Kendra’s hand pushed against the door.
“Wait!”
* * *
“How do you know what her usual is?” Donovan asked several hours later. He’d been observing Jada for the past few minutes. Ostensibly, he was waiting for Nicholas and August so they could have a meeting. That didn’t explain why he needed to do that at the front counter instead of the table he’d commandeered in the corner of the shop. He’d told himself he was merely making sure his newest employee was settling in. Soon thereafter, he’d told himself he was a mf-ing liar. And yet he hadn’t stepped away.
She shrugged. “I’m good at memorization. It’s kinda second nature at this point. She comes in here every morning. I mean the baristas at my favorite Starbucks know what I like. I thought I’d continue the practice here.” She tilted her head to the side. “Do you know what any of your regulars like?”
“No. That’s more Nicholas’s territory.” He frowned. That was something he’d never thought about. He was more of a numbers guy. If they offered world-class products, people would return and they’d make money. Easy peasy.
She tsked. “Okay, dude. Since he’s spending more time in the kitchen perfecting his recipes, I guess it’s up to me to pick up the slack on that front. I think it’s good for business. Terry likes vanilla with sprinkles. Bobby from the drugstore around the corner likes red velvet.” She studied him. “Did you need something?”
Why did the question make him feel like an interloper in his own business? “Uh, no. Just checking in.”
She smiled. “Oh, okay. I’m good. Nothing new to report.”
Which should have been his cue to retreat to his table and reports and prepare for his meeting. But he didn’t want to leave. He liked talking to her. Which was fine. There was no harm in admitting that.
Before he could come up with a non-embarrassing excuse for why he was still standing there, a customer approached asking for a photo. He should be used to it. In a way, he was. As a high-profile pro athlete, selfie requests were pretty standard. But standing next to Jada, often with his arm around her like they were a true-blue couple, was unsettling.
She settled against him, her back to his front, like this was a natural position for them. Like they’d done this a million times. Like they fit, two connecting pieces in a puzzle. His hands hung at his side, but they tingled with the urge to lift her shirt and touch her soft skin. The light scent of her perfume wrapped around him, the same scent that haunted him in his dreams. She looked up at him and smiled. All he had to do was lean down to taste those perfect lips. Her tongue peeked out like she too was remembering their one entirely too brief kiss.
“Hey, Donovan, you ready?”
Jada sprang away from him. He instantly missed the press of her body against him. Her heat. Her. Which was completely illogical.
Donovan ignored the smirk on Nicholas’s face and joined his business partner on the other side of the counter. “Yeah. Where’s August?”
“Right here,” August said, entering the shop from the back.
Donovan clapped his hands together, determined to ignore the way the blood in his veins continued to pump at ten times its normal rate. He marched to the table in the corner and took a seat.
Nicholas held out his hand as he sat. “Gimme my money, August.”
Donovan groaned. He didn’t want to know, but he needed to know. “What did you bet on this time?”
Nicholas smirked. “That you would change your mind about the fake dating thing.”
Donovan glared at the both of them. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Nicholas said as August opened his wallet. “I knew you’d give in, but August had his doubts.”
August shrugged while he slapped the twenty-dollar bill into Nicholas’s palm. He lowered his large frame into another chair. “I thought you’d stick to the orderly and true like you always do.”
Nicholas slid the bill into his pants pocket. “I knew better.”
Donovan rolled his eyes. He wasn’t surprised by either of their stances. Even though he’d deny it to the ends of earth, Nicholas was a closet romantic. August, on the other hand, knew up close and personal the downsides to love.
“Can we get to the actual reason for this meeting, please? How are we going to boost sales? We’re running out of time to get to where we want to be before we have to hire a manager,” he said. “Does anyone have any ideas? The floor is open.” Donovan gestured toward his two business partners.