10. Hannah Jane
10
HANNAH JANE
I tugged my knee-length overcoat tighter as I hurried down the sidewalk. The winter chill was setting in, but all that really meant was that I had to suffer through wearing pantyhose under my skirts for a few months.
My stilettos clicked against the cement as I made my way to Queen’s Coffee for a morning jolt.
It was the second night in a row that I hadn’t slept a wink.
After giving me hell about having someone stay over, Chase came back in the afternoon and helped me clean up my yard. Of course, he took every opportunity to try to figure out who had been in my bed.
The joke was on him. We didn’t do it in my bed. We did it at the inn. We just fooled around in my bed. And on the couch.
Wanton desire simmered inside. Apparently, having one night of great sex started a chain reaction. Now my body just expected it. It was just too damn bad, because I was officially going celibate until I got my head back on straight.
I’d just start tomorrow since I already gave my favorite vibrator a workout this morning .
Yeah. Tomorrow.
The bells tied to the front door of Queen’s jingled as I yanked it open. It was toasty warm inside. My phone buzzed from inside my handbag. I dug around until I snagged it and pressed it to my ear. “Hannah Jane Hayes.”
My heart sank a little bit when the voice on the other end was just an employee calling to tell me that the couple I was supposed to meet with this morning was running late, but confirmed that they were coming.
I hung up and slid my phone back into my bag. Why was I disappointed? Who did I expect it to be?
The line slowly shuffled forward. I huffed, shifting my bag to my other arm, and fished out my debit card.
“Come here often?”
I turned around and was met with warm brown eyes and neatly clipped dark hair. He had a devastatingly handsome smile, and I could make out a faint dimple at the corner of his mouth.
“Every morning.” I smiled. “I work down the block.”
“What’s good?” he asked.
“You a first timer?”
“I’m in town on some business,” he said, pointing to the stitched logo on his polo shirt that sported the name of a construction company based out of New Bern.
“Well,” I said, turning back to face the menu board. “The coffee’s great. Espresso is great—they roast all the beans right here, so it’s super fresh. If coffee isn’t your thing, they have a ton of tea. My friend, Erica, swears by their chamomile.”
“And what do you get?” he asked, flashing that brilliant smile again.
“Extra-large vanilla latte with nonfat milk and an extra shot of espresso.”
He chuckled. “Caffeine fiend, huh?”
I smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Something like that. Long workdays, you know?” And the inability to sleep after Isaac dropped the stupid bomb of “let’s have contractually obligated sex.”
“Yeah, I get it.” He studied my face in a way that made it obvious he was thinking of nothing other than me.
I was immediately sucked into his orbit. And, like the sappy fool I was, I fell like an anvil off the Empire State Building.
“Sounds like we have a lot in common,” he said as the line shuffled forward again.
Oh shit—I was doing it! I was flirting! In line! At the coffee shop! With a handsome stranger!
Best. Day. Ever.
Suck it, Isaac Lawson!
“Anyone addicted to their morning caffeine is good in my book,” I said with a laugh.
He chuckled and nodded in agreement. He was slightly taller than me and was wearing the hell out of those khaki chinos. Extending his hand, he said, “Tucker Massengill.”
“Hannah Jane Hayes,” I said, shaking his hand. His grip around my hand lingered longer than was business appropriate, and my inner hopeless romantic squealed in delight.
“Well, Miss Hayes, now that I know your morning coffee preferences, tell me—what do you drink after a long workday?”
Was he asking me out for drinks? It had been so long since I’d gotten an honest-to-goodness offer for a date. Not just when we both swiped right and agreed to meet so we could see if the other actually looked like their profile picture. “An old fashioned.”
He chuckled, “And if it’s been a really long day?”
“Tequila.” I winked.
“Next!” The girl behind the counter shouted. I hurried up to the counter to place my order. “Miss Hannah Jane,” the barista smiled. “You want your usual?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to where Tucker had sided up to me in front of the register .
If he offered to pay for my drink… It would be like my entire coffee shop scene coming to life.
Kismet.
Serendipity.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” Tucker said from beside me as he handed over his debit card.
He paid.
He quoted the line from When Harry Met Sally.
He flashed me a heart-stopping grin. Lights and sirens blared in my mind. Fireworks went off. There was a full-blown parade and a marching band stomping through my heart. Confetti and ticker tape exploded across my eyes.
“Actually, your drink is already paid for, Miss Hayes,” the barista said.
Record screech.
“Excuse me?”
The barista nodded and plucked a business card out of her apron. “A gentleman stopped by yesterday morning and left a card on file to cover your drinks. He said to give you this,” she said, handing the business card over and taking Tucker’s debit card to swipe for his drink.
I pocketed the black business card without even looking at it. I had a hunch I already knew who was behind this little stunt.
