Christy Joy laughed with him. “It’s awfully tempting, but I really should get back to work.”
“You can’t have much business today.”
“None, actually, but there’s always plenty to do.” The galley had an inviting warmth which made confiding in him easy and, without making a conscious decision, she revealed how disappointed she was that they might soon have to move.
Jeremy was so startled he barely caught himself before he sloshed hot chocolate down the front of his shirt. “I’ve seen Griffin around, but I didn’t realize he was such a—”
“Don’t say it.” Christy Joy stood and carried her empty cup to the sink. “Calling him names won’t help anything.”
“Might make you feel better,” Jeremy offered. When she glanced up at him, he longed to lean over and kiss her, but she turned away to get her coat and the moment was lost. “I’ll walk you back to Defy the World.”
“No, stay here where you’re warm and dry,” Christy Joy argued.
“I can get warm and dry later,” Jeremy insisted, and while he felt he’d missed the only chance he might ever have to kiss her, he took her hand as he walked her back to her shop, and she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze as she said good-bye.
Christy Joy shook out her coat and dropped her umbrella into the stand beside the door. She’d called her clerks first thing that morning and told them not to come in, and the shop was so quiet she waited until she reached the register to speak to Mary Beth.
“Captain Linden brews a mean cup of hot chocolate, but you were completely wrong about his being attracted to me.”
Mary Beth made a final computer entry and then swung toward her. “Impossible. The man nearly drools when he comes in here.”
“Maybe the candle fragrances make his mouth water, but we were alone on his boat for fifteen minutes or so, and he was no more than friendly.”
Mary Beth pursed her lips thoughtfully. “That’s a shame. I’d assumed he was just waiting for the right moment to make his move, and now you’re disappointed. I’m sorry, but I still believe he has feelings for you. Maybe he was just so surprised to see you that he couldn’t think straight.”
“Right.” Christy tidied up the ribbons behind the counter and sorted the little gift cards into the proper categories. “I’ll grant you that it’s an intriguing possibility, but I haven’t been on a date in years, so even if Jeremy had asked me out, I would have been too flustered to accept.”
“Then you ought to rehearse that scene in your mind so you’ll be ready with a lucid response when he does get up his courage and asks for a date.”
“Visualize it, you mean?”
“If it works for sports figures, why wouldn’t it work for you?”
“I could probably think of about a million reasons if I put my mind to it, but right now, I’m too worried about the rain. How long do you suppose it can last?”
“I don’t know what the record is for Monarch Bay. Do you want me to call the weather service?”
“No, I’d rather not know. Let’s just keep busy and maybe the time will pass quickly.” It had to, she thought, because it cost far too much money to keep Defy the World open with nary a customer in sight.
Wednesday morning, Darcy didn’t even consider dressing in bright colors. She pulled on an old pair of Levi’s, a black turtleneck and a gray cable knit sweater. Without pausing for breakfast, she yanked on her rain boots and raincoat and left for the short walk to work.
Christy Joy was already in the shop making coffee and, while they hadn’t discussed anything other than the miserable weather since last Friday, Darcy went on inside. “I called the kids before they left for school this morning and told them not to come in this afternoon. There will be nothing for them to do other than bail water, and I sure hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Christy Joy handed her a cup of coffee. “So do I, but it’s raining too hard to walk Twink to school. She’s upstairs watching cartoons, and later she can work on the new coloring books I’d saved for a rainy day.
“I just didn’t expect this much rain, and the water is about to slosh over the curb out front. I wish we’d gotten some sandbags when we had the chance.”
“I got them,” Darcy replied. She leaned against the counter, cradled her cup in her hands and inhaled the coffee’s rich vanilla scent. “If George makes it in, I’ll have him help me move what stock we can away from the street. Then we’ll place the sandbags across the front of the shop.”
Christy Joy poured cream into her own coffee and stirred it slowly. “Let’s hope that’s enough. We haven’t made fifty dollars in the last two days. We probably won’t make a dime today, and if the shop floods—”
Darcy pushed away from the counter. “Then we’ll have a big mess to clean up, but I’ll get on those sandbags right now. Why don’t you clear everything off the floor at the front?”
Christy Joy raked her lower lip through her teeth. “We don’t have insurance to replace damaged stock, much less damage to the building. Do you suppose Griffin does?”
“I don’t want to count on him for anything.”
“What’s going on with you two? We haven’t talked since, well, since last week.”