Chapter Six
Tessa joined the line inside Roll with It the next morning as usual and waited to see Hallie’s smiling face.
She shuffled slowly forward with the line, as Hallie and her coworker Eloise chatted with customers and served coffees, pastries, and a selection of breakfast and brunch options with verve, and a roll included.
The space between the counter and kitchen was long and narrow, but the women moved in harmony, a vibrantly choreographed dance.
An odd pang of regret hit Tessa’s chest as she watched.
When was the last time she’d felt so in sync with another human?
Around her, murals of nearby bridges over the river filled the walls with shades of muted gray. Large, old-fashioned typewriter font showcased the café’s name on the front windows, probably a nod to the fact the local newspaper once resided in this building.
Tessa could think of a dozen ways to use the unique locale to drive business, but Roll with It wasn’t one of her clients, and she really needed her morning coffee.
“Hey!” Eloise chirped when Tessa reached the register. “We were just talking about you. We usually see you an hour earlier. Oh, goodness, you look so cute! Hal thought you might stay home today. She said you were a little sick after the gala.”
Tessa felt one side of her mouth tip upward, caught somewhere between a smirk and a scowl. She certainly had wanted to puke for a moment, but she was on a mission now. “I’m feeling better. Looking forward to my latte.”
Eloise winked. “Coming right up.” Her rosebud lips curled into a grin. “Love the outfit.”
“Thanks.” Tessa straightened, enjoying the compliment and the fun and figure-flattering ensemble she’d chosen in lieu of one of her usual pantsuits.
She’d paired a floral-print tan-and-cream halter dress with a cropped red cardigan and matching heels.
She felt feminine and fierce instead of like someone trying too hard to be one of the guys.
“Thanks. It has pockets.” She slid a hand into the opening on one hip and grinned.
“Love,” Eloise sang. “Love. Love. Love.”
Hallie presented the customer ahead of Tessa with their order, then turned toward her waiting friend. “There you are.” She stopped and whistled. “Hot date?”
“Yes,” Tessa said. “With the best version of myself.”
“Go on,” Hallie said. She raised a hand above the counter and tapped the pad of one finger to her thumb in silent applause.
Eloise said, “The usual? Iced brown sugar espresso with almond milk and two pumps of vanilla?”
“Yes, please.”
“Who else are we ordering for today?”
Tessa shook her head. “Just me.” Millie and Nina had probably ordered delivery by now, and, assuming the men didn’t cut out to golf, Tessa had no interest in getting coffee for them. As far as she was concerned, they’d taken enough from her already.
Hallie grabbed a cup and marker to write on the side. “How are you feeling?”
“I’d rather swim in the river than face everyone after the giant humiliating slap on the face last night,” Tessa admitted. “But I also refuse to hide out and let folks speculate. Better to show up, appear unbothered, and forge a new beginning.”
Tessa stepped aside to wait for her coffee. Three orders later, Hallie finally called Tessa’s name.
She slid a white paper bag with the café’s logo beside the cup. “I made you a treat to take the edge off. It’s in the bag with a cinnamon sugar roll.”
“Ooo.” Tessa clutched the bag gently to her chest, then opened the top for a peek inside. “I love when you do this. What is it today?”
Hallie grinned. “Treasures from the farmers’ market. I think I perfected my watermelon salad.”
Tessa rubbed the tip of one finger against the corner of her mouth. “Am I drooling?”
“You will be. It has all your favorite things. Feta, cucumbers, mint, red onion, toasted pistachios—”
“Oh. My. God.”
“It’s good,” Hallie promised. “You’ll love it.”
A large familiar man moved into view through the kitchen window and glared at Hallie.
Tessa stiffened.
“Hallie!” Quinn called before Tessa could warn her. “What’d I tell you about wasting time on the clock? Stop making things that aren’t on the menu.”
“Sorry,” Hallie called.
Tessa took a step backward, worried about taking so much of her friend’s time.
“I paid for all the ingredients,” Hallie barked back at him. “It’s my recipe.”
“Great!” Sarcasm dripped from his word. “Try making something on my menu next time. And get back to work!”
Hallie turned on her toes to face Tessa once more, cheeks pink and jaw tight. “My recipes should be on the menu.”
