Chapter 6
After Rhys left, Caleb hurried through the rest of his closing duties and reset for the next day.
He was too full of restless energy to head up to his apartment over the shop.
He needed to move, so he started walking toward the harbor and let his mind wander.
Why was he feeling so down? He hadn’t expected Rhys to agree to work with him, but when he’d said no, Caleb’s chest had tightened, and it felt like his stomach dropped down to his toes.
He was doing great here. The shop was almost as busy as it had been on opening day, and he was getting repeat customers and lots of compliments. He’d met lots of great people. Tessa and Finn had invited him to go apple picking with them and some other friends next week.
He wasn’t sure he could leave the store for a whole afternoon, but he loved that they’d asked him. The town was welcoming, and no one besides Rhys had seemed to question that he belonged there. Why did Rhys’s opinion matter so much?
And why did he feel like he needed to win Rhys over for things to really work out in Frostwick Harbor? His goal in starting over was to have something that was his and to focus on building that, staying positive, and finding people who were genuine, not fake-ass pieces of shit like Adrian.
He’d nearly reached the end of the promenade so he leaned on the railing and stared out at the water, lit only by the lights of the harbor and the sweeping glow of the lighthouse lamp.
He didn’t want to think about his ex, but he couldn’t stop himself.
He’d thought he was in love with the asshole.
Adrian owned a coffee shop in Boston, and Caleb started working there after college.
He’d immediately started pursuing Caleb, even though Caleb was his employee.
That should have been enough of a red flag, but Adrian excelled at manipulation and seduction.
He made Caleb his manager, insisted they move in together, and kept saying he wanted to make Caleb part owner of the shop, but it quickly became clear that what Adrian really wanted was for Caleb to do all the work while he got the vast majority of the benefits.
He kept stringing Caleb along, saying eventually they’d make a business plan and he’d become part owner, but the time was never right.
Caleb eventually lost touch with all of his college friends.
Since he was only ever around Adrian’s friends, they did nothing to dissuade him from continuing to wait.
After two years, he’d finally had enough.
He’d always been a positive person. In college, his friends had teased him about how much he smiled.
He’d truly enjoyed life, but after enduring his relationship with Adrian, he rarely felt positive anymore.
He was angry and snappy with everyone, and he rarely looked forward to starting the day.
It didn’t matter how charming Adrian had seemed, how good he was in bed, or how hard Caleb had fallen for him, Adrian wasn’t going to change him, no matter what.
Caleb decided he wasn’t going to let that asshole manipulate him anymore.
He’d moved back in with his family so he could regroup and start over.
After countless talks about how he would have run Adrian’s shop differently, his sister, Kate, encouraged him to work on a plan to start a shop of his own.
He’d wanted to stay in New England, but for years, he’d longed to try small-town life.
When he started searching for properties he could rent, the available space in Frostwick Harbor called to him immediately, since he remembered his cousin talking about how charming it was there.
He’d made a good decision, and he was going to prove that he could run the store better than Adrian had run his. He was also finally feeling like himself again most days, even if he wasn’t feeling particularly positive at that moment.
After heating up a frozen pizza and quickly eating it, Caleb stretched out on the couch and called his sister. Talking to his her usually either cheered him up or put him in his place. He certainly needed one or the other, so he pulled out his phone and called her.
She answered right away. “Hey, how did your second day go?”
“Great. I had almost as many customers as yesterday, and lots of people stopped back in to tell me how much they’d loved what I’d made for them on opening day.”
“That sounds amazing. You’re killing it. So why are you sad?”
“I’m not.”
“Caleb, I know you. I can tell by your voice. You’re saying things are good, but you’re not feeling it.”
Damn know-it-all older sisters. He might as well tell her. She’d pester him until he did or somehow suss it out with what he was sure were psychic abilities. “Remember I told you about the town meeting.”
“And the drink contest for the Harvest Festival. Yes.”
“I asked Rhys, the guy who owns Frost + Foam—”
“I know who he is. You’ve talked about him enough.”
