Page 78 of Broken

“What?”

She walks nearer so Garrett can’t overhear. “What wasthat?” she hisses, not taking her eyes off him. “Seriously, Calli. You realize that man doesn’t talk to anyone other than the guys from Blackhawk Ink. What is going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you kidding me?” she whisper shouts.

“Nope, not kidding,” I say, grabbing a lid for the cup. Ruby watches me securing it and slotting the cup into a cardboard holder. “Remember that subtly you were talking about earlier.” I nudge her with my hip, and she grins.

“Okay. But you are not off the hook lady. This is not nothing. Do you know how many times he has come in here? Zero, zilch. He’s never graced our doors, not once.”

“I get it,” I squeeze her arm to shut her up.

This doesn’t need to be a big deal. Except he's never come in while I’ve been working here, or ever, according to Ruby. He said he doesn’t like coffee. I hide the smile at the thought of him purchasing it so he can see me.

At the end of the counter, he’s leaning against the wall, watching me as I walk toward him. He is so effortlessly sexy. It doesn’t help that I know what he looks like under all those clothes. Or what he can do to a woman.

I set the drink down. “Coffee for Garrett.”

He pushes off the wall and comes over. Our fingers brush as we transfer the cup. My heart thumps. I have such a visceralreaction to this man. Like in all the fun parts. The studs in my nipples throb as they tighten under his gaze.

From the way his eyes drop, he can see it through my white Swirl and Grinds T-shirt too.

“Can I get you anything else?” I ask him, my voice more seductive than I intended.

“What are you doing tonight?”

Surprised, I blurt out the truth. “Nothing.”

“Be ready at seven.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see.”

He picks up the coffee, turns and walks away. Watching Garrett walking away is almost as good as watching him walk toward you. It crosses my mind to be irritated by how rude he is. How presumptuous, like I’m going to go with him after his order. He didn’t even ask. Or pay for the coffee. Damn it.

“That was hot.”

“I’m leaving,” I undo my apron.

“I get it, you need to get ready,” she chuckles.

“No, it’s the end of my shift and…” I trail off, what is the point, really?

Pulling off my apron I set it under the counter then grab my jacket and satchel. In my hurry to avoid talking about Garrett, I drop the satchel, which of course isn’t latched properly, so everything spills out. My wallet, a chap stick, make-up and some tampons go rolling onto the floor.

“Oh my God, you are soaffected,” Ruby smirks.

“Shut up,” I mutter with no actual feeling behind it.

I gather everything up, only momentarily staring at the two envelopes that I’ve still not opened. The second one arrived a couple of days ago. Why am I even carrying them around with me? I should get it over with and open them to see what my lawyer wants.

I’m nervous about allowing an intrusion from San Antonio into my new life. But tearing up the letters without knowing what they’re about would be stupid.

I make sure the satchel is closed properly and throw the strap over my shoulder. Ruby is silently laughing at me. I give her a dirty look.

“You so owe me a long, long explanation tomorrow,” Ruby says.

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