Chapter Five
She shouldn’t have agreed.
The next morning, Abby yawned. She’d had a hard time going to sleep the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d envisioned Mr. Grumpy Pants’ vibrant blue eyes staring into her own. Just the memory made her heart beat faster.
There was something about the way he looked at her. It was almost like he could see straight through her—like he could see her hopes and dreams. The feeling was utterly unnerving. He was the last person she’d want knowing her so well.
She gave herself a mental shake. Why was she making such a big deal of this? All she had to do was show him around town, and then he’d be flying back to Chicago. She wouldn’t have to deal with him again until the wedding.
Still, she’d found herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror longer than normal. She might have put on eyeshadow and a little eyeliner, in addition to her usual powder, mascara, and lip gloss.
And there was the fact that she’d put more effort into fixing her hair. With a pixie cut, her styling options were limited. But with a little extra pomade, she achieved more definition and lift.
It wasn’t until she stood in front of her closet for five minutes as she tried to decide what to wear that she admonished herself. With a frustrated groan, she put on her usual jeans with an older purple Steaming Brew sweatshirt. She grabbed her coat and boots. Then she was out the door.
She moved through her normal opening routine of getting all of the machines up and running. She checked the refrigerator to make sure they had plenty of milk…and eggnog. She was just opening the cash register when her assistant manager, Mia Fernsby, arrived.
“Good morning.” Mia sent her a warm smile. “Brr… It’s cold out there.” She grabbed a purple apron and put it on. “Maybe we should see about putting in an electric fireplace in the seating area. It’d be great on mornings like this.”
After Abby had filled the cash register, she closed the drawer. She turned to Mia. “That’s a good idea. But I definitely can’t do it this year. I’m already hoping the espresso machine will make it another year.”
Mia nodded. “Understood.” Then she paused and stared at Abby. “What did you do different?”
“What?”
Mia was quiet for a moment as she studied her. “I know. You have on eyeshadow. It looks good on you.”
Heat rushed to Abby’s cheeks. She shouldn’t have indulged with the makeup. She didn’t want anyone thinking she was making a big deal out of her spending time with Mr. Grumpy Pants.
But she didn’t have time to wipe off the makeup, because just then her first customer entered the coffeeshop. It wasn’t usually busy on a Saturday morning, but with it being the holiday season, there would be a lot of shoppers out and about.
It felt good to fall into her usual rhythm.
She did enjoy interacting with the public.
She knew who was dating whom, who was having a baby, who was sick, and who was on vacation.
Being a barista was a lot like being a bartender: people liked to share bits of their lives while they waited for their drinks.
After her current customer walked away, Abby smiled at the next person in line until she realized it was her mother standing there.
Stella Clark was a couple inches shorter than Abby.
Her long brown hair was now streaked with gray and pulled back in her usual bun.
However, it was the serious look on her face that caught Abby’s attention.
“Mom, what are you doing here so early?” Her mother didn’t usually stop by until noon. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” Her mother leaned over the counter and lowered her voice. “I heard you have a date this morning.”
Abby inwardly groaned. “I do not.” Her denial came out louder and faster than she’d intended. She swallowed and then slowed her words. “Where did you hear such a thing?”
“They were talking about it over at Mel’s.”
Abby rolled her eyes. Her mother was referring to the morning gossip roundup. “Mom, what were you doing at Mel’s for breakfast?”
“Ester Holmes called me. She said she had some really good gossip. How was I to know that it would be about my own daughter? You know you shouldn’t date out-of-towners. You know that didn’t work out for me.”
Abby had heard the story more than once.
Her father had been a trucker whom her mother had met at the diner when her mother was waitressing there.
It was a whirlwind romance, and then they eloped.
The marriage lasted three years and produced one baby girl.
And then her father bailed. He was never to be heard from again.
“I know, Mom. You don’t have to worry. It’s not like that.” Not even close.
“Well, a long-distance relationship won’t work for you either.”
“I know.” She didn’t have to be reminded.
Abby glanced past her mother, hoping someone else had entered the coffeeshop. There was no one there.
Her attention returned to her mother. “I’m only doing this as a favor for Sadie. This guy is a friend of Reed’s. It’s nothing more than that.”
Her mother studied her for a moment. “I’m just worried about you.”
“I know, Mom. But I’m an adult now. You don’t have to worry. I can take care of myself.”
Her mother smiled proudly. “I know. But it’s my job to worry about you.”
Jingle-jingle.
Both her mother and herself turned to the open doorway. As though ushered in by the wind, Brad appeared. He wore faded jeans and a royal-blue sweater beneath his black leather coat. He looked even more handsome than he had the evening before. How was that possible?
When his gaze met hers, he came to a stop. They stared at each other a moment too long—but it was long enough to make her pulse jump and her heart beat faster. She told herself it only happened because of the awkward conversation she’d been having with her mother.
Speaking of her mother, Abby glanced in her direction.
Her mother’s attention rapidly shifted between Abby and Brad.
There was a furrow in her mother’s brow, as though she were trying to figure something out.
Maybe she could get her mother out the door without having to make an introduction. Could she be that lucky?
Abby looked directly at her mother. “Can I get you anything? I need to get back to work.”
Her mother was quiet for a moment. “That’s him, isn’t it?”
