Page 10 of Blame It On the Lattes

“I think I got it, but thank you. I’ll be sure to ask her if I need help.”

I nodded and smiled at her while feeling Aiden’s curious gaze locked on me. Once Avery was out of earshot, he started.

“So, new hire?”

“That’s Avery, Cassidy’s best friend,” I explained with a shrug. “She’s in town for a little while, and I needed the help after Jonathan quit last night.”

“You knew that was going to happen from the day he started. Kid took a three-hour lunch after coming in late and then asked to leave early.”

“True. I guess I just expected things to be somewhat better since he seemed to be making more of an effort lately.”

“So, is she a barista somewhere else? Or is she just a quick learner?” he asked, nodding to the espresso machine she already seemed to have mastered.

“She’s actually a teacher.”

Aiden’s eyebrows rose to the top of his forehead as a shit-eating grin spread across his face. I already knew where this was going, which instantly turned my cheeks red with embarrassment.

“Whatever you’re thinking—stop. It’s not like that. She’s my little sister’s best friend. She needed a job, and I needed help. It was a win-win situation.”

Aiden shook his head and sighed heavily.

“What? What’s with the sigh?” I asked, trying not to let the irritation mount.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. Just spit it out.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Avery asking Piper a question.

“I just think it’s funny that you hired her on the spot when she doesn’t have any experience, then get super defensive when you talk about her.”

“Because you were insinuating that there would be something happening, and there’s not.”

“I never insinuated shit. I reacted to you saying she was a teacher because I remember you obsessing over your future wife when you were a kid and always saying she would be a teacher because she would love kids and have seven of yours.”

“That was a long time ago. I’m not ten anymore.”

“No. But the way you blush when you talk about how nothing is happening between the two of you tells me that youwishsomething would happen between the two of you.”

He finished just before Avery came back, wearing a smile and holding his drink proudly.

“Here you go, one large black eye. Can we get you anything else?”

“Just the coffee. Thank you.” Aiden gave me a look before pulling out his debit card and handing it to her.

“Go ahead and toss a muffin in for him on the house,” I said, grinding my jaw in frustration. “He’s going to need something to balance out that caffeine overload.”

I didn’t wait to hear if he objected as I made my way back to my office and tried to forget what Aiden had said. Even if I was interested in Avery, it wasn’t like I could do anything about it.

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