1
Beth gazed out of Roust’s window with a sigh. She was so disappointed she couldn’t even read the paperback she’d brought. Why she was so disappointed, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she wanted a boyfriend. She had only agreed to the blind date because she needed one. Needed in the most superficial of senses. As a librarian, her salary was modest, but it was more than enough to support her and her pet rat, Fidget. And she was emotionally satisfied all on her own, thank you very much. She required a man for purely practical reasons. Or, rather, one reason in particular. Her ten-year high school reunion was in one week, and as fulfilled as she was, facing the she-devils she’d graduated with as a single rat-mom was daunting.
She had been hoping this date would result in friendship at the very least. A friendship through which she could convince him to attend the function with her. But the mystery man had yet to show. She’d been sitting alone, thumbing distractedly through her book for the last hour, and he still hadn’t darkened Roust’s door. No texts, no calls, no nothing. Had something come up? Or had he changed his mind about the date? Or, horror of horrors, had he seen her through the window and run away screaming? She dismissed the latter almost as quickly as she thought it. While she wasn’t a bombshell, she wasn’t dog food, either. Still, being stood up would make even the most confident of girls doubt themselves.
“Ashley?”
Startled, Beth looked up to see a tall, beautiful blonde woman staring down at her. Oh no, Beth thought. Was her date female? By design, the app had selected mysterious matches for Beth. Their minimal profiles were supposed to be part of the appeal. All she knew was that her prospective date’s name was Hayden, which could technically be male or female. She had set her preferences to heterosexual, but perhaps there had been a glitch. Heat crept into Beth’s cheeks, and she stared up at the woman with what was probably the world’s most deer-in-the-headlights expression. “Sorry?”
What had the question even been?
“Are you Ashley?” the woman repeated, looking slightly awkward herself.
Relief washed through Beth, and she almost laughed. Instead, she smiled. “I think you must be looking for someone else.”
Perhaps Beth wasn’t the only one getting stood up today.
“Oh,” the woman said with a frown but then smiled politely. “Sorry.”
As she walked away, Beth returned to gazing out the window, gripping her mug with both hands. That she might not be the only woman in the coffee shop waiting for a date to show up strengthened her resolve. This wasn’t the end of the world. There were worse things than attending a reunion alone. Like running out of ice cream. Or getting cancer. Everything would be fine. There would probably be lots of single alumni in attendance. It wasn’t 1980, after all. Going stag wasn’t as taboo as it used to be. In fact, some people prided themselves on being a party of one. She didn’t need a man on her elbow to hold her head high. She had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Beth? Beth Davis, is that you?”
Beth looked up for the second time and inwardly cringed. Was she being punished for something? Was this karma for not returning her grocery cart to the corral last week? Rylie Taylor-Reed, Beth’s high school frenemy, stared down at her with a smile that was too sweet for words. And by sweet, Beth meant fake.
“Hey, Rylie,” Beth said. “It’s been a long time.”
“I know, right?” Rylie waved her hand. “How you been, girl?”
“Great,” Beth said, countering Rylie’s faux smile with one of her own. “You?”
“Oh, just making babies and loving life.” She rubbed her rounded belly as if Beth had somehow missed it. “Any little ones for you yet?”
Beth swallowed a sigh. They were Facebook friends, so Rylie knew Beth had no kids aside from Fidget. “No,” she said, making a mental note to defriend Rylie stat. Why had she accepted the request in the first place? “I decided to become a spinster.”
The truth was that she had considered children, but she was happy as is. She loved her freedom. Her solitude. She had nothing against kids. She just didn’t want any of her own.
Rylie’s expression became piteous, as if she assumed Beth just hadn’t found the right man to reproduce with. “Well, my babies are my world,” Rylie said. “They make life worth living, you know?”
Beth fought an intense urge to roll her eyes. How many times had she heard that same line from women who felt like she was making a grave mistake by choosing not to have children? “Yeah.” She smiled. “I feel the same way about my rat.”
Rylie laughed hesitantly. “You were always so strange.”
In high school, that statement would have embarrassed Beth to no end, but now, it filled her with pride. She adored her non-cookie-cutter life. Weird or not, she had built it with her own two hands. She hadn’t plucked it out of the Handbook for Proper Women. “That’s me,” she said. “Strange Beth.”
Visibly disappointed by her reaction—or lack thereof—Rylie eyed Beth’s otherwise empty table. “You waiting for someone?”
