Fan the Flames by Katie Ruggle

Author:Katie Ruggle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
Published: 2016-03-28T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

After she barged into the coffee shop, she stopped just inside the door, barely avoiding squashing her nose against the back of the last person in a long line. Not only was every chair in the place occupied, but Callum had taken his usual position on the stool closest to the wall. Her plan for a conversation with Lou was blown to bits.

“Rory!” Lou shouted as she poured steamed milk into a cup. “Get over here and sit.”

Eyeing the occupied stools, Rory didn’t move.

Handing over the drink and taking the proffered money in the same gesture, Lou said, “Gary, you’ve been on that stool for three hours. It’s time to go home and face Veronica.”

“But…” the occupant of the seat next to Callum whined.

Shaking her head, Lou pointed toward the door with the hand not pulling change from the register drawer. “Home. Apologize. She’ll yell and then forgive you. It’s a ding in her car door, not a visit with a hooker. Go.”

Although his face was sullen, he slid off his stool and headed for the door. When an early twenty-something man in skinny jeans sidled toward the vacated seat, Lou turned her pointing finger toward him. “Don’t even think about it. Keep your hipster ass off that stool. Where are your manners? Stealing a seat from a lady? Didn’t your mother ever teach you better?” When the man slunk away toward the other side of the shop, Lou grinned at Rory. “Hurry up before someone else tries to grab it. That’s prime real estate next to Caliente Callum here.”

Although Callum just looked slightly pained, Rory blushed as she slid onto the stool. “Thanks, Lou, but I shouldn’t stay long. I have to get the chicken coop closed up for the night.”

Lou hurried away to take the next person’s order. As she bustled around making drinks, Callum leaned a little closer so she could hear him. “No shift tonight?”

The mention touched a little close to a very raw nerve, and she moved her gaze to the top of the counter. There was an empty plate and a napkin folded with extreme precision. Even if it hadn’t been in front of him, she’d have guessed it was Callum’s work. “No.”

“Heard you were the one who cleaned the storage room.”

She had to smile a little at the deep satisfaction in his words. “Yeah. It was slow last night, and I had some nervous energy to spare.”

“Thank you. I saw it today. A huge improvement.”

“What he means,” Lou broke in as she pulled a large cup from the stack, “is that he can actually step foot in there now without curling into a whimpering ball.”

It was still strange to see someone brave enough to tease Callum. When Rory glanced at him, though, he was calmly sipping his coffee, eyeing a grinning Lou over the top of his cup. He even looked a little amused. Their easy interaction made her feel even more inept. She couldn’t imagine a conversation between the two of them disintegrating into whatever had just happened between her and Ian.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.