Chapter 5
Chapter five
Cam
December
After three months in Blue Lake, my favorite customer was Rowen Finley. Like I’d told Pam, he tipped well. But he was also fun to talk to and I liked to make him blush. Every day, I perked up each time the bell announced a new customer, and deflated when it wasn’t him.
Until it was. Because Rowen stopped in every day I worked, which was six days a week. I took Mondays off, and Eddy told me Rowen rarely stopped by when I wasn’t there. I had to hope it meant he was looking forward to seeing me as much as I did him.
My second favorite customers were Channing King and Riley Jones. Not that they were generally together, though Riley was dating Channing’s older brother. It was more their energies I vibed with.
Riley was a writer, and I loved hearing snippets of his current plots or stories from when he was traveling.
I’d done a bit of my own globetrotting when I was making Silicon Valley money, but he gave me great tips on where it was fun and safe.
Riley was also an out gay man in Blue Lake, and I considered him a friend.
Channing was full of sass, and could go from friendly gossiping to cutting barbs on a dime.
A total Gemini. She was always stopping by on her way out of town for college classes, but wasn’t sure of her major yet.
I loved when she brought in her Gramps in his wheelchair.
Merle King was a total silver fox and seemed to take my queerness and pronouns in stride, which made sense having a gay and trans grandson.
The three of them—Riley plus Channing and Merle King—were all at the table in the back corner when Rowen stopped in for his mid-morning caffeine boost the first week of December.
I was starting to wonder what he did for coffee before Perk Café opened.
I was too afraid the answer was some terrible instant coffee mix to ask.
“Morning, Rowen. Your usual?” I asked, already entering the items onto the screen.
“Yes, thank you,” Rowen nodded and I moved to make his caramel latte while he paid. He had switched to hot drinks only after Halloween, but always wanted salted caramel.
“How’s your bike, Red?” Merle called out. “Haven’t seen you on it in a few months.”
Rowen jumped like he hadn’t noticed them even though the shop wasn’t that big. He rubbed at his reddening neck and turned their way, though he didn’t leave the counter. “Oh, yeah. Been too rainy.”
“Fair,” Merle chuckled and turned to say something to Riley.
Merle’s family owned a motorcycle repair shop and all rode bikes together with cute matching jackets with a howling wolf on the back. Though I didn’t think the bikers would like my observation of them as “cute.”
Placing the to-go cup on the counter, since I sensed he didn’t want to stay, I couldn’t help asking about his bike. “What kind of motorcycle do you have?”
“I have a Harley Davidson Street Bob one-fourteen,” Rowen recited without hesitation, clearly more confident on this topic than when people tried small talk with him. “Got it new in twenty-twenty-three.”
“Nice,” I complimented, even though I couldn’t picture the exact bike. I’d had my eyes on a Ducati before I decided to quit. “What color is it?”
Rowen started blushing more at that question for some reason. “Red.”
“Makes sense,” I chuckled. Laughing was probably what he was afraid of, but I loved how on brand he was. The way he talked so passionately about it made me want to know more. “I’ve always wanted a motorcycle. Do you think you could teach me how to drive one?”
“I–uh.” Rowen rubbed his beard and nodded to himself before answering, “It would be safer in a controlled setting like a class with instructors.”
Rowen had once again missed my attempt to ask him out.
“I see,” I bit my lip at how his reply seemed to be about my safety and not a rejection.
Fuck it. Time to be less subtle.
Leaning on the counter, I gave him a glance down my low collar to my bare clavicles before purring, “You could always give me a ride.”
“Not sure how that would teach you to drive.” Rowen’s brows pulled together in confusion, and I saw he had completely missed my innuendo. Again. And then he added, “Maybe? But we should wait for better weather.”
Sigh.
That was better than a ‘no thanks,’ at least. I couldn’t keep throwing myself at the man, but his ‘maybe’ gave me hope.
“Sure. Is January usually a drier month?”
“Might be,” Rowen shrugged and grabbed his drink cup. “Thanks for this.”
He was out the door before my, “Have a nice day,” was through. I watched Rowen walk away, and he only turned once to look at the door with his face as red as his bike.
Did I embarrass him with my flirting?
A hand waved in front of my face and I blinked to find Channing in front of me with her empty plate. “You might need to ask him out more directly.”
“I have been,” I whined and pouted. “One minute I think he only comes here to see me every day, and then I offer an idea to spend time together outside of work, and he is oblivious.”
“No, I mean…” Channing trailed off and looked back to the others for help.
“He’s really shy,” Riley explained. I went to say I knew that, but he stood up and joined Channing at the counter. “Red has never dated anyone.”
“Like, no serious partners? Me either,” I shrugged. “Since High School doesn’t really count.”
“No… No one. Ever,” Riley clarified. “Not even in High School. I don’t know if he’s even been on a date.”
Wow. That was a shock. Rowen was gorgeous, with his long red hair and warm brown eyes. The broad, muscular shoulders didn’t hurt either. How he made it to his mid twenties without dating…sounded like a choice. Was I coming on too strong and making him uncomfortable? Crap, was I being a jerk?
“Am I sexually harassing him?”
“Oh, shit. No,” Channing rushed to assure me, but then scratched her nose in thought. “At least, I think he’s interested in you. Red would never come back if you were bothering him.”
Letting out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding, I was glad to hear it. “Then what do I do?”
“Red volunteers for the tree lighting and charity ride,” Merle stated from his chair behind the others, though I wasn’t sure how that helped me.
“Isn’t that weeks away?”
“There’s a set-up day this weekend, and Red always helps,” Riley explained.
While I was thinking about my shifts, Merle added, “The best way to spend time with someone oblivious to your advances is to put yourself in their path. Worked for me and my late wife. She was flirting with me at school and I had no clue until she started coming over to help out my mom.”
Merle got a sweet, faraway look on his face, and I swooned at how adorable he was. I wanted to feel like one person was my world, and I was the center of theirs. Rowen Finley might not be that man, but he had the potential to be. I was sure of it.
“Okay. I’m in.” I held out my hand to shake Merle’s over the counter, since it was his idea. “Give me the details. And if Rowen is still oblivious, at least I’ve done something good for the community.”
“That’s the spirit,” Riley laughed and bent towards the pastry case. “Now tell me more about these brownies. My boyfriend will love me forever if I bring home chocolate.”