Mission: Imbrewable – A Frothy Fiasco (The Coffee Loft Series: Mountain Brew Collection)

Chapter 21

Luke

“You're as glum as a guy whose cappuccino just went cold,” the General says as I stroll into the Grayson Security office. Bruno, Gabe, and I just completed a week-long mission—the one that urgently yanked me back to California—and we’re doing a debrief this morning. Even though I’ve been busy with work, regrets about how I left things with Kaylee fill my mind.

“Just got a couple things on my mind,” I say, ignoring the coffee comment, although a cup would taste good right about now.

“Do those couple things have to do with Colorado and a pretty gal?” the General asks.

My eyes fly to his, surprised that he’s already read my mind. Nervously clearing my throat, I say, “Um, about that.” After taking several days to brew, I kick myself for not seeing the obvious solution to this relationship with Kaylee. Why didn’t I propose this sooner?

I can do this security job from anywhere .

An ear-splitting laugh fills the room when it takes me too long to formulate what I want to say next. “Let me guess,” the General says. “You’re regretting leaving Kaylee?”

I slump against the wall. Really wish my boss had a chair for guests. “I am. How did you guess?”

“It’s obvious the way you talk about her. Bruno owes me twenty bucks,” he says with a chuckle.

I blink at him. “You bet on my love life?” I huff.

“Yep. Just like I bet on Bruno falling for Bobbie Sue and Gabe falling for Izzie. You big strapping guys are all the same. When you fall, you fall quickly and you fall hard.”

Should I remind him that he recently fell back in love with his ex-wife? Probably not wise to bring that up at this point.

I take a deep breath and vocalize the bean of a plan that started forming in my brain while on the last mission. “How about Kaylee and I open a Grayson Security satellite location in Colorado?” My stomach churns with doubts because of how horribly I handled things. Will she still want me?

“So you’re going to partner with her? ”

“Yes, but hopefully not just for work.”

A grin splits his grizzly face. “Go ask her and see what she says. I think a Grayson office in Colorado is a great idea, and I think you need a life partner,” he says with a knowing wink.

The General has given his blessing. Now it’s time to see if Kaylee has fallen for me like I’ve fallen for her. My palms start to sweat.

~*~

I catch the red-eye to Denver, then drive to Estes Park, rehearsing my win-her-back speech over and over. The plan is simple: I’ll order a Lofty mug, sit down with her, and bare my feelings to her.

I love you a latte.

The silly line pops into my head. Maybe I’ll use it, because I’m not going to leave until she says yes.

I take a deep breath on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop before swaggering through the Coffee Loft’s front door like a man ready to win back the love of his life. My feet skid to a stop. Violet’s manning the serving area but there’s no sign of Kaylee. There’s also about ten people in line to place their order.

Anxious to get this over with, I impatiently join the waiting line. It moves as slow as a drip coffee maker, adding to my nerves. “Is Kaylee around?” I ask when it’s finally my turn to order.

Violet’s expression is unreadable. “She’s in the back office,” she says in a professional tone.

“Um, may I go back and see her?”

“Is she going to thank me afterwards?” she says with a hint of a smile.

I chuckle nervously. “Yes, at least, I hope so.”

She laughs and motions towards the adjoining door. “Go. But don’t break her heart any more than you already have.”

My feet sprint through the door before Violet changes her mind. Wish I had remembered to order a mug of coffee because I could really use the jolt of caffeine for courage right now .

A printer sounds like it’s spitting out reams of paper, so I stride down the hallway, heading towards the noise. Pausing at the doorway, I drink in Kaylee as she sits behind a large wooden desk with papers stacked in haphazard piles across the entire surface. A white ceramic mug sits near her elbow, and she’s squinting at the computer screen with a scowl.

“Knock, knock,” I say, hesitating outside the door.

Kaylee startles, looks up, and a wash of emotions crosses her pretty face. A mixture of disbelief and shock mixed with what might be a ray of happiness. She schools her expression quickly, so maybe I imagined the happiness part. “What are you doing here?” she says in a suspicious tone.

Her greeting isn’t encouraging. I hope I didn’t wait too long to try to fix things. My anxiety escalates, and my carefully prepared speech flies out of my head. I blurt, “I’m here to ask you an employment question.”

Her brows slam together and my heart lurches at my less than stellar opening. Open mouth, insert foot. Why did I lead with that ?

“Actually, it’s more like a, er, life question. I should have asked you this before I left.” My words come out in a rush, with a tinge of panic.

Her expression brightens. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Sucking in a fortifying breath, I walk towards the desk and say, “Have you ever considered a job at a security agency?”

Her eyes grow wide as they lock with mine. “At Grayson Security?”

“That’s the one. Wanna join the team?” I ask, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

Her smile slips a notch or two as she blinks at me.

Maybe I should have started with the ‘I love you’ part?

