Chapter 4
September 13th
Today’s Schedule: Coffee with Holly, The Roast & Grind, 9 AM
I step inside The Roast & Grind café, embraced by the comforting scent of espresso and the sound of Ed Sheeran’s voice filling the air. Ah, I love going out for coffee. I hate to say it’s an expensive habit of mine, but it is. A daily cup of coffee, and on most days, served simply over ice with a splash of coconut milk. Bliss.
However, this morning it’s more than coffee. It’s also a date with my bestie, Holly.
I quickly spot Holly in this cozy space. She’s sitting with her laptop at the steel counter in front of the window. She has her earbuds in, and she’s scowling at the screen in front of her. Holly told me she was working on edits for her first book this week and asked if I wanted to come over and meet her for coffee so she could clear her head for an hour.
I eagerly agreed. I need to clear my head myself.
Because I can’t stop thinking about JP.
I slowly move toward the long counter, my muscles screaming with each step I take through the café. Ouch, that photo shoot killed me yesterday.
But I think JP’s smile killed me more.
JP, JP, JP.
It’s like the switch in my head has been turned to JP, and it’s stuck. I’ve tried flipping it. I’ve tried jerking it. But it remains set to ‘All Thoughts Mapped to Sexy Swiss Man’ and I can’t turn it off.
I drop my purse in front of the chair next to Holly. Her face lights up as she sees me, and she takes out her earbuds.
“Hey, how are you?” she asks, getting up from her chair to greet me with a hug.
“I’m good,” I say. “How are edits going?”
Holly wrinkles her nose. “I’ve told you how much I hate them, right?”
I laugh. “Maybe once or twice. Your editor didn’t ask you to kill Heath, right?” I ask, referring to the hero of her fantasy novel.
Holly laughs. “No, but kill some of his dialogue? Yes. Ugh.”
“Hold that thought,” I say, retrieving my Coach wallet. “We’ll discuss after I have some coffee.”
I head to the counter, pausing at the delicious pastries beckoning to me from behind the glass case. Blackberry muffins. Croissants filled with chocolate. Lemon-blueberry scones. Ugh. I practically ache for a scone, but I’m back on the eating plan today after my cheeseburger-fries-onion rings-Oreo milkshake indulgence last night.
I place my order and wait at the end of the counter for my iced coffee.
Once again, my thoughts drift back to last night.
We sat in that booth for hours, long after our burgers were eaten. We picked at the fries while we talked about topics ranging from our mutual love of competitive sports to living in Dallas. I learned that JP lives in the Harwood district of Dallas because he likes being able to walk to all the restaurants and parks. He called it his “urban oasis.” I told him I live downtown as well, but over in Uptown. JP’s into the environment and being green like I am. I already drive a Toyota Prius, and JP said he’s going to get a hybrid BMW i8 sports car for city driving. I joked that I could show him all the places with charging stations downtown once he picked it up.
What amazed me is how easy the conversation was. It never lagged, and I found myself wanting to know more with each sentence he spoke. I was surprised that we closed the place down, reluctantly leaving but then continuing our conversation via text after we each got home.
“Reese,” the barista calls out, setting my iced coffee down on the pick-up counter.
I grab my cup, grateful for a cold brew on such a hot morning, and make my way back to Holly. I carefully sit down on the stool next to her and wince. My glutes are in full revolt now.
“Ugh, I’m so sore,” I groan. “Hopefully I can pull off being flexible by next week for that yoga shoot. Anyway, what lines does your editor want you to cut?”
“Too many. I’ll cut some where I think he’s right because I can take editorial input, but I won’t edit out Heath’s super-romantic lines to Calla.” She lifts her large ceramic cup to her lips and takes a sip of her latte. “I believe in those words.”
“You’re living your own romantic fairy tale with Matt,” I say, gazing out on the Uptown sidewalk in front of us, where the bright sun is already bathing Dallas in heat. “I consider you an expert in romance, and I know you wrote those words because they are true to you.”
Holly blushes as she sets down her cup. “I’m lucky that Matt and I found our way together, and I know that same love is out there for you, Reese. You simply haven’t found it yet.”
Love.
What does that word mean, though? I haven’t come near experiencing what Holly feels for Matt. The closest I’ve even had to a serious relationship was with my last boyfriend at SMU, but that included a lot of group dates and was not much of an “adult” relationship. Sex, of course, was part of that relationship when we were alone. But I never wanted to share my deepest thoughts with Drake. Hanging out was fun, but the more we were alone together, the more I felt the need to escape.