Hopefully Hallie would stand up for herself this month. If not, Tessa might come back and do it for her.
“Thank you,” Tessa said, forcing a pleasant smile and lifting both the bag and her drink.
Main character energy, day one, she thought. Here I come.
Millie rose to her feet when Tessa stepped off the elevator. “Oh my.”
Tessa smiled. “Good morning.”
“I thought you might take the day off,” she said. “Or put in your notice. Can’t say I’d blame you.”
Humiliation stung Tessa’s cheeks at the reminder of the previous night’s rejection. “I slept in a little,” she said. “I thought it was time for a change of pace.”
“And wardrobe,” Millie said. She straightened as she looked Tessa up and down with a slow, approving nod. “Are you going somewhere after work? Perhaps a date?”
Tessa shook her head. “No. My best friends and I decided to turn over new leaves,” she said. “Plotting chaos and anarchy—you know how it goes.”
“I’d love to get in on that.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Tessa teased.
She moved down the hallway, catching looks from coworkers as she passed. Yes, she wore a fun dress. Yes, she’d let her hair fall over her shoulders instead of wrangling it into a headache-inducing, professional, but boring bun.
No, she would not complain, pout, or quit over the injustice of last night’s announcement. Hiring the wrong man for the job would be punishment enough for Xavier.
She delivered her lunch to the office fridge, then set her things on a desk in the common space.
She took her time, sipping coffee and responding to emails before opening her ideas file.
Inside, she added several utterly ridiculous thoughts on feminism and a resurgence of glow-in-the-dark content for increasing sales.
Maybe it was the absence of a bun-induced headache or the possibility of catching an intellectual property thief, but the morning coffee tasted a little sweeter.
She moved her ideas file back onto the company network and named it as such, then closed it with a grin. Surely, she deserved to make a little mischief. Besides, if no one was out to steal her ideas and pass them off as their own, then no harm done.
She glanced at the clock, gauging how much time she had until the morning meeting. Then, on a whim, she typed Grant Gaines’s name into a search engine.
He’d been on her mind a lot since their meeting.
Unlike Tessa, Grant had done great things in the past few years.
He’d chased his dreams of opening a bookstore with a bar, then bravely pivoted when that path wasn’t all he’d hoped it would be.
He took chances and redirected as needed until he found satisfaction doing something he loved.
And he’d created an enterprise doing it.
Handsome, resilient, and impressive. Also a client, she reminded herself. Grant. Is. A. Client.
She pressed the return key, then scrolled through the pages of accolades her search returned. “Goodness,” she whispered. “You really have been busy.”
She opened the top article but didn’t finish the first paragraph before a few coworkers shifted and rose around her, packing up laptops and hustling away.
Meeting time.
Stalking the handsome investor would have to wait a bit longer.
Tessa took her time entering the conference room and filled the last available seat at the big oval table. Her usual team watched with expressions of slight confusion.
Xavier quirked a brow, a thin small smile on his lips. “All right,” he said. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.”
Nina caught Tessa’s eye from across the table and motioned, eyes wide, to her hair. She mouthed the word nice, then swept wiggling fingers across her chest, indicating she loved the outfit as well.
“Is there coffee for everyone?” Xavier asked. His tone suggested he asked the question to the room. His gaze, however, stuck to Tessa.
She looked around, then took a silent sip of her drink. “I think there’s coffee in the break room,” she said, when Xavier’s gaze didn’t move on. “I stopped at Roll with It on my way in.”
Peyton shook his head, casting a sidelong glance in her direction. “No coffee in the break room. I was just there.”
Nina pressed her lips into a tight line, clearly fighting a grin. Tessa hadn’t arrived early to make the coffee, and no one else had done it in her absence.
“Who makes the coffee?” Xavier asked.
“Tessa,” Peyton confirmed. His expression suggested she’d dropped the ball.
But fetching coffee was never part of her job description. That was something she’d done fruitlessly to stand out. The nagging sense she’d let the office down settled in her chest, and she worked to push it away.
Xavier stuffed his hands into the pockets of his gray slacks.
“No problem. Why don’t we start by sharing what’s on tap this week and discuss how we can help one another?
Jordan?” He looked to the marketing intern on his left, and she responded with a rundown of her goals.
The agents continued, one by one, around the table until it was Tessa’s turn.