Chapter 4

I had to take a deep breath to shore up my courage before I pulled open the door and walked inside. At this hour on a Saturday, it was quiet. There were only a few patrons sitting at some of the tables, each engrossed in a laptop or e-reader or tablet. The place smelled heavenly; warm yeast and pungent cinnamon and strong coffee. I stood there for a moment, inhaling deeply.

Then I noticed the girl behind the counter, and my heart fell. I’d been counting on Joshua being the one working. Usually, I had a lot of confidence when going after a man I wanted. But there was something about Joshua that unnerved me. In a good way, I thought, but it was different nonetheless. I wasn’t sure if I could make myself ask for him. I definitely needed to get a cup of tea and one of those legendary pumpkin rolls though, so with a deliberate step, I walked to the counter.