Page 175 of Hard to Resist

“You messed up another order?”

“Life’s a bitch. We can’t all be perfect.” She shrugs before heading back behind the counter.

I lift the mug off the napkin and give it a sniff, trying to decipher what it could be. My gut is saying honey, especially considering the design.

A small sip confirms my suspicions, the sugary sweetness coating my tongue. There is a slightly nutty, almost roasted almond undertone on the back end. It is freaking delicious, as always.

I turn and give Aisling a thumbs up, and she gives me a mock bow.

I am starting to get suspicious of these lattes.

The first few times they brought them over to me, they’d claimed they were mistakes. Orders that had gotten botched because they used the wrong milk or syrup. I’d tried to refuse, but they said if I didn’t want it, they’d just end up tossing it down the drain.

I’m not proud enough to let them go to waste, not when they are almost nine dollars a pop.

It’s been weeks, though. There is no way they are capable of messing up this many coffees in a day if they are still in business.

I think they just feel bad for me after overhearing Hannah and me talking about Cullen and my lack of employment. Which says a lot because I’m the one imposing on their coffee shop, so I should feel even worse. I’ve turned this place into my own personal workspace, claiming the table in the front corner as my own every morning while Hannah goes to work across the street.

I take another sip of my drink, scrolling through the design brief Nick’s assistant sent me and sketching a few ideas on my tablet.

After an hour, I shut my laptop and head to the bathroom. The coffee I drank is killing my bladder.

I finish drying my hands and give them a quick wipe on my hips as I head back into the main shop. I pass by the back room, lost in my thoughts, when a conversation halts my steps.

“Do you really think she believes all those coffees are mistakes?”

“I have no clue.”

“I mean, it’s been weeks. She has to have caught on by now.”

“I dunno, Josh. She seems pretty happy every time we give her one. I’m so jealous. I wish I had some rich guy buying me drinks every day.”

“I mean, she’s hot, so...”

“Seriously?”

“What? I’m not wrong.”

“Whatever. Have you seen him, though? Aisling snuck a pic when he came in the other day. He is soooo freaking sexy.”

“Sexier than me?”

“Obviously.”

“Oh, come on, Gracie. I’m a hunk.”

“Oh my God.”

The back door opens unexpectedly, and I’m caught red-handed as the two employees just about bowl me over.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Verity. Almost ran right into you.” The guy, Josh, reaches out to steady me.

“It’s fine.”

The three of us stand there awkwardly for a moment.

I might be a little paranoid but…

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