Chapter 24
Slater strolls in the front door of the café right as I finish ringing up a customer. I watch his hands ball into fists at his sides when his gaze snags on Ruby laughing as she rings out one of the tourists still hanging around.
What the hell?
Shaking his head, he makes his way over to my counter. I have his usual blueberry brioche danish set aside and hand it over before he can ask.
“What’d that guy do to you?”
“Nothing. He looks like a prick. Ruby shouldn’t be flirting with him.” He takes an angry bite of the pastry, the brown sugar crumble falling onto his coveralls.
“Right, and you care about who Ruby flirts with because…”
“Because if she falls in love with a tech bro from another city, she’ll leave Cupid’s Cove! You don’t want your sister to leave Cupid’s Cove, do you?”
“I think Ruby needs to do what makes her happy. Follow where her heart takes her. If that’s away from Cupid’s Cove, then so be it. I’d manage without her.”
Slater scoffs. “Being in love has made you softer than you were before. You never would have been so okay with the idea of Ruby leaving. Unless… No. No. Saint Valentine you better not be considering moving away. Do not leave me in this godforsaken town all by myself!”
I hate that he can read me so easily. But he’s right.
I have been contemplating moving to Salem so I can be with Mikey.
I’m sure I can find a space for a bakery there, or maybe we could expand.
I haven’t looked over our finances, but it’s not entirely off the table.
I don’t want to keep doing this distance thing with Mikey, even if it’s not even that far and hasn’t even been a day. I physically ache to be near her again.
“You wouldn’t be alone, you’d have Stella and Claire,” I argue. “Besides, Ruby isn’t going anywhere. He’s just a customer, it’s not like he proposed to her and they’re running off into the sunset. You’re not usually this damn dramatic. What the hell is going on with you?”
“Sorry, man. Lots on my mind recently. Seeing you with Mikey made me rethink my bachelor status….” He trails off, the words dying mid sentence before he continues, “Speaking of, I came to ask you if you think Mikey would consider working for me?”
I want to press him about this bachelor status comment, but I roll with his change of subject. “I’d like to think she would, but I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”
Slater nods. “Great. Then I’ll ask her when I take you down to pick up your van.”
“Slater, you don’t have to offer her a job just because I—”
“I’m not,” he interrupts. “I’m going to offer her a job because I could use an extra set of hands.
Business is picking up, and having someone else to help around the shop would be good.
Obviously, I’ll have to get a reference from her boss, but from what you’ve told me, she seems like she knows what she’s doing.
If it helps make my best friend happy, that’s just a plus. ”
Slater hates when I try to hug him. He’s never been one for PDA, but I can’t help myself. I round the counter and wrap him in a hug, and though he grunts in protest, he gives me a pat on the back.
“Why wait until my van’s ready? Let’s head down today and ask her!” It’s the perfect excuse to go see my girl. I’ve been trying to convince Ruby to let me take her car, but she refuses because then someone would have to come with me so I could drive my van home.
Details, details.
Slater glances back to where Ruby’s wiping the counter down. “What about the café?”
“Ruby can handle it.”
“Ruby can handle what?” Ruby asks, making her way towards us.
Slater’s spine snaps straight when she stands next to him, and a flash of something passes across his face.
Okay, so something is definitely up with them.
“Saint’s trying to convince me to take him to Mikey right now so I can offer her a job.”
Ruby’s face lights up as she gasps. “You think she’ll move here? Oh, I would love to have another girlfriend. It was so fun hanging out with her and Stella. I can man the café. You two head down.”
“You guys think I can just up and leave the shop unmanned?” Slater asks, crossing his arms.
“You’re here right now, so… yeah. True love is on the line, Slater. Where’s your heart? Oh, wait. It’s in your dick.”
“Okay… moving on. Slater, I’ll owe you big time if you take me today.” I’m not above begging, and he knows it.
Slater groans, throwing his arms up in the air. “Fine. You’re lucky I don’t have any appointments today. But remember, you owe me big, and I already have an idea of what I want.”
“Great. We can discuss it on the way. Ruby, I’m probably not going to be back until Wednesday or Thursday since my van won’t be done. Can you—”
“Yeah, I can. I’ve got it. But you owe me big, too.”
“Deal. Anything you want.”
I leave them alone while I grab a backpack full of necessities from my office—I came prepared in case the opportunity arose—then head back out. Slater and Ruby are in some weird stare off when I come back out. My presence seems to shake them out of it.
“All right, Cupid. Let’s go.”
Halfway to Salem, I pull my phone out of my pocket to see if I have any messages from Mikey.
I usually keep my phone on silent while I’m working the counter so I don’t get distracted, and up until recently, all the people I cared about were within a three mile radius, so I didn’t need to have it on.
When I try to click the button and nothing happens, I frown. Did I forget to charge it last night?
“Can I borrow your charger?” I ask Slater.
“Go ahead. Your phone died?”
“I guess so. I must have fallen asleep without I plugging it in.” Mikey texted me before she went to work, and I figured since I didn’t feel my phone buzz in my pocket, she was busy.
