2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

West

T he bell above the door to my coffee shop had been ringing practically nonstop for the past hour and a half as customers came and went. It was a week before Christmas in Silver Creek and that meant people were everywhere—especially at Brewed Awakening, the coffee shop I’d owned for the past two years. That morning the shop had been a zoo for a longer than usual morning rush. Despite the fact that it was a weekday and there was still time before Christmas, people in Silver Creek took their holidays seriously. Finally, though, the rush had died down and I had a little time to breathe. I brushed the sales counter off before grabbing a small bucket and a clean dishrag to go wash down tables.

“Hey West,” called a woman’s voice in a thick southern drawl the minute my back was turned to the door.

I knew the owner of the voice well. It was April Holt, the mayor’s daughter, and one of my biggest admirers in town—much to my chagrin. “Hi April,” I said, plastering on a smile as I turned to face her.

April swooped in and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, pressing her chest to me and wiggling as she did, as if she was going to be able to convince me that I wanted to sleep with her using sheer willpower. She smelled of mint and something warm, and I grunted as she crushed herself against me. “How are you?”

I gave her a quick nod, distancing myself from her a bit. “Great, I—” The bell jingled again, signaling a new customer. Saved. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

She sighed, putting on a heavy air of disappointment. “Fine, have it your way. I’ll be over there if you need me.” She gestured toward an armchair in the corner of the room before leaving me to do my job.

I hurried back to my place behind the sales counter to greet the newcomer, tucking the dishrag into the waistband of my apron as I walked. “How can I—” I glanced up from where I’d been focused on my waist and stuttered to a stop when my gaze met his. He was stunning—tall, soft-looking chestnut hair, hazel eyes with a sparkle in them, and a leather laptop bag slung over his shoulder. I cleared my throat, blinking a few times. “Sorry. What can I get you?”

He let out a soft breath before shaking his head slightly as if he were shaking something off and then peering into the bakery case. “What do you recommend?”

Me. I managed to swallow the thought without speaking it aloud, which was a Herculean feat in itself. “The cheddar bacon scones are good today, if you’re looking for something savory. If it’s sweets you’re after, the snickerdoodles are amazing.”

“They both sound great. I’ll take a scone and two cookies.”

“Coming right up.” As I grabbed his goodies from the case, my mind reeled, eager to keep him talking. My brain worked on autopilot as I kept going. “Anything else?”

April chimed in from the corner. “He makes a mean cup of coffee. My mama always said ‘A man who can make coffee is worth keeping around.’ I couldn’t agree more.”

The stranger smiled in a way that looked more regretful than amused. “No coffee. Not allowed. Doctor’s orders and all.” He knocked on the counter once. “Just the baked goods. And maybe a bottle of water.”

“Sure thing.” I served the customer and as he paid, I realized I didn’t know his name, where he was from, how long he was going to be in town… and I wanted to know it all. He was way too hot to let slip by without my clumsy attempt at flirting aimed at him at least once. “You just passing through or are you new in town?”

“Both, sorta. I’m Cole Martin.”

“As in Doctor Andy?” April called from the corner. She leaned forward as if she were ready to get the latest gossip. “Does that mean your mom’s Lenore Martin?”

“One and the same.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Cole.” April stood and approached us. “I’m so glad to meet you. I bet West here is, too.”

All I knew was that Doctor Andy had a gay brother and Lenore, a frequent flier at Brewed Awakening, mentioned her handsome marketing executive son to me with great frequency, knowing I was one of the only out gay men in town. I guess April figured if she wasn’t going to get her hands on me, she’d find someone else who would. Then again, if this was who April wanted me to hook up with… well, I wouldn’t mind, that’s all I was saying.

“I’m West.” I reached across the counter to shake his hand and knocked over a display of chocolates as I did, my face heating immediately. “Shit, sorry.”

Cole shook his head, reaching to help me retrieve some of the chocolates. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

I scooped the chocolates into a small pile and offered Cole my hand again. “It’s really nice to meet you, Cole.”

He took my hand and gripped it firmly, giving me a soft smile as he did. “Same.” We stood there for several long moments, hands clasped, not speaking, our gazes locked onto one another.

After a few seconds, April cleared her throat from the corner. “What are you doing in town, Cole? Visiting your family for the holidays?”

His hand slipped out of mine and he looked toward April. “Yeah, something like that.” He turned back to me, and when he spoke, his tone was soft and sincere. Something about it made me shiver. “Thanks again. I’ll just…” He gestured to a table on the opposite side of the room from where April sat.

“That’s probably for the best,” I murmured with a little grin, and went back to re-stacking the chocolate display.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. April eventually left to go about her business, and Cole visited the counter a couple more times to buy a sandwich and another pair of cookies. As expected, people were coming and going steadily, so I didn’t get the opportunity to chat with Cole again until it was time to close up shop. The day turned to evening and eventually I flipped the sign on the door to Closed.

“Oh, man,” Cole said, scrambling to stand up. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. Let me get out of your way.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got a ton of cleaning up to do anyway. Stay as long as you’d like.”

He settled back into his seat with a long, relieved exhale. “Thanks. I’ve got a little more work to finish up and I really will get going.”

“Take your time.” I made my way around the shop, wiping down tables and putting chairs up so that I could sweep and mop.

By the time I’d finished the sweeping up, Cole was packing his bag. “Everything was so delicious, by the way. Do you make it all here?”

I put the mop bucket down near where he was standing and let out a little regretful laugh. “No, not everything. I wish I had the time. I need an extra set of hands if I’m going to be baking all day. No, for now it’s just me, so I make some things—like the cookies—and the rest I buy from a bakery outside of town.”

He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Those were my favorites anyway.”

The sound made my stomach squirm and heat flooded through my body, warming me to my core. I couldn’t stop the small smile on my face. “Thank you.” He’s just being polite , I chastised myself. No need to get your hopes up that he’s interested. Just because you’re both gay doesn’t mean anything.

“Well, thank you again, West. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“If that’s okay, I mean. I’m here for the holidays, but I’ve still got work to get done—much to my mother’s disappointment—and I think this is the perfect location to set up shop.” I must have hesitated too long, because he spoke before I could get a word out. “If not, it’s okay. I don’t want to take up a table if I’m a nuisance. I just thought…” He shrugged and grinned. “The company is nice here.”

I laughed self-consciously. “April’s definitely an interesting one.”

“I meant you.”

“Oh! Well, in that case… come by anytime and stay as long as you’d like.” I heard the words coming out of my mouth but I couldn’t believe them. Since when did I sound so calm and collected in the presence of a hot guy?

He nodded once more before hauling his laptop bag to his shoulder. “I think I’ll take you up on that,” he said, and stepped out of the shop and into the night.