Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
Mondays weren’t usually Sadie’s favorite, but this Monday was going to be all right. Joan had promised to stop by Vector City Coffee for a custom drink and chat.
She checked her reflection in the back of the glass display case, fluffing her bangs. Amit caught her and laughed. “What’s their name?” he said.
“Joan.” She didn’t bother feigning surprise at his assumption.
“And how did you meet Joan?”
“She lives across the hall.” Sadie smoothed out her apron. Straightened her happy yellow shirt with the fluttery butterfly sleeves.
Amit reclined against the counter and crossed his arms. “You’ve seen where she lives. That’s already a step above who you’re normally interested in.”
“Yep. She’s gainfully employed, too.” Defending our city from harm.
“Wow,” her boss teased. “Better put a ring on this one quick.”
Sadie laughed and pushed him toward the check-out tablets. “I found a nice one for a change. We had a date on Saturday, which was great. When I invited her in at the end, she said, ‘I want to respect you, so I’ll say goodnight now.’ Can you believe that? Someone who actually respects me enough to wait?”
“I bet you made out.” Amit waggled his thick, dark eyebrows.
“Obviously.” The way that woman did things with her tongue defied description.
Sadie fanned at the flush creeping across her face. Just thinking about kissing Joan made her hot and bothered. And her forearms . Good lord.
She cleared her throat and told Amit, “She’s really nice and open and easy to talk to. Her texts are so funny. We have a date planned for tomorrow night. She’s going to cook for me. She’s stopping by this afternoon before a work thing.”
That was what Joan had called it. What did a work thing entail as a Super? So many questions rattled around her head, but they weren’t things Sadie could ask about in a text message.
Amit gave a chin nod to a regular customer as he entered and headed for the restrooms. “I have to be your grouchy voice of reason and remind you to keep your eyes open.”
“I will,” Sadie droned.
“They always seem great at first. Then you get roped into pet-sitting three ferrets for a month. Or bailing the person out of jail.”
“She broke up a bar fight. That’s why she was arrested.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Amit said.
It’d be great to tell him Joan is Catch, Amit , but that was a secret she had to keep very quiet. Joan was counting on her to do so. She had a point—the bad guys would love to know how to get to her so they could catch her unaware. Well, not on Sadie’s watch.
Nyah returned from lunch, tying on her gray apron. “Did I miss meeting your hot neighbor?”
“No,” Sadie said. “She hasn’t been in yet.”
“Did you hear about this one?” Nyah raised her pierced eyebrows at Amit. “She has a job, no pets, and a permanent residence.”
“There has to be a catch,” Amit said.
Sadie stifled a giggle. There’s a Catch, all right.
“She’s in a band. Or has some bizarre hobby.”
“She does have some ideas about opening a food truck. Good ideas. I’m brainstorming a logo with?—”
“There it is,” Nyah laughed.
Sadie narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“She’s gonna hit you up to invest in this food truck.”
“No, she’s not.”
“She’ll at least get you to do a bunch of unpaid labor,” Amit said.
“It’s just for fun,” Sadie told them. “I don’t know how serious Joan is about it. She’s gathering information and resources right now.”
She was also appreciative of Sadie’s input, and oh yeah, was a Superhero .
Nyah shared a look with Amit and hummed an “Mm-hmm.”
“It may or may not happen. Her job keeps her pretty busy.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You can ask her about it as long as you don’t act this weird.”
“Mm-hmm.” Nyah stepped from behind the counter to collect the dirty mugs off a nearby table.
“I assure you, this one is different,” Sadie promised them. It was so annoying to have to justify everything to her coworkers, to her friends and family. Nobody trusted her to make good decisions.
The door opened to a familiar figure. Her pulse triple-timed. Joan wore a black baseball cap and sunglasses and a collared white shirt with tiny black dots and salmon pink, straight-legged pants. Pants Sadie very much wanted to slip a hand inside and explore.
“Hey there, Joan Malone,” she all but sang. Her grin stretched as wide as the counter.
“Hi, Sadie Eagan.” Joan smiled in her sexy, self-assured way. She pulled her sunglasses off so Sadie could revel in the amber-gold of those exquisite eyes. “How’s your workday been going?”
“Good. A little busy earlier, but good.”
Joan turned to stare at the wall of windows along the front of the coffee shop. “Looks nice. You’d never know there have been so many disasters.”
Sadie glanced up through her lashes. “We had a thoughtful and generous donor.”
Amit sidled up to her, giving Joan a deep glower.
