16. Aus
AUS
I’ve threaded this needle beautifully.
I have my half-eaten blackberry scone in a to-go bag in my right hand and my Golden Latte cup in my left. Thea won’t think I’m insane. She’ll think I’m that charming guy she met last night who just happened to grab a coffee as she left work.
Her jaw is dropped.
I tap on my chest with the scone hand. “Aus Waverly. We met last night.”
She blinks a few times. “Yes, of course. How could I forget?” She swallows. “What are you doing here?”
I point back to the Golden Cap. “I was trying out a new coffee place. One of the waitresses at Jade recommended it to me. I didn’t realize it was this close to the news studio.”
She furrows her brow. “Yeah. I go there all the time. Golden Cap. Did you try the turmeric latte?”
“That’s what I’ve got right here.” I raise the cup and take a step forward. “It’s actually better than I expected. I like trying new things.”
She offers a small smile. “Me too.”
I take another step toward her. “If you’re done with your broadcast for the day, I’d love to buy you one. We didn’t get a chance to finish our conversation last night.”
She scrunches her forehead, as if she’s not completely buying my explanation, but then her muscles relax. “I’d love to, Aus. Lead the way.”
I offer her my arm and escort her back to the Golden Cap. The pink-haired girl widens her eyes as we walk inside. “Back for more?”
I nod. “The first Golden Latte was pretty good. Figured I’d see what else you have on your menu.”
Pink-hair girl grins. “Of course, sir. What can I get you for round two?”
I turn to Thea. “What would you like? It’s on me.”
She frowns. “To tell you the truth, I’m kind of hungry. All I’ve had today is a half-eaten protein bar I found at the bottom of my purse. I was…late coming into work today.”
My heart sinks. She was late because she was with Wick, I bet.
Fuck. Is this all going to be a waste of time?
No.
Coffee with a gorgeous, intelligent lady like Thea is never a waste of time.
“That’s fine. We can get some sandwiches. Do you have any recs since you come here often?”
She nods. “The caprese sandwich is divine.”
“Caprese? Like mozzarella, tomato, and basil?”
“Yep. But I add bacon to it.”
“That sounds more like it.” I laugh as I turn to the barista. “Two caprese sandwiches, bacon added. Extra for mine.” I look back to Thea. “Anything to drink?”
“Just a medium iced coffee. Black.”
I turn back to the girl at the register. “Same for me this time.”
“All right, sir. So that’s two caprese sandwiches with bacon and two medium iced coffees. Cash or card?”
“Card.” I pull my credit card back out of my wallet and tap it on the screen.
“Great. That’ll be just a few minutes.”
I gesture toward the tables. “Shall we sit?”
Thea nods. “There’s a cozy couch in the corner.”
I look over. I must have missed it when I first came in here.
It isn’t a couch. It’s a loveseat.
Nice. She wants to cozy up to me.
If she did get with Wick, she’s not looking for seconds.
We sit down and another employee—male with dark hair, tattoos, and black jeans—drops off our orders.
Thea watches him walk off and unwraps her sandwich, taking a quick bite. After she swallows, she turns to me. “I don’t know if you saw me leave last night…”
I did. But I don’t want her to think I’m obsessed.
“I didn’t. But I saw you sitting alone at the bar at East. Did your date not show?”
She looks down. “No. He didn’t. Asshole.”
“I’m sorry. What a dick.”
“No kidding. After I got all dolled up.” She looks at her sandwich and then back to me. “But… I mean, anyway… After he didn’t show up, one of your bartenders swung by to…keep me company. He bought me a drink.”
“Uh-huh,” I say as flatly as I can.
“Well…. That is to say…” She sighs. “If you happened to see me leave with him, I just want you to know I didn’t do anything with him. I’m not… I’m not that kind of girl.”
A flicker of light pierces the storm clouds in my heart.
Thea didn’t sleep with Wick.
And—bonus points—she wanted me to know.
Halle-freaking-lujah!