“That was nice,” Tucker said as we stepped aside and waited for our drinks to come out.
I pursed my lips and forced an indifferent, “Mhmm.”
“Your boss put a company card on file or something?”
“Or something,” I said, forcing a smile.
Tucker gave me a wary look, and I couldn’t blame him. He grabbed both coffee cups off the counter and handed me one of them. “Maybe I’ll see you around whenever I’m back in town,” he offered politely.
I smiled softly .
Always be poised and gracious, Hannah Jane . My mother’s voice was my unfortunate inner-monologue.
“That sounds lovely. Nice meeting you, Tucker.” I waited until he was out the door before pulling the business card out of my coat pocket.
I was going to kill Isaac Lawson.
When I got into work, I threw my handbag onto the coat rack, yanked off my overcoat, sank down into my desk chair, and slammed my latte on my desk.
That stupid, egotistical, jackass, overstepping, inconsiderate —the phone call connected, and I hissed, “ You. ”
“Who’s it?” Isaac mumbled. There was a yawn from his end of the line.
“You motherfucking cockblocker!” I shouted. “You ruined my perfect meet-cute, you asshole!”
Isaac chuckled, and I heard the rustle of sheets.
“I swear if you’re hooking up with some airheaded socialite while I can’t even get a fucking date because you’re paying for my coffee, I will end you, Lawson!”
“It’s four in the afternoon here, Princess. No one’s hooking up with anyone. Cool your tits.”
Oh, he was getting the full Hell Yes Ma’am today whether he liked it or not.
“Why the hell are you in bed at four in the afternoon?” I shrieked.
“It’s called jet lag, Princess. I caught up on work the entire flight over here and had meetings as soon as I hit the ground since your little hurricane made me a day late.”
Did he think that I could control natural disasters? I mean, as far as superpowers went, that would be badass.
I huffed and forced myself to focus on being pissed off. “Why the fuck did you pull that stunt at Queen’s?”
“You mean stimulating the local economy? ”
“You know what I mean, you self-righteous prick.”
He clicked his tongue, scolding me from six time zones away. “Using that language isn’t very ladylike, Miss Hayes.”
“Yeah, well, neither is putting my size seven heel up your ass,” I barked. “You know, I actually had a guy—a fucking catch—offer to pay for my coffee this morning? And he was going to ask me out for drinks later, and then the barista ruined the whole damn thing when she told me what you did.”
He chuckled. “Tell me something. How much did your drink cost?”
“What the fuck does that matter, Scrooge McDuck? You’re the one who forced me to let you pay for it.”
“Humor me before I fall asleep again, Princess.”
I sighed. “I dunno—like four dollars?”
“Hannah.”
“What.”
“You’re worth more than a four-dollar cup of coffee. Aim higher.”
“You need to stay out of my business, Lawson.”
He yawned over the line. “And here I was, hoping that you were calling to say you were so flattered by my grand gesture that you were going to accept my offer.”
“Not my kind of grand gesture,” I clipped, staring down at the business card with Isaac’s name and personal cell phone number on it. On the backside, he had written, Think about it.
“Mmm, that’s right. You’re still waiting for John Cusack to show up, holding a boombox over his head,” Isaac sneered.
“Goodbye, Lawson.”
“Hannah, wait?—”
I heard his plea, but I hung up anyway.
There was a knock at the door, and Kristin poked her head in. “Hey,” I said, waving her in.
Kristin plopped down in the chair across from my desk, and I had to distract myself from the mental image of Isaac sitting there, drinking Dom Pérignon after Maddie and Luca’s wedding.
I focused my attention on her. “Y’all get through the storm, okay?”
Kristin rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. “Yeah. Logan raised hell about not being able to go to his friend’s house, and Zoey cried all night because she’s still afraid of storms. Kylie got her first period and turned into a hormonal psychopath, and Hunter—I swear, Hannah, he picks fights with Logan just to get some attention.” She slumped forward and put her head in her hands.
I handed my coffee over. Lord knows she needed it more than I did. Kristin didn’t even try to pretend that she didn’t want it, and it broke my heart.
She was proud and tried to be as self-sufficient as possible, but life had taken a giant, putrid dump on her the day Steve and Chase were forced to haul her parents off to jail.
She went from independent older sister and college student to single parent.
“What can I do to help?” I asked gently.
She sighed and took a long drink. “Nothing. I just needed someone to vent to.”
“You’ve got this, babe,” I said, reaching across my desk and squeezing her hand. “What time do you get off today?”
“I have to leave early. Parent-teacher conference at Logan’s school, where—yet again—I have to explain this fucked up situation and try to make sense of why he’s failing math.”
I tapped my pen against my computer keys. “After that?”
