Chapter 5
Chapter 5
I PEERED OVER THE top of my laptop at Paige, trying to digest her latest business expansion idea. I’d learned since going into business with her that she had a lot of ideas. Some good, some borderline—some borderline insane.
I was trying to work out where this latest one lay.
“Don’t you see how perfect this could be? Catering is the next logical step for the Cozy Cottage.” Her face radiated enthusiasm.
“How would this work, exactly?” I closed my laptop, giving her my full attention.
“We would start off doing some small events, which we could advertise for on our website. We’d limit the menu to just a few dishes, finger food, desserts. You know, keep it simple.”
“Paige, I’m not sure opening a catering business is exactly simple .”
She pulled out a chair opposite me and sat down. The café was closed for the day, we’d completed the clean-up, and now I was trying to catch up on the accounts—the one thing I disliked about running the café. Paige’s boyfriend, Josh, had helped me out, but I still struggled with crunching the numbers.
“I know it won’t be simple, but we’ve got such a great brand.”
“We do?”
I’d never thought about the Cozy Cottage as having a “brand.” To me, it was just the Cozy Cottage—a place I loved to be.
“Yes! All that website stuff I put together reflects the feel of this place.” She looked around the room. “All of that is our brand. And it’s strong. Look at how busy we are every day. I think it’s the perfect time for us to branch out.”
I chewed on my lip. A lot of cafés also catered events, so it wasn’t like we’d be doing something out of the ordinary. But the thought of taking a risk when I’d just got so comfortable with the way things were scared the living daylights out of me.
“Look.” Paige placed her hands on the table. “How about I put a business plan together? I can work out costs, potential profit margins, that sort of thing. Then we can talk again?”
“I don’t know, Paige. It sounds like a big risk to me. I like where we are right now. It’s good, it works.”
I wasn’t sure why I was so reluctant. I mean, I’d made a huge change to the business by bringing Paige in as a partner, plus we’d introduced the Cozy Cottage Jam sessions, loved by local musicians and customers alike. We were on a high, and business had never been better.
But, for some reason, branching out into catering felt like a step too far for me.
Paige leant across the table and placed her hand on top of mine. “Bailey, let me show you how good this could be, okay?” Her face was so open, so full of hope.
Saying no to her right now would feel like punishing a puppy.
I shrugged. “Sure. I guess it can’t hurt to see what you suggest.”
She leant back in her chair, grinning. “Awesome! I’ll work on it over the next few days. Once you can see how much sense it makes for us to do this, we can take on a client.”
I raised my eyebrows. “A client?”
She nodded, biting back a smile. “Actually, I’ve already found us one.”
“But—”
She interrupted me, her hand in the air in the “stop” sign. “Before you say anything, it’s not set in stone, but I know they’re looking for a caterer.”
“You didn’t make a commitment to them that we’d do it, did you?”
She shook her head. “All I said was we would be in touch if we decide to go down this route. But, Bailey, I know we will. And it’ll be such a success.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Paige and her infectious optimism. Maybe this was what I needed to pull me out of my reverie, to give me the kick in the pants to try something new?
And to take my mind off my Last First Date disaster.
“Okay. Pull something together for me, and we’ll talk about it. That’s all I’m committing to right now.”
Paige squealed. “This is going to be so great, Bailey!”
I returned her smile. I hoped she was right.
The following morning, at the same time he turned up yesterday—not that I’d been checking the clock, you understand—Ryan sauntered into the café. He was looking just as Norse god-like as he always did, his stride strong and purposeful as he walked straight up to the register where I was handing an older man his change.
“Thank you so much,” I said to the man with a smile, training my eyes on him rather than where they were straining to go. “I’ll bring your slice of cake over with your pot of Earl Grey tea when it’s ready.”
The man thanked me, turned, and walked over to a table.
I looked up at Ryan, doing my best to ignore the way in which my heart rate had kicked up a notch at the mere sight of him.
Really, this guy was bad for my cardiac health.
“Good morning, Ryan.”
“Hey.” One of his sexy smiles teased at the edges of his mouth. He turned to glance around the café.
I took the opportunity to take a deep breath to quell my nerves.
He turned back and flashed me his devastating smile. “No kid sister, so the coast is clear.”
“Marissa’s not usually here until ten or so.”
“Good to know.”
I shot him a sideways glance. “Are you avoiding her?”
