Page 3 of With Us

I thought about the way she’d made me feel.

“Everything,” I said.

Luc nodded once, pulling out his cell and swiping across the screen. “Give me a day or two.”

Brothers, though not by birth, Luca got away with things most men wouldn’t think about. Even so, he knew if I called him his full name, the order wasn’t to be questioned.

Pushing all thoughts of the cat-eyed blonde to the back of my head, I refocused as we approached the office building.

Luc rattled off some numbers for the meeting as we made our way through the lobby to the elevator. Pressing the up arrow, the silver doors opened.

“Wait, how late are they?” I asked as we stepped in.

“Late,” he emphasized, his brows raised.

As the doors began to close, I looked ahead. A wide smile spread across my face. “Excellent.”

Dahlia

Fighting a yawn, I snuck another sip of my coffee. Truth be told, it was probably more vanilla syrup, sugar, and whipped cream than coffee, but it did the job.

The before work rush had come and gone. Minus a few moms popping in on their way to mommy and me classes, some bleary-eyed students, and the occasional stray business person, the shop would remain slow until the lunch crowd filed in for a midday boost.

Everything was stocked, organized, and cleaned so tidy it shined. That left me with a book on my phone, my sugary coffee, and a fight to stay awake.

Grabbing for my drink, I looked up as the door opened. When I saw the man from the day before, I nearly knocked the cup to the ground.

Oh, that would’ve been good. Dropped the ‘before’ version yesterday, makes sense to spill the ‘after’ one today.

I reached for the stack of cups. “Same as yesterday?”

“Please.” He smiled as he moved fully into the café. It was then I noticed another man following him.

A bit shorter and leaner, he had the same olive skin tone and dark hair, although his was cut neater. His eyes were lighter, too, a fascinating tawny brown, like the color of butterscotch.

“Can I get you something?” I asked him, gesturing with the empty cup to the menu board above my head.

He studied me for a moment, making me wonder if he didn’t speak English. It was an eclectic city, people from all nationalities combining cultural bits and pieces.

“Large coffee,” he finally said, barely glancing at the menu, “with enough space for about half a pound of sugar.”

“Got it.” I fixed both before setting them on the counter between us. “Anything else?”

The new man shifted to the side. “Can I have a pistachio scone, a blueberry muffin, and…” His eyes scanned the case before he smiled. “And a banana chocolate chip muffin?”

“Make that two,” the other one added as he pulled his wallet out of another impressively nice pair of slacks.

“Of course.” I bagged up the baked goods, touching the order screen. And touching it again. And again. Huffing, I blew the hair out of my face as I leaned down to press the power button. I gave both men an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, it freezes like this sometimes.” Holding the bag out to the man from the day before, I jostled it a little when he didn’t take it. “I owe you from yesterday anyway.”

“No, you don’t,” he argued, taking another bill from his wallet.

“I do. You’re all set, sorry again.”

Taking the outstretched bag, his fingersdefinitelygrazing, he dropped another fifty on the counter and grabbed his coffee.

“But,” I started before looking back at his friendly, yet stubborn, expression. Changing my mind, I nodded instead. “Thank you. Have a nice day and come again.”

He jerked his head toward the seating area, causing a small cluster of girls around my age to look as if they were about to hyperventilate. “I think we’ll sit for a while. It’ll give Luc the chance to see if he’s going to need another muffin.”

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