Chapter 2

two

. . .

Demi

The grand openinga few days ago had been ridiculously busy. It felt like everyone in town had come by. I was thrilled to finally be open after spending months renovating this place and coming up with the menu.

I’d majored in nutrition and minored in business, so my goal was to eventually make Magnolia Beans much more than just a coffee shop. I’d be offering green juice, protein shakes, and a few other healthy options, as well, and I planned to add more to the menu over the next few months.

Things had finally slowed down, and Peyton was in the back cleaning up the kitchen. She and I had grown up together, and she was taking online courses to get her master’s in education. She was in need of a part-time job at the moment, so the timing was perfect.

The door swung open, and my eyes widened at the sight of him. He was tall and lean and the best-looking guy I’d ever seen. Wavy hair, longer in the front, dark brown eyes, and bone structure that a GQ model would envy.

I’d definitely seen Romeo Knight over the years, and I knew who he was, but we weren’t friends, and it had been a long time since I’d crossed paths with him.

But I sure as hell didn’t remember him looking like this when we were younger, although I probably wasn’t paying much attention at the time.

I was a bit of a late bloomer in that department.

“Hey, it’s Romeo, right?” I asked, smiling up at him until I noticed the frown on his face, followed by a glare that made it clear nothing had changed. He’d never been friendly to me, which had always kind of fit with his bad-boy demeanor.

But we were adults now.

“I need two of whatever the hell that pumpkin spice drink is you’re selling that my mom and grandmother won’t stop nagging me about.”

Wow. Not friendly, but okay.

“Yeah. Sure. Two pumpkin chai lattes with a side of cinnamon.” I rang up his order in the register before looking back up at him. “If you’d like to add one for yourself, too, it would be on the house.”

“Because you think I need your charity?” he said, his voice hard and lacking all humor.

He was actually offended by a free drink?

“No. Because you’re my neighbor, and I put a card on all the doors of the businesses on this street, offering one free cup of whatever you choose as a friendly gesture. It’s called being neighborly.”

“I don’t want a drink. I’ll pass.”

What a dick.

“No problem.” I raised a brow and kept my lips in a straight line. Your loss, asshole. I’d made an effort, and he’d completely gone out of his way to be a jerk. “Would you like me to apply your free drink to one of these?”

“I’ll pay for both drinks.”

I rolled my eyes and held my hand out. “That’ll be eleven dollars even.”

He pulled out the cash and tossed it onto the counter, as if he couldn’t even stand the idea of placing the money in my hand.

What the hell was this guy’s deal?

This was my first week as a business owner, so I would keep my cool. I tossed the money into the register and moved to make the drinks. I started filling both cups with hot water. I glanced up to see him watching me, and I expected him to turn away, but he didn’t. He just stared at me like he couldn’t stand the sight of me.

Then why the hell doesn’t he look away?

I let out a long breath before looking back down and finishing his drinks in awkward silence.

Saylor Woodson and I had become good friends in college. I knew that her older brother, Hayes, ran in the same circle as Romeo. My brother, Slade, had always told me that group of guys was trouble, and I’d steered clear. I think they’d been busted for stealing and ditching school and things like that when they were young. Not that Slade hadn’t caused plenty of trouble all on his own. But two of the guys he’d mentioned, Kingston Pierce and Nash Heart, had both worked on the renovation for the coffee shop, and they’d been very professional. They’d never been super chatty with me, but they were nice enough, and they did good work.

I had no idea why Romeo had such an issue with me. Or maybe he was stressed out that some famous boxer was all over the news, blasting his name to anyone who would listen.

Not that I followed sports.

I didn’t.

But everyone was talking about it.

“All cleaned up. I’m going to head out,” Peyton said as she stepped in from the kitchen and then halted when she saw Romeo standing there.

“Thanks for cleaning up. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I glanced over at her, making it clear that I was in the midst of an awkward situation.

She would then try to make it even more awkward. It was kind of her shtick.

Of course, she sauntered over to the register.

“You’re Romeo Knight, aren’t you?”

His gaze moved to her. “Yes.”

“Ah, a man of few words.” She chuckled. “Your gym is right next door to us. You two should run some sort of special. You know, all those hot boxers can get a buy one, get one free deal over here?” She looked from him to me, and I groaned because Peyton had never been good at reading the room.

“I doubt that’s necessary. I think everyone knows you’re here. You’re a Crawford, after all, right?” He moved closer as I set the two drinks in front of him and glared at him.

“So, you do know who I am.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I never said I didn’t.”

He picked up the cups off the counter and turned for the door.

“Well, don’t worry about it. I didn’t want to do that deal with your gym anyway,” I said, internally shaming myself for the weak comeback.

He pushed the door open and glanced at me. “Trust me. No one is going to lose sleep over it.”

And he walked right out the door.

My mouth gaped open, and I turned to Peyton and shook my head. “What an asshole.”

“Oh my God. He’s so freaking hot, though. The face. The hair. The body. It should be illegal to look that good.”

“I didn’t notice. I was too busy being insulted by him. What in the world did I ever do to that guy? He wouldn’t even take the good neighbor discount I’d offered for one free drink. He acted like I’d murdered a family member.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him around, and he’s never been super friendly, but that was next level. I wonder why he hates you.”

Oh, wow. I guess I wasn’t being paranoid, and even she’d noticed that he despised me.

“I have no idea. I don’t even know him.”

“Well, your family is like Magnolia Falls royalty, so I think sometimes people get jealous of those who are filthy rich. Lucky for you, you’re my bestie and you spoil me, so I don’t care.” Her head fell back in laughter.

