Chapter 8

EIGHT

WILLOW

“H oly wow, this–” I pointed at my mug– “is amazing.”

“The best.” Andy nodded and took another sip of his hot chocolate. When he lifted his head, he had a whipped cream mustache.

“Um.” I pointed at him and, at the same time, my lip.

“I did it again.” He grabbed a napkin and wiped his lip. “I think August puts an enormous amount of whipped cream on top for a reason.”

“Lies.” August walked over to our table.

“Are you sure about that?” Andy looked stern, but it was obvious he was struggling not to laugh.

“I’ll never tell.” August shrugged his shoulders. He glanced my way. “How is yours? Sorry, I forgot to ask your name.”

“Willow. And it’s delicious.” I grabbed my spoon and pushed it down into the whipped cream.

“Isn’t that cheating?” Andy had another mustache on his upper lip.

“It’s better than getting a mustache.” I pointed at his lip again.

“Dammit.” He quickly wiped it off and grabbed his spoon. “Fine. I like your idea better.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, Willow?” August crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, somehow, this is my first time.” I grabbed another spoonful of whipped cream. “I have a weird schedule at Knead A Little Love.”

“Anika makes the best bread.” He paused for a beat. “I guess I should say you both make the best bread.”

“Thank you.” I had eaten enough whipped cream and could finally lift the mug and drink it like a normal person. Steam was still billowing out, so I knew it would be hot. The tiny sip I managed to enjoy hit all my senses. “Whoa.” I took another sip. “This is out of this world.”

“Oh, I’m glad you like it.” He dropped his arms to his side.

“The cherry in the whipped cream, mixed with the dark chocolate, amazing.” Holding the mug with both hands, I took little sips to savor the drink.

“That’s all I need to hear. Now I can get back to work.” He waved as he pushed the door to the kitchen open with his hand. “Willow, you should come in for dinner sometime. I’ll make you both a special entree.” Then he was gone.

“Um, can we talk about this hot chocolate?” I set the mug down and leaned back in my chair.

“It’s so good. I know.” He laughed and took another sip. “So, we should take him up on the offer.”

“For dinner?”

“Yeah. Would you like to join me next week?”

I traced a finger around the handle of the mug. This week was full of surprises. First, Mack was so excited to have Andy and me decorate the downtown area. Then, I adopted a kitten and a puppy. Something I never thought I would do. That’s not all. I was having hot chocolate with Andy, and he asked me out.

“Yes.” I wrapped my hands around the mug and took a sip. “I would love that, and before we leave today, we may need to order one more hot chocolate to-go.”

“I like the way you think.” He nodded. “You should try the peppermint-flavored whipped cream.”

“Not today. I need more of this cherry.” I heard someone tsking behind me. Then Mack appeared. “You found us.”

“You bailed on me.” She had the saddest look on her face.

“Sit.” I pointed at an empty chair. “Have you had the hot chocolate here?”

“You didn’t? Which flavor of whipped cream did you order?” She grabbed my mug and took a sip. “My absolute favorite. Love cherry.” She sighed. “Why did you bail?”

“We couldn’t feel our hands.” Andy still had his gloves on.

“Plus, we put up all the garlands.” I snatched the mug back. “Well, there wasn’t any more garland in the shed.”

“Wow, you two are fast.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “The person taking care of the lights has been fighting with the strands all afternoon. He still has half the downtown area.”

“We’re coming back tomorrow, right?” I thought that was the plan.

“Would you be up to finish the lights?” Her eyes lit up.

“Of course,” Andy answered before me.

“You two are the best.” She hopped up and kissed both our cheeks. “I need to pop in the back and beg August to make me a hot chocolate.” She winked as she pushed open the door.

“That was okay to say yes, right?” He sounded cautious or maybe unsure.

“Yeah. I’ll probably curse a lot when working with the lights, but yes, it’s okay.” I took the last sip of my hot chocolate.

“We’ll be cursing together.” He pushed his chair back. “I need to head over and start my shift at the pub.”

“I should probably get home and see what my two furry babies have destroyed.” I pushed my chair back and stood. “Do you think we can get a hot chocolate to go?”

“Let’s go see.” We walked to the back together.

We were a few yards from the office when we both stopped. Mack and August had their arms wrapped around each and they were kissing.

“Um, is this new, or are they dating?” I had no clue.

“New.” He wrapped his hand around my bicep and walked in the opposite direction. “I thought Julian liked Mack.”

“Uh oh.” I covered my mouth and quickly walked back up front. “Well, that was fun.”

“Our little secret.” He shook his head.

“I won’t say a word.” I pretended to zip my lips. “Okay, since we’re not getting more hot chocolate, I’m going to head home and find out what’s been destroyed.”

He held the front door open for me. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 9:00 am?”

“With bells on.” I laughed and turned to leave.

“Willow.”

“Yeah.” I glanced over my shoulder.

“I had a lot of fun today.” He waved and turned to leave.

“Me, too.” My car was a block away, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. I found myself wishing I could snuggle against Andy to warm up.

That was a new thought, and I wasn’t opposed to the idea.