Chapter 12
Twelve
After I left Josh’s, I knew I needed to get out of the house. Sitting around all day gave me way too much time for thinking, and I did not need that when my thoughts about my future were spiraling the way they were.
I was dressed and ready for more coffee when Ashlyn emerged from her room.
“Good morning,” she said cautiously.
“I’m taking you out for breakfast,” I announced to her.
She chuckled. “Why is that?”
I shrugged, not ready to confess everything to her just yet. “I want to explore more today. I figured I’d start with breakfast. If you’re up for it?”
“Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“We should go to Daily Ritual.”
She winced.
“You can ignore Kannon. I’ll even order for us if you want.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll order. I’m an adult. I can handle one man who judges everything about me.”
I smiled. “Yes, you can.”
She stuck her tongue out at me, then laughed. “Let me grab my stuff, and we can go. Two cars since you’re free as a bird for the summer?”
I nodded, hating the pang in my chest. Did I want to be so free? Another thing I couldn’t stop thinking about.
The streets of Amethyst Bay were relatively quiet. A few cars flew down Route 9 heading north to Plattsburgh or south toward the other small towns nearby. Most people took their time, obeying the low speed limit as they went about their days.
I parked in the small lot next to Daily Ritual and met Ashlyn behind our vehicles. She was put-together and professional in her linen pants and pink button-down shirt. The tote she carried was stylish and full of everything she needed for her day.
As opposed to me in my shorts and tee, with my keys stuffed in one pocket and my phone in the other. I was definitely on vacation.
“Welcome to Daily Ritual,” Kannon called out without looking up when we entered. He glanced away from pouring coffee for a customer and smiled at us, his smile faltering when he saw Ashlyn with me.
“See?” she hissed.
Kannon dropped the cup he was filling, the hot coffee overflowing onto his hand when he stopped watching what he was doing and instead stared at my friend.
Was she really oblivious to the way he was looking at her?
Kannon scowled and reached for a towel. He dried his hands, ignoring the coffee soaked into the thick mat he stood on, then grabbed another cup and filled it without incident.
He carried it to the end of the counter and handed it over to the customer with a tight smile before he met us at the register.
“Good morning,” Kannon said with a grimace. “What can I get for you two today?”
“I want a Wendy with an extra shot of espresso. Chocolate croissant and sausage, egg, and cheese on sourdough,” Ashlyn said. Her inflection didn’t change. She didn’t smile. She didn’t even greet him.
I stared at my friend, wondering why she was so cold to this man.
Kannon focused on me as Ashlyn moved away from the counter. The tightness around his eyes didn’t ease up. “For you, Reegan?”
A Wendy was a vanilla latte, and I was in the mood for something a little sweet. “I’ll take the same, please. Thanks, Kannon.”
He nodded and told me the total.
I swiped my card, then moved to where Ashlyn had found a seat. “What was that?”
“What?”
“You two are so weird. You’re acting like you don’t know him at all.”
She shook her head. “He always glares at me. He was all smiles for you, but I just got a grunt and a glare. I’m not looking to go out of my way for him to act like I’m inconveniencing him by asking him for coffee and breakfast.”
“Here you go,” Kannon said from right behind us.
I smiled up at him, hoping he didn’t hear Ashlyn. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” He smiled at me, but his gaze slid to Ashlyn with a tense look. He definitely heard what she said. And it hurt because he had a thing for her. There was no doubt in my mind. A customer walked in, and Kannon excused himself to return to the register.
I sipped my coffee and studied my friend. “I think he likes you.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Kannon,” I whispered.
She threw her head back and laughed loudly. She drew the attention of everyone in the place, wiping the tears from her lashes when she finally stopped laughing. “You’re insane.”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but he keeps looking at you.”
“This isn’t elementary school where the boy pulls your pigtails.
He glares at me every time I come in here.
It was even worse the few times I came in with Rob.
” She shuddered. “He watched us like we were going to destroy the place. Scowling and snarling at us. We started to go to the chain down the road instead.”
“Maybe he was jealous.”
Ashlyn sighed heavily. “You’re way off base.” She took a sip of her coffee and groaned. “But he can make a damn good latte.” She took another sip before she set her cup down again. “What are you going to do today?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I need to return those books I got from the library. But I need to do something else. As much as I’m enjoying my vacation, I can’t sit around your house all day.”