She clears her throat. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I told you that.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about.” I chuckle unevenly. “Wick is an oddball. I’m glad you didn’t go home with him.”
She looks up, her cheeks reddening. “I… I did go home with him.”
I lift an eyebrow. Am I supposed to say something? And if so…what?
My phone rings.
A distraction. God bless.
“Sorry, one moment.” I pull out my phone and look at the display. It’s Leo.
Why the hell is he calling in the middle of the day? We don’t open for several hours.
I’ll ignore it. I want to hear more of what Thea has to say. I send Leo to voicemail and place my phone back in my pocket. “I’m sorry, can you repeat what you just said?”
She bites her lip. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. You’re a perfect stranger.”
I shrug. “A perfect stranger who’s not going to judge you.”
She exhales sharply. “I highly doubt that.”
“Anyway, you were saying…”
She sighs. “Long story short. I went home with him. I was drunk. Not thinking straight. But once I got to his house I…changed my mind.” She blinks several times. “I’m sorry, can we discuss something else?”
“Sure. Whatever you’d like.” I unwrap my sandwich, unsure of how I feel about this new information. It sounds like Thea didn’t sleep with Wick, so at least there’s that.
“I’m such a mess today.” She takes a sip of her iced coffee. “I haven’t even been home since last night. And I completely spaced this work thing I have to do later—” She looks back up at me. “Wait a minute. You don’t happen to be free tonight, do you?”
I lean in. “Free for what?”
“Oh, what am I thinking? You have to open the club tonight. It’s Friday. Probably one of your busiest nights.”
“It is, but we don’t open until ten p.m. on Fridays. Ever since I took over the club, we’ve brought in a younger, hipper clientele. They weren’t showing up until after ten on the weekends, so I adjusted our hours.” I take a bite of my sandwich. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, if you are free, I’ve got a plus-one to this gala for an animal rescue charity tonight. My coworker is an absolute bitch with this perfect family, and”—the red in her cheeks deepens—“it would be nice for me to have a good-looking gentleman on my arm for once.”
Okay. Here’s my in.
I lean in, offer a knowing smile. “I’d be honored to join you tonight, Thea.”
Her eyes brighten. “Great! I’ll send you the details.” She pulls out her phone. “Can I get your number?”
“Of course.” I rattle off the digits, and she sends me a quick text so I have her number as well. I’m updating her contact information when my display screen changes. Another call comes in.
Leo again. What the hell?
Whatever it is, he can handle it. Probably some maintenance issue with the club. He has all the numbers.
I turn my phone off and pocket it. It’s impolite to take a call when you’re on a date. Especially when you’re on a date with the most beautiful woman on the goddamned planet.
No distractions. I just want to get lost in Thea Storm’s beautiful brown eyes.
We continue chatting as the afternoon wanes. Pretty soon our sandwiches have disappeared and our coffee cups have dried up.
Thea checks her watch. “It can’t be nearly two already.”
“You’re kidding.” I check my own phone to confirm the time. “It is. Time flies when you’re in the company of a beautiful woman.”
She blushes. “The same could be said about an attractive man.” She cocks her head.
“You know, I usually take a mid-day nap around this time. I have to get up so early for the news broadcast every morning, but I hated going to bed at seven, so I started splitting my sleeping time. Normally I’m conked out at this hour. But I don’t feel the least bit sleepy.”
“I’m glad.” I give her hand a squeeze. “When do you think you’ll have to get home to get ready for the gala tonight?”
“The event starts at seven thirty. I should be there early to mingle during cocktail hour, and it’ll be a thirty-minute drive or so from my place.
I’ll probably need another forty-five minutes to shower and get ready, so…
” She wrinkles her forehead. “So just to be safe, I should be home by half past five.”
“Great. It’s two now, and if you’re a half hour away from here, that gives us three more hours together.” I lean in and flash Thea my most dazzling smile. “And I’m not ready for this date to end.”
She looks up at me with a grin, tiny flames dancing in her eyes. “I’m not either.”