“Joan, this is Amit.” Sadie gestured between them. “Amit, this is Joan.”
Joan gave him a warm greeting.
“So Joan.” Amit studied her suspiciously. “What do you do for work?”
Joan’s eyes darted to Sadie. “I work at a gym.”
“And you get a steady paycheck from this?”
“More or less.” Her lips twitched.
“Don’t give her the third degree,” Sadie said.
“Somebody has to,” Amit said. “Have you been convicted of a crime, major or minor?”
Joan grinned. “I haven’t.”
“Clean driving record?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re single? Not in any sort of complicated relationship with an ex?”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “She lives across the hall.”
“I don’t have a secret wife hiding in my apartment,” Joan said. She seemed to be enjoying this, fortunately, because Sadie was not.
Amit gave Joan an up-and-down appraisal. He wound up to ask another inappropriate question, so Sadie gestured to their regular customer. “A valued patron is waiting, Mr. Manager.”
His frown suggested he wasn’t done yet, but he turned to take the guy’s order.
“Sorry,” Sadie told Joan. “He’s trying to protect me.”
“It’s all good. I like that you have someone looking out for you.”
Nyah walked over with the tub of dirty dishes. Sadie introduced the two. Her coworker said, “I heard you like to cook.”
“I do,” Joan said.
“What’s this about you opening a food truck?”
Joan shot Sadie another quick glance, then said, “It’s something I’ve had an interest in. I’m learning more about everything involved with them. If I do it, I want to do it right.”
“They’re a lot of work.”
“I thrive in high-stress situations.”
Nyah considered her for a moment, then gave a decisive nod. “Okay. As long as you respect my girl here, we’re cool.”
“Thanks,” Joan said. “I’ll do my best.”
Ny continued on her way, pausing behind Joan to raise her eyebrows and mouth, “ Wow. ”
Sadie gave her a look in return like Right? I told you this one was different. Joan kindly pretended not to notice.
“So what can I get you?” Sadie pointed at the black-and-white menu board on the wall.
Joan surveyed the options. “Why don’t you surprise me?”
“Okay.” Not like she hadn’t been thinking about what Joan would want. “I have just the thing. Hot coffee’s okay, right?”
“Hot drinks are my jam.”
Sadie whipped up an espresso with cayenne pepper and honey. She poured a steamed whole milk heart on top. Offering Joan the paper cup, she said, “One Kick Me Up to go.”
“Thank you. Aww.” Joan smiled at the heart. “Cute. I’ve never tried to make latte art. Will you teach me how to do it?”
“Of course.” In the morning, in my kitchen, after…
Joan took a hearty sip. A really hearty sip for a piping hot drink. Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s good.”
“I thought you’d like something with a little kick.”
“Yeah. Whoa. It is kicky. In a good way.”
“Would you like something to eat?” Sadie asked. Amit brushed past to get to the cold brew.
“I just ate. Maybe next time.” Joan reached into her front pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
Sadie waved a hand. “On the house.”
“No, no. I pay my way.”
Joan pulled out a twenty. Hmm. She’d paid in cash on Saturday, too. Did she even have credit cards? Could she get one, or was this an easier way for her to keep a low profile? How did she make money, anyway?
Sadie moved to the nearest tablet to ring her up. She made a slight show of it so Amit would notice. Joan was so clearly not using her for anything.
“Keep the change,” Joan said.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Why, thank you.” Sadie sent her an appreciative glance. “Gorgeous and a good tipper. My, my, my.” And a Superhero. The complete package.
Joan grinned, then looked around. “I like your design ideas for Sadie’s Café better than this. Something more colorful.”
“You’re into color?” Sadie said…to the woman wearing salmon-colored pants.
“I like a bit of chaos in my life.”
They stepped to the edge of the counter. Sadie slid a cute (and practical) rainbow-striped tennis shoe toward Joan’s bright blue sneakers. “You do like a pop of color.”
“I do.” Joan lounged sideways against the counter. “Are we still on for tomorrow night?”
“I still have tomorrow off, right, boss?” Sadie said to Amit.
He pursed his lips. “We’ll see.”
“That means yes.” She gave him a dirty look.
Joan leaned in. “I can’t wait to make you dinner,” she murmured.
“I can’t wait for you to cook for me.” Sadie peered over her shoulder at Amit. “Did you get that? She’s cooking for me inside her apartment .”
He grumbled and waited on the next customer.
Joan’s citrusy fragrance mingled with hot coffee and milk. “Hopefully I won’t have any kind of work emergency.”
