Chapter Twenty-Six

Sebastian

The matching coffee cups leach heat into my hands. I got decaf for myself because even an ounce of caffeine would slay me dead right now.

I'm on edge enough.

But for Nora, I got something very caffeinated.Nothing says I know we've seen each other naked, but that's not why I'm here like a girl's favorite coffee, right?

Nora asked me to come by her store after I check on Enzo. I asked her what time to come. She told me noon.

Here I am.

The way we left things back at the resort felt so sudden and wrong. I probably should've just called her to get the initial awkwardness out of the way.

But then I wouldn't be able to see her, and I'm a weak son of a bitch when it comes to Nora.

I take a steadying breath as I move past the tall windows of the old bookstore. The Paper Trail is busy today.Good. I don't need to be alone with her. We just need to have a quick, cut-and-dried conversation about Enzo.

A cool current of air greets me as I finagle my way inside, hands full.

Nora immediately stands out, chatting with a woman near a colorful book table. She makes eye contact with her and nods in earnest, like she's really listening hard, laughing and squeezing her arm like they're old pals.

I know how that woman must be feeling; Nora has a way of making people feel seen and heard. Valued. Her undivided attention is like a warm hug and a charging port. When she talked to me about my work and my life, she made me feel like I could conquer the damn world—like I was already halfway down that path simply because I opened a few clubs.

That's not a feeling I'm accustomed to. Women look at my job like it's a liability, and my friends and family look at it like an extension of who I've always been: a person trying way too hard to do just enough.

Two people walk in the door behind me, forcing me to step sideways out of their path. Nora does a double take at the flurry of motion, and her eyes meet mine.

It's like someone took a wrench to my chest and cranked. Twice.

She's so beautiful it sets my nerve endings on fire.

Yeah, I probably should've gone for a phone call.

I clutch the cups a little tighter, and then lift them in offering.

These are my friendly coffees, and this is my friendly face, and if I say it enough times, maybe seeing her will feel safe. Sterile.

Nora bids her customers a big smile and gestures for me to follow her toward the café area. I can't drag my eyes off her as we walk; her shoulders are freckled like she's been in the sun—the only freckles on her body that I know of, though admittedly I didn't get a lot of time with her naked in the light of day—and her hair is different. Maybe shorter.

Nothing else has changed. Not her legs, or her eyes, or her boots, or the way I long to touch her.

She comes to a stop near a tiny table. Her expression is guarded, but a smile fights to break through. "Hi."

Not long ago, she pressed that word against my ear, an invitation in the dark.

"Sorry," she continues, "I thought I'd have a break so we could talk in the office or outside, but Benji had to step out for an unexpected errand. We'll have to chat here."

I clear my throat and extend my hand. "No problem. This is for you."

Her fingers brush mine as she takes it. She has on a bracelet I've never seen before. "What's this?"

"A large oat milk cappuccino with brown sugar. I went out on a limb and assumed your usual coffee place was the one that was walkable from here, and that you'd want something you couldn't make for yourself."

A beat of silence passes as she stares a hole in the cup.

"That's your drink, isn't it?" Heat prickles my skin as I recall the drive-through coffee shop. "Did I get it wrong?"

"No, you were right." She brings it to her chest, almost like she's cradling it. "This is definitely my drink. And I haven't had coffee yet today." Her gaze flits up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad those oats weren't milked in vain."

Her laugh is like that first plunge in the lake on a searing hot day. For a second, we're back there in the cool water, our bodies a breath apart as we tread water. "We wouldn't want that."

The only sound between us is the hum of the store patrons as I take a sip, watching her over the rim of my cup. After two weeks of thinking about her nonstop, it's hard to stand here and act casual.

And if there's one thing I learned at the wedding, it's that I'm terrible at faking shit.

She watches back, her chest gently rising and falling. "How's Enzo feeling?"

I pause with my drink halfway to my mouth. "He's not responding to me or Alessia beyond one-word answers to let us know he's alive. So, not well, I'd say."

Her eyes flicker with something I don't recognize. "That's terrible."

"Yes. Big time. Rosalina hasn't been staying at their house. What's that look for?"

She peers sideways, flashing her delicate profile. "Gia was here two days ago. Ro is miserable, too. I've just been trying to figure out what I can do to help. I am going to visit her at her work soon, at Adventureland." Hope paints her eyes a pretty shade. "It helps to know Enzo is upset, too. I feel terrible for him, but I'm glad to know there's still a chance he wants to be with her."

"Yeah, he's struggling. Alessia says he'd rather not stay with any of us becausehe doesn't like people fussing over him. So instead, he's just hiding away. She says leave him alone and let him cope the way he needs to, but I disagree."

"Their friends and family don't want to push them." She pinches her mouth shut for a second. "But their family is the problem, which means they are too close to the issue to help. There's a lot of weird, ancient hurt there. But we can't just do nothing. Enzo and Ro were going to get married . That love doesn't just go away."

Relief and determination band together inside me, twining through my limbs. "I completely agree. There's got to be something we can do to fix this."

She cranes her head to look past me. "Shoot. I've got to take care of the register. Give me a sec."

"Take your time."

I take a seat in the café to wait for her, but when a group of women swarms the place for a weekly book club meeting, I'm back on my feet to give them room to sit. The store grows even busier when a young family with four kids comes barreling in.

Perhaps this wasn't the best time to try and talk to Miss Manager.

She greets the book club with a promise to come back and chat in a few and continues ringing people up on the register. The crystal blue skies must've inspired a lot of people to flood downtown Great River, because the store is swamped.

I slide out the front door.

Only because she's busy now, and because we do need to talk more about Enzo and Ro, do I consider inviting Nora to hang out.

Specifically, at a place where there will be zero chance we'll be left unsupervised for even a second.

Poker night.

She and I will work together to get Ro and Enzo back on track again, not just to appease the guilt inside me, but because it's the right thing to do.

Really, I have no choice. Not even Alessia believes an Enzo intervention is the best idea at this point, but Nora does.

I find our text thread and type out a message.

Any chance you're free on Friday?