Chapter 2
Molly wiped down a table inside the cafe at Storyville’s Stories.
The small town of Storyville, Colorado was a breath of fresh air after being in the hustle and bustle of Denver.
As soon as she was done cleaning the table, a group of people sat down.
The cafe was a hot spot, something she hadn’t expected when starting work there.
But it always seemed to be busy. Especially first thing in the morning and around lunchtime.
She moved back behind the counter where Katie was making drinks.
“Hey, could you grab a panini for this gentleman?” Katie asked, nodding her head toward a man sitting at the counter on the far side. Molly had seen him in the cafe several times that week.
“Of course.” Molly pulled out a sandwich and plated it before delivering it to him.
He looked up and smiled. “Thanks. You’re Molly, right?”
She nodded.
“I’m Jameson.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “I’m a friend of Eli’s. We grew up together.”
She shook his hand and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Katie came over at that moment with a cappuccino and set it in front of him. “Just the way you like it.”
“Thanks, Katie. I appreciate it.” Jameson and Katie made eye contact for longer than normal. Molly’s eyes darted between them, and she pressed her lips together to suppress a smile.
“You’re welcome,” Katie said softly.
Molly took a step back, feeling like she was intruding on a moment, and turned around to walk back to the front end of the counter. A new customer had walked in, so she took their order and got to work making their drink.
Katie joined her only a moment later and began helping the next person. After Jameson left, Molly bumped Katie’s shoulder with her own. “So… Jameson, huh?”
Katie’s face flamed. “Jameson? He’s just my brother’s friend. We grew up together.”
Molly smiled. “Uh huh.”
“There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Okay,” she said in the most nonchalant way she could muster. Either Katie was in denial, or she was harboring a crush she really didn’t want anyone to know about. If she needed time to realize it, Molly wouldn’t push.
Katie handed a drink to a customer and turned to face Molly before putting her hands on her hips. “There isn’t.”
Molly giggled as she frothed the milk. “I never argued with you. You’re the one arguing.”
Katie’s face flamed again. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s all good.”
“The last thing I need is anything to get back to my brother,” Katie said softly before looking around. “Talking about it when there are customers here is just begging for a rumor to start.”
Molly frowned. “Do you think he would be upset?”
Katie shrugged as she started making another drink. “I don’t know.”
“Hey, do you gals need help with anything?”
They jumped and turned to find Eli standing at the counter, looking at the line of customers waiting for their drinks.
“You startled me,” Katie said.
Molly looked over the bookstore, which seemed to be busy as well, but no one was at the register.
“No, I think we have it handled. But thanks,” Katie said.
His eyes flicked over to Molly, and she blushed.
There was something about him that made her incredibly shy, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
She wasn’t typically a shy person. Or at least not to the extent that he affected her.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, though.
Perhaps it was because she had a natural attraction to him she hadn’t felt before.
Eli walked back toward the bookstore to see if anyone needed help, and Molly couldn’t keep her eyes from following him.
Katie leaned in close. “So… Eli, huh?”
Molly’s face heated. She pressed a lid onto the to-go latte she had made and handed it to a customer. “Uh, no. I don’t even know him. Plus, he’s kind of my boss. That would be weird.”
Katie laughed before passing another coffee to a customer and thanking them for coming in. “I’m your boss, actually. I run the cafe. But you’re right. I’d hate for you two to have a falling out and for you to leave me.”
Molly’s stomach sank. She couldn’t date a co-worker. That was just asking for trouble. Especially one who was her supervisor. But somehow having it spoken out loud felt like a door slamming shut.
But she knew it was for the best. She had only been in town for a few weeks. Had only known Eli for a week. The last thing that should ever be on her mind was dating someone. She had too much baggage to deal with first, like figuring out what she wanted to do with her life.
“I won’t be leaving anytime soon,” Molly said.
“Good.” Katie tossed an arm around Molly’s shoulders. “I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends.”
