Page 32 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"Tonight? Um, wow. Well, I kinda have plans." His voice was low, tension evident in every word. "No, no. Of course I want to see—" He stopped speaking abruptly, like he'd been cut off by whoever it was on the other end of the call. A moment later, he continued. "I wasn't expecting you until next week."

He glanced at Juno, then stood and hobbled toward the door, where he continued the conversation on the sidewalk. Through the window, Juno could see him gesturing, his face a mask of warring emotions.

Her heart skipped a beat. Summer sizzler trouble? But this didn't seem like his usual behavior with the women he dated. This was something different. He looked really upset.

After several minutes, Alex returned, his expression a mixture of frustration and anticipation. He sank back onto the stool, staring at his half-finished milkshake.

"I was about to clear that away," Juno said lightly, trying to ease whatever tension he'd brought back inside with him.

When he didn't respond with his usual banter, she carefully asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied quickly, but clearly it wasn't.

I kinda have plans,he'd said into the phone. Juno squared her shoulders and offered, "Hey, if you need to reschedule tonight, I understand."

Alex shook his head. "That's the problem. I don't want to reschedule dinner with you."

"But?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I—I'm going to try to work things out, okay?" He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "I need to go. I have to meet… someone at the book store."

"At Claire's?" Juno frowned, glancing across the street to The Cracked Spine. "Why not just have her come here?"

Alex tensed when she said 'her', but he shook his head. "It's... complicated." He fumbled for his wallet, avoiding her eyes. "I'll be there tonight, Juno. Don't give up on me, okay?"

Warning bells rang in Juno's mind. After their morning of honesty, after what felt like the start of clearing the air between them, here he was, obviously hiding something. "Alex, what's going on?"

"I can't explain right now. I need to go." He placed a ten on the counter and stood. "Can you put the rest of that in the tip jar for me? I'm sorry."

What exactly he was apologizing for, she didn't know, but she didn't care for the way this was all unraveling. She nodded, but said nothing, then watched him leave her shop and cross the street with his uneven gait before he disappeared into the bookshop. A knot of dread formed in her stomach.

She considered calling Claire. Maybe her friend could keep an eye on him, give Juno a heads up on what was going on inside her shop, but immediately dismissed the idea. First of all, she hadn't told anyone that she and Alex were even on speaking terms, so her sudden interest in his behavior would raise alarm bells in her friend, and Claire, being Claire, would start asking questions that Juno wasn't sure she had the answers for. Besides, she wasn't going to spy on him like some jealous teenager. If this was the kind of behavior she was up against, better to know now before she invested any more in whatever might have been between them.

She'dintendedtoleaveby six, to let her capable staff do their thing until closing at ten, but she still hadn't heard from Alex. She stuck around, finding one excuse after another to linger, her gaze drifting back to the bookstore time and time again.

By twenty minutes after the hour, Trevor was practically pushing her out the door. "Go home, Boss. Put your feet up. We've got this."

Giving in to his urging and trying very hardnotto give in to her disappointment, she removed her apron and tossed it into the hamper in the back closet. She pushed through the swinging doors from the kitchen to say goodnight to the two baristas working the front counter… and to get one last look at the bookshop across the street.

At that moment, the door to The Cracked Spine opened, and Alex stepped out, holding it wide for a woman who followed. Tall, slender, expensively dressed, with blonde hair that shone in the fading sunlight. She was stunning in a super model way, and she seemed remarkably comfortable with Alex as she turned on the sidewalk and said something to him, then reached up and patted his cheek affectionately.

Alex still held the door open, and a moment later, a child scampered out of the bookshop after them. A girl, maybe eight or nine years old, with blonde hair streaked with the same caramel highlights as Alex's.

Juno watched, frozen, as the woman leaned up to kiss Alex's cheek, then hugged the child before walking to a sleek silver sports car parked nearby. The little girl slipped her hand into Alex's, tugged hard on it as she wiggled with barely restrained energy, and looked up at him with a smile that was brutally, unmistakably familiar.

Without conscious thought, Juno found herself crossing the street. Alex spotted her approaching, his eyes widening with something like panic.

"Juno." His voice strained. "Hey. I was just getting ready to call you."

She stopped a few feet away, her gaze moving from Alex to the child, who watched her with curious eyes. "Who's your date?" The question came out before she could think better of it.

The little girl giggled. "I'm not his date. I'm his daughter." Then she clapped a hand over her mouth and lifted wide eyes to Alex's face. "Sorry." It was muffled behind her palm.

The world tilted slightly beneath Juno's feet as the child confirmed her suspicions. "Your—your daughter?"

And why was the little girl apologizing for saying so?

16

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