7. Katie
7
KATIE
The air was filled with sweet aromas mixed with the warm, rich scent of freshly brewed coffee. Katie stood in line beside Sydney, their arms occasionally touching, and Katie got a little jolt of electricity every time, even though they both had coats on.
“Why don’t you grab a table,” Sydney said. “I’ll get our order.”
Katie scanned the coffee shop and sat at a table next to the windows. The foot traffic outside was sparse, as the little cafe was tucked away in a small strip mall in the Upper Garden District. Few tourists knew this place existed, so it mostly did business with locals.
Sydney arrived with a cup holder containing two coffees and a brown paper bag. She handed one coffee to Katie and put the other beside her. Then she opened the bag to place a little cardboard tray in front of each of them.
“I haven’t been here in years.” Katie smelled the powdered sugar and freshly fried dough. “Good choice.”
Sydney poured creamer and sugar into her cup. “It’s kind of out of the way for most people.
“Worth it.” Katie raised her cup. “Best beignets, but somehow the coffee’s better.”
“Agreed,” Sydney said. “My dad used to sometimes pick up breakfast or snacks from here when I was a kid. When I got older and had the coffee, I was hooked even more.”
Despite only having one window, the tiny shop was bright and cheery. Small wooden tables dotted the seating area, each decorated with a tiny glass jar containing a single flower. This wasn’t a line-out-the-front-door kind of place. But it had a steady stream of locals passing through.
Katie took a bite and sagged with the pleasantness of the warm, crispy dough coated in powdered sugar. She finished chewing and said, “I’ve only been here a couple times. Mostly with friends who knew about it. My family didn’t do a whole lot of… togetherness.”
Sydney’s expression fell, and she held her beignet in the air, abandoning the bite she was about to take. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. We had plenty of love in our house. And we had maybe too much togetherness at our big extended family gatherings around the holidays.”
That’s how Katie and Rachel had become so close. They were closest in age of all the cousins and usually opted out of family football or volleyball games to listen to music, read, or draw off in a corner by themselves while everyone else shouted and threw each other in the mud all in the name of fun.
Katie shrugged. “We just didn’t do a lot of family outings Everyone was pretty busy and going in different directions, so if we were together it was for someone’s band concert, or my brother’s sports game, or following Dad on a work trip. We had fun, but it wasn’t random beignets together kind of fun.”
Sydney took that bite she’d paused. She seemed to be choosing her next words, and once she swallowed, she hesitantly asked, “A lot of type A’s in your family?”
“Sort of.” Katie thought of a way to describe her family dynamic. “We were all pretty driven and goal-oriented. Just in different ways. My brother was the school quarterback and spent weekends studying games and plays and all of that. My parents are both attorneys. They’re always working, even when they’re home. Lists and paperwork and phone calls follow them everywhere.”
“I know how that is,” Sydney said with a shy smile. “I’m the only one in my family who isn’t completely allergic to a checklist.”
“A whole crew of Stephens, right?” Katie asked. “I’ve gotten that impression from your siblings. Like they all live on vibes and charm.”
Come to think of it, Sydney really was different from the rest of the Savoie siblings. They had the same surfer-looking hair of various lengths, and they were a bunch of laid-back goofballs from what she’d seen.
Sydney had a separate vibe from her brothers and sister. She had a soft side—Katie had seen that clearly on that night they’d spent together—but she seemed to be more serious, more deliberate and more composed than the rest of them.
“Vibes and charm nails it,” Sydney said with a laugh, then took a sip of coffee. “My parents own a lunch shop not far from here. I’m sure Stephen must have mentioned it.”
“Yeah. We’ve eaten there a couple times. Sandwiches and burgers and stuff, right? It’s been a while.”
“That’s right.” Sydney took another bite of her beignet and waited to finish chewing before she continued. “They’re very chill, too. But they’re at the restaurant all the time. It’s hard for them to take time away, so they usually split their time there to give each other breaks."
“I’ve always gotten the impression they’re also super chill, but now that you mention it, I usually only see one of your parents.”
“Yeah, and when they’re both gone around the holiday rush, family prep for the big day has always been a nightmare.” Sydney smiled. “All of us kids would be in charge of buying food and prepping it, and if I didn’t run the show, it was pure impulsive chaos.”
Katie wiped the powdered sugar from her hands. “Does that mean you have a schedule for us today?”
Sydney bit her lip, and Katie’s insides went wild. She wanted nothing more than to lean over the table and nibble on that lip of hers that was dusted with powdered sugar. All the confidence Sydney naturally projected had melted away, and the vulnerability of this hesitation was wildly attractive to Katie right then.
“Nope. I’m all yours.” Sydney’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly amended the statement. “It’s your tour. I only picked breakfast. But I’ll admit, being this flexible and not in charge isn’t my standard mode.”
Now Katie had all kinds of questions about Sydney’s flexibility.
Today was definitely a bad idea.
