Chapter 32
32
SUMMER
I sipped my chai latte and glared at the entrance to Taste of Destiny as Asher sauntered through, with one hand in his pocket and the other on the door. He paused to survey the cafe for an available table, his gaze flickering slightly as it skimmed over me. He raised his eyebrow, but I met his eyes and didn’t look away.
Okay, so maybe it was a little childish of me to stake out the cafe during his not-date with Ashley—something I’m sure a more mature woman wouldn’t have done—but if I’d stayed home, I’d only have wondered what was happening between them. Now, I had a front row seat. Or back row, I supposed, since I was tucked into the furthest corner of the room from the entrance.
Asher sat at a table beside the window, which still had someone else’s used coffee mugs in the center. A waitress scurried over to clear them away and quickly wipe the table down.
“Are you sure you want to spy on them?” Bailey asked from beside me.
“It’s not spying,” I told her. “We just happen to be here at the same time.”
“Uh-huh.” She sounded dubious. “At four o’clock on a Sunday, when we’re both usually at home, preparing for the work week.”
“Exactly.”
She drank more of her smoothie—green, this time.
“Not too fast,” I warned her. “We don’t want to have to get up to replace our drinks, or Ashley will notice we’re here.”
She rolled her eyes. “We aren’t undercover. She’s probably going to see us anyway.”
“Shh. Let me have my comforting lies.”
God bless Bailey, because she did.
I was lucky to have a friend who supported me even when I was behaving borderline inappropriately.
Ashley arrived right on time, and my hackles immediately went up. She was dressed way too nicely for a casual coffee with a friend. She’d taken the time to do her hair and makeup, her dress was more suited to a Michelin-Starred restaurant, and even from here, I could tell her manicure was flawless.
That wasn’t jealousy boiling in my gut.
Not at all.
It was just that it’d be nice to be able to maintain a manicure. Being a vet made it next to impossible.And I’d never look that sophisticated, no matter how hard I tried.
Ashley beelined for Asher and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He dodged, and there was a super awkward moment when neither of them seemed to know what to do next, but then she laughed, tossed her glossy hair over her shoulder, and dropped her bag on the newly cleaned table. She said something, and they both stood and went to the counter.
A few minutes later, Eden brought over our food. A nutty slice for me and a jar of chia pudding for Bailey.
“What’s up with them?” she asked softly, gesturing toward Asher and Ashley, who’d returned to their table.
“They’re exes,” Bailey whispered, not nearly as subtly as she seemed to think. “She wants him back.”
I scowled.
Eden leaned toward me. “Don’t worry. I saw his face, and he’s definitely not into her.”
My eyebrows flew up. “Does literally everyone know?”
“About your crush on him?” She smirked. “Probably most people, other than your brothers.”
“Thank God for small mercies,” I muttered.
“I think Max does though,” Eden added thoughtfully. “He’s too clever not to have noticed.”
This time, it was Bailey’s turn to glare. If we weren’t in public, there was every chance she’d have bared her teeth.
Eden laughed. “Don’t worry, Max is too old for me. You can have him.”
With that, she left. We both stared after her, an unsettled silence between us.
Bailey turned to me, her expression panicked. “Do you think everyone knows about my feelings for Max?”
“Of course not,” I soothed, although it seemed like a distinct possibility. “Let’s never mention this again, okay?”
She nodded mutely.
“Hey guys, what’s up?”
I flinched. Bailey squeaked.
Kennedy’s mouth twisted with amusement. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s fine,” I said breathlessly. “Just a bit of a workout for my heart. I’ve heard that’s supposed to be good for you.”
Laughing, Kennedy sat on the chair facing Bailey and me, with her back to the rest of the cafe. “So, what are you doing here?”
We exchanged a glance. I bit my lip and darted a look at Asher and Ashley.
Kennedy turned and hummed in understanding. “I got it,” she said. “Can you still see them past me?”
“Yes,” I said quietly.
“Then continue as you were. I’ll just sit here while I wait for my order to be ready.” She flushed. “I’ve been craving banana loaf today. I’m buying enough to keep me going for a few days since my tummy seems to have become quite fussy lately.”
“Have you been sick?” I asked, concerned.
She shook her head. “Not really. I’ve felt a little queasy, but it’s more a case of not having an appetite, or of certain smells putting me off eating.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Bailey said, laying her hand on Kennedy’s. “Make sure to tell Max if you start to feel worse. I’m sure he can help.”