Besides, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when love goes wrong. My parents were supposedly in love when they married, and that ended in a drawn-out bitter divorce that tore my family apart.
“Reese?” Holly asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I blink. “I’m sorry?”
“Where did you go?”
“Sorry, just remembering something,” I say, brushing it off. Talking about my parents’ divorce is still hard, even after all these years. Holly knows it was awful, but she doesn’t know the details.
Or how vividly the memories haunt me.
“So, JP is back in town,” Holly says, changing the subject. “He’s running sprints at a high school track with Matt this morning.”
Heat sweeps over my face. Shit, I need to tell her about last night. I mean, JP might be telling Matt right now for all I know, and then Matt will tell Holly and she will wonder why the hell I hadn’t brought it up.
Ooh. I wonder if JP is talking about me.
Wait. No. I don’t care if he is.
Besides, guys don’t talk about stuff like that. They are talking hockey and sprint times.
Right?
Ugh.
I nervously clear my throat. “Funny you should mention JP. I ran into him last night.”
“Really? Where?” Holly asks.
“At a burger place here in Uptown,” I say. “He happened to be right behind me in line. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Are you serious? That is crazy,” Holly says. “So did you talk?”
And here we go.
Truth time.
“Yeah, we did. We ended up having dinner together. It was . . . fun,” I admit. “JP’s very nice.”
As soon as I say the words, my cheeks burn hot. What is this madness? I don’t blush. Ever.
“Are you blushing?” Holly asks.
“No!” I say, picking up my iced coffee and taking a sip. Go away, stupid blush.
“You are,” Holly says. “You like him!”
“Of course I like him. He’s a nice guy.”
“You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to me. I know you, Reese. I can tell by how uncomfortable you are right now that you’re interested.”
I squirm on my stool. “All right. Yes, I am. But this is nothing serious,” I say quickly, putting my hand out to emphasize my point. “JP and I are going to, you know, hang out.”
“Hang out?”
I twist my stacked silver rings on my left hand. “Well, he asked me to go out on Friday.”
Holly is silent for a moment. I can feel her staring at me, but I don’t look up from my hands for confirmation.
“What did you say?” Holly prods.
“I said yes.”
Holly lets out a squeal. “This is the best news ever! I’ve wanted you guys to go out for so long.”
I lift my gaze and see her face shows nothing but happiness for me.
“It’s just casual,” I repeat, reminding myself of the rules JP and I put in place. “Neither one of us wants anything serious.”
Holly doesn’t say anything.
“What?” I ask.
“Don’t be scared,” Holly says softly. “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it with all my heart, but JP is worth the risk.”
Her phone buzzes, and I’m saved while she picks it up and reads a message.
Her words roll over in my head. How does she know I’m scared? I mean, I’m not. I’m merely bracing for inevitable disappointment.
I’m not scared.
I’m being logical.
Besides, I don’t want to hurt JP in the process.
“It’s Matt,” Holly says, texting him back. “He says they just finished. Oh, and he sent this.”
Holly turns around her phone. Matt recorded JP, shirtless, running his parachute sprint. JP is going full out, his muscular body moving at explosive speed on the track as the parachute opens behind him. He’s absolutely ripped. Ripped. Sweat is dripping off his bronzed skin, and, oh holy hell, did someone shut off the air conditioning in here?
Because I’m really hot.
“I can replay it if you want,” Holly teases.
Now my face is the color of a Hot Tamale candy.
“Oh, you’re so sassy,” I tease, deflecting her comment.
Holly laughs as she types back into her phone.
“I don’t think I’m sassy, but you sure are flustered when the topic is one JP Rochat.”
“Shut up,” I say, laughing.
She waits for a moment, obviously reading something Matt has typed back, and then she lifts her head.
“I don’t know if sassy is the right word, actually,” she says, a smile playing on her lips. “Mischievous might fit better.”
Oh, shit. I don’t like the sounds of this.
“What did you do?” I ask, arching my eyebrow.
“I don’t know. The guys are done. They’re so hot—from running, obviously—and you know how Matt loves a cookie dough blended iced coffee . . .”
I gasp. Oh, no. She didn’t.
Not when I’ve pretty much rolled out of bed and thrown on some more workout clothes with a graphic T-shirt layered over the top. Not when I have no makeup on. Not when my hair is in a messy bun and all I’ve done is brushed my teeth.
Fantastic.
What does today’s shirt say?
No talkie before coffee.
Shit, shit, shit!
“Please tell me you did not.”
“Call me Cupid,” Holly says sweetly. “They’ll be here in about five minutes.”