But it was a bad idea she was going to see through to the end. And, at this point, thoroughly enjoy it.
Katie steered her thoughts back to the present and not thinking about Sydney’s lips. “Good. Because I have the list today. I like lists, too.”
She didn’t make checklists for everything, but she always made lists for the important things, to keep herself on the right path. Like what she wanted in a long-term partner or what to do with a person who didn’t fit on that list, but who she was excited to spend the day with, nevertheless.
Sydney relaxed, as if she was relieved to not have to be in charge for a day. It made Katie want to give her the opportunity to step back and relax more than just that one day.
Nope. Not an option.
Sydney smiled. “You do?”
“Not so much a schedule or checklist. More like a menu. A flexible list of options, mostly in case we need ideas.”
“Planning ahead for flexibility,” Sydney said with a nod. She raised her coffee cup and added, “I respect that.”
Katie tapped her cup to Sydney’s in a toast. “Thank you. I respect your flexibility to follow my plans as well.”
“Thanks. I’m usually the one with lists and numbers and spreadsheets. Being an accountant sort of bleeds into the rest of my life, I guess.”
“You don’t kiss like an accountant.”
Katie regretted the words the moment she spoke them. But she couldn’t exactly take them back now.
Sydney choked on her coffee and had to wipe at some escaping her mouth. She laughed as she said, “What’s your sample size on that?”
Katie could barely focus on the fact that her analysis had been completely dismantled with a single question. She was too enthralled by Sydney’s laughter and the fact that she could have that effect on her. Katie loved making people smile. Making them laugh was even better. Making someone she was physically attracted to laugh? Best drug in the world.
“Fine. You got me. My sample is one,” she said. “But I stand by my instincts. You don’t strike me as the accountant type. You seem… warm. You’ve got a cozy vibe.”
“Thanks. I think?” Sydney smiled all the way up to her eyes. “You probably just need to meet more accountants. Or maybe I just hang out with the cool ones.”
“Sounds plausible. On both counts.” Katie tilted her head as she eyed Sydney curiously. “But seriously. What drew you to the old number crunching?”
Sydney let out a soft chuckle as she tucked a small blonde strand behind her ear. Katie fought the urge to reach out and brush back more of her hair.
Nope.
This wasn’t a date. No touching.
“Numbers were easy for me to work with. And I saw how stressed my parents always were around tax time, and I hated that. I like that I can help people take some stress off their plates by doing something that already comes easily to me. I do what I’m good at, so other people can focus on what they’re good at.”
Katie had never thought of it that way. It was a beautiful way to see accounting, of all things.
“I never would have considered that take on it.” Katie downed the rest of her coffee. “My cousin’s a musician, and I know that she and her bandmates are geniuses at playing and songwriting. But financial stuff? Not so much.”
“It makes sense. Most people aren’t naturally good at both.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Katie said. “They’ve got a manager for the band, but she’s already spread too thin, so they’re actually looking for someone to handle their upcoming tour financials.”
Sydney took a sip of coffee, then stared off thoughtfully for a moment. Then she said, “I’d be happy to talk with them if that would help.”
Katie shook her head. “Oh, I wasn’t asking… you don’t have to do that. You’re on vacation.”
“I know. But remember, I like this stuff.” She gave a flirty little wink that set Katie’s insides on fire.
“If you’re sure it’s okay, I know she’d love any advice you can give.”
“I can’t promise to work everything out. They’ll need someone local that specializes in entertainment finances. But I’d be happy to have coffee and chat with her for an hour or so to see if I can guide her in the right direction or figure out what the band actually needs help with.”
“That would be amazing. Thank you.” Katie pulled out her phone. “Let me text her before I forget.”
She sent a quick text to Rachel, who sent back an enthusiastic, YES!! Thank you!
“She’s very excited and says thanks.” Katie put her phone down. “I can give you her number or I can arrange something for y’all. Whatever’s easier for you.”
“Send me her number. Probably easier to work something out that way with her band stuff and my packed family schedule. Although I don’t know what that schedule is yet. I think I’m supposed to be available for whatever spontaneous plans they come up with.”
“That sounds a bit unfair.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not doing that,” Sydney said. “They’ll have to learn to plan things with me in advance, or they can’t expect me to be there.”
“Not your first rodeo with your siblings, huh?”
“Nope,” Sydney said with a delicate laugh. “But I love them to pieces anyway.”
Katie wondered what it was like to be on the other end of Syd’s affection.
Sure, they had chemistry, but they didn’t really know each other that well.
And it had to stay that way. Despite how nice it was to just be together and talk and enjoy beignets and coffee.
The exact reason she needed to get out of there and get rolling with the day. The sooner they moved on, the sooner Katie could remove Sydney from her mind.
Katie shook her empty cup from side to side. “Ready?”
Sydney flashed a smile that made Katie’s knees weak as she stood.
“Absolutely.”