No more than anyone else in town. “I haven’t.”
She gave a little snort of a laugh. “Yeah, you have.”
Caleb chose not to argue with her on that point. “I asked him if he wanted to work together because that way the town would have a better chance of winning, but he said no.”
“Uh-huh. And you hated that.”
He didn’t want to admit how true that was. “I was disappointed.”
“What did he say exactly?”
“That it would be better for my brand to do my own entry. And that he wasn’t easy to work with.”
Kate didn’t speak for a moment, and then she said, “What exactly is the problem? Do you think he’s just saying that to not hurt your feelings?”
Caleb scooted down so he was lying with his head on the armrest. “No. I mean, he’s really shy and very particular about things, especially coffee. He’s gotten embarrassed in front of me a few times.”
“Like how?” she asked.
Caleb explained the steam wand incident and the way Rhys had tripped over his chair at the business association meeting.
Kate laughed. “That does sound embarrassing. I wish I’d been there to see your reaction.”
“I was fine. He meant well.”
Another long pause. “You like him.”
That wasn’t an option. “I want us to be friends.”
“Is that all you want?”
“I didn’t come to Frostwick Harbor to jump into anything with a man. I came here to run my shop, and Rhys isn’t hookup material.”
She sighed, and he started to contemplate how to end the call. “I know how badly Adrian hurt you, but don’t let that keep you from putting yourself out there again.”
“I’m focused on my shop, making friends, and settling in here.”
“I know, but I’m just saying don’t throw away an opportunity.”
I couldn’t let myself think like that. “This isn’t an opportunity. I don’t think he even likes me.”
“All right then, forget about him.” She sounded exasperated. “Focus on your business. What are you making for your festival entry?”
Caleb laid his arm over his face, glad she couldn’t see him. “I haven’t really made a plan yet.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. You’re telling me you don’t have any ideas.”
“I did have some, but if I’m going up against Rhys, then I’ve got to be perfect.”
“Don’t tell me this guy is better than you.”
Was he? “He’s different. His coffee is so precise, so nuanced.”
“You’re so creative and good with flavor, but I guess I can see how you two working together would make the best of the best. Maybe you could still convince him.”
He remembered the panicked look on Rhys’s face as he’d told him he needed to work on his own. “No, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Well, you’re going to come up with something amazing.”
Kate was trying so hard to help him feel better. “I hope so, and honestly, I just hope at least one of the two of us wins because the head of the small-business association, Agnes, is really pushing hard for us to have big wins this year.”
“Remind me again why this matters so much.”
That made him smile. Kate was more than a little skeptical about him enjoying small-town life. “It’s like a town pride thing in the region. They take their festivals very seriously here.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
So maybe he was starting to feel a little better. “Thanks.”
“For what? Encouraging you?”
“Yes, and just listening and making me realize I need to get behind the counter and experiment and stop worrying about the damn festival.”
“Exactly. Come up with some drink ideas, then call me back, and we’ll talk through them. Or you could make some samples for your new friends there.”
Caleb considered that. “I could probably do that, ask for testers. I don’t feel like I know anyone enough yet to really talk like this, though I’m really glad I have you.”
“I’m glad I have you too. Even if you did always bust into the kitchen to make some crazy concoction while I was trying to have a quiet discussion with my friends.”
Caleb huffed. “You and your friends couldn’t have been quiet if your lives depended on it. And it’s not like you were easy to live with.”
“It’s good we like each other better as adults.”
“Yes, it is. You have to come visit. Are you sure you can’t make it for the festival?” He couldn’t wait to show her Cloud Nine and the rest of Frostwick Harbor.
“I don’t see how I can, but if I’m able to arrange something, I’ll do it.” Kate had a demanding job as a junior attorney in a prestigious firm, and she struggled to get time off.
“All right. If not then, then later is fine.”
“Okay. I really do want to see your shop and have one of your famous drinks.”
It helped that she believed in him. “They’re not quite famous yet.”
“They will be.”