Now, I’m worried she’s been trying to reach me, and I haven’t gotten the message.
I plug in my phone and tap my foot while I wait for it to turn on, my stomach sinking when I see I have no service. I shouldn’t be surprised considering it’s always spotty in the mountains, but I want to see if she messaged me now. I don’t want to wait until there’s service.
“You gonna call her and tell her we’re coming?” Slater asks, glancing over.
“No, I was checking to see if she messaged me. No service.”
“We’re almost out of the thick of it.”
Ten minutes later, we finally get to a stretch with service, and my phone starts buzzing like crazy.
There are three missed calls from Mikey and a slew of texts.
MIKEY: I hope you’re having a good day!
MIKEY: Do you have a minute to talk?
MIKEY: I have some questions for you.
MIKEY: Are you ignoring me?
MIKEY: Saint?
MIKEY: Call me when you can.
Then one text, sent about an hour after the others that makes my heart fall to my ass.
MIKEY: I know about the van.
“Oh shit,” I whisper. I can’t tell her tone through the phone, but she has every right to be upset. To feel betrayed. To be weirded out.
“What happened?”
“Mikey knows about the van.”
“Oh shit indeed.”
By the time Slater is pulling into the parking lot of Merv’s, I have a whole speech prepared.
I wasn’t doing it in some stalker-y way.
I was doing it as an excuse to see you because I couldn’t work up the nerve to ask you out.
Admittedly, things got out of hand, but I don’t regret it.
If I didn’t make such an insane decision, I wouldn’t have you.
I’m sorry if it scared you, and I’ll spend forever making it up to you.
Hopefully, she’ll be open to an apology.
Slater barely puts his truck in park before I’m barreling out the door and into the shop. Mikey’s head whips up from the desk, her pretty lips parting on a gasp.
“Saint, what are you doing here?”
“I didn’t get your texts. My phone died. Slater’s here, he came to talk to Merv—and you—about something, and I couldn’t go another minute without seeing you. But now I’m here to grovel because—”
Mikey holds up a hand, halting my speech. “I’ll go get Merv so he can talk to Slater, then we’re going somewhere private so we can have this conversation without prying ears.”
I nod, watching her walk through the shop door. She comes back two minutes later with Merv in tow.
“Baker! Fancy seein’ ya here. Mikey says your friend wants to talk to me, and she’s requested use of my office to talk to ya.” Merv leans in and whispers, “Good luck.” Before slapping me on the back and greeting Slater.
Mikey motions for me to follow her, so I do, preparing myself to be reprimanded for my stupidity.
I can’t consider the option where she tells me this is the final straw for her, and she’s ending this. Ending us.
Once we’re inside Merv’s office, she shuts the door. I don’t have time to look around before her hands are wrapping around my neck and pulling me down so our mouths mold together. My hands fly to her hips to hold her against me, my brain melting at the urgency with which she kisses me.
I reluctantly pull back. “Woah, Mikey, hold on. What’s—”
“Tell me the truth, Saint. Did you break your van on purpose just to come see me?”
“Yes,” I answer with no hesitation. “And I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.”
“I know, and—wait, what?”
Mikey’s hands trail up my arms, over my chest, wrapping around my neck again. “I think what you did is crazy. A little weird but also romantic.”
“You do?” The fact she isn’t running for the hills trying to get away from me proves she’s meant for me. She nods, and I lean down, pressing my forehead against hers. “I had a whole apology speech planned. I was going to grovel, get on my knees and beg you not to end this.”
“I do love you on your knees, Daddy.”
My cock twitches with interest. I’ll happily spend the rest of the night on my knees, proving my devotion to her. “Don’t do that now, sweetheart. We're at your place of work, in your boss’s office. We can’t do that here. Even if I want to.”
Mikey’s lips tip into a teasing smirk. “Rain check, then. Let’s go see what Slater wants to ask me.”
Before she can open the door, I press her against it and cup her face, pouring the gratitude and love I feel for her into a heated kiss.
I press my erection into her belly, letting her feel how much I want her.
Her hands grip my biceps as she moans into my mouth, arching her back, trying to get closer to me.
When I finally break the kiss, I rub my thumbs along the apples of her cheeks, admiring her flushed face and her swollen lips. I can’t wait to be able to do this every day.
“Okay, now we can go.”
With a dazed nod, she interlaces our fingers and guides me back through the shop to the lobby where we find Slater and Merv deep in conversation. Merv’s got glasses perched on the tip of his nose, and Slater’s pointing to something on the computer.
“I’m glad to see you didn’t send Saint away. I would have had to ply him with ice cream for months if you broke his heart,” Slater says with a teasing smirk.
“No broken hearts. Ask her your question, Slate.” I’m too eager to hear her answer.
Before he can say anything, Merv looks at Mikey and announces, “Mikey, you’re fired. Effective after you fix the baker man’s van.”
Mikey’s jaw drops open. “What?”