Page 63 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

As Juno returned to the counter, Alex's gaze once again followed Leonard's movements. The man was good—smooth and practiced in a way that suggested this wasn't his first time skimming tips. Most people wouldn't notice, distracted by conversations or their phones. But Alex was now watching for it, and even though he didn’t catch the man at it now, he knew what he’d seen.

"Daddy, I need to go potty. Miss Penny is going to take me, is that okay?" Lena asked, dragging Penny along in her wake.

Alex thanked Penny, then turned back to Leonard. Now would be a perfect opportunity to let the guy know he wasn’t fooling anyone. They were in a crowded room so no one would be suspicious, and Leonard couldn’t react inappropriately, or, if what Juno had said was true, the man would be fired on the spot. He wasn't going to wait for Juno—he was going to confront her father directly.

He stood, grimacing at the twinge in his ankle, and made his way toward Leonard, who was now refilling napkin holders at the empty tables.

"Mr. Thomas," he said quietly, positioning himself so his back was to the room, blocking the view of their conversation. "Could I have a word?"

Leonard looked up, his expression neutral, his voice smooth. "Of course, young man. Something wrong?"

"Maybe," Alex said, keeping his voice low. He’d decided to simply be direct, the way he thought Juno would be if she were in this situation. "It's about what I just saw. You pocketing tip money from those tables."

For a split second, something cold and calculating flashed in Leonard's eyes before he smoothed it over with a look of confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I saw you pocket bills from at least two tables," Alex said firmly.

Leonard's confusion morphed into understanding, then something like amusement. "Ah, I see the issue." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a several ones and a few fives, even more than what Alex had seen go in there. "My apron pockets are full to overflowing and I didn’t want any of this falling out of them as I worked.” While Alex watched, Leonard made a show of shuffling things from one pocket to another—napkins, receipts, straw wrappers—then depositing the cash into the now empty pocket. If Alex was guessing, he’d say that Leonard had purposely overfilled his apron so that he could use this very excuse if someone saw what he was doing.

The explanation was reasonable enough, Alex supposed, but something in Leonard's tone—that practiced smoothness—didn't sit right with him.

"So, you'll be putting those in the tip jar now?" Alex pressed.

"Of course." Leonard smiled, a tight expression that didn't reach his eyes. "And no hard feelings about your suspicions. I applaud you for your concern about my daughter's business."

There was a warning in the words, subtle but unmistakable. Alex watched as Leonard sauntered over to the tip jar on the counter and once again made a show of dropping in the bills he withdrew from his pocket.

Alex couldn't help wondering how many tips hadn't made it in the jar that morning. And on his first day working, too.

"Everything okay?" Juno appeared at his elbow, her expression concerned.

Alex hesitated. Should he tell her what he'd seen? Would she believe him over her father, especially when Leonard had such a plausible explanation? The last thing he wanted was to create tension between them just as they were finding their way back to each other.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Just chatting with your dad for old time’s sake."

Leonard clapped Alex on the shoulder, his fingers digging into his shoulder blade where Juno couldn’t see. “You’ve got yourself a fine young man here, Juniper.”

Juno's gaze moved between them, clearly sensing there was more to the story, but the rush of customers demanded her attention. She nodded slowly. “Yes, Alex is great. I’m glad you two are…" Her voice trailed off and she waved a finger back and forth. “Reconnecting,” she finally said. “I’ll see you and Lena this evening, Alex.” Juno squeezed his arm, her touch lingering. "Say hi to your folks for me."

As Alex collected Lena and headed for the door, he felt Leonard's eyes on him. He turned, meeting the older man's gaze directly. Leonard offered a slight nod, his expression unreadable, before returning to his work.

Outside in the truck, Alex sat for a moment, replaying the encounter in his mind. Leonard's explanation was plausible, but his instincts told him the man was lying, and it twisted Alex’s insides to think of what it would do to Juno if his suspicions were true.

"Daddy, can we come back tomorrow?" Lena asked from the backseat.

"We'll see, Lena-bug," Alex said, starting the engine. "Depends on what the day brings." Who knew? Maybe Melissa would get tired of pouting and be willing to talk. Or maybe J&J would need him to come in and give some input on the new jobsite, a kitchen remodel just west of Autumn Lake in a new housing development. It always confounded Alex when folks bought these cookie cutter homes at top dollar, only to remodel everything but the bones, but to each his own. It kept guys like him busy, that was for sure.

As he pulled away from the curb, his thoughts were in turmoil. He hadn't told Juno what he'd seen because he didn't want to upset her without more concrete evidence. But the protective instinct for Lena that had surged through him was now extending to Juno as well.

Leonard Thomas was up to something, Alex was certain. And he was determined to find out what before Juno got hurt.

26

Juno

Thesmelloffreshpaint mingled with the scent of the cheeseburger delivery Alex had insisted on ordering after they'd spent three hours painting the walls of what used to be his tiny spare room. They’d had to move out his guitar and monitor, his desk and computer, but the room hadn’t been furnished otherwise, so it had been a no-brainer to give the space to Lena.

Juno sat cross-legged on the drop cloth they'd spread across the floor, watching as Alex held Lena up to place glow-in-the-dark stars on the newly painted lavender ceiling.

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