“I will.” Kennedy’s eyes danced with amusement, and I hid a grin. Okay, so maybe Bailey’s hero worship of Max was kind of obvious. I only hoped my feelings for Asher weren’t quite so blatant.
I broke off a piece of slice with my fork and crunched on it as I watched Asher and Ashley talk. She was leaning across the table toward him, while he seemed to be trying to get as far from her as possible. Satisfaction rolled through me.
“I’ve just been to see Grace,” Kennedy said.
“How is she?” Bailey asked.
“She’s tired, obviously,” Kennedy said. “She’s loving being a mom though. She and Finn are so sweet together. I can already imagine her with another baby, or maybe a couple more.”
“Do you know if she wants more kids?” I asked. Neither Grace nor Nate had spoken to me about their plans in that regard.
Kennedy shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m not sure. As much as she loves it, she’s also keen to get back to work. I know she’s been sneaking away while Finn naps to work on her latest Viking romance story, and she’s still researching to make sure she’s fleshed out her Destiny Falls historical romance as well as possible.”
I cocked my head. “She’s worked on that for much longer than she usually does, hasn’t she?”
Kennedy looked uncertain. “You’d know more than me, but maybe because it’s based on true events, she wants to make sure to get the facts right.”
“Hmm possibly.” Grace could be a perfectionist.
“You know how she tracked down Jewel and Rocky’s descendants?” Kennedy asked.
Bailey and I nodded.
“She’s considering reaching out to them. Perhaps having them read the book to fact-check for her.”
“That would be awesome,” I exclaimed. “She should do it. I bet their descendants would be honored to see how she’s bringing their ancestor’s love story to life.”
Bailey cleared her throat. “Provided it’s a woman, because I can imagine men would get weird about the sexy scenes.”
“Good point,” I agreed. “Why do some men have to get strange about sex in books? It’s just like any other part of life.”
“Except hotter,” Kennedy added slyly.
I laughed. “True. Next time you see Grace, tell her that Bailey and I think she should do it.”
“I will.”
I glanced toward the window just in time to see Ashley try to take Asher’s hand. He slid his hands under the table to avoid her, presumably resting them on his lap.
My lips twitched. I shouldn’t take pleasure in his rejection of her and, honestly, if they were anyone else, I’d feel for her, but it was difficult to be sympathetic when she was trying to take my man. Asher seemed to think she had an inkling about us, which made her putting the moves on him pretty insensitive.
Eden brought them a tray of food. A hot drink each, a sweet chili and cream cheese pinwheel for him and a tiny bowl of salad for her. Asher got up and excused himself to the bathroom. As soon as he was gone, Ashley’s gaze shifted directly over to me.
I stiffened. Oops, caught out.
She rose to her feet and stalked across the cafe, circling around the customers and full tables separating us. When she reached us, she folded her arms over her chest.
“You’re being clingy and weird,” she said flatly.
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
She made a sound of impatience. “Unless you and Asher are exclusively dating, then he can do whatever he likes without being spied on.”
My cheeks flamed. The thing was, she had a point.
“At least I’m not trying to force myself on him when he clearly isn’t interested,” I retorted, immediately ashamed of myself for stooping to her level.
She paled, and her mouth fell open. She blinked a few times.
“Hey, I’m sorry—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence because she stomped away.
“Now you’ve done it,” Kennedy muttered. “What’s the bet that she’s going to tell tales on you to Asher?”
My stomach sank. “I really hope not.”
Asher returned and I watched, eating on autopilot, as they started a stilted conversation. I did notice that Ashley didn’t try to touch him again, and that satisfied the petty part of me that I couldn’t seem to bury.
I looked away. Ashley was right. I shouldn’t be spying on them. If anything long term were to happen between Asher and me, we needed to trust each other. But still, one thing did strike me as odd about her.
I shifted my chair closer to Bailey and gestured for Kennedy to do the same.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that Ashley turned up in town at the same time as Asher’s cat accidentally got poisoned?” I asked.
Bailey sighed. “I say this with love, but you’re reading way too much into it and making a connection that isn’t there because you’re jealous and you want her to be up to no good.”
I pressed my lips together. I could see the sense in what she’d said, but something about Ashley still felt…off…to me.
“What do you think?” I directed the question at Kennedy this time.
She grimaced. “Usually, I’d agree with Bailey, but with so many insane things happening in Destiny Falls lately, who knows? Stranger things have happened.”