Chapter 12
Caleb did his best not to stare at Rhys the entire drive back to Frostwick Harbor, but it wasn’t easy.
He could watch Rhys all day. Seeing him sitting in the grass feeding the adorable bunnies had nearly done him in.
It was all he could do not to sit down behind him, wrap his arms around Rhys’s waist, and pull him back until he was leaning against Caleb’s chest. His hand ached to touch Rhys.
Working together wasn’t going to be easy.
Did he have to resign himself to only a working relationship between them?
Once again, Rhys had made it more than clear that he was as interested in watching Caleb as Caleb was in watching him, but he was skittish.
As soon as anything began to feel intense, he looked away, and there were so many reasons why dating the other coffee shop owner in a small town was a terrible idea.
But working with him on their festival entry was the right thing to do. Their areas of expertise were going to mesh perfectly. They were going to come up with the most creative, best-tasting, most scientifically perfect beverage. How could they lose?
He realized he should’ve asked Rhys what he’d like for dinner, but if no one was supposed to know they were working together, he couldn’t exactly ask him in front of Tessa and Finn.
So instead, after Rhys had been dropped off and Caleb had gotten home, showered, and changed into his favorite sweater and a tighter-than-necessary pair of jeans, he decided he’d simply get Rhys’s usual order at the pub.
He had a feeling Rhys wasn’t a guy who would mind having the same thing he’d eaten a few days ago.
Caleb ordered a cheesesteak for himself and also got a Caesar salad instead of fries. He’d probably had way more fries than he should have since he’d moved. He’d been ordering out a lot. He’d been so focused on the shop that he hadn’t had time to get set up to cook in his apartment.
Abby was working at the bar when he came in to pick up his order. “Are you and Rhys having dinner together?”
Shit. He’d forgotten how everyone in town knew everyone’s business. Abby must have recognized Rhys’s standard order and known Caleb had ordered for him. “I told him I’d pick up something for him. We just got back from apple picking, and we both need to work on our festival entries.”
Abby smiled. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I bet it’ll be delicious.”
She’d been into Cloud Nine a few times since they’d met, and she’d gushed about all the drinks she’d sampled.
“I hope so. It would be a shock to win my first time entering, but I’m going to try.”
“You know, you and Rhys really ought to work together.” Apparently, everyone wanted them to. He understood why, but it added to the pressure to make a win for the town.
“That’s an interesting idea. Maybe I’ll talk to him.”
“You should do that.”
Was she in on trying to set them up like Tessa was? He realized he was going to have to be really careful if he and Rhys were going to keep their partnership secret.
Rhys was waiting at the door of Cloud Nine when he got back from the pub. He should’ve known Rhys would be early. “Sorry you were waiting.”
Rhys shook his head. “That’s okay.”
“I guess if we’re going to be working together a lot, we should exchange keys.”
Rhys’s eyes widened. “I… um…”
“Or if you’re not comfortable with that, it’s okay. I just thought it might be convenient.”
“It would be, I guess.”
“Let’s talk about it later.” He wasn’t going to push Rhys.
He was lucky Rhys was here working with him at all, and it wasn’t like they really knew each other well or anything.
Surely, Rhys didn’t think Caleb would sabotage his shop or something if they had each other’s keys, though.
A lot of people in Frostwick Harbor left their businesses and homes unlocked most of the time.
It was certainly nothing like Boston. But maybe Rhys was a lot more security-conscious.
“I’m not trying to be difficult,” Rhys said.
“I know. It’s really fine.”
“I can be a little weird about privacy. I just… I don’t even like anyone to be in the shop when I’m not there.”
“Did you close for the afternoon today or…?”
“No, Sam was working, but I’ve gotten used to them. They’re the first person I’ve ever let run the shop without me.”
“So you worked all the hours the shop was open for how long?”
“Nineteen months.”
Of course he knew exactly. “Whoa, Rhys. That’s way too much. You’re open seven days a week.”
“We weren’t, at first. When I first opened, the shop was open Wednesday to Sunday, then I added Tuesday and then Monday, but not until I trusted Sam to be on their own.”
“Still, you deserve more time off. Have you not gone out of town or taken a vacation in that time?”
“No. I… It’s fine. I like my store. I like this town. I’m good here.”
Caleb decided he wouldn’t push that, but no wonder Rhys was tense. Even with Sam working for him, he was still overworked.
“I should’ve asked you what you wanted to eat before we left the orchard. Since I didn’t have your number, I just ordered your usual at the pub. I hope that’s okay.”
Rhys’s face lit up, and his smile sent tingles through Caleb’s body. “You remembered what I order?”
“Of course. You told me the other night.”
“But I didn’t expect you to remember it. I guess we need to exchange numbers.”
“Yes, we do need to be able to contact each other if we’re going to work together.” He held out a hand. “Give me your phone.” Rhys looked concerned. “Or I can give you mine.”
