12. Quinn
CHAPTER TWELVE
quinn
“ One hazelnut latte and one decaf americano.” I place the cups down on the table. “ Can I get you guys anything else?”
The two customers shake their heads and politely thank me. When I’m satisfied they’re happy, I sprint back behind the counter to fulfill the next order.
Torrential rain has been pelting against the windowpane all day, not letting up once, which brought in a ton of people needing shelter. Water rivulets run down the glass, and every time the door opens, the smell of rain and damp leaves follows in with a new customer. It’s the perfect weather to soak in the tub, and I can’t wait to use one of my new bath bombs after today’s shift. My muscles and back are going to need it, and I plan on taking advantage of Graham’s bathtub.
Today has been crazy. I’ve been running around nonstop since I flipped around the open/closed sign. It’s great for business, I just wasn’t prepared for it, considering it’s a normal Tuesday afternoon, which proves how understaffed I am. The plan was to hire a part-time barista twelve months in, allowing me to concentrate on the baking and back-office stuff, but with the state of my finances right now, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
We survive and thrive , I remind myself as I pour hot water into the pot to let the chamomile leaves steep. Once that’s done, I set two glasses of water next to the teapot, cup, and saucer, as well as a soy cappuccino on the tray, and head over to the waiting table.
I got weird vibes from these two when they walked in, and from the impatient looks they’re throwing at me, the ten minutes I warned them about was too long.
“ Here we go,” I singsong as I set the tray down, hoping to ease the tension. “ Sorry about the wait.”
When the drinks are served, I smile at them both. “ Can I get you anythi?—”
“ No ice?” the brunette butts in. She’d be pretty if she didn’t have a permanent scowl on her face.
“ Oh , no, sorry. The ice machine is on the fritz, I thought I told you when you placed your order. I can go an?—”
“ Are you sure this is soy?” the redhead snaps, my head pinging in her direction.
“ Positive . I made it myself.” My cheeks ache from the forced smile.
Kill them with kindness.
“ It doesn’t smell like it.” She sniffs the foam that looks exactly like steamed soy milk and makes a disgusted face. “ This smells like cow’s milk. I’m going to need you to make another. I’m on a strict no dairy diet right now.”
In through the nose, out through the mouth.
“ Absolutely ,” I say through clenched teeth. Picking up the soy cappuccino without argument, it takes all my strength not to stomp away from them and throw the cup into the sink. Instead , I pour the soy cappuccino down the drain, prepare a double shot of espresso in the machine, and start frothing soy milk.
Again .
Customers like this are a rarity, but if you’re going to work in the food and beverage industry, you better be prepared for them. Apparently “ Karens ” are worming their way into the younger generation, because these women don’t look much older than my twenty-six years.
With the exact same drink as before, I return to their table with my patience hanging on by a thread.
“ There we go. That wasn’t so hard was it?” she says in a patronizing, nasally tone.
“ No . How silly of me.” I’m going to crack a tooth at this rate.
She opens her thin lips to make a comment, and from the viperous gleam in her eyes, it’s not going to be a nice one. I’m saved by the bell when the door chimes to let me know another customer has walked in. I fix my face, making sure my smile is genuine, and turn around to greet them, but as I spin my heels, my eyes widen.
Graham is standing in the doorway, looking so deliciously handsome in amaroon cardigan, white button-down shirt, and navy slacks. His beard looks freshly trimmed today, giving me a great view of his strong jaw. So sharp it would be perfect in cutting the rye bread that’s currently filling the bakery with that fresh baked bread smell.
It’s been two days since I moved in with him, and we’ve hardly seen each other. He was called into the city yesterday, and our morning schedules have fallen so that when I’m ready to leave for work, he’s out walking Curly . I usually don’t leave the bakery until eight p.m—busy prepping for the following day and placing orders. We chat a little over dinner, but we’re both so beat after our long days, we call it a night before ten.
There’s a buzz of excitement seeing him now. I swear the corners of his lips start to pull up when spots me, but then his eyes narrow behind his glasses when he looks over my shoulder .
