Chapter 11
Piper
My nerves are shot. Spending all of this time with Holt is making my head spin like it is on a tilt-a-whirl.
I normally have no issues carrying on a conversation, but Holt scrambles my brain.
Not to mention I am trying my best to remind myself that Holt isn’t interested in me, romantically.
Which is getting more difficult by the second.
Holt can’t be interested in me. It would defy all the laws of attraction.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if this were an alternate universe where that was the truth.
Hope is a dangerous thing, and I need to squash it.
I have a tendency to live in a fantasy land and I can’t do that where Holt is concerned.
He will break my heart and it will be my fault.
He won’t even know it because he won’t realize that I have built this up in my mind to be something it isn’t.
I will not allow that to happen here. Holt is going to be in my life indefinitely if Meg and Sterling last—which they will— and I am going to have to keep my mind and heart in check.
I realize that I have been having this internal conversation with myself throughout the entire walk through of my cafe. Everything seems to be all clear. It is a good thing he didn’t need me to be paying attention. I roll my eyes at myself.
“Looks like everything is good here,” Holt shares with me on our way back to the kitchen.
I flip the coffee pot on and sigh when the scent of the strong brew starts wafting from the machine.
Holt is turning lights on, like he opens my cafe all the time.
I head towards the ovens. I have some pre-made doughs that I’m going to bake off this morning.
I pre-heat the oven and start prepping the cookie sheets. I can hear Holt moving around behind me. I am doing my best to act normal—whatever that is.
“Can I help,” Holt rumbles behind me. I jump a little. I hadn’t realized he was practically at my elbow.
“Can you grab the two silver bowls that are in the refrigerator,” I manage to get out after clearing my throat. He doesn’t respond but I feel him move away. He approaches me and sets both bowls down on the counter. I hand him an ice cream scoop.
“If you want you can scoop 24 servings out onto your cookie tray,” I am getting a bit more comfortable. I know it is because we are working and I am in familiar territory. He nods at me and watches me do a few, before he gets to work.
In no time I have the trays in the oven baking off. I take a minute to pour both of us some coffee and hand him one. He takes it wordlessly and brings the cup to his lips. I try to avoid looking at his perfect mouth.
“Thanks, I definitely needed that,” he says after a few swallows. He is right, it does hit the spot. I am so tired today, that I just need caffeine injected into my veins.
“Piper, do you have nightmares a lot,” the question catches me off guard and my shoulders immediately tense.
“Off and on,” I answer vaguely. I don’t want him to think he needs to help me even more than he already has, and I don’t want to lie to him either. I’m walking a fine line. He arches his eyebrow at me and smirks.
“Off and on…sure,” he repeats disbelievingly. His arms fold across his chest again. At some point he lost his leather jacket, and I can see the outline of his biceps through his long sleeved shirt.
I choose to ignore his response and move to check on the ovens. I know, based on smell, that its almost time for me to pull the trays out of the oven. My timer is set to go off in two minutes. I occupy myself with pulling on my oven mitts. Holt continues to watch me.
“Once the cafe opens, I am going to head out and get a few things. I also have to check on a property for a client, so I may not be back till around lunchtime,” Holt explains. I nod in response.
“Okay. Holt, you don’t need to explain yourself to me, I can always get an Uber ride home if you get caught up. You don’t need to worry about me,” I try to sound as if I am unbothered. I don’t want to be a burden.
“You will not be getting an Uber,” Holt grits out through clenched teeth. I step back a bit and he stalks forward. My back hits the counter and I have no where else to go.
“Tell me you understand me, Piper. Haven’t you been taught not to get in cars with strangers,” he asks me. He is so close to me, that if I breathe too deeply, my chest could brush his. I nod my head.
“Piper, I need you to say it— if you ever get in a car with a stranger there will be consequences,” his eyebrow is raised and my mind immediately rewinds to this morning.
My stomach is fluttering and my mouth is dry.
He leans forward and places a hand on either side of my waist, trapping me against the counter.
I raise my hands up to push him away, but he is immovable. I really need to work on my upper body strength.
“Tell me you understand,” he demands. His voice is quiet but it has taken on a dangerous tone that is both unsettling and attractive. Not quite sure what to do with myself I start nodding.
“Okay, okay. No rides with strangers,” I stutter out. Holt is inspecting my face as if I have some code written on it.
“I promise,” I say again. His hands move from the counter, skate up my sides, and cup my face. The move is so quick, I gasp in surprise.
“Good,” he states quietly and then leans forward and kisses my forehead.
My hands come up to grip his forearms. Before I can say anything, Holt steps back.
The space between us feels empty and I am having trouble coming to grips with everything that has happened this morning.
What does this all mean? Before I can take a deep mental dive to analyze, Holt is backing away.
“I’ll flip the open sign on your door, while you fill the case,” his words float over to me and I realize that it is time to get to work.