Coffee and Christmas Kisses by Riley Long

Author:Riley Long [Long, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Cole

Imade my way to the shop again early the next day. I had work I could do, yes, but I was more eager to see West than anything else. I hauled my laptop with me and arrived shortly after West opened the shop for the day. When I opened the door, the bell jingling to announce my arrival, West looked up sharply from what he’d been doing—stocking the pastry case—and his gaze met mine. Immediately his cheeks flooded pink, and a small smile formed on his face. I nodded by way of greeting and took the table that had become my usual spot.

I spent the day trying hard to focus on my work and not pay attention to the sexy shopkeeper who kept glancing my way, but I wasn’t very successful. All I could think about was kissing him again—the way his body had pressed against mine, warm and firm and solid, the way his lips had felt against mine, soft but insistent. I wanted to do it again. I wanted more, too. Snow fell outside, heavy flurries that obstructed the sun a little, giving the coffee shop a disconnected, insulated feel. Toward the end of the afternoon, the crowd thinned out until eventually West and I were alone.

He made his way to my table and sat down. “So…”

I raised my eyebrows. “So?”

“I just wanted to apologize again for the whole, you know, family night thing.”

With a shrug, I gave him a sincere smile. “It was nice. Your nieces and nephews are great. I really like how your family just… welcomed me in.”

“Yeah, they have a tendency to do that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “They adopt people. Always have. Every time one of us had a friend in college who needed a place to go, they came to our house. Weekends, holidays, breaks, it didn’t matter. My parents always welcomed people with open arms. It was chaos, but they loved it.”

“I can tell. We were never quite like that in my family. My mom is great, but I can’t imagine her with a house full of chaos.”

He laughed a little. “It’s not for everyone.” A moment passed and he glanced at the clock. “Oh, wow. It’s closing time already.”

“Should I—?” I gestured to my laptop and tilted my head toward the door.

“No, not at all. I… like your company. Stick around as long as you’d like.” His cheeks turned pink as he spoke. “In fact… do you want to come upstairs and have dinner with me after I finish cleaning up down here?”

“I’d love that.” I turned my focus to gathering my belongings and packing up, so I’d be ready to go when the time came.

West stood and went to the door to turn the “open” sign over. As he did, he wiped the glass to peer out into the street. “Wow, that snow really came down.”

I raised my eyebrows and looked up. “What do you mean?”

“There’s at least a foot of it out there and it’s still coming down hard.

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