They quickly got back to work, helping everyone who came in, and when the lunch rush finally ended, Katie and Molly leaned against the counter.
“I’m surprised how busy it gets in here. I thought being a small town meant there wouldn’t be a lot of customers,” Molly said.
Katie laughed. “You’d think so, huh? But it helps that we’re one of the few places that serve more than drip coffee.”
A woman with bright blue glasses walked through the door and up to the counter. She tapped her nails on the countertop while peering around the store as if she was looking for someone.
Katie stifled a giggle, and Molly looked at her curiously before stepping up to the counter. “Hi, welcome in. What can I get you?”
She continued to look around before looking at Molly. “Oh, um, just a latte. Oh wait. What’s Eli’s favorite drink?”
Molly furrowed her eyebrows. She didn’t know what Eli preferred since Katie usually made his drink before she arrived in the morning. But a customer asking was weird. “Um. I’m not sure.” She looked behind her to where Katie was standing. “What’s Eli’s favorite drink?”
Katie still had a ridiculous smile on her face. “He loves vanilla lattes.”
The woman’s smile widened. “I’ll take two, please.”
Molly rang her up and took her payment while Katie made the drinks. Once Katie passed them off, the woman eagerly rushed away toward the bookshelves, still craning her neck and looking around.
“What was that about?” Molly asked.
Katie laughed. “Just watch.”
Eli walked through the store, looking down at a book in hand.
Then the lady with the blue glasses rushed up behind him, calling his name.
He stopped walking, and the look on his face was pure torture, but he schooled his features before turning to face her.
The woman handed him a drink and said a few things before batting her eyelashes.
A moment later, Eli turned around and his eyes shot straight to Katie. If looks could kill. He stormed their way, and Molly took a step back with her eyes wide. She wanted no part of that angry man. Katie laughed gleefully and only waved with a wiggle of her fingers.
Molly watched, half amused and half terrified of what he would do. He stopped in front of Katie and narrowed his eyes. “Did you encourage that?”
“Of course not. She only asked what your favorite drink was, and I answered,” Katie said before laughing again and then batting her eyelashes like the other woman did.
His eyes shot to Molly, and she widened her eyes with her hands raised in surrender. “She’s telling the truth.”
He looked between them and then frowned before taking a sip. “I guess if she’s going to stalk me, at least I get a free coffee out of the deal.”
“You get free coffee anyway.”
He shrugged. “Semantics.”
Molly watched the exchange between them and furrowed her eyebrows before speaking softly. “She’s stalking you?”
“Basically.” He looked over his shoulder. The woman was on the far side of the store, but she waved when she spotted him. Eli turned back to face them. “Her name is Lauren. She’s been showing up daily for a while now. Always runs into me.”
“Literally,” Katie said while giggling.
Molly looked over to where Lauren still stood at the far end of the store, not even attempting to hide that she was staring at Eli. When she spotted Molly looking at her, she glared.
“Well, she doesn’t like that you’re talking to me,” Molly said.
He smirked and glanced over his shoulder. “Oh really? So does she get mad when I do this?” He took a step closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Molly’s face flamed, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Eli’s to see her reaction. Katie snorted beside them. “Yep. She’s mad.”
But Molly could barely hear anything outside of the blood pounding in her ears. Her back tingled where his hand pressed against it. The warmth of his touch had her leaning into it.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he murmured.
Molly shook her head. “No.”
“Okay, she left,” Katie said.
Eli and Molly didn’t step away from each other. Her eyes were still locked on his. His thumb slid back and forth over her back, and she swallowed hard.
“Hey, you two, she left,” Katie said louder this time.
Molly snapped back to the present and looked at Katie before taking an exaggerated step away from him. “Okay, I should get back to work.”
Eli cleared his throat and furrowed his eyebrows before nodding in agreement. “Me too.” Then he moved to walk away before looking back at her. “Thank you for playing along. I’m sorry I put you on the spot.”
Molly’s face flamed. “It’s no problem.”
She hadn’t minded at all.