“Can I be based in Colorado?” she says in a businesslike tone. “I can’t leave Mom and the Coffee Loft in the lurch.”

“I think that can be arranged. But you’re going to need a partner,” I say, pointing at my chest.

She gawks at me for several excruciating seconds as a bead of sweat rolls down the back of my neck .

I’m really botching this.

“Partners? You’d join me on assignments?”

“Um, well, I was thinking maybe we could be more than work partners,” I stammer.

She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean by that exactly?” she asks in an uncertain voice. “You’d be willing to move here?” She poses the question while my heart beats like a drum inside my chest.

Time to bare my heart and soul.

“Colorado is home, so I’d be moving home. Plus, we make a great team,” I say, gazing into her eyes. “I love you.”

Whew! I finally said the hard part.

Getting down on one knee, I add, “Kaylee Zimmer, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Her eyes grow wide, she gasps and claps her hand over her mouth. I should probably add that I fell for her the instant I met her, but maybe I’ll save that for another time. As the General said, us big strapping guys fall hard and fall fast.

“Well? What do you say? ”

Squealing, she launches herself at me, knocking over several stacks of paper, the mug, and me in the process. We sprawl on the floor, and she wraps her arms around my neck, giving me a sloppy kiss.

This is an even better reception than I hoped for. My heart soars.

“I’m in if you’re in!” she says.

I laugh and we seal the deal with another kiss while lukewarm coffee drips from the table onto my face. Liz appears and licks the beverage up from my cheek. After the doggie clean-up crew is finished, I sit up, snuggling Kaylee into my side. “We’ll go pick out a ring right away; I didn’t want to select one without you.”

Smiling up at me, Kaylee says, “I love you, Luke.” She bites her lip, then adds, “I almost texted you several times, but I chickened out each time.”

I chuckle. “And what were those texts going to say?”

As if she’s reading the words, she recites, “Let’s continue brewing our partnership. You’re hot and sweet, and I think I caf-feelings for you.” I bark out a laugh and she giggles. “I know, it was kind of cheesy.”

“Hey, I almost opened with ‘I love you a latte.’ I had a special speech memorized and ready, but when I saw your beautiful face, the words flew out of my head,” I admit.

“Do you remember it now? I want to hear it!” she exclaims.

Clearing my throat, I say, “You’ve filled my life with the perfect brew of sweetness, strength, and warmth. Just like coffee, you make everything better. I love you a latte. Will you marry me?”

Tears leak from the corners of her eyes. “Oh my! That’s the best proposal speech ever,” she whispers.

“So that’s a second Yes?” I joke.

“Yes! Luke Fieldstone, we make a perfect cup”—she pauses to pick up her mug and gesture it at me—“ple.”

We both groan, then laugh at our silly coffee puns .

I squeeze her tighter to my side. “How about our first mission be the wedding? When and where do you want to get married?”

“When: As soon as possible. Where: Rocky Mountain National Park,” she rattles off the answers. “We can go camping in the park on our honeymoon and re-live all our fond memories.”

“Like you setting fire to the MREs?” I tease.

She giggles. “I was thinking more along the lines of hiking and watching the magnificent sunsets.” Her expression turns serious. “I have a confession to make first.”

My heart freezes in my chest. I already know she hates MREs and that she shouldn’t be within twenty feet of an open flame, so what else could she have to confess? “Okay... what’s your confession?”

She gazes at me, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I didn’t go camping because Mom told me to take a vacation from the Coffee Loft. I went because I had a crush on you. ”

A warm feeling floods my heart. “No kidding? You had a crush on me?”

“I didn’t want to admit it to you. I mean, it’s a stalker move, right? But it worked, and I promise I’ll never withhold information from you again.”

I smile at her. “Technically I withheld information about my mission until I was sure you weren’t part of the alpine-parsley gang, so we’re even.”

We bump fists, then I ask, “Since you want to spend our honeymoon camping, are you a full-fledged camper now? Cooking over an open flame, sleeping in a tent, and showering in the shower house?”

She grins. “We’re going to use your easy-to-construct tent. I’m going to bring lots of wet wipes in lieu of freezing showers, and let’s get one of those propane camp stoves like the Richie Riches had, so I can cook bacon and eggs for my new husband!”

“Instant coffee?” I ask, remembering the scene when Mrs. Richie Rich threw her coffee in her husband’s face .

She smacks my arm. “No way! Mom can deliver her latest mountain brew, along with donuts.”

I chuckle at Kaylee’s delicate balance between roughing it and glamping.

Giving her a mock salute, I say, “Kaylee Zimmer, the love of my life, and a veteran camper.”

“I am, as long as I have my Hottie Mountain Man, the love of my life, with me,” she says with a flirty wink.

No matter what missions the General or life sends us on, they won’t be so impossible—or should I say imbrewable—with Kaylee by my side.

THE END