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)
“If you’re sure it’s not too cliché, because—”
“I know everyone does pumpkin stuff in the fall, but also, that means it’s expected, so if we could make just the right twist on it, we might have the perfect entry. That’s why I think pumpkin and chocolate. Everybody loves it in a muffin, but you don’t usually get it in a drink.”
Rhys sighed. He really didn’t want to go with pumpkin, but he supposed apple was also a cliché fall flavor, and maple was too. They weren’t going to break serious new ground here, and if they did, they’d almost be guaranteed not to win. Their entry needed to be familiar but different enough to be special.
He’d brought a few espresso blends from Frost + Foam, so without saying anything else, he moved behind the counter and got to work, but things didn’t go well. He could tell from the smell that his first pull wasn’t right. He leaned over to dump it down the sink, but he managed to knock over the milk-steaming pitcher.
The loud clatter of the two metal containers in the sink seemed to echo through the whole shop. Rhys felt like they were rattling against each other right inside his head. He gripped the counter and closed his eyes, trying to take a few steadying breaths.
“Are you all right?” Caleb asked.
“I’m just nervous about getting this right. I don’t want to make a fool of myself at the festival.”
Caleb’s smile told Rhys he wasn’t buying that answer, but he didn’t argue with Rhys. Instead, he said, “Take some time if you need to. We don’t have to rush. We still have weeks before the festival.”
“It’s not enough time.”
“Would it ever be enough time, or would you keep perfecting our entry until the deadline, even if it was months away?”
He sighed. “I probably wouldn’t stop.”
“All you have to do right now is make some espresso. There’s no pressure.”
“I’m not going to make a bad pull and have us test the drink with it. There would be no point in—”
Caleb held up a hand. “Don’t use one you’re not happy with, but it’s okay if you need to try several times. I’ll just keep working on the sauce.”
“All right.” Maybe he could do this. The next pull was good, but when Rhys finished frothing the almond milk, he bumped his hand against the steam wand. “Oh shit!” He jumped back, somehow managing not to drop the milk.
“What happened?” Caleb ran out from the back.
“I burnt my hand, but it’s okay. It’s not bad.”
Caleb turned on the sink, grabbed Rhys’s arm, and tugged until Rhys put his hand under the flow of water.
“Keep it there.”
Rhys glared at him. “I know how to take care of a burn.”
“I’m not sure you’re thinking clearly tonight.”
Rhys wasn’t sure he’d been thinking clearly since Caleb had moved to town. “Maybe not.”
After the water had run over the burn for what seemed like forever, Caleb turned it off and inspected Rhys’s hand. “It looks like it’ll be all right. How does it feel?”
“It hurts, but it’s not anything I can’t deal with.” He really didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
Caleb narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to keep an eye on it.”
“I don’t need you taking care of me.”
“What if I want to take care of you?”
Rhys sighed. “Whatever. I need to get back to work. We’re never going to get even the first iteration done at this rate.”
“We’ll get there,” Caleb assured him.
It was a slow process, and even after several attempts, they couldn’t get the drink quite like they wanted it. Rhys thought they might have to abandon this one, and he hated that. Maple cinnamon was his favorite of the flavor combinations, and it had the least ridiculous additions. He wanted it to work.
“Let’s try one more time,” Caleb agreed, but like the first time, the espresso came out smelling burnt. “Maybe it’s this stupid machine. We should be doing this at Frost + Foam.”
Caleb laid a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped and whirled around, startled.
Caleb took a step back, but he was still so close, and Rhys wanted him so much. Rhys couldn’t slow his breaths, and it seemed harder and harder to pull in enough air. He couldn’t look away from Caleb; his gaze dropped to Caleb’s lips.
“Are you still sure you don’t want to kiss me again?” Caleb asked.
Rhys opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t make words come out. Finally, he shook his head.
“No, that’s not what you want now? Or no, you don’t want me to kiss you?”
“I don’t know.” Damn his need to answer honestly.
“I would absolutely love to kiss you, but I’m going to respect your boundaries.”
“I don’t think I want to respect my boundaries.”
Caleb smiled as he moved close once again. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”