Page 11 of There’s Trouble Brewing

“Everything’s good,” he told her.

“Then maybe I should flip a coin?” she asked with an arch of her eyebrow.

“You’re the adventurous type, huh?” Mark asked. He already knew the answer. “So, what brought you to town?

She nodded. “I’m game for wherever life takes me. It’s why I jumped at the chance to be a barista trainer for the company. New store, new crew. A chance to make sure the coffee doesn’t end up tasting like crap.”

Temporary, he reminded himself. She won’t be here for long. Not only was she working for him at the coffee shop, which complicated the situation, but she wasn’t going to be sticking around once the training was finished. It would be a mistake to get involved with her, at least that was what he kept trying to tell himself. Yet, he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to see where this could go.

The waiter brought their drinks, and they laughed as Emily insisted they order two random dishes and share. Mark felt the tension from the day slip away.

Emily took a sip of her water, and then ran her fingers along the rim. “So...water rescues and coffee shops aside—tell me something about Mark that no one else knows.”

He chuckled softly. “Not sure there’s much that’s not been unpacked by now,” he said with a hint of somberness behind his smile.

“There’s always something,” Emily pressed gently.

Mark leaned back in his chair as he considered his response. He wasn’t used to opening up on demand. “Well, I guess not many people know that I used to write poetry after my accident. Nothing major, just a way to sort things out in my head.”

Emily’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s unexpected. Ever think of taking it up again?”

Mark shrugged as he looked out the window. “It was mostly at the suggestion of my therapist. It got pretty dark for a while when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do search and rescue anymore.”

“You seemed pretty capable out there when you rescued that boy earlier today,” Emily observed.

“My leg hurt the whole time,” he admitted. “And when you’re out on call, it could take hours to find your victims and get them to safety. I wouldn’t be able to keep up. It justtook me a long time and a lot of therapy to finally accept that.”

“I guess that just means you have a different destiny than you thought,” she told him with an appreciative smile.

He looked at her, really looked at her, and for a fraction of a second, he allowed himself to imagine what that could mean. But then reality snapped back into place, and he remembered why barriers existed.

“I guess that’s why I’m opening up the Brave Badge,” he confessed, his voice tinged with vulnerability. “I want my life to still matter,” he added, a hint of desperation creeping into his tone that he wished he could keep hidden.

“It does, Mark,” her eyes meeting his with unwavering sincerity. “And you don’t need a coffee shop to prove that.”

As she spoke, he felt warmth spread across his chest from her reassurance. Her words were gently nudging away his lingering doubts. He took a breath, letting it fill his lungs like fresh air. He was almost scared of how good it felt. “Not exactly what you had in mind when you asked me to dinner?”

“Better,” Emily whispered. It sounded like she meant it—as if there was no question in her mind.

Mark liked the way that felt; like he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere else but here. He didn’t know how long that would last, but he liked it anyway.

As they continued to chat over dinner, Mark couldn’t help but notice the ease between them. It was natural, unforced, and something about Emily made him want to ignore all the reasons why he shouldn’t get involved with her. She laughed at his jokes, challenged his opinions, and listened intently when he spoke about his past experiences on the rescue team.

The meal passed quickly, and as they stood to leave,Emily hesitated beside the table. “Mark, this was nice,” she paused, “really nice.”

“It was,” he agreed. And it would have been easy to leave it at that—two colleagues who had shared a pleasant evening—but instead, he found himself asking, “Would you like to take a walk along the waterfront? The night’s too early to end just yet.”

Emily’s face brightened with a wide smile. “That sounds wonderful.”

They walked side by side along the river, the afterglow of sunset replaced by the gentle shimmer of stars reflected on the water’s surface. They talked about trivial things—movies they liked, books they’d read, games they enjoyed playing—but under it all ran an undercurrent of something else, something that ran deeper.

At one point, Emily stopped walking and turned toward him. “Mark,” she began tentatively. “Back there in the restaurant...why did you hold back? You seemed like you were going to say more.”

Mark took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her question. “I guess...I’m trying not to make things complicated,” he admitted. “With us working together—and your plans not being permanent here—it seems wise not to dive into anything too deep.”

Emily nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. “I understand that,” she said softly. Yet there was a hint of disappointment in her voice that she couldn’t quite hide.

“But sometimes,” Mark added in a quieter tone as he took a step closer, drawn by an impulse he couldn’t suppress any longer, “sometimes it’s worth taking a little risk.”

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