“I’ve been away at school for four years. I came home and opened a business, one that I’m working at every day. I’m living in a small apartment above the coffeehouse and trying to do things on my own. But I’m hated anyway because my family has money? Romeo Knight can fuck off. I’ve never judged him. He doesn’t have a clue about my life. We’ve never even spoken before today. He’d made his mind up about me before he walked through the door.”

“You are so right. He’s an asshole. But damn, he is a good-looking asshole, am I right?”

“I don’t care what he looks like. He’s a dick. That trumps good looks. Plus, I barely noticed.”

I hoped he’d stay away moving forward. I didn’t need his negative energy in my coffee shop. I shook it off and turned to face Peyton as she bellowed out in laughter at my comment.

“If I had a blindfold over my eyes and a bag over my head and the world lost all-natural sunlight along with working electricity, I would still know that he was hot.”

“Whatever. Let’s move on. It was another good day for business. We’ve been so busy, and I need to place a bunch of orders tonight because we’re going through supplies faster than I anticipated.”

“Look at you, smarty pants. Your fancy degree is showing.” She gave me a quick hug and snatched a cookie before waving goodbye.

I finished cleaning up and made my way upstairs. My apartment was a small one-bedroom, but I’d chosen every single finish in both my home and my business, and I loved everything about them both.

My grandfather and my father had always talked about real estate. About working hard and building something from the ground up. My grandfather was in politics, and my father owned an investment company, so a strong work ethic had been ingrained in my head since I was a kid. Yes, I’d been given a break that not everyone had. My trust fund was hefty, and I’d taken a good portion and invested it into buying this building, which would serve as both my work and my home. It was a smart, safe investment. Included in the building was another shop next door, but I hadn’t decided what I’d do with that space just yet. Real estate was hot in Magnolia Falls, especially the downtown area. I’d wait to see how things went here and either expand or lease out the space to another business.

My mother was horrified that I was living above the coffee shop, as my parents had offered to purchase me a home as a graduation gift. But I was determined to use the money in my trust and start making it work for me. I had a few girlfriends who’d also come from wealthy families, and they’d spent the months after graduation traveling through Europe, while I’d been here, working on my business plan and renovating the building.

I’d never been that girl. Sure, I liked pretty clothes and nice things, but I’d always worked hard. I had a part-time job in college, and I liked earning my own money. People always thought everything I had was handed to me. When I’d been accepted to one of the most prestigious universities in California, I’d heard endless comments from people saying that they were certain my grandfather had pulled strings to get me in. I knew if I’d countered back and let them know that I’d received a full academic scholarship for all four years, I’d then be labeled a bitch for sounding full of myself. So, I’d bit my tongue. But I’d worked my ass off in high school, and that had continued in college.

I wanted to make a name for myself outside of my family. To prove that I was worthy of the things that I had.

My family had had their fair share of heartache, and I wanted to make them proud.

When I pushed the door to my apartment open, I couldn’t help but smile at the place. Rustic plank wood floors ran throughout the apartment. The small white kitchen had a colorful ceramic backsplash, which gave it some character. I’d gotten one of those adorable old-fashioned light-blue refrigerators that had been in the design plan to fit perfectly in the small space. There was a rustic butcher block square island, which was where I ate my meals most of the time, and a white couch with cozy throw pillows and a pink blanket tossed over the arm that sat in the small living room beside the kitchen. I’d added white Roman shades to keep the room bright and light, and my bedroom and bathroom were similar in style. I was calling this vibe: French farmhouse chic.

Even if it was an 800-square-foot apartment with no yard, it was all mine. I fell back on the couch and sighed. I was a country girl at heart. Always had been. And someday, I planned to own a ranch with my own horses, but for the time being, I’d have to go to my parents’ or my grandparents’ to ride Teacup. For now, the plan was to keep my head down and work hard.

Laughter from the street below wafted into my apartment, and I pushed up on my knees to look outside. Romeo was coming out of his gym with a little kid who looked to be around five or six years old, and they were holding hands. The young boy was wearing a leather coat, and his hair was slicked back as he gazed up at the man beside him. Romeo’s smile was wide, and it took my breath away as I watched.

He really is a beautiful man, even if he is a raging asshole.

And he clearly knew how to smile when he didn’t hate the person in his presence. I wondered if this was his kid. I suppose it was possible. I was twenty-two, and I was fairly certain that he was a year or two older than me, so maybe he had a whole family that I didn’t know about.

I turned around and fell back against the couch when my phone vibrated and took in the message from my brother.

Slade

Hey, sis. I miss you. I’m back in town, but let’s not tell the parents just yet. Want to have dinner?

My eyes welled as my fingers lingered over the screen. Slade had always been my best friend—until he wasn’t. Until he’d completely changed. And I’d missed him terribly. After several stints in rehab, I’d stopped getting my hopes up… or at least I’d tried to. My parents had washed their hands of him after the last incident at our house a year ago. My grandfather continued paying for rehab, and he and I both believed that even if we didn’t know what the outcome would be, we’d never stop trying. Because once we all gave up on him, he’d give up on himself.

Hi. Of course. I’d love to see you. Should we meet at the Golden Goose?

The Golden Goose was a diner in town we’d been going to since we were kids. We both loved the milkshakes and french fries.

Slade

I don’t want Mom and Dad to know I’m here. But I want to see your new place. The business and the apartment. That’s why I came home for the weekend. I’m proud of you. How about we order takeout?

I swiped at the tear running down my cheek.

Hope was a risky emotion when you were dealing with addiction. I’d grieved the loss of my brother in many ways over the years, but every now and then, I’d get glimpses of him, which I was grateful for.

This felt like a glimpse of him.

I’d love that. See you soon.