Kristin shrugged. “The usual. Dinner. Bath. Bedtime. Repeat.”
Poor girl. Kristin wasn’t even old enough to rent a car without paying the young driver fees, and here she was, managing four kids and a backbreaking job. “Call me after the parent-teacher conference. I’ll find someone to watch the kids, and we’re gonna have girls' night. ”
“I can’t. I have too much to get done and?—”
I threw my bride-taming glare her way, and Kristin immediately shut up.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, quickly self-correcting.
I reached into my mini-fridge and pulled out the extra lunch I packed for her. “That’s better,” I said as I handed it over. “See you at seven. Look hot.”
I buried myself in booking new clients for the upcoming wedding season and, before I knew it, it was drinking time.
Thank God.
I sent out a text, rallying the troops and handing out marching orders before grabbing my bag and heading out.
I would’ve liked to have been sipping on cocktails with hunky Tucker from the coffee shop, but someone saw to it that I wasn’t going to be getting laid unless it was with his golden dick.
Screw him. But not literally. Because if I wasn’t getting any, then neither was he.
Hannah Jane
I’ll think about it, but I expect exclusivity and test results.
Isaac
Clean as a whistle, Princess, but I’ll get a physical and send you the results. But exclusivity goes both ways. Think you can keep from banging townies until you see me again?
Hannah Jane
You make it sound like I’m going to say yes.
Isaac
I can be rather convincing.
I probably should have put a little more thought into Isaac’s cryptic text, but I was too busy primping to care.
Girls’ night usually called for all of us to meet at the houseboat to get ready together. But considering the houseboat burned down, nearly killing Erica, plan A went out the window.
Maddie was still on her honeymoon, no doubt wreaking havoc in Europe, so we were down our party girl. Bridget was working, but she was good at multitasking. Besides—it was a weeknight in the off-season. It would just be the poker club and a few regulars warming up with some liquor.
Steve and Erica had just come home from the hospital with their brand-new baby girl, Aly, and Steve was already flexing his overbearing muscles.
When Erica texted me this morning asking for someone to come remove Steve from the premises so she could have a moment of peace without him hovering over her, I knew it was fate.
Steve had a soft spot for Kristin’s siblings, so he wouldn’t think twice to go hang out with them and give her a night off, just as long as someone promised to check in on Erica.
Of course we’d check in on Erica.
After she got a fucking nap.
“Hey, hot stuff.” Bridget grinned from behind the bar when I walked in. “You recoup from the wedding?”
I stretched my arms out and shook my ass. “I feel like a whole new woman.” It was common for me to stay in bed for a solid fourteen hours after working a big wedding, but the orgasms this time around were a nice touch.
“You look like it.” She laughed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Sit a spell and tell me about it. You went MIA after you left the hospital.”
I shrugged and slid onto a barstool while she mixed my old fashioned. “Not much to tell. Went home, crashed, bubble bath, and a book. The works.”
“Good,” she said, sliding me the glass. “You deserve it after putting up with Luca’s asshat best man all day. You should’ve taken up Maddie’s offer to be a bridesmaid instead of being the wedding planner and working all night. Then you could’ve just ignored Isaac.”
I muttered something about Isaac under my breath and stabbed the orange slice with the skinny straw. “Nah. I would’ve been losing my shit all day if I had to stand there and look pretty instead of getting things done. The right way. ”
Bridget laughed, tossing her loose blonde braid over her shoulder. “What are you gonna do when it’s your turn to walk down the aisle? Huh? You’re gonna have your earpiece on, barking orders from the altar?”
I downed my drink in one gulp. “I’ll bedazzle it to match my dress. What about you and Kyle?” I asked, avoiding the topic of me in a veil. “When are y’all gonna make it official?”
She took my glass and tossed it in the bus bin. “He’s not exactly my favorite person at the moment. It took everything in me not to strangle him after he went through my phone and got pissed when he saw a text from Chase. I slept in the spare bedroom last night.”
“Excuse me, he what ?”
“Kyle said he thought it was his phone. Chase had just texted me some stupid meme or something, and Kyle lost his mind. He accused me of cheating on him and seeing Chase behind his back.”
“Hold on. Back the fuck up. He invaded your privacy and then accused you of cheating?”
“I usually delete Chase’s texts after they come through,” she said quietly. “It’s a touchy subject for us, and since Chase is never dating anyone, Kyle always thinks we’re sneaking around behind his back.”
I didn’t know Kyle Kingsley as well as Maddie, Steve, and Chase did. From what I’d heard about his temper, I didn’t like him. And that was just Bridget’s rose-colored version of the events.
“If you need somewhere to stay, my guest room is always free. Don’t worry about where you’ll stay if you decide to dump his sorry ass.”
Besides, it would keep me from letting Isaac back in my house ever again.