“My name is Drake Lopez,” he introduced himself, but he kept his hands on the steering wheel.
She had no choice but to reciprocate. “Jasmine Garrett.”
Once they were driving she got the chance to look him over. He was wearing a khaki uniform. He was slim but his arms were well defined with muscles. His uniform had short sleeves, and she could see his skin was tan like he was outdoors a lot. His hair was short and as dark as her own.
“You must be the niece Kate has been bragging about. She has been going on about her smart, sensible niece Jazzie coming to help her.” He smiled, giving her a quick, teasing glance.
Jasmine let out a laugh, relieved he was being a little bit friendlier. “How boring I sound, and please do not call me Jazzie. I hate it.”
“I’ll remember not to introduce you that way.” He chuckled.
She jumped when a loud boom of thunder sounded close. She placed her hand over her heart and looked up at the gray sky. “Oh God, that scared me. I thought the storm was further away than that.”
“These early summer storms are unpredictable. May is normally a stormy time for us.” He drove for a few more minutes and parked the car. The street was empty so he parked close to the front door. He turned the car off and pointed to a small gray brick building. Faith’s Place was written in big purple letters on the window. The yellow lights inside gave it a warm glow. “Faith makes the best pastries and coffee in town. I need a strong cup myself. I have the feeling we are going to be swamped tonight. They say it is going to be pretty bad. I hope not, but we have to be prepared for anything.”
He got out of the car and Jasmine followed him into the lit building. It had a comfortable feel to it. The aromas were sweet and made her stomach rumble. Breakfast had been far away and she had skipped lunch, anxious to get here. There was a long glass counter filled with delicious-looking breads. Tables were scattered around the large room. A woman with light red hair pinned on top of her head was behind the counter cleaning up. There were no other customers or employees.
“Hey, Drake. Are you on duty tonight?” She turned and gave him a welcoming smile when she heard the bell above the door. She wore jeans and a pale blue T-shirt. She was slender and had a friendly smile.
Drake smiled back and nodded. “I need a large black coffee, Faith. What do you want, Jasmine?”
Jasmine looked at the board on the wall behind the woman whom she assumed was the owner. “A vanilla latte, please,”
“I hope you’re closing early tonight,” Drake said as the woman smiled and started making the coffees. “The wind alone is supposed to be dangerous.”
She looked behind her shoulder for a minute, looking concerned. “Yeah. I sent Jenny and the others home already. I’m waiting on Adam to pick me up. He is picking up Hope from my sister’s house first, then coming here. He might have to go in if things get bad later. Liam is on call, too.”
Faith put the two coffees down on the counter. She looked at Jasmine. “My husband Adam is a firefighter. I tend to worry even though he has been doing it for years. Liam, his brother, is an EMT.”
Jasmine picked up her cup and took a sip. The liquid warmed her up immediately. “I don’t blame you. That’s a heroic job, but it can be dangerous, too.”
Faith bit her lip and nodded and looked out the window. The dark sky was lit every few seconds with lightning that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The wind flew a few pieces of paper helplessly in the air. The empty streets gave the town an eerie feel.
“Jasmine is Kate Reynolds’s niece.” Drake spoke up, finding a small round table near the counter to sit down in.
Jasmine sat across from him and looked around. It was a small place but very warm and inviting. She could see people having coffee and just hanging out on a daily basis.
“Oh yes, the one helping her run Second Hand Treasures?” Faith asked with a smile. “Kate is in here every morning at ten a.m. I’m so glad you’re here. She has been so sad since Dale passed away. Everyone in town loves your aunt. She is so friendly and kind.”
“I agree, she is a wonderful person, and losing Dale after twenty years of marriage is rough. She was expecting me tomorrow morning. My car broke down about a mile out of town on Route eighty-two. Is there a phone I can use to call her?”
Faith pointed to a phone on the edge of the counter. “I put a phone here for customers to use. Thank goodness you made it into town ahead of the storm.”
Jasmine thanked Faith and picked up the phone. She was anxious to see her aunt again. It had been a little over a year since she drove down for the funeral. Even then her relationship with Grant had been on the rocks. Only she had not wanted to face the inevitable. Grant would never grow up and take any relationship seriously. She had rushed back home foolishly. Well, no more. From now on she was going to concentrate on helping her aunt make a success of her business. Men were just not worth the headache.
Chapter 2
Drake watched Jasmine talking on the phone as he sipped his coffee. She came back to the table looking much happier than she had when he spotted her sitting on the bench looking so lost and alone. He had to stop and see if she was okay. She was an attractive woman with her long black hair that hung down her back, straight and silky. When she stepped closer to the car he noticed her plump pink lips and big blue eyes. The piercing above her eye just drew attention to how beautiful and bright her eyes were. Her tattoo had thrown him off at first. It was on the top of her upper left arm. He saw an angel in shades of gray. It was large and surround by a gray mist.
He’d seen many beautiful women before and never felt an instant attraction
so quickly. It was a little unsettling. He wasn’t the type to believe in love at first sight. Love existed but it took time and it was hard work. When her blue eyes landed on his, his stomach had tightened with desire. It had taken all his willpower to act casual as he drove her to Faith’s coffee shop. He had heard about her from Kate but in his mind he pictured a serious-looking woman with a conservative look, like Kate. He had to ignore this attraction, though. His job took most of his time up and he liked having to not answer to anyone. Sure, his best friend Noah was happy as a lark being married now, but it had been a rough, hard road to reach that place. Drake was not interested in domestic bliss. His older sister Eva was married and had two children to make his parents happy. He preferred the single life with no responsibility. Serious relationships just seemed too hard, with too many arguments between couples.
The ringing of the opening door startled him out of his serious thoughts. He looked over to the door and spotted Adam Blake carrying his small daughter, Hope. Adam’s sand-colored hair was pulled back in a leather tie. The baby had red hair like her mother, but it was short and framed her chubby face.
Adam went straight for Faith. “Let’s see if Mommy is ready to head home and make a fire.”
The baby clapped her hands and reached out for her mother.