Chapter 2
When the morning rush began to die down, Caleb took a much-needed break by stepping outside behind the shop.
He needed a few moments to breathe in the cool air.
He was so excited to experience fall in a small New England town.
It was mid-September, and the leaves were just beginning to turn.
Locals were predicting an amazing year for fall colors.
When he walked around to the side of the building, he heard a tiny growl, and a little white streak shot off toward the next street. Was that a kitten? He’d definitely be keeping an eye out. His asshole ex hadn’t wanted a cat, but Caleb did, and now, he made all his own decisions.
After a final deep breath, he tried to shake off his stress before he stepped back inside.
The store might not be packed anymore, but he needed to spend as much time out front today as he could.
He wanted to be where he could greet customers and answer any questions from his new employees.
Opening day was going great, but that didn’t mean he could relax, not until closing time. That’s when he would celebrate.
He grabbed a clean towel and a stack of plastic cups for iced beverages and stepped back out front.
When he surveyed the line at the counter, he saw Tessa, whose baked goods his customers had run through quickly, and Rhys, the man he’d been trying to meet for weeks.
He felt like he’d talked to nearly the whole town by now, except for the beautiful, elusive man who ran the coffee shop down the street.
Rhys had thick dark hair and deep, dark eyes.
He was always well-dressed in button-ups and well-tailored pants.
Nothing about him felt casual, which made Caleb even more intrigued.
He knew Rhys was worried about the competition, but Caleb didn’t want to take away from what Rhys was doing at Frost + Foam.
He wanted to add to it. His goal was for them to thrive together.
He’d done the research, and there were plenty of coffee fiends in town to provide tons of business for them both, and during the peak tourist seasons, they should both be able to bring in even more business.
If Rhys couldn’t see that yet, Caleb hoped he would soon.
Plenty of people had described Rhys to him as standoffish or downright rude, but the few times Caleb had gotten a glimpse of him, he’d looked stressed and hurried, not unpleasant.
At least that’s what Caleb noticed once he’d gotten over his desire to find out if Rhys’s hair was as silky as it looked or ask him what kind of glute routine had given him an ass like that.
Rhys was hot as hell, and Caleb wouldn’t mind doing some filthy things to him, but he also wanted to give him a hug and help him calm down.
So far, he hadn’t been able to even say hello to him. Now was his chance.
He set the plastic cups down and threw the clean towel over his shoulder before approaching Rhys and Tessa.
Tessa waved and called out, “Hi, Caleb.”
He looked toward Rhys to introduce himself just as Rhys blurted out, “That wand is going to scorch your milk proteins.”
Caleb turned to the espresso machine, but Rhys’s hand shot out first. He turned a dial, and steam hissed loudly as a burst of water shot from the wand.
A woman in line gasped, and the man she was with pulled her close.
Tessa froze, staring at Caleb with wide eyes.
Rhys grabbed the towel from Caleb’s shoulder and cleaned up the mess before looking back up with horror on his face.
“I… Oh, shit. I… I’m sorry.” He glanced around. “I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Caleb said, but Rhys had already turned to flee.
Tessa looked stunned as she glanced toward the sidewalk, where Caleb could see Rhys hurrying back toward Frost + Foam. “I’m sorry about that.”
Caleb shook his head. “No need to apologize.” He ran a hand through his hair. He wanted time to process what had happened, but reassuring his customers had to be his priority. “Everything is fine. The machine just needed to be reset.”
Fortunately, conversation quickly resumed, and he shifted position so one of his employees could start a drink for the next person in line. Tessa moved along the counter with him.
“Does Rhys always notice things like that?” Caleb asked.
Tessa smiled. “He’s very observant, especially about anything to do with coffee. When he’s passionate about something, he often doesn’t think before he acts.”
Caleb could tell she was trying to defend her friend, but she didn’t need to worry.
“It really is okay. I appreciate the help.” Caleb was truly thankful Rhys had noticed that the heat had been turned up too much, and while someone else touching his machine might have made him angry, Rhys doing it was somehow charming.
The man intrigued him. “I wish he’d stayed. I want to get to know him.”
She frowned. “He’s a little shy.”
“I’d guessed that.”
“Congratulations on opening day,” Tessa said. “It looks like things are going great.”
“They are. Thanks. Let me make you a drink. Whatever you’d like. It’s on the house.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
“All right, I’ll try the…” She glanced up at the menu and smiled. “I love all the doodles and colors.” Caleb had spent a long time on the chalkboard menu, decorating it to make it more than just a list of drinks.
