s cleared out. This time of night, we usually get a few high school kids who like to use the tables to study. I considered closing earlier, but I enjoy providing a safe place for them to get together.

“Are you ready for your dinner date?” Lacey asks, wiping the last of the dirty tables down.

“Uh, no.” I look down at my clothes. “Why did you let me agree to this? You know I’m not good at dating. No one wants the girl who smells like coffee and couldn’t be on time to save her own life.”

“Here,” she says, tossing me a t-shirt. “Put this on.”

I duck into the restroom and swap shirts. “Seriously?” I ask.

“What? It’s what I had in my bag.” Lacey grins. “Besides, it’s very on-brand.”

I look down at the t-shirt, a giant coffee mug takes up most of the center. The phrase “Stressed, Blessed, and Coffee Obsessed” is splashed across the chest.

“I really don’t think this is a good idea, Lacey. You know how my dates usually end. Awkwardly, with the man trying to get away as quickly as possible.” Which is why I haven’t bothered in the last few years. Why put myself out there, if it’s just going to end badly, anyway?

“Knock that off. You’re brilliant, amazing, beautiful . . .”

The bells above the door chime, interrupting her sentence. We both turn to greet the newcomer. “And brave,” she says before grabbing the dish bin and scooting to the back.

“Lacey,” I hiss loudly. “Come back here!”

When the only response is the swing of the pass-through door, I straighten and plaster a smile on my face. “Bradley, how lovely to see you again.” He smiles and it feels like my heart stops beating. His eyes crinkle just a little, and it makes him even more handsome.

Stepping closer to the counter, Bradley pulls a bouquet of daisies from behind his back. “These are for you,” he says, stretching his arm out and waiting for me to take the offering. “I noticed the flowers on the tables this morning, so I figured these would be a safe bet.”

He noticed . . . what now? I didn’t think men noticed much of anything, to be honest. My dad never seemed to notice when Mom added a new throw pillow or swapped out the living room rug. “Thank you,” I say, taking the flowers from his hands. “You shouldn’t have.”

He cocks his head. “It’s my pleasure. I’m just thrilled you agreed to go to dinner with me, for old times’ sake.”

“I’ll put these in water,” I say, turning to walk into the back. I need to get a grip.

“Whoa,” Lacey says. “What happened?” She steps into the supply closet and comes back out, vase in hand. “Here, I’ll do that. You talk.”

I plop into the chair she was just sitting in and drop my head in my hands. “Lacey, tell me to grow up. Please? This is ridiculous. He can’t come in here all gorgeous and smiling, and gorgeous, thinking I’m just going to let go of a year of bullying and tears.” Heat creeps up my neck when I realize my eyes are wet.

“You said gorgeous twice,” she points out. “Did he bully you?”

“Yes.” I sigh. “No. I don’t know. He would do things, or say things, and the other girls would run with it. They made my life miserable, Lacey.”

She sets the vase with the colorful bouquet on the corner of the break table before taking a seat on the floor beside me. “Do you think he meant to hurt you? Or do you think those girls were just cruel and used his interest in you to fuel their nasty attitudes?”

I sit up in the chair, wiping my hands on my jeans. “The result is the same, right? Because of him, everyone called me Thumper . . . for months.”

“Are you serious?” Lacey asks. “That’s . . .” She slaps a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her giggles. “Kids can be so mean,” she finally says. “Creative, but mean. Sorry,” she says, when she realizes I’m not laughing along.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I say. Images of all the things that could go wrong flit through my mind like a grainy black and white movie.

She shakes her head. “I’ve never known you to shy away from hard things. You’re the level-headed business woman. The woman who sees what she wants and goes after it. I’m surprised he’s got you tied up in knots. I’ve never seen you this flustered over a man. Not even Jayme, who proposed to you, for goodness’ sake.”

“I know.” My stomach knots. “I’m surprised, too,” I say. “What do I do?”

Lacey smiles. “You have two choices. You can march out there and tell Bradley to jump off a cliff with weighted boots.”

I gasp. “Lacey!”

She giggles. “Or you can go out there and show him you’re stronger than you used to be. Go to dinner as a professional courtesy. Then you can avoid him like the plague if it’s awful. I’ll even bring you little satchels of potpourri to put in your pockets when he’s next door. We’ll call it Bradley repellant.”

I laugh. “That seems extreme. How will some dried flowers keep him away from me?”

She shrugs. “Not sure, but during the black plague, people thought stuffing flowers in their pockets was a good idea. Can’t hurt, right?” Grinning, she pushes up off the floor. “I’m going to check on Ashlan, and then I’m heading out. Knox is ordering pizza and we’re watching the latest animated superhero adventure with Matti tonight.”

I sigh. “Thanks, Lacey.”

“No problem,” she says, dusting her hands off on her pants. “I’ll let Bradley know you’ll be right out.”

I nod. “Yeah. Thanks.”

She stops as she reaches the door. “Who knows, maybe he’s the man of your dreams.”

She’s gone before I can argue. I lean my head on the table and take a deep breath to gather my resolve. Today started off on the wrong foot, and I’ve been letting my emotions get the better of me ever since.

I’m going to this dinner, and I’ll be the most professional business woman Bradley’s ever seen.

Then, I’m going home, throwing that alarm clock in the trash and moving my phone back into my room.