Page 5 of Triplet Tease

She shrugged and glanced away. A breeze blewher red hair across her face, but it didn’t hide the pink blushtinting her cheeks.

“I’m trying to say, would you like to graba coffee with me?” I clarified and glanced at the hut on the edgeof the square. It was a coffee food truck, which could be a hygieneand health disaster on wheels. However, it had a small crowd ofpeople sitting at the tables and chairs next to the truck, indicatinga popular business that attracted repeat customers. It gave me goodvibes.

She gathered the loose hair from her face witha crooked finger and proceeded to push it back behind her ear. “Icould buy you coffee in thanks for the return of my scarf.”

“Or you could help me out by giving me thelowdown on the area as I’m new in town, and in return, I could payfor the drinks.”

“You’re not from around here?” she asked.

“Not at all. I’m a total stranger.”

She took a decisive turn and stepped towardsthe beverage truck. “Looks like we’ll have to figure somethingout,” she said, “because I’m sort of a stranger here, too.”

I walked beside her. “Twenty-four hours ago,I was in Ecuador. When did you arrive?”

“Oh, you win the competition of who traveledthe furthest to drink coffee by the fountain in this square. I justcame from Springfield. And I’ve been here more than a week, socompared to you, I’m an old-timer in these here parts.”

As we approached the coffee truck, I noticed anempty table under a large tree. “Not just coffee by the fountainbut also in the shade,” I reminded her and steered her under thetree. Lady Luck was on our side, and we managed to nab the only emptytable in the shade.

We ordered two coffees from the attentiveserver who appeared by our side as soon as we sat down.

“My name’s Eton, by the way, Eton Maxwell.”I had her attention again. “I suggest we move on to first-nameterms now that I know where you’re from, and that you like a flatwhite coffee.”

“Well,Mr. Eton Maxwell ofEcuador,I’m Siena Hardy, of the Springfield Hardys, obviously.”

“Oh,I’mnot actually from Ecuador. I’mfrom New York.”

“Oh, a real American city dweller. Well, whatI said isn’t strictlytrue either.”

“What’snot true? Don’t youreally like coffee?”

“Oh,no. That’s not what I meant. I do like a flat white. I mean, I onlylived in Springfield for ten years. I was actually born and broughtup in the suburbs, not that far from here. This isn’t me,though.I’m not a city person. I’m more of a Springfield girl, where Ican step out of my house and be in open fields or woods withinminutes. I’m not going to be a useful tour guide because I lefthere when I was still a teenager, and the city seems to have changedso much I hardly know it.”

“Ten years away is a long time. It probablyseems really different because you were just a kid when you left. Butif you prefer Springfield, why did you come back?”

“It was time for a change, and a friendoffered me a job and a place to live. She needed help in herbusiness. I’m more of a country girl, though, in my heart. But whatabout you? You have me completely intrigued. Ecuador! What were youdoing there? And what brought you here?”

“Long story cut very short, I was workingthere, and now I’m here for a temporary stopover. I’m here for afew days before going home to New York. My dad’s flying in tomorrowon business, so I’ll be seeing him for the first time in sixmonths.”

“Coincidence!” Her face lit up withsurprise. “My mom lives in New York and is also flying in here theday after tomorrow. Not that she’d planned to visit me; she’scoming for a few days on business and didn’t know I’d be here. Ididn’t tell her I was moving here until I’d done it.” Shelooked wistful for a moment. “It was a sudden move on my part.”

“A sudden move — are you always impulsive?”

She giggled. “No. I wouldn’t call myselfimpulsive. Just adaptable. You know, able to bend according to whatlife throws at me. And perhaps duck out of the way if it throwssomething too hard and fast.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “That’s a usefulpersonality trait. I’ll think of you with your mother when we meetup with my father.”

“We?” Her head tilted to one side, and hereyebrows shot up. “Is that you and your wife?”

I hoped my expression conveyed my surprise atthe question. “No,” I protested. “I’m not married.” Iwiggled my fingers to show my lack of rings. “I’m single. Thewording is down to habit. I’m always saying we instead of I, or usinstead of me.”

And I realized I hadn’t explained myself atall.

The conversation paused because, at just thatmoment, the server reappeared holding a tray, which she proceeded tounload; cream, sugar, two coffees; every item placed before us inelegant china, which came as a surprise. I’d been expectingsomething cheap and disposable, which showed how little attention I’dpaid to the surroundings while the lady across the table had myentire focus.

I covered the check with cash.

“We’re three brothers,” I explained whenwe were alone again. “We’re close. We’ve just come back fromEcuador together. When my dad planned a business trip here and askedus to meet him, I suspect it’s because he wanted Finn in themeeting because they work together. They’re both architects. Well,Dad’s the boss, of course, Finn’s the new guy.”

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