Chapter 19
“Welcome to Sweeter Things. What can I get for you this morning?”
I smiled, breathing in the scent of freshly baked pastries and sweetened milk as I wrapped my arms around my chest and pondered the menu.
Do I go healthy or delicious? Remembering the bran muffin with unsweetened coconut flakes I’d brought Dad the other week, I crinkled my nose, confident in my decision to stay away from anything that bragged about being unsweetened.
“Good morning. I’ll have an orange scone, butter croissant, and a vanilla chai tea, please.”
“Great choices,” the barista said, ringing up the items. “How about trying a new recipe our owner has created? It’s half off until it becomes a permanent item on the menu.
” She gestured to a glass dome with artfully arranged slices of what looked like banana bread underneath.
I leaned closer, spying nuts and chocolate chips.
“Oh?”
“Yep. It’s a white and dark chocolate chip, macadamia nut banana bread. Olivia made several fresh loaves this morning.” She grabbed a pair of tongs and clicked them together. “What do you say? Want to add one to your order?”
“Actually, I’ll take two slices, please. And what’s that one with the green thingies on top?”
I pointed to the bakery case, where several silver cupcake tins held an unknown something topped with cheese and… Were those green onions? My palate might not be sophisticated, but I couldn’t think of a pastry with that topping.
“That’s our egg cake.”
I furrowed my brows and pursed my lips, wondering what in the world an egg cake was.
“Yeah, the name needs work,” she said, opening the case and removing the concoction. “We line the tin with finely sliced potatoes, then add scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and green peppers before baking them. Once they’re out of the oven, it’s all topped with sour cream and chives.”
“Oh, wow,” I replied as she held the savory breakfast treat closer for me to inspect. “That sounds too good to pass up.”
“Right? You won’t regret it. Let me get this rung up for you while Bethany finishes your drink.”
“Thank you.” I reached into my purse and took out my wallet as she totaled the items, second guessing her addition skills until I remembered the new recipe banana bread was half off and the key ingredients for my treats were fairly inexpensive.
“Good morning. Please add a large mocha, nonfat latte, and the egg white on avocado toast to the order and put everything on my card.”
I furrowed my brows, scowling before turning so quickly, my hair whipped around and stuck to my lip gloss. Rolling my eyes, I blew out a quick breath, but it didn’t dislodge the strands as I took in the handsome features of Dad’s heart doctor.
Crap on a cracker. Did that infuriating man obtain some sort of telepathy from his surgery that allowed him to view glimpses of the future? Or had the universe heard my unspoken thought about the lack of current drama and decided to up the ante?
“Summer. What a pleasant surprise running into you this morning. I’d been hoping to catch you here since the last time we spoke.”
Fuck. Shit. Damn. My eyes darted between the barista holding my tea and the doctor, scrambling for my brain to catch up to the conversation.
What was his name? My mind was completely blank, barely able to believe he was here as I pathetically grasped at straws.
“Oh. Hi. Good morning. Um…”
“Tom,” he said, chuckling and reaching around me to take the offered tea. “Come on. Let’s grab a place to sit by the window, since the sun is out this morning.”
I nodded like a stupid, agreeable asshole, and followed him to a booth with squishy red cushions and a sleek black tabletop. “Here you go. I’ll grab our breakfast and be right back.”
“Thanks,” I said, sliding into the booth and placing my elbows on the table.
My hands wrapped around the hot beverage, and I breathed in the scents of vanilla and spice, watching as Tom leaned against the far wall, with his thumbs flying across his cell phone screen.
I didn’t know if I was relieved that he gave me a moment to gather my thoughts while he waited at the counter, or peeved that he assumed I’d want to join him.
I glanced at the chipped polish on my thumbnail, and then down to my faded black leggings and oversized sweatshirt that had fallen off my shoulder, wondering why I hadn’t bothered to do a little more with my appearance before I left the house.
Tom had moved from the wall and was leaning against the counter while a barista passed over his coffee.