Heat swirled in Abby’s chest. As Brad stepped forward, the heat rushed up to Abby’s cheeks. His curious gaze moved between her and her mother.
He bestowed a brilliant smile on her mother. It was one of those smiles that could make the coldest of hearts swoon. “Hello.” He held out his hand to her mother. “My name is Brad Pearson.”
Her mother’s cheeks were tinged with pink as she smiled back at him and shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pearson. I’m Abby’s mother, Stella Clark.”
“I can definitely see where she gets her beauty.”
As heat rushed back to her cheeks, Abby couldn’t believe Mr. Grumpy Pants was sweet-talking her mother. But why? What was his agenda?
And then there was her mother, who was hanging on his every word. Abby couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mother blush.
“Oh, you’re too kind,” her mother said. “You came to the best coffeeshop in the state.”
“I didn’t come for the coffee. I have a date with your daughter this morning.”
He didn’t just say that, did he? A date? Really? Her face felt as though a heat gun had been turned on high and aimed directly at her. “That isn’t true. We don’t have a date.”
Once more her mother sent her a curious look before she glanced back at Brad.
“Are you telling me that you aren’t going to give me a tour of the town?” He wore a pouty look before he glanced at his watch. “And it’s precisely ten o’clock just like you said when you set up our date. So are we still going?”
If his intent was to win over her mother, he was doing a good job. But he was doing nothing to win over Abby. If anything, she disliked him a little bit more. No. Correction: a lot more.
Later, her mother would pepper her with questions about Brad. And when Abby denied having any feelings for him, her mother would remind her that she wasn’t getting any younger. And if she wanted to have a family of her own, she needed to think about finding a serious relationship. Ugh!
Abby did want a family, but she wasn’t going to rush into any relationship just because she was getting older. If the right man happened into her life, great. Her gaze landed on Brad. But it’s definitely not him.
Brad stared directly at her, like he was expecting her to answer a question. What question? Her thoughts were utterly muddled. It took a second to recall him asking if she was still going to give him a tour of Bayberry.
She swallowed hard. “A tour of Bayberry does not equate to a date. I’m merely doing Sadie and Reed a favor. Nothing more.”
A half-smile played on his lips. He was enjoying putting her on the spot. “Still—”
“No.” She shook her head. She was over this verbal sparring. “Whatever you’re about to say, just don’t. Otherwise, you can find someone else to give you the tour.”
Her mother smiled. “Well, I’ll just be going. You two have fun around town.” Then she leaned in closer to Brad. “You are going to love this town. It’s the best small town in the whole country. You’ll see.” Then her mother turned a big smile in her direction. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Abby was utterly confused. Hadn’t her mother just warned her about getting involved with an out-of-towner? So, all it took was a little bit of harmless flirting, and she was charmed by Grumpy Pants. Frustration churned in her gut.
She had no doubt that if her mother hadn’t paid her a visit, she would be phoning her to ask more questions about Brad—questions Abby didn’t want to answer. She wished her mother wouldn’t make such a big deal about him. Because he wasn’t a big deal. Not at all.
In fact, Brad was very annoying. The sooner he left Bayberry, the better.
She turned to Mia. “Do you need anything before I go?”
Mia shook her head and then gave her a smile. “Have a good time.”
“I won’t.” She hoped Brad overheard her. She owed him after the way he’d charmed her mother.
Abby walked away. She stepped into her office to take off her apron. She shrugged on her coat and slipped on her boots. When she returned, she looked at Brad. She ignored the amusement in his eyes. She refused to let him see how he got under her skin.
She started for the door. “Let’s go.”
“Aren’t you even going to offer me some coffee?”
When she turned around, she noticed he was still standing at the counter. Was that the beginning of a pout on his face? Ugh! This guy.
She backtracked. “What do you want?”
“I think it would be safer to have her get it for me.” He pointed to Mia. “Could I get a large eggnog latte?”
“Uh…” Mia glanced over at Abby, who nodded. Mia turned back to him. “Just give me a moment.”
Abby stepped up to him. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
He sent her an innocent look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You didn’t know that you were charming my mother? And now I’m not good enough to get your coffee.”
He shrugged. “I just wanted to save us time.”
She crossed her arms. “You think I’m slow at getting coffee.”
“No. I just think it’ll take time to clean it up after you spill it again.”
“I did not spill it. You were supposed to have been holding it.”
“And yet I wasn’t. You just let it fall.”
“You reached for it. Your fingers…they touched mine.” She remembered that moment—the sensation of an electrical current that had started at her fingertips and pulsed up her arm. She averted her gaze so he wouldn’t see that the memory evoked a response in her. “You had it. You had the cup.”
Just then Mia returned and handed him his cup. “Anything else?”
He shook his head. “This is it.”
When Mia told him how much he owed, Abby said, “It’s on the house.”
Both Mia’s and Brad’s eyes widened. Why were they acting like it was such a big deal? He wasn’t the first person she’d given complimentary coffee. After all, she gave her mother free coffee all of the time.
Ignoring them both, Abby said, “Let’s go.”
Not waiting for him, she turned and headed for the door. If he followed her, fine. If he didn’t, it would be more than fine with her.
When she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she heard him behind her: “So, where are we headed first?”
She inwardly groaned. It was only then she realized she’d spent so much time talking herself into being his tour guide that she hadn’t given any thought to the actual tour itself.