“No. It’s just this whole ‘Cozy Cottage is a girls’ hang out’ thing she’s got going on. You know, the no-men-allowed rule?”
“I sure do.”
For as long as I’d known Marissa, Cassie, and Paige they had made my café their own with only one rule—no men. Sure, they could talk about them—which they had done, a lot—but they couldn’t bring them here.
“What I don’t understand is why their boyfriends are allowed here now, but not their dashingly handsome brothers.” He shot me a cheeky smile.
I swear my legs could have buckled beneath me.
“Well, not that I’m telling tales or anything, but Marissa was in here yesterday afternoon with that new boyfriend of hers.”
He crossed his arms, his eyes dancing. “Really?”
I laughed. “You didn’t hear it from me, okay?”
“It’s all fuel in the ongoing sibling battlefield.”
I smiled at him. This was easy, fun. If I could only get the message through to my tingling body not to notice how hot he was, we could have an easy-going friendship.
Uncomplicated.
“What about you?”
“What do mean?”
“I mean, do you bring any men here?”
I blinked at him. Was he asking if I was still single? I’d have to have worked pretty fast since the speed dating evening if I wasn’t.
“You mean other than the guy who thinks Reginald Whatshisname is the most undervalued member of the Starship Enterprise?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I knew he was your type.”
I shrugged, enjoying our repartee. “How could I resist a geeky guy who wants to model his robot after me?”
“Well, he chose the perfect model.”
Damn, flirting with him was fun. “Err, thanks.” Heat bloomed once more in my cheeks.
“What can you recommend?”
For a moment I was confused, until I saw him nodding at the food in the cabinet at my side.
I cleared my throat. “Well, we have a lot of cakes, as you can see. Plus, we’ve got the pizza you had last time. Would you like that again?”
“Actually, I like the look of the cake stack thing there.” He pointed at one of the cakes in the cabinet.
“Oh, that’s the Cassata alla Siciliana cake.”
“The cassa-what?”
I laughed. “ Cassata alla Siciliana ,” I repeated, pronouncing it in Italian the way my grandmother, Nona, had taught me. “It’s an Italian cake, a family recipe.”
“Say it again,” he said, his eyes sparkling as his face creased into a smile.
The heat in my cheeks turned red hot. We were back to flirting?
“ Cassata alla Siciliana .”
“I could listen to you say that all day.”
I shot him a sideways glance, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through my belly. “Shall I cut you a slice?”
“Oh, yeah. And a double shot latte. To eat in, since there’s no bossy little sister here to shoo me away.”
“Coffee and cake coming right up.”
He paid, a shot of electricity jolting through me when my fingers brushed his as I handed him his change—just to make it all the more awkward for me. He wandered over to sit down in one of the comfy armchairs by the fireplace.
It was late summer, so the fire wasn’t burning, but in winter it was one of my favorite spots in the whole café. A hot drink, a slice of cake, and a cozy, glowing fire. Bliss.
The café was quiet before the rush, Sophie was on her break, and Paige was never very good at running our behemoth coffee machine, so I made Ryan’s coffee and took it and his cake over to him. I placed them both down on the table by his chair.
“Enjoy!” I turned to leave, half hoping he would invite me to sit with him so I could gaze into those eyes once more.
The other half reminded me he was totally embittered about women, and I would do well to stay far, far away.
In the end, I didn’t have to make a choice. He simply thanked me and turned his attention to his phone.
I returned to the counter, feeling ridiculous once again.
Why did I have such a crush on this guy? Because that was all it was—a crush. Although he was a little flirty when we talked, he had made it clear he wasn’t looking for anything from me.
I guess all I could do was sit and wait, hoping my feelings would die a natural death to put me out of my misery.
Oh, but that Ryan Jones did not play fair.
He came in at the same time again the next day and the day after that, ordering the Cassata alla Siciliana and a cup of coffee each time. He was always a little flirty, his smile enough to make my heart rate quicken and my cheeks blush.
And then, on the fourth day, he didn’t show.
Despite telling myself not to, I kept checking the clock, wondering whether he was running late, wondering if he was going to show. By the end of the lunchtime rush, there was still no sign of him. I couldn’t help but feel let down, like seeing him was one of the highlights of my day—even if it was clear he didn’t return my feelings.
To him, I was just the girl at the café, welcoming him with a ready smile, an embarrassing blush, and a touch of flirtatious banter. The girl who delivered him his caffeine and sugar fix.
And me wanting more from him wasn’t going to change that.