Sweet Surrender (Sweet #1)(19)

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

CHAPTER 9

Faith shoved the coffeepot under the spout just as the first drops of hot liquid seeped through the filter.

Once a week, Pop held a morning meeting to discuss jobs and divide up duties. Mondays would have been logical, but then Pop tended to be rather illogical about the little things. Meetings such as this were called at random and usually precipitated by a 5:30 A.M. phone call from Pop asking everyone to come into the office before seven.

Faith always rushed in ahead of the guys so she could pick up donuts on her way in and make a fresh pot of coffee.

Not surprisingly, Gray was the first to arrive. He glanced appreciatively at the donut box when he walked into her office and took a seat on the other side of her desk.

“Mornin’,” she said cheerfully. “Feeling any better today?”

He grunted in return but reached eagerly for a donut when she shoved the box across the desk at him.

“There’s fresh coffee made,” she said.

“You’re a goddess,” he said as he rose and made for the pot.

He tugged one of the mugs from the neat row she’d arranged them in and poured a steaming cup of the potent brew.

“Want some?” he asked after he’d taken a sip.

She shook her heard. “I don’t drink it.”

He sauntered back over and slouched in the chair. “Not drink it? I’m pretty sure that’s listed as a cardinal sin somewhere in the Bible.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Never could stand the stuff. Once I drove all night from Louisiana to Kansas. Kept drinking coffee to stay awake. By the time I got to where I was going, I puked my guts up. Just the smell of it now makes me queasy.”

“Yet you still make it for us,” he observed.

“I’m a regular saint,” she said with a saucy wink.

His gaze drifted lazily up and down her, and her cheeks warmed under his scrutiny. She positively loved the way he looked at her, like he wanted to undress her, touch her, explore every inch of her.

“I’d give an entire paycheck to know what you’re thinking right now,” he drawled.

She blinked out of her reverie to see him watching her, his blue eyes flickering with undisguised interest. She managed to control her blush—barely.

“A woman has to keep a few secrets,” she said.

He chuckled and took another gulp of his coffee.

Faith’s gaze averted to the door as Micah strolled in, followed closely by Connor.

Micah did a quick survey of the room. “Nathan not make it in yet?”

“Obviously not,” she said dryly.

Micah grinned. She recognized that gleeful gleam for what it was.

“I don’t even want to know what you two have been up to now,” she said with an exasperated sigh.

“Mornin’,” Connor said as he leaned against her desk, coffee mug in hand.

“Morning,” she intoned sweetly.

Connor took a long swallow of his coffee then closed his eyes and sighed. “I swear you make the best coffee, Faith.”

“That ain’t no lie,” Micah said. His back was to them as he poured himself a cup.

“It is damn good,” Gray agreed. “What kind is it? I’d like to get some for the apartment.”

Connor grinned, and Micah let out a hoot of laughter. Gray looked at them both in confusion.

“We’ve asked her to tell us for the last two years,” Connor explained. “She won’t. All we know is that she orders the shit from somewhere.”

Faith chuckled. “If I told you guys, you’d all buy your own coffee, and then you’d never come to my office to get any, which means I’d never see you.”

Micah snorted as he walked over to join the others. “Not see us? Hell, you run this place. Most of the time it’s you telling us when to jump and how high.”

She glared over at him. “You were supposed to say that you couldn’t possibly go a day without seeing me.”

Connor reached over to tousle her hair. “Well, that goes without saying, kiddo.”

A tiny spark of irritation ricocheted up her spine. It wasn’t the first time Connor had ever called her kiddo, but now, in front of Gray, she didn’t want to draw attention to the disparity in their ages. Not that it was huge or anything, but the last thing she wanted him to see her as was a kid. Or even worse, a kid sister.

She glared her annoyance at Connor.

A shuffle at the door directed their attention in that direction, and Faith’s eyebrows lifted as she watched Nathan walk in wearing an Astros baseball cap. Not that the cap was an oddity, he was a big fan after all, but there was no hair sticking out from under it. None!

She let out a gasp at the same time Micah snickered and Connor muttered, “What the hell?” She stood and hurried around her desk, not stopping until she stood directly in front of Nathan. She reached up on tiptoe and yanked the cap off.

She stood there stunned and let the hat fall from her fingertips. It landed with a soft thunk on the floor about the time her mouth did the same.

“What the hell have you done?” she demanded.

Nathan sighed then ran his hand over his head, his very bald head. Micah escalated from snickering to outright howls of laughter. He was soon joined by Connor and finally Gray.