“No, it’s just… It’s fine.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Caleb, who entered his number, created a contact for himself, then texted himself so he would have Rhys’s number as well.
After he returned Rhys’s phone, he gestured toward one of the tables toward the back of the shop. “Come on. Let’s sit down so we can eat. I can run upstairs and grab you a beer or a soda or whatever.”
Rhys looked uncertain.
“How about this: It’s been a long week. I’m going to go upstairs and get myself a beer. Would you like one?”
“Sure.” Rhys looked relieved not to have to make a choice.
“All right. I’ll be back in a second.”
Caleb wondered if Rhys was once again nervous about clouding his judgment with alcohol when he was supposed to be working on his festival entry, but he didn’t think one beer was going to make any difference. He’d actually love to see Rhys loosen up a little bit.
When Caleb returned and handed Rhys a bottle of beer, Rhys said, “I don’t drink much usually, but it has been a long week.
I mean, I’m sure more so for you since you just opened.
Congratulations!” He held his bottle out to clink against Caleb’s, and once again, Caleb felt tingles.
Rhys being nice to him, looking happy, basically existing excited him. He was in trouble.
Rhys had waited for him to start eating, but now they opened their takeout boxes, and for a few moments, they ate in silence.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Rhys said.
“You only had an apple and a few doughnuts while you were at the farm, and we did a lot of walking.”
“That’s true. I guess I didn’t really think about it.”
Caleb smiled. “If you need something else—”
Rhys shook his head. “No, this is good. I’ll send you the money for dinner.”
“No, it’s on me.”
“I don’t—”
“It’s just dinner, Rhys. You can pay another time.”
“All right.”
Caleb could tell Rhys didn’t like that, but he was glad he didn’t argue more. “So any more thoughts about what we should make for the festival?”
Rhys shook his head.
“All right, here’s what we’re going to do. Do you want to take notes, or do you want me to?”
“I’ll do it.” Caleb had suspected that was how it would go, but he didn’t mind. As long as he had some say-so in the flavors they used, he didn’t mind if Rhys needed to take control. But if he finally did get a chance to kiss Rhys, then he intended to be in the driver’s seat.
“Let’s not censor any of our ideas. We’re going to write down everything we think of for now since we’re just brainstorming.”
Rhys cringed visibly. “I’m not sure I can do that.”
“Could you try?” Caleb deliberately made his eyes big as he smiled at Rhys.
Rhys’s lips parted, and he stared for a second before seeming to shake it off. “I’ll try.”
Neither of them said anything for a few moments, and then Caleb suggested, “Cinnamon.”
Rhys typed into a note on his phone, then circled his hand, indicating he wanted Caleb to say more.
“Pumpkin.”
“A cinnamon, pumpkin what? Latte?”
“I’m just naming flavors for now.”
“But we need whole drinks.”
“Yes, but right now, we’re just throwing out everything that comes to mind.”
Rhys looked uneasy. “I have to think of the whole combination.”
“Then you can suggest combinations, and I’ll just name things as they come to me.”
Rhys seemed to get more and more tense as their list grew. Finally, he said, “Is that enough?”
“Sure. We can stop there. What do you like best out of all that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve tried so many of these already, and…”
“You haven’t tried them with me.”
“True. I’ve just been making them in my style, but I don’t know if this is going to work.”
“We haven’t even tried yet. Let’s make something so we have a start.”
“Now?” Rhys asked.
“We’ll pick something to try now, and if we want to do a second combo, we will. If not, we’ll get together again tomorrow night or whenever.”
Rhys’s brow furrowed. “We only have twenty days.”
Caleb fought the urge to laugh at Rhys’s exactness. “We have enough time to do this without rushing.”
Rhys didn’t look convinced, but he closed his takeout container and stood. “All right, let’s try cinnamon apple. I’ll go get the supplies we need.”
“What do you need that I don’t have here?” Caleb asked.
“The coffee beans.”
Caleb raised his brows.
“I know you have beans, but they’re not the same as mine.”
“What do you want to use?”
“The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from Waves Roasters.”
Caleb smiled. “That’s a good choice, and it’s what I use for my light roast.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Did you think I just pick up whatever beans are on sale at the grocery store?”
Rhys bit his lip. “No, but I… I mean…”
“I’ve done my research. I’ve studied the local market to support New England roasteries, and I know a quality bean from one that’s merely acceptable. We used quality roasts where I worked in Boston.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t use good coffee.”
Once again, Rhys managed to charm Caleb. He looked so contrite, and Caleb was sure he hadn’t really thought about what he was saying. “If there’s nothing else we need to get, I’ll find our supplies, and we can get started.”
Rhys gave him a half smile. “That sounds good.”
This was going to be a very interesting partnership.