Beth tried to hide her sudden embarrassment and showed Rylie the paperback. “Just enjoying my day off. No Prince Charming required.”
Rylie gave her an oh, you look. “Well, I’d better get back to the girls,” she said, gazing over at the trio of women she was with. The Entourage sat at a nearby table, sipping cappuccinos and eyeing Beth with high school-level snobbery. “We’re celebrating Nicole’s ten-year wedding anniversary.” She paused as if to savor the rub. “Will I see you at the reunion this weekend?”
This was Beth’s chance. She could claim any number of excuses and avoid the event altogether. She could say she had to go out of town on business. Or she could say she was getting a kidney transplant. Anything. But despite dreading the prospect of mingling with women like Rylie all evening—women who’d never given her the time of day when they were classmates—there were people she wanted to see. Friends she had lost touch with over the years. Teachers she had admired. And a tiny, testy part of her wanted to prove to herself that she wasn’t the same easily cowed girl she’d been back then. “Yes,” she said before she could stop herself. “I’ll be there.”
Rylie’s smile turned predatory. “Will you be bringing a plus one?”
Beth wanted to say she would damn well show up by herself with bells on, but what came out was, “Yeah, I will.”
Rylie arched a precise brow. “Really? Daphne said she thought you were single.”
Daphne Bell was one of the three harpies currently judging Beth from across the room. Daphne often brought her children into the library and never failed to ask Beth who she was seeing.
Before Beth could reply, a man suddenly sat across from her.
A very, very handsome man.
Startled and speechless, she could only stare at him.
He was gorgeous. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a rugged jaw and blue eyes. Slightly disheveled sandy hair gave him a mischievous look.
Her blind date.
He was so distracting that she forgot to be mad at him for being late.
Rylie gaped.
His smile was as polite as it was devastating. “Hey,” he said, aiming said smile at Beth.
When she failed to respond, he glanced at Rylie almost as an afterthought. “How are you?”
She seemed to recover from her shock and flashed him a dazzling smile of her own. “I can’t complain. Loving life.”
Loving life must have been her go-to response to all questions.
Beth tried not to ogle her late date and asked, “You two know each other?”
He started to speak, but Rylie beat him to the punch. “Oh, Alex and I go way back.” She cocked her hip suggestively, a gesture that looked absurd in her pregnant state. “We’ve been friends for what? Couple years now?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Satisfaction bloomed on Rylie’s face, and she looked at Beth with a wink. “See you Saturday night. Can’t wait to meet your plus one,” she said as if it couldn’t possibly be Alex. With that, she returned to her gaggle of cronies, and a round of laughter rose from their table.
Beth sighed and turned back to her date.
“Friend of yours?” he asked, a trace of amusement in his tone.
Beth did her best to appear diplomatic. Obviously, he was friends with Rylie, and Beth didn’t want to appear hostile. “We . . . went to school together.”
“Ah,” he said.
Silence grew between them, and nervousness clamped her. Naturally, she responded by blurting, “You’re late.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
Her cheeks warmed, and she knew she must be ten shades of red. She didn’t back down, though. No matter how good looking he was, it had been incredibly rude to keep her waiting for so long without so much as a text. “Yes.”
He considered her, laughter twinkling in his eyes. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “Seems I was right on time.”
The lack of apology miffed her. She appreciated his timely intervention, but that didn’t mean she appreciated his tardiness. She had some dignity, after all. “Do you always stand up your blind dates and then neglect to apologize?”
Again, his eyebrows rose, and she couldn’t tell if he was amused or confused. “No, I can’t say I do.”
“Well,” she said, straightening the bookmark in her tattered copy of The Lucky One. “It’s rude.”
His mouth quirked. “Do you always jump to conclusions without giving your blind dates the benefit of the doubt?”
Annoyed, she blinked and then promptly felt guilty. In fact, she did jump to conclusions. Rapidly and often. Perhaps he’d had car trouble or a family emergency. Maybe he’d lost his phone. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right.”
Her answer only deepened his grin, and he eyed her mug. “What do you think of the brew?”
Feeling as though she’d bungled the date before it had even started, she was glad for something else to talk about. “I’ve had better,” she admitted, taking a sip. “It’s too bitter. And not enough whipped cream.”
Her response inexplicably made him laugh. It was a throw-your-head-back, couldn’t-care-less-who’s-watching kind of laugh. If it was possible for her face to redden further, it did. What had she said? And was that a dimple on his right cheek? Could he be any more handsome?