A high-pitched bark makes me jump. Curly is yapping away from where he’s attached to the leash in Graham’s hand. His other holds a bouquet of pale, yellow carnations.
The tiny dog lunges toward me, yanking Graham with him. At first, I thought he was aiming his dislike at me, but we’ve become quick friends, and it’s clear now the difficult customers behind me are his target.
I drop to his level to distract him, tickling him under his chin and praising him in a baby voice. “ Oh , you good boy. You have such a good sense of character, don’t you? Yes , you do.” Straightening , I look at Graham who is eyeing the two women suspiciously.
“ What in the world is that?” I turn toward the owner of the voice. The question came from the redhead one, her eyebrows raised to her hairline as she glances between the dog and his owner with a snooty look.
“ A dog,” Graham responds dryly, though something is off with his demeanor right now. His shoulders are hunched and his eyes flit around the room cautiously. Does he know them?
“ Clearly . But what are you doing with one? I didn’t know you liked dogs. Seems a little too spontaneous for you.” She looks at her friend and they laugh at a joke no one else heard.
Unease rolls off him. I can see him searching for a response, but they don’t deserve one from him. They clearly know each other, and I have high suspicions they’re the friends of Jenna’s .
Spinning around, I look down at the table. “ All good here?” They go to say something snarky, I’m sure of it, but I give them my back before they can respond and throw my final words over my shoulder. “ Perfect . Enjoy your day.”
With that, I grab Graham’s hand, drag him past the register, with Curly hot on his heels. I love the little guy, but a kitchen is no place for a dog. We set him up with a bowl of water and tie him up just outside the back door.
“ Well , they were delightful. Friends of she-who-shall-not- be-named, I presume?” I ask with my hands planted on my hips.
He nods. His eyes bounce between me and the tables around us, and he lowers his voice before speaking. “ I’ve known them both since high school. Angela and Nina .”
“ Good to know Jenna keeps friends of the same breed.” That breed being little bitches. “ So those are the people we need to convince that we’re in a relationship.”
His Adam’s apple bobs before he nods again. I don’t blame him for looking nervous, because neither of us were prepared to do any convincing so soon.
Carpe diem and all that jazz.
“ Okay , let’s do this. Woo me.”
“ Now ?” he sputters.
“ Sure . What’s your go-to move? How would you let people know that I’m yours?”
With a deep groan, he scrubs a hand across his mouth, and I just make out his muffled, “ What have I gotten myself into?” He places the flowers on the table and pushes them toward me, my heart warming at the gesture.
Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on him and am getting carried away. The pleading look in his eyes confirms it. I give him my side profile, busying myself with the batch of cupcakes I’ve been trying to finish for the last hour. I only have half a dozen left to ice and I pick up the piping bag ready to get started. “ Sorry , forget I said anything. We haven’t even set any boundaries yet. How’s your day been? It’s been pretty cra?—”
I’m cut off and gasp when something cold and sticky lands on my cheek. Blinking a few times, I look up to see Graham’s hand hovering between us, fingers stained with royal blue buttercream frosting, and a look that’s equal parts shock and amusement. His eyes are wide, but the smirk pulling at his lips says, What are you going to do next?
This side of him is new and undiscovered. And I love it.
“ Excuse me. That was made with Madagascan vanilla. Do you know how expensive that is?”
“ I’ll get pods of vanilla shipped from the Indian Ocean just for you, honey.”
Honey . There’s that nickname again. The one that has my insides going all topsy-turvy.
I swipe two fingers across the same cupcake Graham destroyed and raise my hand toward him. “ Two can play at that game.”
With quick movements, I dive for his face, but he’s quicker. My icing-smeared fingers are caught between his much larger hands, and he tugs me into him until our chests are crushed together.
That same rousing sensation I felt in his kitchen courses through me. It’s stronger now, because this feels deliberate.
Slowly , so slowly he leans down, and brings his thumb to my cheek. With the gentlest of touches, he swipes the blue icing across my skin and over my lips. Intended or not, my entire body vibrates with delight, too stunned to lick the sweet mixture away.
