Meant To Be (Coming Home To The Grove 2)

She turns away, and I stare at her expectantly, a little bump in my chest as I can’t seem to stand still as I wait for her to turn back to me and smile at me again. She’s curvy, and I can’t stop from looking at the way her jeans hug her butt.

As she turns back to me, I jerk my eyes up, not wanting to get caught staring at her ass. I am the sheriff, after all. That’s all I need is to be called out for harassing the new girl in town. Plus she’s young. Probably too young for me. When she turns back to me, she asks, “Are you sure I can’t get you a cinnamon roll to go with this? It will go just perfectly.”

“I don’t eat a lot of sweets,” I explain to her, and her smile falters for just a second and her lips form a perfect “O.”

She pulls the coffee back toward her as I reach for it. She doesn’t want to give it up.

The questioning look on my face has her explaining, “I’m sorry. You may not like the coffee then. It’s a little sweet.”

Because right now I’d do anything to put that smile on her face, I hold my hand out to her. Even if I hate it, I’ll lie if I have to just to get that smile again.

“Here, let me try it.”

Reluctantly, she hands me the cup, and I take a small sip of the hot coffee. I’m prepared to hate it, but my eyebrows raise at the taste. I pull the cup away and look at it before bringing it to my lips again. It’s the best coffee I’ve ever drunk. “What is this?” I demand.

She looks around as if she’s hoping to be saved by Patty, and it’s then that I realize she thinks I’m mad. I’m quick to reassure her, though. “This has to be the best coffee I’ve ever had. It’s not black, but it’s not too sweet. It’s perfect,” I tell her honestly.

And finally, it’s back. The smile that lights up the whole bakery. “It’s coffee, but I added some homemade vanilla creamer and a smidge of cinnamon. Do you really like it?”

I set my hands on the counter and lean in. “I promise you, it’s the best coffee I’ve ever had. What’s your name?” I ask her.

She blushes prettily. “Carrie. My name’s Carrie. I’m Patty’s niece. And I’m glad you like the coffee. If I’m ever not here, just tell whoever’s helping you that you want vanilla and cinnamon added to it.”

Two things hit me at once. She’s Patty’s niece, and that means she’s young. Probably too young for me. The second thing is I don’t want anyone else to make my coffee. Getting a cup of this good coffee from her smiling face is definitely going to improve my days. Heck, it’s already improved this one.

I hold my hand out to her. “I’m Scott Jordan. Forest Grove sheriff. It’s nice to meet you, Carrie.”

She looks down at my hand for a brief second before placing her smaller hand in mine. I try to ignore the way my heart rate picks up from her touch.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sheriff.”

“Scott. You can call me Scott.”

She blushes again and corrects herself. “Scott.”

I pay for my coffee and thank her. As I leave, I can’t help but notice that my mood is definitely improved from earlier.4CarrieMy second day of work, my mom walks into my bedroom, flipping on the light. “Time to get up,” she announces as she pulls the blankets off me.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” I ask her groggily.

“Nothing’s wrong. I thought you could get a run in before work, that’s all,” she says as she goes through the clothes hanging in my closet. If she’s trying to find workout clothes, she might as well give up.

“Mom! It’s four-thirty in the morning. I’m tired. If I wanted to get up early to exercise, I would have.”

“Honey, if you’re determined to work at that bakery, you’re going to have to put in some extra gym time. That’s all there is to it.”

I pull the blanket up over myself and can’t hold back the scream of frustration. I’ve got to get looking for my own place.

My dad’s pounding footsteps in the hall have me peeking out from under the covers. “What in the world is going on here?” he asks.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Guilt comes over me. I feel bad for screaming because I know I shouldn’t have woken him up. “We’re fine, everything is fine.”

My mom walks out, throwing her hands up, and I do my best to give my dad a look to let him know that everything is okay. My dad hates it when my mom and I argue, and I hate to disappoint my dad.