“Oh my god that is so delicious, Faith. I’ll take the rest. My husband would love these,” Alana told her with a friendly smile. “He has such a sweet tooth, but I am not much of a baker.”
“Do you want coffee too?” Faith asked as she put the scones in a box.
Alana shook her head. “I’ll take a green tea with honey. If I drink coffee now I’ll never get any sleep.”
Faith went to make her tea and walked away to the other side of the counter.
Alana leaned into him and whispered, “Ask her to go to the fall festival with you.”
Adam swallowed down his nervousness. He could do this. He could ask Faith out and be honest. He could tell her he wanted to be a friend, but he would make it clear a serious relationship was not in the cards. He looked down to make sure his light gray T-shirt was clean and wrinkle-free. His hair was tied back.
Faith came back with a box and tea for Alana. She looked at him. “What about you, Adam, can I get you something? I’m about to close and I have a few lemon tarts left.”
“Sure, I’ll take those. Thank you, Faith,” he answered and cleared his throat. “Um, do you have any plans to go to the fall festival next weekend?”
Her smile brightened. “I have a booth during the day. It will be my first time participating, so I am very excited. I am trying out some pumpkin empanadas.”
“Sounds delicious,” Alana remarked. Alana looked at him and he stood there in a nervous stupor. Usually he had smooth lines with the ladies.
“My family has a booth, too.” Alana spoke up brightly, breaking the awkward silence. “Adam here is joining the chili cook-off this year. His chili is awesome. Maybe you can vote for him.”
Faith looked him over from head to toe and damn it if his body didn’t react. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. He felt hot and his jeans suddenly felt way too tight. Shit.
“Depends. How good are you?” Her grin was a little sensuous.
He reminded himself he was an expert flirt. “Oh, I’m good.” He threw in a wink for good measure.
Alana and Faith both laughed and he felt proud he got some words out of his mouth.
“I will make a point of stopping by your booth, Adam,” she promised.
He felt a hint of relief with her answer. “Maybe we can both take a break and walk around, too?”
She nodded. “Sure. I recently hired two new girls to work with me. That will allow me more time for myself. I’d be happy to take a break with you.”
They made plans for a time. Adam left the shop feeling excited. After almost a year of watching Faith from afar, he finally had a date. Technically it wasn’t a real date, but he liked the idea.
Alana was grinning smugly all the way out the door. Adam knew she was going to tease him as soon as he was in the car, but he was too content to care.
Chapter 3
“I told you, Holly, it’s not a date,” Faith insisted that weekend. She did her best to ignore the fluttery feeling in her stomach. “He is Alana’s brother-in-law and he asked me to stop by his booth. He is in the chili cook-off and wants my vote.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Sure. That’s why you checked your hair and makeup at least ten times. You’re wearing a new pair of jeans and that gold sweater I gave you last Christmas.”
Faith sighed and sat down in the chair. Business had been good all day long. There was a cool breeze in the air and her latte and coffees had been popular. “You’re right. Why am I bothering? You said I wasn’t his type. He is a sexy hunk, but who needs more heartache?”
“I wasn’t trying to discourage you, Faith.” Her sister pulled her chair next to Faith’s. Holly also wore jeans and a blue long-sleeved flannel shirt. “Just go have fun and quit taking it so seriously. You don’t have to marry the guy. Relax and just enjoy his company. You’re always so busy with work. It’s fun to just flirt.”
Faith thought about for a second. So Adam wasn’t the “settle down” type of man. Did that mean she couldn’t enjoy his friendship? Making up her mind to go and see him, she looked at her younger sister. “You’re right. We can be friendly, right?”
“Not too friendly, but yeah.” Holly grinned. One of Faith’s new employees was serving a cappuccino to a young man. Jenny was in her early twenties and very friendly. She was laughing at something he said. “Jenny and I will handle the crowd. It’s thinning out and people are going home. It was a good day for business.”
Faith nodded and stood back up. She headed to Adam’s booth, taking her time as she strolled and looked at different things. She bought herself a pretty beaded bracelet made in different colors. She admired it as she put it on her wrist. She was excited about seeing Adam, but she didn’t want to appear too eager.
She spotted Adam sitting with a younger version of him. Her stomach did a little flip-flop. Why did all the good looking guys have to be playboys? He was laughing at something the younger man said. She would have felt better if Alana was there, but the young woman was nowhere to be seen. Gathering up her courage, Faith strolled up to the table, glad no one else was there. Adam’s hazel eyes brightened up when he spotted her. It made her feel a little better to see his enthusiasm.
“Hey there, Faith. I’m glad you came by.” Adam stood up and gifted her with a smile that went straight to her core. She grew hot and moist. He had a long-sleeved white buttoned-shirt and dark jeans. He was so rugged and muscular. She was sure she was drooling.