I couldn’t help but notice that her cheeks were scarlet from his undivided attention.
Who could blame her, I guess? Dr. Tom looked like he belonged on a Primetime medical drama, where he saved lives no matter the obstacles, had a panty-melting nickname, and a revolving door of women who were helpless to resist his charm.
I supposed the unfamiliar sensation I had was flattery mixed with a healthy amount of confusion, but it was not enough to get rid of the anxious feeling that crept up my spine. An innate sense of dread followed in its wake, and as Tom sauntered back to the table, I knew the reason.
Maverick.
He’d invaded my thoughts like an insidious, tangling vine that suffocated everything in its path. Not that it was all bad, but until I knew without a doubt that our kiss meant nothing, I couldn’t entertain the thought of anyone else.
“This is quite the breakfast you have,” Tom said, chuckling as he sat across from me and placed the goodies in the center of the table. I shook my head and grinned, pulling the egg cake and scone closer. “I hope you intend to share.”
“And if this is all for me?” I swept my hand across the table, gesturing to the slices of bread as I raised a brow.
“I’d be highly impressed,” he said as he sprinkled pepper on his avocado toast before taking a large bite. “And would have an explanation for your father’s constant complaint about his new diet.”
“Ouch. It’s a little too early for the blame game, Dr. Tom.”
I broke off the corner of the orange scone and popped it in my mouth. My eyes widened, and I held back a moan at the burst of citrus, butter, and vanilla, choosing not to look at Tom and instead focus on the steady stream of people walking by the large, tinted window.
“No. No. I meant no offense, Summer.”
“Sure,” I said before taking a sip of my tea. “So, how have you been?”
“Oh, you know,” Dr. Tom answered, smirking before sprinkling more pepper to his toast. He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed three artificial sweetener packets, adding them to his latte.
“Long hours in surgery but saving lives. Office hours and charting. Trying to find time for the gym. Running into pretty girls in coffee shops. The usual.”
“Ah, and here I was thinking my days filled with clinical trials, medication refills, and Pinterest recipes were boring.”
“There is nothing boring about you, Summer.”
“Says the man who’s uttered a total of four sentences to me.” His attention bothered me in an itch-I-couldn’t-scratch kind of way. There wasn’t a logical reason, but as he took another bite of toast and smirked, the feeling intensified, making me want to get up and run in the opposite direction.
“Well, let’s change that. How about we have dinner on Friday night?”
“Oh. Wow. Thank you for the offer,” I said, staring at the crumbs from my scone. “But now isn’t the best time.”
“Not the best time? Are you seeing someone else?” he prompted, reaching across the table like he was going to grab my hand. I watched the movement, then locked eyes with him as he second-guessed his decision and instead adjusted the egg cake sitting to the left of the leftover scone crumbs.
“No. I’m not dating anyone right now.” I chuckled and put my hands on my lap, wringing them together and using my thumb to pick a rogue cuticle.
Just because that label hadn’t entered my mind didn’t mean my traitorous thoughts hadn’t come up with a hundred other scenarios that explained the unspoken tension between Maverick and me.
Regardless of that ticking time bomb, I had to handle Dr. Can’t Take A Hint first.
“Ah. Since there’s no one else, what can I do to change your mind? Wait until next week?”
This time, his arm made its way across the table, but I leaned back and shook my head. “No. No. I’m sorry, Tom. It’s—”
“Hey, Summer. There’s no need for an explanation. We’ll go out when you’re ready.”
“Wait just a second Tom—”
But he cut me off again, taking the top off his coffee and adding another artificial sweetener before replacing the lid and standing. “I’m going to be late for an appointment. Call you later and we’ll set something up.”
I watched him leave, then pushed the napkins in front of me away and rested my arms on the tabletop. My satisfying, carb heavy breakfast was all but ruined, so I gathered the uneaten treats and walked outside, making sure Tom was nowhere in sight before unlocking my car and driving away.