Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Rhys shook his head. “Do you still want to work together?” The words poured out with no spaces between them.
Caleb smiled. “I do.”
“So you haven’t figured out your entry yet?”
“No, I haven’t been happy with anything I’ve tried.”
“Me either. I think we need each other.”
Caleb’s smile widened. He certainly needed more of Rhys. “We do. I haven’t changed my mind about that.”
“I thought maybe you would have after I…”
“Just because you said no to my suggestion? I’m not put off that easily. I wasn’t going to push you, but I’m glad you’re here now. Though maybe right now isn’t the best time to get started working together. We should finish our tea, then go to bed.”
Rhys’s eyes widened for a second, and then he relaxed. “Oh, like to sleep. That’s what you meant. Yeah. It’s late.” By the time he finished talking, his cheeks were bright red.
Caleb realized how his words had sounded and almost suggested they both go to his bed, but this was absolutely not something to jump into. “It is late. I’m sure you didn’t mean to be out at almost midnight.”
“I didn’t. I’m really sorry I got you out of bed.”
Caleb smiled. “No, I’m glad you did. It was worth it. I haven’t had much chance to talk to you, and I want to get to know you better, so this is good. We’ll work on a festival drink, and we’ll have plenty of time together.”
Caleb knew he shouldn’t be flirting so openly. He knew this was a bad idea, but with Rhys here in his shop in the middle of the night and admitting that he couldn’t think with Caleb undressed, it was too much for him to overcome.
Rhys sighed. “I’m not sure what else to try. I’ve run through all my ideas, and none of them are right.”
“We should start fresh, brainstorm with each other and come up with something new, instead of trying to tweak any of the drinks we’ve already dismissed.”
Rhys nodded. “That makes sense. But… Um… I don’t want to piss you off, but it’s really important to me that…”
Caleb held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain. I know you want everything to be perfect. You’re not going to settle for espresso that isn’t the highest quality. I get it. You might be surprised how hard I try to meet high standards here too.”
“Shit.” Rhys scrubbed his hand over his face. “I wasn’t trying to imply that you didn’t. I really didn’t mean to insult you. I know I’m difficult, but it makes me feel all crazy if things aren’t right.”
Caleb reached out and laid a hand over Rhys’s. “It’s okay. We’ll work through that. I want this to be perfect too. I want us to win. That’s why I wanted to work with you in the first place.”
“It is?”
“Yes. You obviously really know what you’re doing.”
“You’re doing a great job here too. I mean, you’re drawing a crowd every day, and I’ve heard so many great things about your drinks.”
For some reason, his compliment mattered more than anyone else’s had. “Thanks. It is going well, but I’m still new with this.”
“How did you end up here? I’ve heard stuff people say in town, but I know better than to trust what everyone says.”
Caleb laughed. “That’s probably a good policy. It’s a long story, too long to give all the details tonight, but I got out of a bad relationship with the owner of a coffee shop I worked at in Boston. I needed a fresh start in a new place, and I was sure could run a business better than my ex. I found this space for rent, and here I am.”
“You made a good choice coming to Frostwick Harbor.”
Caleb gave Rhys a slow once-over. He was going to have to let Rhys keep the sweatshirt. He wanted to see him in it again. “Yes, I did.”
Rhys’s eyes widened. He pushed his chair back and stood. “I should get going. I can’t work on the festival entry until tomorrow night. I’m going apple picking with Tessa and Finn right after lunch.”
“Then we’ll be spending a lot of the day together. I’m going with them too.”
“Oh, wow. You are?”
“If that’s okay. If you want time with them—”
“No, that’s great. I mean… I was just wondering if maybe we could not say anything about how we’re working together, not yet anyway.”
Caleb wasn’t sure he liked that idea. “Are you embarrassed to be working with a guy who makes his silly, decorated drinks?”
Rhys shook his head vehemently. “It’s not that. Everybody loves your drinks. Your style is different than mine. That’s okay.”
He was so adorably flustered that Caleb had to work not to laugh.
“My friends, especially Tessa, will ask me all kinds of questions. They’ll want details about why I agreed to it, and they might think there’s more to this than us needing each other’s help to get the best drink.”