Page 3 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

My guy. Dreamer.

Juno didn't roll her eyes, but it sure took a vat of self-control not to. Liz, however, didn't hold back, but at least she'd turned away so Payton wouldn't see.

"The hot drinks don't come with whipped cream on top," Juno said to the woman. "It immediately dissolves into the drink."

"Fine. Can you put it in a little cup on the side, then?"

Liz's eyes widened. "Like one of those pup cups?" she asked, somehow keeping a straight face.

"Yeah, exactly. But extra. He just loves, loves, loves whipped cream."

"TMI," muttered Liz into her coffee cup before she took a long, slow slurp.

Claire smiled brightly at Payton. "What a nice thing to do," she exclaimed, the slightly higher pitch of her voice the only telltale sign that she, too, was trying to keep her composure. "I hear he likes to read on his lunch hour. You should stop by over at The Cracked Spine and pick him up a book, too." She leaned a little closer to the woman. "He's really into the Outlander Series. Most guys aren't big enough to admit to loving Diana Gabaldon's books, but not Alex Frampton. That man has no shame, whatsoever." The double meaning went right over Payton's head, but it wasn't lost on Liz or Juno, who both had to bite back grins.

Payton gave Claire a bemused frown. "The Cracked Spine? Is that, like, a chiropractor?" Apparently, the whole part about books in general went right over Payton's head, too.

"It's a bookstore," Liz explained when Claire seemed lost for words. She pointed out the window to the shop on the opposite corner. "The books in the window kinda give it away." Claire always had the wildest and most whimsical window displays. Right now, a "flock" of books hung suspended from the ceiling, flying over a lake of books with covers in various shades of blue.

Payton pursed her lips and shook her head. "Um, no," she said, drawing out the words. "It sounds kinda boring. Outlander? Is that like Planet of the Apes or something dumb like that?"

It was Liz who now opened her mouth and closed it, too shocked to speak. No one criticized her big screen ape obsession and lived to tell about it. Claire put a calming hand on her shoulder.

Before either of them could speak, Payton said, "Besides, I want him to spend lunch with me, not with his nose stuck in a book." She pointed at Juno. "Are you going to make that coffee for me?"

A hot, sweet latte in the sweltering heat of mid-July? Really? "Are you sure? Maybe an iced matcha latte? I know he—"

"I know him, too," Payton interrupted. "So please just give me what I ordered, okay?"

Juno pressed her lips together and nodded. She had to admit that Payton probably felt a little fish-out-of-water at that moment, and maybe even ganged up on. The three of them obviously knew each other, and it was probably apparent to Payton that they'd been discussing at least Alex, if not her, too. She nodded and entered the order into her POS tablet. "Coming right up."

"Thank you," Payton said, exasperation making her words breathy. She held out her phone to pay, but Juno shook her head.

"This one's on the house." She wasn't going to charge the woman for an order she knew good and well that no one would drink. Besides, she'd charged Payton for every custom addition she'd requested for her own drink, and the cost had amounted to a ridiculous amount of money; so much, that Juno felt almost ashamed taking anymore from her. And Payton had left a 20% tip on top of it. From the corner of her eye, she saw Liz and Claire exchange glances. She ignored them; she didn't have to explain her business decisions to them.

"Well, thank you," Payton said again, her smile turning genuine, softening her features, making her suddenly look almost lovely, now that the hardness in her eyes had diminished. She turned to look back at Alex, who was now using power tools. "Is he always this..." The blonde gestured vaguely toward the window.

"Helpful?" Liz supplied innocently. "Hardworking? Built like a Greek god?"

Juno shot her friend a warning look, but Liz just grinned.

Payton missed the sarcasm. "Right? You guys know him, don't you? Is he…? He's available, right?" She toyed with a long blonde curl. "We've bumped into each other a few times in the last week, but he's kind of vague about whether he's seeing anyone."

"Alex Frampton? Vague about commitment?" Liz's eyes widened in mock surprise. "I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you."

The blonde's smile faltered. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Ignore her." Claire gave Liz's shoulder a warning push.

But Liz wasn't finished. "You know, I can see that you're different." She paused meaningfully. "Original. So be direct. Go ask him point blank."

"Here you go, Payton." Juno handed over the enormous latte, silently willing Liz to behave. This wasn't high school, and they weren't mean girls. Even if the blonde was about to embark on a mission that probably wouldn't end the way she was imagining.

"Tell Alex we said, 'hi!'" Claire called after her as Payton headed toward the door, the ruffled hem of her short skirt fluttering provocatively as she walked. Even Pastor Darren lowered his newspaper for just a moment when she passed by his chair. Granted, his eyes never strayed to her skirt, but he smiled warmly at her before returning to the news. He really was such a kind man.

They watched through the window as she crossed the street, said something that made Alex grin, and handed him the cup. She held up her phone, and Alex stepped close to her side, draped an arm around her shoulders, then rested his head on top of hers and grinned into the phone camera as Payton took their selfie. He bent and kissed her cheek in thanks, because whatever his faults, Alex Frampton was unfailingly chivalrous, glanced at the label stuck to the side of the cup, then set the coffee on the tailgate of his truck without taking a single sip.

"That's a lot of physical contact from someone who's all sweaty," Claire commented. "Gross."

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