Chasing Carly (Holiday Cove 3)

Carly giggled and the sound lifted some of the heaviness of the previous moment. “I know, it’s totally obnoxious, but if I’m up front, with the espresso machine or blender turned on, I can’t hear anything and a lot of pastries and stuff can go from perfection to trash within a few seconds.”

“Where are the oven mitts?” I asked, spinning around to check the workspace.

“There,” Carly said, pointing me toward two black pot holders with silicone grippers.

“Okay, I got this. You go see your sister.” I jerked my chin at the back door as I turned toward the oven.

“Thanks, Nick. You have no idea…” her words trailed off, lost in thick emotion. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Carly.” I glanced over my shoulder and caught her big blue eyes. She gave a small smile and disappeared out the back door.

Now we were getting somewhere.

In Carly’s absence, I took care of the shop, and when opening came around and she still wasn’t back, I opened the shop doors and assured the first group of customers that I could take care of them. Most of them had seen me hanging around the shop and knew my name. Within minutes, I was whipping up lattes, warming scones, and blending the occasional fruit smoothie.

“There you are, Mr. Williams,” I said, my voice smooth, confident, as I slid a perfect cappuccino into his waiting hands.

“Thanks, Nick! You should come around more often!”

“I plan on it,” I replied, smiling as he waved on his way to a table.

“Sorry, sorry! I’m here!”

I turned to the arch that led to the kitchen as Carly came barreling out, frantically tying her signature teal apron around her waist. She stopped in her tracks, her hands frozen on the strings of her apron, and surveyed the cafe space that was humming with satisfied customers. I smirked as her gaze drifted over the different cups, plates filled with breakfast treats, and then up at me.

“In another life, I was a barista.” I smiled. “Although, I always thought the term was a little weird.”

Carly blinked twice. “Why didn’t you tell me? I think I pulled something racing back here once I saw the time.”

I laughed and offered her the caramel sea salt latte I’d made for her just minutes before. She gawked at the perfect foam and then burst into laughter.

“Just so you know, I give pretty good massages, too,” I growled into her ear as she took the cup from my hands. “Ya know, in case you need help working out that kink.”

Carly’s cheeks flushed and I laughed to myself.

She distracted herself by taking a sip off the top of the drink and moaned with delight. Just what I wanted to hear. As I watched her full lips on the side of the cup, I realized it had been far too long since I’d had a taste of them.

“You’re hired!” Carly said, smiling up at me before taking a second hit.

I chuckled. “For which part? The massage?”

She rolled her eyes. “No…well…maybe.”

“If Aaron kicks my ass to the curb, I’ll give you a call. But I’ll warn you, I’m not cheap.”

She laughed and continued to sip off the drink as though she couldn’t get enough. A customer came in and Carly took charge again, but I stayed for another hour and a half to help her get through the morning rush. When ten o’clock came, the shop was pretty quiet, with just a few people lingering over the coffee they’d ordered that morning.

“How’s Alesha? Happy to have Lady back?”

Carly smiled. “Yeah. Thanks for taking care of her for me. I can come by later and pick up the rest of her supplies if you want.”

I shook my head. “I’ll bring it by later. Don’t worry about that.”

She gave me a pointed glance. “What if I wanted to come by?”

Every cell went on red alert. This was not a drill! I slid closer to her as we leaned against the back counter near the espresso machine. “In that case…let’s close up early,” I teased.

Carly laughed. “I was thinking more like six o’clock.”

“That works for me.”

She grinned at me, her eyes dancing with mischief. Damn it she was sexy like that. “Well of course it does. Like you were gonna turn me down.”

“Good point.”

It was nearly impossible to pull myself away from Carly, but I’d promised Aaron I’d put in some hours in the afternoon since he was gone at the auction and the days until the air show were rapidly depleting.

I worked on the F-4 for four hours total, but I probably got only two hours’ worth of progress done because my mind refused to stop wandering back to an ever growing list of fantasies revolving around Carly. Alone at my house. For as long as we wanted.

And I knew I was going to want a long, long time.