You Mocha Me Crazy (Coffee Loft: Fall Collection)

7. Aurora

Chapter seven

Aurora

I may have to sit through this dinner, but I do not have to listen to him pretend like he wasn’t at the root of all the bullying. I stuff the rest of the pizza in my mouth and pointedly look at my watch.

“I hate to cut this short, but it’s getting late and I open the Coffee Loft in the morning.” I force a yawn for good measure. “Ready to go?”

He’s barely eaten a full slice, but I can’t sit here anymore.

“Uh, sure. Let me get a box for the rest of the pizza. You can take it home with you.” He pushes to his feet and heads to the counter where two teenagers are making moon eyes at each other.

From this angle, I can appreciate the slacks even more. They fit him snug across the bottom. Ugh! What is wrong with me? I rub my hands over my face. “Get it together,” I whisper.

“What? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.” Bradley slides the uneaten pizza into the to-go box.

“Nothing,” I say, grabbing my purse and sliding out of the booth. “Thanks for taking me back to my car.”

He hesitates. “Aurora, I . . . Nevermind. You’re welcome.” He closes the box and motions for me to lead the way. At the truck, he opens the door for me to climb in before handing me the leftovers to hold. I wish he’d stop being so nice. This new grown-up version of Bradley is making it harder to remember why I don’t like him.

The ride back to the Coffee Loft is tense, and I know it’s my fault. I never should have agreed to this dinner to begin with. I wouldn’t have if I’d been paying attention to the conversation when he asked. My head falls back to the headrest. I should have called and canceled when I realized my mistake. Lacey was so encouraging, and if I’m honest with myself, a part of me wanted to know what it would be like to spend time with someone as handsome as he is.

Lifting my head up, I sneak a glance at him. His jaw is twitching, almost like he’s restraining himself from talking. Good. The less he talks, the less I’m charmed by him, and the easier it is for me to keep my walls firmly in place.

“Aurora,” he says as he pulls into a parking space and puts the truck in park. “I’m sorry if I’ve done something to upset you.”

I nod. “Thanks, but everything’s fine.” I slide out of the truck and close the door before he can say anything else.

The lights inside the Coffee Loft are shining through the windows, illuminating the parking lot. There’s a table full of teenagers, textbooks spread out in front of them, laughing and carefree. For the first time, I am envious of people nearly half my age. Everything seems so easy for these kids.

After the trauma of sixth grade, I kept to myself through junior and high school. Too afraid to let people get close enough to hurt me again. Instead, I focused on my studies. I threw myself into school, and when Dad invited me to spend the summer with him at Maxwell Inc., I fell in love with business.

Of course, I tried dating a bit in college, but it was a bitter disaster. Hook-up culture had taken hold, and I wanted nothing to do with it. It was clear I was the prude in our college, and most of the boys quickly stopped even asking me out. Yet again, I felt out of place.

I refuse to feel like I don’t belong in my own town. I’ll have to figure out how to avoid Bradley, that’s all there is to it. Easy peasy. I’ll just stop thinking about how sad his eyes looked when I asked to leave the restaurant. Or how confused he seemed when I called him out for the bullying. Part of me wonders if Lacey was right, and he really didn’t know how his words and attention fueled the flames from Miley and Lauren.

No. I will not feel anything for Bradley.

Attraction fades. I’ve seen it happen a million times. In fact, it’s why I’m not married right now. When it came time to actually plan a wedding, I realized Jayme and I weren’t really in love. We were comfortable, but there was no spark that would keep a marriage going. So, I’d called it off. Jayme had been relieved. Apparently, there was a new girl in his office that he fancied. Of course there was. No one chooses the chubby girl. Miley had been right about that all along.

It was true then, and it’s true now. I just have to remind myself how badly I’d felt when the girls called me names and left mean notes in my backpack. Or how disappointed my parents were when I told them there wasn’t going to be a wedding after all. That should do it.

After a fitful night tossing and turning, I give up at four in the morning and get dressed. Thankfully, I’d thrown a load of clothes into the washer and then into the dryer before falling into bed and praying for sleep.

Dressed in clean clothes, and with nothing to do around the house, I decide to head into the Coffee Loft early. Maybe I can create the new drink menu for winter. That’s always fun.

Several hours, and many discarded attempts at new drink flavors later, Lacey and Matti walk in the door.

“Ms. Rora! Ms. Rora!” Matti calls as soon as he sees me. “Yacey said I can have a muffin and chocate milk!” He bounces on his little feet, trying to see inside the display case. “You have bueberry ones today?”

Lacey swoops him up, and he claps his hands. “You do!” He points to a big blueberry muffin with sugar on top. “That one, pease.”

“For you, anything,” I say, winking at him. I slip on a glove and grab the muffin he wants, putting it on a plate. “What about you?”

Lacey puts Matti on the ground, taking his little hand in hers, and points at an everything bagel. “Bagel with cream cheese and a vanilla latte please, the lofty size. Today I’m just going to caffeinate and hope for the best.”

