Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Eden
Just three more people.
When I got to Palla on Fifth ten minutes ago, more than a dozen people were already in line. If my calculations are correct, I should be at the counter in the next four to six minutes depending on how many coffees or teas the people in front of me order.
Back in Buffalo, I make my coffee at my apartment, pour it into a travel mug, and walk to work every morning.
My Manhattan routine is different since the smell of coffee makes Noelle nauseous.
I glance down at my phone. I’m supposed to be at my office in the next twenty minutes although Kurt made it clear that I can set my own schedule as long as I get my work done. I’m only a block away so as long as no one in front of me orders a dozen coffees, I’ll make it there on time.
The brown-haired woman in front of me glances over her shoulder and smiles. “If I had saved every dollar I spent here, I would be retired by now.”
At home, I’m the first to engage in idle conversation with people.
Two weeks ago at the grocery store a woman asked if I knew how to tell if a pineapple is ripe.
Thirty minutes after she asked the question, I was helping her take her groceries to her car while she bounced her toddler on her hip. We met for lunch a few days later.
You never know when you’re going to run into a stranger who will become a friend.
“I take it you’ve been coming here for at least a week?”
A laugh escapes her. “I was here the day they opened, and I’ve been here almost every day since.”
“This is my first time,” I confess as the line edges forward.
“Prepared to become addicted.” She winks. “If you’re taking recommendations, add a blueberry scone to your order. The second you bite into it, you’ll know why I told you to get one.”
“How can I resist?” I take another step forward as she does.
“I’m Sadie.” She turns completely around.
She’s wearing a light blue dress that’s tied at the waist with a white belt. A hospital badge hangs from a lanyard around her neck.
Dr. Sadie Reynolds.
“I’m Eden.” I point at her badge. “My friend works out of the same hospital as you.”
Her brows pop. “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Noelle Sufford. Dr. Noelle Sufford.”
The prettier half of the Sufford siblings.” She glances over her shoulder toward the counter. “I know Noelle and her brother.”
Manhattan suddenly feels a little smaller to me. I can’t help but smile.
“You’re killing the corporate look.” She points at the white pants, white blouse, and dark blue blazer I’m wearing. “What do you do?”
“She’s a lawyer.”
I close my eyes briefly at the sound of that voice. That smooth, seductive voice swept over me in the club the other night. I used to think Dylan’s voice was deep in high school, but it has a rasp to it now that sends a charge through me.
When I open my eyes, Sadie’s gaze is fixed behind me. “I take it you know him?”
I nod. “He’s a lawyer too.”
“Next. Who is next?” One of the baristas calls out.
“It’s my turn.” Sadie glances back at the counter. “It was good to meet you, Eden. I’m sure I’ll see you here again.”
I smile in response before she turns to approach the barista.
“Turn around, Eden.”
“I’m just here to get a coffee.”
“Eden, turn around.” His tone is clipped.
There’s no way I’m going to get out of this café without looking at Dylan, so I spin on my heel.
My gaze volleys between his ridiculously handsome face and the man standing next to him.
The blasts from the past keep coming. Seeing these two side-by-side takes me back to senior year.
“You remember Barrett Adler, don’t you?” Dylan gestures to his best friend from high school.
Barrett’s gaze travels over my face. He’s looking for a glimpse of the shy, smart girl he used to tease.
“I remember Barrett,” I shoot back.
He’s as tall as Dylan. They both hover around the six-foot-three mark. Barrett’s hair is dark brown. His eyes are a deeper shade of blue than Dylan’s.
I’d know him anywhere.
I’m tempted to ask if he works with Dylan, but his attire suggests otherwise. Barrett is dressed in a black V-neck T-shirt and jeans. The expensive dress shoes on his feet are misplaced, but the rest of his look is casual.
Dylan is the polar opposite. Today he’s wearing a dark gray suit, a white shirt, and a patterned blue tie.
He smells as expensive as he looks.
His cologne reminds me of his bed and how it felt to be there with him.
“Next.” The barista calls out again. “Ma’am, you’re next.”
“I need to go,” I glance at Dylan before my gaze lands on Barrett’s face.
He’s the lesser of two evils. I don’t have to face him in a courtroom later this month, and he’s not going to ask me to explain why I didn’t say anything at the club.
“It was good to see you again, Eden.” Barrett shoves a hand at me.
I hesitate before I reach for it. I don’t offer the same kind words back. Instead, I ask a question that I’m not sure I want to know the answer to. “Do you two come to this coffee shop often?”
Dropping my hand, Barrett laughs. “Not a chance. I still call Chicago home. I’m heading back there this afternoon.”
“I’m here every morning before work.” Dylan steps closer to me. “I live on this block.”
I wait for him to point out that I know that, but he falls silent.
I assumed that he’d be at his office by now, so I thought grabbing a cup of coffee here was safe.
I was wrong.
“Next.” Impatience taints the barista’s cheery tone. “Ma’am, your order please.”
“Have a safe trip back home, Barrett,” I say before I spin around.
Sucking in a deep breath, I move to the counter and order the largest coffee they have and two blueberry scones. I have a sinking feeling that I’m going to need all the help I can find to get me through today.