Chapter 15 #3
“Meow and Mingle.” He touched the knot, then adjusted his cuffs, shiny gold cuff links glinting in the low light of the café.
“I know it’s fashionable to be late, but I hope you don’t mind if I’m a little early.”
She shifted from one aching foot to the other.
He was here for the mingle? Wait, was he meeting someone?
Her already anxious stomach churned. They’d spent a lot of time together over the past two weeks but not every minute.
She could imagine him running into someone in Pecan Corner or the surrounding communities and them inviting him to the event.
Jealousy twisted inside her. Jealousy she shouldn’t have over someone who was just a friend.
He moved closer to her, once again smelling enticing. But it wasn’t just his honey-leather cologne this time. It was all of
him, filling all her senses.
“What do I need to do?” he asked.
He seemed oblivious to her internal struggle. Good, because that meant she was keeping her conflicting emotions from surfacing.
She wished she wasn’t feeling them at all. “You’re the first one here, so you get your pick of places to sit,” she said dully.
He frowned. “Why would I do that?”
Via forced her best hostess-with-the-mostest face and walked to the tables that had white tablecloths over them. Luna had
already shed on one, but Via had plenty of lint rollers in each basket on the table. Dora had borrowed three more tables from
Sally’s bakery that would accommodate all the guests. She really wished Dora had gone with a more casual dress code, although
she had to admit it was nice to class up the café a bit.
“According to Dora, everyone splits into pairs.” She picked up a laminated sheet that had questions on it. “These are the
icebreakers. Each couple answers as many as they can for ten minutes, then they switch up. Every table has different questions.”
“Got it, but why do you want me to sit down?”
“Aren’t you meeting someone here?”
Seemingly totally baffled, he raised his brows. Then he laughed. A genuine, full-bodied one that made Via’s knees weak. Just
when she was getting a grip on her “relationship” with Leo, he would do something that kicked her engine on. It wasn’t his
fault he was a walking talking hottie, especially in his suit. Oh no, she was starting to sweat again.
“Via, I’m here to help you,” he said. “Not participate.”
“Really?” She sounded more excited than she probably should have, but she was so relieved he wasn’t here to do some speed dating. Then she fully realized what he said. “Why?”
There was no time to answer because the first three guests walked in the door, and both Via and Leo sprang into action. They
were so used to working in the bookshop together that they picked up on each other’s signals. Via went over the mingle rules
with the guests, including the café ones since there were several new visitors to Pawsitive Vibes. She also served coffee
and treats, along with making sure both the cats and guests behaved with each other. Every single guest looked terrific in
their dressy clothes. Dora was right—this night needed to be special.
Meanwhile, Leo circulated, visiting with each attendee, answering questions, refilling beverages when needed. Sir Meow tailed
him the whole time of course, but Leo didn’t seem to mind. More than once when she was able to take a break behind the café
counter and alternate her aching feet, she watched him through the lounge window. He seemed comfortable in this type of environment.
Small talk, smiles, and solicitude. She felt a little sorry for some of the male guests, since there were several females
who seemed more interested in him than their prospective dates.
Two and a half hours later, Meow and Mingle was over and it had gone off without a hitch. As soon as the last guest was out
the door, she locked it and turned on the Closed sign. She immediately unstrapped her shoes. Ah, much better. She would have
tossed them aside except they belonged to Dora, so she carried them by the ankle straps and went into the lounge, then plopped
down on the couch, setting them gently on the floor.
Leo was loosening his tie as he approached her. She patted the empty space. “Have a rest. You deserve it.”
He sat and pulled the knot halfway down, then unbuttoned his top three buttons. She looked away. Too much temptation.
Sir jumped on the couch and flopped against Leo’s pants leg. “Sir!” she said, remembering how picky Leo was about his suit.
He waved her off. “He’s fine. I know where to find a lint roller.”
“Those came in handy, didn’t they?”
“Good idea on Dora’s part.”
Via nodded, stretching out her legs. “I hope she’s feeling better. I’m glad Charlie’s with her.” She wiggled her toes. “Ow,”
she said, unable to hide the pain.
“Feet hurt?” he asked.
She winced again. “I don’t know how Dora wears those heels.”
He patted his knee. “Put one up here.”
She looked at him. “Put what?”
“A foot. Or both.”
“Why?”
“So I can rub them?”
A hot and cold shiver raced down her spine. “You—you want to rub my feet?”