“You could go to the beach,” Ashlyn suggested.
I snorted. “That’s sitting around, too.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but it’s not at my house.”
“True. But I need something else.”
“There’s a ton of outdoor stuff to do around here. Hiking, swimming and boating on the lake, even white-water rafting. There’s an art studio in town with a retail space you could explore.”
“What kind of art?”
“All kinds. I think there are five coworking spaces, and the artists all have their pieces on display. Painting, drawing, sculpture, mosaics, recycled stuff. Oh, there’s a cheese store a few blocks from here.”
“Really? Why didn’t you start with that?” I asked.
Ashlyn laughed. “I know, I should have. I don’t go there often. But they sell a bunch of local cheeses. So many things. It’s amazing.”
“Sold. Maybe I’ll plan to go on a hike somewhere tomorrow.”
“Sounds like you have a plan. Sage wanted to get together again this weekend. We have a small group we sometimes meet up with if you’re interested in meeting everyone sometime. No pressure, though.”
“That would be fun. I didn’t come here to derail your entire summer.”
“You didn’t derail anything.” Her grimace said she didn’t want to think about who did.
I was happy to see she was doing as well as she was.
Being with Rob for almost a year surprised me after all the things I knew, but Ashlyn said she loved him.
I never heard about him saying the words back, but that wasn’t what mattered.
She had big feelings for the man, and getting over those feelings was going to take time.
Unless her healing could move along a little with the help of a sweet man with a talent for making coffee.
If only she could see him as a friend and not the enemy.
We finished our breakfast and went our separate ways outside. I didn’t see any signs saying I couldn’t leave my car where it was, so I took off on foot, grabbing the library books from my front seat and a few canvas bags to carry new books and maybe some cheese.
At the library, Brinley helped me find a few new books. The library was busy, so I didn’t linger for too long after I got my new stack of books to read.
The sun was bright and warmed me as I followed the sidewalk to Mouse Trap, the cheese shop Ashlyn recommended. The bright sign and the massive wheels just outside the beam of sunlight drew me inside, where the air was cool and heavy with the scent of more varieties of cheese than I’d ever heard of.
A silver-haired hottie was talking to a couple with a child in a stroller when I walked in. He waved but didn’t break his conversation with them as he talked them through options.
I walked along the front window, reading the tags of the cheeses and finding a few I did know.
The case on the right side of the store was cold, housing cubes and blocks of cheese ranging from soft to hard with extremely descriptive cards to make sure a customer knew exactly what they were getting with each selection.
I was halfway down the case when the door chimed, and the couple left.
“Welcome to Mouse Trap. I’m Elijah. I don’t think we’ve met,” the silver fox said, smiling warmly at me as he approached.
“I’m visiting a friend for the summer. I’m Reegan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Reegan. Do you have something in particular you’re looking for today or just browsing?”
“Mostly browsing. My friend recommended I stop by when I told her I was getting bored sitting around her house all the time while she works.”
Elijah laughed kindly. “I can understand that. I would have to get out and do things, too. What do you do, if you don’t mind my asking, since you’re here for the summer?”
“I’m a teacher.”
“Ah, that makes sense. You cram a full year of work into nine months and get paid less than you deserve.”
I snorted. “Sounds about right.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy. If there is anything you want to try, please let me know. And I’m happy to answer any questions you have.”
“Thanks, Elijah.”
“You’re most welcome.”
The door chimed, and Elijah moved to the side to greet the new customers and give me space to explore.
I was in heaven. I could have tried one of everything in the store and gone back for more.
When I made it to the back of the refrigerated case, I moved to the other side where larger blocks of uncut cheese were stored on shelves.
The fact that I could buy a wheel of cheese delighted and scared me.
Because I would eat the entire thing if I did that. And then I’d regret it.
Like tequila sophomore year of college. I shuddered. I still didn’t touch the stuff.
When I made it around to the front of the store again, I grabbed a hand basket so I could choose some cheeses. Brie and Parmesan were easy choices for me. I knew I’d go through my two favorites in one sitting, but I wanted to try some new options.