He started to reply, but a harried barista suddenly appeared at their table.
“Excuse me, Boss,” the young man said awkwardly. “But we’re out of cinnamon sticks.”
Alex glanced at the barista. “Don’t panic, Derek. Just grab the ground from the back. I’ll pick more sticks up in a few.”
Derek nodded, offered Beth a quick, relieved smile, then hurried off.
Dread washed over her. Oh God. It was a horrifying moment before she could form words. “You’re the boss here?”
If he worked here, she’d not only insulted Roust’s coffee, but she’d also likely mistaken him for her date.
He shrugged. “Technically, I own the place.”
A new level of shame saturated Beth. The insult to the coffee seemed so much worse now. “I’m so sorry,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. “I didn’t realize.”
“I know,” he said. “That’s why it was so hilarious.”
Wishing she could crawl under the table and disappear into a sewer, she asked, “You’re not my blind date, are you?”
“No,” he said. “If I was, you sure as hell wouldn’t have been stood up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she gasped, ignoring the way his declaration flattered her. “You let me act like a fool!”
He grinned again. “You didn’t ask, and I was having too much fun.”
She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “This day cannot get any worse.”
“I noticed you sitting alone,” he explained, not sounding the least bit ashamed. “And then I saw the silicone vulture over there zero in on you. Thought I would lend a hand.”
Beth nearly choked. “Silicone vulture?”
“That’s what I call her and her friends.”
This time, it was Beth who laughed. “And here I thought it was the pregnancy that made her boobs so huge.”
He laughed, too, and Rylie glanced over at them, her expression burning with curiosity and, unless Beth imagined it, a tinge of jealousy.
“No,” he said matter-of-factly. “Those donuts are a hundred percent jelly-filled.”
To Beth’s knowledge, Rylie had been happily married for the past decade. Or, at least, that’s what she portrayed online. The notion that she and Alex had indulged in an illicit fling on the side turned Beth’s stomach. Though he wasn’t hers, he seemed like too nice a guy to have had an affair with the likes of Rylie Taylor-Reed.
But that was none of Beth’s business. Nope. Not even a little.
“I’m Alex Buchanan,” he said, offering her his hand. “Maker of substandard coffee.”
Her face flamed, and she wished she could travel back in time to avoid the whole awkward situation. “Beth Davis,” she said, reluctantly shaking his hand. “Champion of sticking my foot in my mouth.”
He laughed, his eyes twinkling. “I’ll just consider creating your perfect brew a challenge. I love a good challenge.”
Though her cheeks were already warm, the insinuation in his tone sent them into hot-coal territory. Pretending she wasn’t the slightest bit affected by him, though, she said, “Good luck. I’m hard to please.”
Her comment seemed to only fuel his interest, and a devilish glint lit his eye. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’m very good at what I do.”
Suddenly, she didn’t think they were talking about coffee anymore. “This is a great coffee shop,” she said, diverting his attention. “I’ve come in a few times, but I’ve never seen you.”
He leaned back, gazing around the building with obvious pride. “I’m usually sequestered away doing boring responsible stuff.”
She laughed. “Boring responsible stuff like running a business?”
He smirked. “Exactly.”
“I guess I got lucky you saw me in distress,” she said. It was a joke but also true. Five more minutes alone with Rylie and Beth might have pulled her hair out. And Rylie’s.
“I moonlight as a white knight,” he said.
“Impressive,” she laughed.
“One of my many talents.”
Snorting, she said, “I’m sure.”
“So, your date,” he began, studying her. “He really stood you up?”
She couldn’t help the sliver of embarrassment that slid into her. “It would seem so.”
“That’s a shame,” he said, his tone indicating he didn’t find it at all unfortunate.
“Not really,” she said with a half smile. “It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway.”
“Do I detect a hint of bitterness?”
Chagrined, she asked, “Why do you think I like coffee so much?”
He noted her coffee. “Nothing bitter about that sweetened concoction.”
“True,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m both. Bitter and sweet.”
“Aren’t we all.”
She raised her drink in a mock toast. “To bittersweetness.”
He didn’t have one of his own, so he fist-bumped her instead. “To bittersweetness.”