Nodding vigorously, Sadie said, “Of course. I understand if you have work emergencies.”
“They do crop up.”
“I totally understand. You don’t have control over…”
“Client activity,” Joan supplied.
“Exactly. That’s why I told you I…” Sadie raised her eyebrows. “ Know. I get it.”
Joan lightly nudged her with an elbow. “It’d have to be something very important to keep me from you.”
How sweet and considerate. Sadie nudged her back. “As long as you text me or whatever, it’s fine.”
Joan’s phone buzzed in her front pocket. “Speaking of.” She checked the screen, pulled an irritated face, then said, “I should get going.”
“Enjoy your work thing,” Sadie said.
“It’s just a meeting.”
“You have meetings?”
Joan laughed to herself. “Weekly meetings with agendas. I did tell you my job can be pretty boring.”
Was that true? Being a Superhero meant meetings and agendas? With who? “What’s usually on your agenda?”
“Last week’s incident at the gym will be on it. Perry’s not thrilled with how it went down.”
“Perry?”
Joan’s lips parted in a way that conveyed she’d said something she shouldn’t have. “He runs the meetings,” she said.
“Is he the guy in charge?”
“No, he’s the one who likes meetings. Nobody’s really in charge.”
Hmm. Could Perry be Flight? He was the most senior of the current Supers, and it seemed like he was the number-one guy. Or maybe they had a coordinator. A sidekick who functioned as their manager.
Nyah was not so subtly lurking nearby wiping down tables, so it wasn’t the right place or time to get into it.
Joan slid her sunglasses back on. Amit loomed over Sadie, saying, “What’s with the hat and glasses? Are you an undercover FBI agent?”
“Yes,” Joan deadpanned. “Don’t blow my cover.”
Nyah chuckled loudly.
“Seriously, Amit, knock it off.” Sadie stepped away from him.
“I’m just making sure,” he said.
“Shocking fashion news: People wear ballcaps and sunglasses when it’s bright and sunny.”
“Or when they’re trying to disguise themselves.”
Sadie ignored him, even though he was right. Joan took a long drink from her cup. Damn, her lightly tanned arms were sculpted works of art.
“Let me walk you out,” Sadie said. “Ny, I’ll do the garbages.”
Her coworker thanked her, then saluted Joan with the cleaning rag. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice meeting you,” Joan said. She pointed at the octopus covered in armor tattooed on Nyah’s forearm. “Is that OchoStrike?”
“Oh no,” Sadie muttered.
Ny’s face lit up. “Yeah. You know Sea Voyage Five ?”
“I’ve played it a little. I have friends who are really into it.”
“Cool. I’m part of the Five Hive.” Nyah called over to Amit, “We got another Hiver here.”
“I like gaming,” Joan said, which seemed to marginally interest Amit.
Sadie couldn’t help the cringe pulling at her mouth. Not that she disliked video games, per se. It was the being subjected to countless hours of the people around her obsessing over them.
Ny started down the rabbit hole of asking Joan what her favorite weapons were to use against the giant mutant starfish. “I have to run,” Joan said, “but next time I’m here, we can talk about it.”
“Yeah, okay. Wave on.”
“Wave on.” Joan leaned toward Sadie as they headed to the entrance. “I’ve only played it a few times. I’m not super into gaming. Don’t worry.”
“Whew.” Sadie wiped her brow in exaggerated relief.
“I only play them when someone else wants to.”
“So we’re not going to have a ten-hour marathon tomorrow night?”
“Not gaming, no.” Two bright spots flickered behind Joan’s sunglasses.
Giddy delight zipped through Sadie. Their bare arms brushed, sending jolts of awareness through every nerve ending. The flickers glowed more intensely.
They paused at the door. “Thanks again for the coffee,” Joan said.
“Thanks for finally stopping in.” Sadie touched her fingertips to Joan’s arm because she was dying to touch those arms. “Have fun at your boring meeting.”
Joan gave a small laugh. “I’ll text you later.”
“You’d better. Wave on, OchoStrike.”
She laughed again, giving Sadie that mesmerizing smile, and squeezed her hand. Sadie’s knees liquefied. An unconscious absorption of energy, but worth it.
Joan exited the coffee shop, still smiling but definitely aware of her surroundings. She looked carefully both ways before heading toward a dark luxury sedan. It was going to be interesting hanging out with a Super. Sadie would have to do a bit of truth-stretching about Joan’s job as well. But it was for good, and for Joan’s protection.
She sighed happily. Getting to spend time with Joan was worth all of it.