Monday (Timeless Teaser)(2)

“I’m not doing that.” She raised her hand to shut me up. Whenever she did that, I knew she really wanted me to drop the subject.

“Don’t you think a guy finds that sexy?”

“What?” she asked.

“When a really hot girl asks him out?”

“I’ll just flirt a little and see where it goes.”

The guy approached the counter like he was about to order.

“Marie, wait.” I grabbed her arm and a napkin.

“What?” she asked in irritation.

“You got muffin all over your face.” I handed her the napkin.

“Oh my god.” She quickly wiped her mouth. “Did I get it?”

“No.” I grabbed the napkin. “Let me do it.”

Her eyes darted to the counter. “Shit, he’s here.” Without another word, she fled into the back.

I tossed the napkin into the garbage then felt my heart rate pick up. Marie was missing her chance with Mr. Handsome, but I couldn’t let her face him when she had shit all over her lips.

I approached the counter and pretended nothing just happened. Like we didn’t just talk about how hot he was. “Hi. What can I get for you?” I looked him directly in the eye.

His blue eyes were a little startling at first. I’d seen blue eyes before and on lots of people. Some were brighter than others. Some had a mixture of green or gray. His were unusually dark and sharp. They were so pretty they almost didn’t look real. They contrasted well against his fair skin. Every individual feature of his face was perfect, but combined together, the effect was deadly. I couldn’t detect a single flaw anywhere.

“Hi. How are you?” He held my gaze as he spoke. Normally, people stared at the board or through the bakery window when they talked to me. They didn’t give me any of their attention. I was just the chick who handed them their coffee.

“Great,” I said as I stood in front of the register. “What about you?”

“A little tired.” He rested one hand on the counter, and a shiny watch was on his wrist. “Hence, why I’m in here.” He had a laid-back nature to him, not snooty like I thought he might be.

“You need more gas for your engine?” I gave him a friendly smile.

“So to speak.” His eyes never left my face.

“Then let’s get you some coffee. What would you like?”

“I usually drink it black. Unless you have a recommendation.”

I wasn’t prepared to be put on the spot but I kept my cool. “We can always add a shot of espresso—maybe two. You look like you need it.” I smiled so he knew I was joking.

A ghost of a smile stretched his lips. Instead of raising the corners of his mouth, his eyes lightened in color. They seemed to be the gateway to his thoughts. “I trust your judgment.”

“Two shots of espresso it is.” I made the mental note. “Anything else?”

His eyes left my face for the first time and moved to the counter. “I’ll take one of those.”

I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the apple cherry muffins I made. “Those?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.

“Yeah. They’re for sale, right?”

“Actually, I made those…for fun.”

That smile was there again. “Then I definitely have to have one. I’ll even pay you for it.”

Accept money? That would be weird. “It’s on the house. You look like you’ve had a bad day.” I grabbed a tray and set the muffin on top.

“Wow. I’ve never gotten such good service here.”

Unsure what to say, I gave him a quick smile then prepared his coffee. Once it was ready, I set it on the tray and rang him up.

He handed over the cash. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

“I’ve been working here for a while.” I handed him his change, and just touching his hand electrified me. His skin was slightly coarse like he used his hands all the time.

“I guess I’ll see you next time then.”

“And I hope when that happens you won’t be so tired.”

This time he gave me a real smile. “That makes two of us.” He grabbed his tray then sat in a booth near the window. He pulled his laptop out of his satchel and set it on the counter.

“You’re such a lucky bitch.”

I turned around and spotted Marie. Her face was free of crumbs. “What?”

“He was totally flirting with you.”

“Was not,” I argued.

“He never spoke to me like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him in the lobby. She released a quiet whistle under her breath. “That is one fine man.”

“He really is something…” My gaze moved to his large hands. I wondered what he could do with them.

“Ask him out.”

I turned back to Marie so quickly my neck hurt. “What?”

“What happened to asking a guy out?”

“Well, he’s your guy.” That was an unspoken rule between us.

“No, he’s not,” she said with a laugh. “I just said he was hot. I don’t have any claim on him. And it looks like you have a serious chance with him.”

“Dude, I talked to him for, like, two minutes.”