Realizing the lackluster day had been partially spit-shined, she decided she was grateful for her blind date’s failure to thrive. Oh, she fully intended to murder Julia and Anusha for getting her into this mess to begin with, but she also couldn’t wait to tell them about her fortuitous meet-cute with a handsome coffee shop owner. Not that anything could come of it. No, she’d had enough of the dating scene—or, rather, the barren wasteland—to last her for a while. Maybe forever. She could still appreciate Alex Buchanan, though.
“So, how long have you been in business?” she asked.
He caught the eye of a barista and nodded before glancing back at Beth. “About five years. I opened it with my sister.”
Beth wondered if his sister was as stunning as he was. She’d always wanted a sibling herself, but her parents had never granted her wish. It was why she was so thankful for her besties. Julia had been by her side since second grade, and Anusha had been stuck to Beth like glue since college. The three of them were like pancakes, waffles, and crepes—made of the same stuff yet deliciously different. “You’re partners?”
Sadness tinted his smile. “We were. She was killed in a car accident two years ago.”
Beth’s stomach dropped. “God, you must miss her.”
“Every day,” he admitted and then chuckled. “She was the brains behind the operation. I just brewed the coffee.”
Beth smiled and resisted the urge to touch his hand. “This place is really charming. I’m sure she’d be very proud.” It was true. The coffee shop was a local favorite and had been featured in the Barneville Gazette more than once for its outstanding coffees and modern style. In fact, Beth was surprised she herself didn’t come here more often. The airy, open space and industrial-chic décor were right up her alley. She vowed to stop in on a more regular basis. She loved supporting small businesses. It had nothing to do with said small business’s owner, of course.
Of course.
“Yeah,” he said. “I think she would be.”
The barista he’d signaled earlier approached with a mug and handed it to Alex. “The house blend.”
“Thanks, Chelsea,” he told the young woman.
Chelsea, a petite blonde who looked no older than seventeen glanced between Alex and Beth, practically vibrating with excitement. “Can I get you guys anything else?”
Beth realized the girl thought they were a couple. If Beth corrected her, she would only add awkwardness to an already-awkward situation. Instead, she smiled. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
Chelsea’s obvious glee didn’t wane. She gave Beth and Alex twin smiles before hurrying off.
Chuckling, Alex drank what appeared to be black coffee.
Feeling inexplicably embarrassed, Beth eyed his mug. “You own a coffee shop and drink plain old black coffee?”
He grinned. “Good coffee is like a good steak. It doesn’t need anything else.”
She looked down at her sweetened caffeine potion and laughed. “And I prefer my A.1. with a hint of steak.”
He cringed. “I should have let the vulture get you.”
Laughing, she sipped her doctored brew. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll finish feasting on my carcass Saturday.”
“Let me guess,” he said. “High school reunion.”
She groaned. “How did you know?”
“I saw it in the local paper. What year?”
“Tenth.”
He laughed into his coffee. “You don’t sound enthused.”
“No, I am. It’s just . . .” She glanced at the vultures’ table and exhaled. “Let’s just say I don’t want to reconnect with everyone.”
“Are you saying you weren’t BFFs with Queen Bee over there?”
Beth laughed. “Hardly. More like the opposite.”
Shrugging, he said, “Don’t let her stop you. I went to mine and had a blast.”
She snorted. “Of course you did. What were you? Captain of the football team?”
He feigned offense. “I’ll have you know I was the valedictorian and the president of the math club.”
Twice now, she’d said the worst possible thing. “Really?”
He grinned. “No.”
If she’d had a towel, she would have swatted him with it. “I knew it.”
“I wasn’t a football team captain, though,” he pointed out.
“No?”
“I was a pitcher. Baseball.”
She laughed and shook her head, ignoring the image of him in a baseball uniform that swam to the surface of her mind. “Thanks for saving me earlier. Really. That was a sandwich of awkward with an extra slice of awkward.”
“Anytime,” he said as if he rescued people from uncomfortable conversations every day. “So, when am I picking you up Saturday?”
She blinked, her heart tripping over its shoelaces. “What?”
“You need a date, don’t you?”
She started to reply but then remembered that she had told Rylie she was bringing someone. Still, his offer had pity date written all over it, and she wasn’t that desperate. Yet. “That’s not necessary,” she said finally. “But thank you.”
His eyebrows arched ever so slightly as if she had issued him a challenge. A challenge he accepted. “I’m free,” he said. “You’re obviously free. Use me.”
Her face warmed. “What are you? A napkin?”