Without breaking eye contact, he pops his thumb into his mouth and sucks it clean. I’m ready to melt into a puddle, but Graham isn’t done yet. Far from it. “ Sorry , missed a bit,” he murmurs, his minty breath coasting across my face. “ I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”
Good . God . Who is this man?
I nod, and then his lips are on mine.
First kisses tend to be underwhelming and nervous from experience.
This is anything but.
I’m aware of every millisecond. It’s brief, but he sure makes the most of it. When his tongue runs across my bottom lip, he hums in approval before pulling away.
I’m breathless as I watch him wipe at the corner of his mouth with his thumb.
I forget where we are, the aftereffects of the kiss having left me momentarily senseless, until the sound of cups on saucers and chatter starts to filter back in and we pull apart.
Graham kissed me.
Thankfully my voice doesn’t shake like my knees when I finally speak.
“ Well . What’s the verdict?” He tilts his head in question. “ Do you like sugary treats now?”
“ Nah . I think there’s something sweeter and more delicious waiting out there for me.” His eyes are glued to my lips. Lips I very much want on mine again.
Apparently he’s forgotten where we are, too, until his eyes scan the room. I follow his gaze and see they’ve landed on the now-vacant table where Jenna’s friends were sitting, and it all makes sense.
It was all for them and I’m not even sure they saw it.
“ Did they leave?” I spin around to face Graham , but he’s already at the sink, trimming and arranging the bouquet of flowers he brought me. When he catches me watching him over his shoulder, his eyes snap back to his task, with a warm glow to his cheeks.
I internally kick myself for getting so lost in the moment that I forgot everything we do in public is for show. Any fuzzy, warm feelings I have toward him are foolish. That kiss was like nothing I’ve ever experienced, but he clearly had to ramp up the dial for effect.
Tingling lips and other body parts are natural. I mean, look at him.
Deciding to act like that interaction was an everyday occurrence, I pull out a large mason jar, fill it with water, and place it next to him.
I watch as he carefully arranges the carnations into the jar, knowing their yellow shade is going to look lovely up by the register.
“ You remembered my favorite color?” I ask as my shoulder brushes his arm.
“ I did. Are these flowers okay? I can get you others if you don’t like them.” He glances from me to the flowers with a concerned look on his face. How on earth would he think any flowers weren’t okay?
“ I’d accept weeds that you picked off the sidewalk. It’s sweet, but really unnecessary.”
He contemplates my words for a second as he places the remaining stems in the jar. “ It always made my mom and sister happy. And I like seeing you smile.” There’s that delightful blush. “ I’ve decided getting you flowers is a new clause in our agreement.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “ Do I not get a say?”
“ Nonnegotiable , sorry.” From the quiver to his lips, he’s holding in a smile.
“ I see.” I grin wildly. “ Anything else you want drawn up in this mythical contract?”
With a look that makes me question if that kiss was fake, he shakes his head. “ Laughing and smiling like that is my only ask.”
The chime of bells reminds me I have a bakery to run and the whining from the back lets Graham know Curly is done waiting.
“ Are you still okay for dinner at my mom’s tomorrow? She’s excited for you to come. Not that I’m trying to pressure you, it’s just…she likes you. We all do, and you’re always welcome.”
I walk back toward the cash register, flashing a smile at the two new customers before facing him again. “ I can’t wait. Thank you for inviting me.”
“ Good . I’m glad.” A small, satisfied grin slips free as his eyes track down the length of my body. I’m a mess of coffee grinds and spilled milk, yet something sparks in his gaze, making me flush. “ I’ll see you later.”
With that, he makes his escape through the fire exit, leaving me standing in a puddle of overstimulated hormones and confused feelings.
I’m going to have to practice a lot of self-restraint not to get caught up in the unfamiliar, trancelike state he keeps leaving me in.
For a smart man, Graham Sadler is pretty clueless at how damn appealing he is.