Chapter Two #3
“You really don’t belong here,” I mumble under my breath, but the sharp exhale she lets out tells me she heard every damn word.
“If you’re not going to tell me something I don’t already know and you don’t place an order soon, I’m going to have Sergeant Hadley over there escort you out.
” She plasters on a smug and syrupy sweet smile, one that’s so obviously fake that it antagonizes something inside me to wake up and play along.
“Oh, no. Not the Sergeant,” I say, feigning fear before a terribly fantastic idea comes to mind. “I’ll tell you what, if I can get, what did you call him?” I run a hand down my beard, pretending to recall Tom’s name. “Sergeant Hadley?”
She nods, arms crossed as she listens.
“If I can get him to cover my tab today, then you have to return the favor. You have to pay for my coffee next time.”
Her brows go up, kneading together at the same time as she glances between us and across the cafe where Tom, Callie, and Sunny sit. I’m hoping they don’t look over and ruin my plan before I get the chance to set my trap. I pet Ellie’s head beside me as I wait.
“Yeah, right,” she scoffs, slapping her hands onto the black walnut counter. “If he pays for you, I’ll buy you coffee for the next month.” She rolls her eyes, so confident in herself and in thinking that there’s no way Tom would be friends with me.
I fight back the smug satisfaction I’m already feeling, and hold out my hand to shake hers. Her lip curls up in disgust as she looks at my outstretched hand. Oh yeah, I’m going to enjoy this win.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I say, dropping my hand and turning my attention from her to Tom. “Hey, golden boy.”
Tom looks up at me from his seat.
“You got this? My wallet’s in your truck.”
From behind the counter, proclivities are being mumbled under her breath. When I turn my attention back on her, I don’t bother hiding the smug expression now proudly displayed on my face.
“You’re an ass,” she grinds out, barely containing her anger. Her face is scrunched in frustration, and it only makes me want to see how close I can push her until she blows her lid.
“Nah, I’m Levi, and it’s a pleasure for you to meet me. Now, about my order...”
Her cheeks flood with a shade of red as I place my order with possibly the most unpleasant woman I’ve ever met before heading over to join Tom. Ellie settles beside me as I take a seat, the big fur ball resting her head on my feet.
“Uh-oh. You’re smiling.” Tom chuckles. “Who’d you piss off?”
I can feel my face drop even as I attempt to deny it. “I’m not smiling.”
“You were,” Callie chimes, shrugging her shoulders when I throw her a glare.
“I didn’t think you remembered how. I’m just saying, if you start laughing, I’m calling a priest.”
His words stir the ache in my chest. If I’m being honest with myself, I can’t remember the last time I smiled this much, either. There hasn’t been anything worth smiling about, and I sure as hell haven’t felt like I’m someone who has any right to anyway.
“Real funny,” I deadpan.
“Better be careful with that smile around here, Levi. People are going to think you’re approachable,” Callie says, hiding a grin behind her teacup.
“I highly doubt that’s possible,” the infuriating blonde snorts out as she sets, or more like drops, my sandwich and coffee in front of me.
That’s nice. Next time, at this rate, she’ll probably throw it at me. I almost hope she does. It’ll mean I earned it.
“Guess now we know who he pissed off,” Tom whispers to Callie. The two of them try to stifle their laughter but fail miserably, shaking like they’re two kids with a secret.
“Does anyone need anything else?” she asks, all bitten-off syllables and impatience.
She barely gets the words out before Ellie shifts beside me.
Her head pops up, ears alert. I know that look, but I haven’t seen it in months.
Not since she chewed up my favorite pair of boots.
She’s about to do something. Before I can grab her vest, Ellie springs up, her big front paws landing square on the blonde’s shoulders.
“Oh shit. Ellie!” I snatch for Ellie’s harness and miss completely as the woman goes down with a loud, undignified thump.
I brace myself for impact, expecting that same rip-your-head-off attitude she’s been serving me since I walked in. This time, I wouldn’t blame her, but instead, something unexpected happens.
Ellie’s black and brown tail wags. Not a twitch. Not a half-hearted flick. A full-on, happy-dog helicopter wag.
Her first one in months.
I’m stunned. When I finally look to gauge the blonde’s expression and the damage I’ll have to deal with, it knocks the breath from my chest harder than her attitude ever could.
She’s smiling.