His mouth curved on one corner. Just enough to make him look dangerous. His gaze lingered on her lips. “I’ll be your napkin.”
Beth suddenly found it hard to breathe, but she ignored the sensation. Even if today hadn’t soured her on dating, she couldn’t stomach going out with someone who had been with Rylie. Behind her husband’s back, no less. Even as she thought it, she reminded herself that she was jumping to conclusions again. Just because Alex seemed to know Rylie’s breasts were faker than her Facebook posts didn’t necessarily mean they’d had a romantic relationship. Still, even the possibility left a bad taste in Beth’s mouth. “I appreciate the offer, though.”
The rejection didn’t seem to offend him, and he studied her with mild amusement. After a moment, he said, “Okay, how about we make a deal. Hire me to be your date. No strings. A mutually beneficial business transaction.”
If she had been drinking her coffee, she would have choked on it. Instead, she let out a bewildered laugh. “Are you serious?”
“I’m always serious.”
Somehow, she doubted that. Going by the mischievous play on his lips, he found the entire ordeal anything but serious. “Let me get this straight. You want me to hire you?”
“Why not?” he asked. “This way, we both get what we want.”
The idea was so preposterous she didn’t know where to begin. Should she be offended? Or flattered? Or both? On the one hand, it seemed taboo and, frankly, embarrassing. But, on the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel complimented that he seemed so determined to change her mind. “What do you get out of this business deal?”
“You,” he said simply.
She laughed. He was crazy. And she was crazy for even considering it. The idea of paying for a date just to impress Rylie and her gang members was ludicrous. But, at the same time, it wasn’t a bad deal. For a price, Beth could attend the reunion with a smolderingly handsome man while also maintaining her boyfriend-free status. Even if money exchanged hands, she gathered that Alex had intentions of wooing her, but she could totally ignore his advances. After all, she was a strong, independent woman, and she wouldn’t be swayed by blue eyes and a sinful mouth. She could get what she needed and then never have to see him again.
“How much?” she asked.
He leaned forward, a triumphant twinkle in his eye. “A hundred bucks.”
Her eyebrows jumped. “Good God, that’s highway robbery.”
He laughed. “What can I say? I don’t come cheap.”
“Obviously.”
“Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll even throw in free espressos for life.”
“I don’t drink espresso.”
“That’s because you’ve never tried my espresso.”
She eyed him, comparing the situation to a flea-market haggle. Finally, she sighed. “It’s a deal.”
He grinned and held out a hand. “You should know I have a no-return policy.”
“That doesn’t sound like great customer service.”
His grin turned devious. “Maybe you should take that up with the manager.”
She studied him. “This is, without a doubt, the strangest date I’ve ever been on.”
He took a drink of coffee. “Could be worse.”
She thought about the various ways her original blind date could have gone wrong and had to agree. “You have a point.”
He chuckled and then eyed the counter where a line was forming. “Duty calls. Where and when do I pick you up Saturday?”
All at once, she was a sixteen-year-old girl going on her first date. What universe had she stepped into that she was making plans with a man like Alex Buchanan? “At the library,” she managed. “At six.”
He arched an eyebrow that looked positively scandalous. “Oh hell, are you a naughty librarian?”
Despite having heard the joke a gazillion and a half times before, coming from him, it made her blush. Which was ridiculous. The last time she’d blushed this much was when she’d kissed Tommy Stuart under the bleachers in seventh grade. “Quite the opposite, in fact,” she said, proud of how aloof she sounded. “More of a knuckle-cracking, late-fee-collecting librarian.”
That wasn’t entirely true. She didn’t tolerate nonsense, but she was lenient when it came to overdue fees. Not that he needed to know that.
He laughed. “I find myself strangely turned on by that.”
She blushed again. “Who knew coffee shop owners were so shameless?”
He dazzled her with a smile. “You have no idea.” Rising, he picked up his mug. “See you on Saturday?”
“By all means,” she said and immediately realized that made no sense whatsoever.
He only laughed again and walked away.
She stared after him, both flummoxed and nervous. And excited. What had she gotten herself into? She was hiking into uncharted territory here. She wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment kind of girl. She didn’t play over-the-top games. She didn’t flirt with tall, gorgeous, dangerously charming guys. She was practical and sensible and happily boring.
Which is why you’re still single, she reminded herself.
Groaning, she gathered her things. For some reason, she had the feeling she’d just opened a door she’d never be able to close.