“Rough night?” I ask, popping her bagel into the toaster.

“I keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong, you know?”

“We’ve been over everything. Your projections look great, and the crew is getting started next week, right?”

“If they get the permits in time.” She frowns. “What if we’re delayed and I can’t do my soft launch in December?”

“Then we kick off the new year with a bang!” I pass her the muffin and bagel. “You two have a seat and I’ll bring your drinks over in a second.”

“Thanks, Aurora.” Lacey smiles and leads Matti to their favorite corner booth.

I make the drinks quickly and place them on a tray to deliver to the table. “Here we go,” I say, placing Matti’s chocolate milk in front of him first. “One chocolate milk fit for a king.”

Matti giggles. “I’m not a king, silly. I’m a baseball boy!”

“Oh, I didn’t know!”

Lacey sets a coloring book and a box of crayons on the table. “We just signed him up for t-ball.”

“I’m gonna be the fastest baseball boy ever!” Matti exclaims before taking a huge bite of muffin.

“I bet you are,” I agree.

Lacey takes a big drink of her latte, sighing as she sets it back on the table. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” I say as the door chimes with another customer. “I’ll be back over in a minute.” I ruffle Matti’s hair and turn back toward the counter. My feet skid to a stop, nearly causing me to careen into a nearby table.

“Hello,” I say, mustering my most professional voice. “What can I get for you this morning?”

Bradley’s signature smirk is missing. In its place is a sad half smile. I don’t like it. His eyes don’t have the little laughter crinkles they do when he smiles for real.

“Hey, how about a hot coffee with cream and extra sugar?” He glances around the dining room. Spotting Lacey and Matti in the corner, he gives them a wave.

I nod. “You got it.” Why is he here? He’s not been to the Coffee Loft yet. Not for pleasure, anyway. Is it too much to hope he’d keep making his own coffee? “Decided to try out the coffee?” I ask, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence.

“I had some last week, and it was delicious. Figured I’d grab a cup this morning before I head down to the supply store.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you’d been in before.” When was he here? With Lacey working less, I’ve been here open to close nearly every day.

He shrugs. “I didn’t see you when I came in. Reid mentioned you were touring the space next door with him around the same time.”

“Oh,” I say, putting the top on his to-go cup and passing it across the counter.

“Listen, Aurora,” he starts. “I get the feeling I’m not your favorite person. I’d like to know why.”

I hand him his coffee. “It’s on the house today.”

“Thanks, but . . .”

“I’m sorry,” I say, as another customer comes through the door. “More customers . . . I’m sure you understand.”

He frowns, but nods. “Another time,” he says.

I turn to the newcomer. “Good morning. How can I help you?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him stop at the table and say hello to Lacey. He must have said something funny because Matti’s giggles carry across the room, making me smile. I’m sure Matti could make the grinch grin.

“Aurora,” Mrs. Engles calls. “Did you hear me, dear?”

I drag my eyes away from Bradley. “I’m sorry,” I say. “What was it you wanted?”

Mrs. Engles waggles her eyebrows up and down. “Easy to get distracted with a young man like that around.”

I gasp, heat rising to my cheeks. “No, I . . .”

She laughs. “It’s okay dear. I was young once, too. I’ll take a cappuccino with a raspberry danish please.”

I ring up her order, passing her the danish before turning to make her coffee. Once it’s finished, I slide the mug across the counter to her. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you, dear.” She takes her breakfast to a table near the window, sets her things on the table, hangs her purse from the back of the chair, and pulls out a Kindle.

I wonder if I’ll be eating alone in a little café when I’m her age. My mind skips to a picture of Bradley sitting across the table from me, sipping his coffee. Ugh, that man has gotten under my skin. I give myself a mental shake. This lady’s obviously enjoying her morning. So what If I’m alone when I’m her age. She’s healthy and happy. I hope to be so lucky.

“So,” Lacey says, meeting me at the counter. “How’d it go last night?”

I cringe.

“That bad, huh?” She shakes her head. “He clearly has a thing for you. I could see it in the way he looked at you yesterday.”

Could he really feel this attraction, too?

“He was a perfect gentleman. I had one slice of pizza and asked him to drive me back to my car.” My shoulders sag. “I feel rotten about it, but I’m not sure why.”

She gives me a sad smile. “I think it’s time for a girls’ night.”

I shake my head and sigh. “Fine, you and Ashlan can come over and watch a chick flick at my house. Which night is best for you?”

“I have something a bit bigger in mind,” she says, digging her phone from her purse. “Leave it to me. I’ll set something up and get back to you. I’ve got to run. We need to get Matti his baseball gear.” She leans over the counter and gives me a squeeze. “See you later.”

I’m not sure how a girls’ night will solve anything, but I’ve learned it’s better not to argue with Lacey. She usually wins in the long run.