Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
An Hour Later
“Sorry I took more than twenty minutes.” James ran his fingers through my hair.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I needed a reminder of what ‘life’ is anyway.”
He smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss on my right cheek, then my left.
“You should call me when you have more time.” He stepped back and pulled a Post-it and pen from his pocket. “So you won’t feel pressure, and I won’t feel tempted to call you before you’re ready…”
He jotted down his number and folded the paper. Then he slipped it into the front pocket of my jacket.
“It was nice meeting you, Andrea,” he said.
“You, too.”
He looked as if he wanted to kiss me, but he held back and ushered me to the cafe doors.
“I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“It won’t be long.” I smiled and returned to my seat.
I watched him slip behind the wheel of a dark gray sports car before pulling off.
Setting a timer, I made myself read three chapters before ordering another latte.
While I waited, I slipped into the bathroom and splashed my face with water.
“You’re going to be okay and you’re going to pass the test whenever you take it,” I said to myself. “You got this, Andrea. You got this.”
“Do you?” A familiar deep voice startled me from behind, and I saw Mr. Cross in the mirror’s reflection.
With a smirk on his lips, he stared at me in a perfectly pressed white dress shirt and soft gray tie.
My heart immediately skipped a beat, and an unwanted but all-too-familiar tension closed in around us.
“How long were you planning to keep me waiting on you at the office?” he asked.
I spun around, struggling to find the words to say.
How did you even know I was here?
I stared at him as he rubbed his thumb against his key fob, as he managed to make this space look far too small for both of us.
“This is the women’s restroom,” was all I could manage. “The one you’re looking for is behind you.”
“I’m in the right place.” He didn’t move. “This is the parlor room that’s attached to the restrooms via the hallway to my left, Miss Stone. I believe that’s another thing that makes our cafes special, correct?”
“I’m not sure how many times I have to tell you that I’m off on Sundays, but—”
“Who was that guy who kissed you earlier?” he interrupted.
“What?” My breath caught. “Why do you know about that?”
“I don’t, but if he was important enough for you to ignore me all day, I deserve the details,” he said. “Is the relationship something or nothing?”
“You’re not privy to my personal life, Mr. Cross.”
“You’re not supposed to have enough free time for a personal life at all.”
“Did you hear the words you just said?”
“Loud and clear.” He slid his keys into his pocket. “I saw he gave you his number.”
“So you’re stalking me?”
“I was worried about you,” he said. “You weren’t answering and you weren’t at home… Then I remembered you saying this location was your favorite.”
“I’ve never told you that.”
“I asked around.”
“No, you didn’t.” I swallowed. “I’ve never told anyone.”
“So I sent every cafe manager in a ninety-mile radius your picture and asked if you were there.” He smirked. “Same thing.”
“It’s really not…”
“Back to the topic at hand,” he said. “Are you planning to call that guy?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s a yes-or-no question.”
“Well, then yes.” I glared at him. “I’ll save it for a night when my tyrant boss isn’t running me ragged or a night when I’m desperate for some much-needed stress relief. I’ll give him a call and ask him to help me.”
“So it’s nothing…” He leaned close, close enough to kiss my lips—and I swear I was willing to give in, just to see if his mouth tasted as perfect as it did in my traitorous, late-night fantasies.
I shut my eyes, waiting, but his lips never met mine.
Instead, I felt something cold and silky against my right cheek.
My eyes fluttered open as he wiped the other one with his handkerchief.
Before I could ask him what the hell he was doing, he slipped his fingers into my jacket’s front pocket and pulled out James’s blue Post-it note.
He tore it in half. Then in half again.
The pieces fell into the trash like they’d never existed.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “You don’t need someone like that distracting you, and you can do a lot better.”
In disbelief, I glanced at the bin, then back at him.
“I’ll wait until you utter some appreciation.” He leaned in until his mouth hovered just above mine, his breath warm against my lips.
“Appreciation?”
“I didn’t stutter.”
“Mr. Cross…” My blood was boiling. “I honestly didn’t hate you before this moment, but now…”
“Now what, Miss Stone?”
“I fucking loathe you.” I hissed. “And I swear, I will make it my personal mission to see you fail.”
“While still collecting a paycheck?”
“I hate you.” I enunciated every syllable. “You’ve been an asshole since the day we met, and if you weren’t my boss—”