It’s genuine and bright, like sunlight reflecting off snow in the wintertime, practically blinding. And for some reason, the sound of her soft, breathless laugh punches beneath my ribs in a way I don’t appreciate. I refuse to focus too much on why, but I think I prefer her rage.
“Ellie? You’re friendly, aren’t you?!” she coos, rubbing Ellie’s face and ears like the dog didn’t just body-check her into the floor.
Ellie melts into her touch, tail thumping an excited rhythm. Something inside me churns violently. This isn’t right.
“I didn’t know you liked dogs, Tris,” Callie says, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and fascination.
“I love animals,” she laughs out as Ellie practically sprawls her entire body over her legs, looking for more belly rubs.
When Tris looks back up, her eyes find mine. As if I’m watching hell freeze over in real time, her glare turns so icy it almost gives me frostbite.
“It’s people that I have a problem with.” She gives Ellie one more belly rub before standing up and wiping herself off. “Let me know if you need anything, Callie.”
She walks away, but not before dismissing me with a look of disgust.
Once she’s gone, a low whistle comes from Tom. “Damn, man. What the hell did you do? You’ve been here for five minutes and are already on her shit list?”
“It doesn’t really seem like a hard list to get on,” I mumble between bites of my sandwich, which is most definitely not what I ordered.
“True,” Tom says, considering it with a tilt of his head. “But you definitely brought out her claws.”
“Those aren’t claws,” Callie snorts. “Tris is like a rose. She’s beautiful on the outside, but get too close, and you’ll see she has thorns.”
“Huh,” Tom huffs. “I guess in a way, she’s just like you.”
“That woman is nothing like me,” I say between coughs, choking on my coffee. “I know how to make a decent cup of coffee.”
Callie’s face drops. “Oh, no.” She waits for Tris to finish taking a customer’s order before calling her back over. “Tris, there’s something wrong with Levi’s coffee.”
She reluctantly turns her attention to me. I stare at her for a second, wondering how the hell she ended up working here, before she finally loses her patience.
Her arms come up, folding in front of her as she taps her manicured nails on her arm. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong with it, or should I start making guesses? You any good at charades? That might help.”
This woman and her quick, smart-ass remarks. Maybe Tom’s got a point, she is like me. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud.
“Nothing’s wrong with it.” I take a spoon from the table and stick it into the mug.
All eyes are on me, wondering what I’m doing.
“Unless you enjoy your coffee without a spoonful of coffee grounds.” I pull the spoon up to reveal at least a teaspoon of gritty grounds.
She looks from the teaspoon to me, but before answering, I catch the glance she throws in Callie’s direction.
“I’m so sorry about that. Let me get you a new cup.” She takes my mug, but before she goes, I can’t help myself.
“Make sure you actually use a coffee filter this time. Those are the round things that go into the baskets. The filter goes first, then the coffee grounds.”
That same shade of red from before slowly fills her cheeks, but this time she doesn’t say whatever it is she’s dying to. It’s so obviously on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she nods her head and walks away. Her long legs move her through the cafe effortlessly.
“Oh, good, Ainsley is back from her break,” Callie sighs in relief, pulling my attention back to the table. “I’ll tell her to put it in a to-go cup for you, and we’ll meet you at the truck. We need to get going if we’re going to make your haircut appointment.”
They leave, and shortly after, Tris comes striding back toward my table with my fresh cup of coffee.
She glances over her shoulder, making sure the coast is clear before zeroing in on me.
She slams my to-go cup onto the table in front of me so hard that I’m grateful there’s a lid.
Ellie wags her tail next to us, clearly not picking up on the temperature shift as the waves of anger roll off Tris.
“Are you trying to get me fired?” She plants a hand on her hip, her stance daring me to push her as she demands an answer.
“I don’t think you need my help with that,” I snort.
“But no, if I did that, then I wouldn’t be getting the next month’s worth of coffee for free.
” I stand as I take a slow sip of the fresh coffee she so sweetly slammed down.
The heat settles in my chest as I step toward her, watching the way she doesn’t back down.
“Perhaps by the end of the month, you’ll have learned to make a pot all on your own. ”
“Or I can just keep making terrible coffee and hope that it keeps you away,” she fires back.
“Guess we’ll have to find out.” With that, I walk away, nodding goodbye to Ainsley as I walk out the door.