21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter 21
On Saturday morning, Linda walked into the coffee shop and marched to the counter. She ordered an extra-large hazelnut latte with an extra shot of espresso. She was going to be productive this morning, and the caffeine would help.
Finding an open table in the courtyard, she settled in and pulled out her tablet. She had a list of tasks to complete and wanted to prioritize them before getting started.
She’d been working for an hour when a shadow fell over the table. She looked up to find Wyatt standing beside her.
“Hey,” he said, his deep blue eyes captivating her gaze.
“Oh, hi! How are you?”
“Good. Better now that you’re here.” He swished the towel in his hand back and forth.
Sorcha was right; he was definitely flirting.
“Florida was great, but it’s good to be home.”
“The tan looks great on you.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Thanks. I miss the beach already.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Customers. I better get back to work. See you around.”
“See you.”
Well, that wasn’t completely telling. Sort of flirting. Sort of being friendly. Excellent customer service.
Oh, well. She wasn’t here for Wyatt. She was here to get work done, and she had. Standing, she stretched and took her coffee tumbler back to the counter for a refill of regular coffee.
Back at her table, she pulled out a sketch pad and a brand-new set of colored pencils she’d bought the day before. It was time to play.
Mason spent his Saturday morning exploring the city and getting groceries. Having his first Saturday off in Seattle surprised him, but he needed to be at the hospital bright and early on Sunday morning, so he took advantage of the time.
Sightseeing kept him occupied enough until he could call Linda. The two-hour time difference was annoying. Maybe his next rotation would be in the Central Time Zone. Lots of options and plenty of unknown places to discover.
Once his groceries were put away, he grabbed a glass of water and went to the tiny balcony overlooking a baseball field. There was enough room for a small round table and two stools on the balcony. Big enough.
He took a picture of the view and sent it to Linda with “Can you talk?” attached.
She replied with a quick yes, so he called.
“Hi, you. Great view,” she said. He smiled at the sound of her voice. It’d been a week. Seven long days without it.
“Hi, yourself. Yeah, it’s a good one. Pretty cool city. Can’t wait for you to visit.”
Linda chuckled. “That didn’t take long. Are you settled in?”
“Yes. Lots of great people at the hospital. A few friendlies in the building. I’ve figured out the transit system. The apartment is a little farther away than I typically like, but it’s all good. Working it out. How are you? How was your week back at home?”
He couldn’t wait to hear every detail she would share. It still bothered him that Meri had mentioned a retail situation. He hoped Meri had confused Linda with someone else.
“It was good. I miss Seaside Bay, but it was good to see my kitties and Sorcha. And to sleep in my bed.”
“The pillow-top for the princess, right?”
“I’m no princess,” she protested.
“Think again, Sunshine.”
Whoa. He hadn’t called her Sunshine since they were ten years old. He’d gotten a black eye the last time he had.
“Sunshine? Really?” She laughed, the sound like warm honey.
“Yikes. That slipped out. I remember what happened last time. I take it back. What are you doing this morning?”
He pictured her in her pajamas on the couch, a book and coffee within reach.
“I’m hanging out at our favorite coffee shop. I did some work, and now I’m doodling.”
“You’re drawing?”
“I said doodling. Playing around.”
“I see. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
Gosh, was this conversation boring? Was he boring her?
“I’m meeting up with your sister to plan some last-minute things for Laurel’s shower.”
“Sorry.”
“I said—”
He cut her off with a laugh.
“Oh,” she said. “Erin. Ha, ha. She’s wonderful to me. I don’t know what your problem is.”
“I could say the same thing about your sister. Well, don’t let Erin bulldoze you into doing too much. She should do her fair share.”
“I’m sure she will. Hold on.”
Mason could hear a man’s voice talking to Linda. It sounded as though she’d pulled her phone away from her face, but she hadn’t muted him. Who was she talking to? Was she meeting with her boss on a Saturday?
“Sorry. I’m back.”
“Who was that?”
“Wyatt. He works here.”
Wyatt. Not the “barista” or the “coffee dude” or “guy who works here”, Wyatt. She said favorite coffee shop, so a place she frequented. He couldn’t let that get under his skin.
“Well. Tell Erin hello from me when you see her. I work a seven-to-seven shift tomorrow. Can I call you tomorrow night?”
“Yes, that’d be great. See you.”
She hung up too fast. Was Wyatt hovering nearby, waiting for her to get off the phone? He put the phone down and looked at the view. Past the ball diamond was a large park, and beyond that, he could see Puget Sound. Sunlight hit the water, sparkling like a dance. It was pretty, but not as pretty as the view from the condo in Seaside Bay. And not nearly as pretty as Linda.