“Thanks. I just decided to let my personality come through, and if that worked, then it did, and if not…” He shrugged.
“It’s perfect. What do you recommend that tastes the most like fall?”
Caleb knew exactly what she needed: a Pumpkin Dream Latte. It was a creation he’d worked on for weeks because he wanted it perfect.
Caleb tried not to fidget as Tessa blew on her drink to cool it before taking a sip. When her eyes lit up with delight, he finally relaxed.
“That’s delicious. And you’re right. It tastes like fall. You should enter this in the drink contest for the Harvest Festival.”
“Thank you. I’ve been thinking about what to enter. I understand the festival is a big deal around here.”
Tessa grinned. “It’s a lot of fun, even if some people act like it’s a fight to the death for our town’s honor.
Everyone is extra hyped since it’s Frostwick Harbor’s year to host, and Agnes always gets excited for us to win more ribbons than Newland because her sister lives there, and she wants bragging rights. ”
Caleb laughed. He could just imagine that. “I’m still thinking about my entry. Speaking of drinks, what’s it going to take to get Rhys to try one of my drinks?”
Tessa bit her lip. “A lot of persuasion.”
“I’ll have to get him to stay in the same room as me long enough to persuade him.”
Tessa laughed. “One way or another, we’ll make it happen.”
Caleb studied her. “Why do I feel like you’re good at devising schemes like that?”
Tessa grinned. “I don’t know why you’d say that.”
He laughed at the obvious lie.
“I need to run. I’ve got to get back to the bakery.” She lifted her cup in a salute. “Thanks for this. Do you need me to increase your order for cinnamon rolls tomorrow?”
Caleb glanced at the nearly empty pastry case. “Definitely.”
“No problem. See you later.”
He waved goodbye and watched her go. He hadn’t realized he was still staring out the window until a customer interrupted his thoughts.
“If you like her, go for it. She’s a great girl.”
He looked down to see Agnes, an older lady who served as the president of the Chamber of Commerce. Did she think he had a crush on Tessa? He could see how it might look like that, but Tessa wasn’t the one he’d been musing about. “Oh, no. I don’t—”
“It’s okay, dear. Your secret is safe with me.”
Caleb doubted that, and he didn’t need rumors going around about him mooning over Tessa.
“She’s great, and she’s been so helpful as I pulled Cloud Nine together, but she’s not my type.
I’m gay.” He’s assumed most people knew that, considering the number of rainbows all over his store and the way he’d decorated everything in bright colors.
He’d also mentioned his ex-boyfriend to a few people.
He’d decided before moving that he wasn’t going to hide anything about himself.
The town either took him as he was, or he’d have to come up with a new plan.
“Oh, that’s too bad.” She sucked in her breath as if realizing how that sounded. “Not you being gay. That’s just fine. That’s wonderful, but Tessa needs a man. I’ll find her someone eventually.”
He doubted Tessa needed her help, but he just smiled.
It probably would be a lot easier if he were attracted to Tessa.
As far as he knew, she was single, her baked goods were to die for, and she was easy to talk to.
Her brother, Finn, was also great, though much less extroverted than his sister, so Caleb hadn’t gotten to know him as well, but if he were interested in anyone in town, it was Rhys, the one man who didn’t want to talk to him.
An alarm went off on Agnes’s phone, and she glanced down at it. “Lunch break is over already. How did that happen? I’d better grab my iced coffee and go.”
Caleb was relieved. He could hurry her out and not have to answer any more awkward questions. He took her order, made her drink, and handed it to her.
“See you tonight,” she said.
“Tonight?” He’d planned to celebrate opening day by collapsing on his couch with a beer and his favorite show.
“For the special meeting of the small-business association. You’re coming, aren’t you?”
Shit. That must have been in the email he’d ignored. “Um… Sure. I think so.”
Agnes narrowed her eyes. “Did you read my email?”
He tried to look contrite. “I’ve been really busy.”
His sad puppy face must have worked on her because she smiled. “Well, of course you have, but you have to be there. We need you. We’re going to talk about the Harvest Festival. It’s vital for the town.”
Caleb smiled back. Vital was surely an exaggeration, but like most of the other residents of Frostwick Harbor, Agnes took the Harvest Festival very seriously. “Okay.”
“Good. We need you.” She waved as she hurried out the door.
He loved how quickly most of the town had embraced him and his shop. And he was determined to win over Rhys and any of the other doubters.