Page 25 of There’s Trouble Brewing

She didn’t look at him again, and he didn’t force it. She was good at keeping busy, and at keeping the distance.He’d follow her lead, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

“Shouldn’t mix work with play,” Mark heard Nancy tell Sue when they didn’t know he was paying attention. The words cut more than he expected.

A sudden noise, sharp and wrong. A clatter, a yelp. Emily had dropped a pot of steaming coffee, and the contents had hit her hand. He was across the room before he knew it—before anyone else had moved.

“Are you okay?” His concerned voice carried over the chaos.

Emily looked up and was clearly startled by his nearness. “I’m fine,” she winced.

“No, you’re not. We need to get cold water on that right away,” he ordered decisively.

She didn’t argue or meet his eyes; just nodded, heading for the sink with shaky steps. Mark followed, even though every eye in the place was saying not to.

Nancy was close behind, concern and curiosity mixed on her face. “Accidents happen, especially when folks get distracted.”

Mark knew Nancy wasn’t wrong, and the weight of his impulsive decision to kiss Emily was pressing down on him. He didn’t plan on it being such a mess. Still, they didn’t need anyone breathing down their necks. He turned to face the barista. “Nancy, why don’t you work on coming up with some drink combos for the menu. I can handle helping Emily in the back.”

Once Mark reached her side, he leaned close, his voice low. “Let them talk.”

Emily glanced up, her eyes catching his for a brief, charged moment. “They’re not just talking, Mark. They’re watching our every move and judging us. I don’t like being under a microscope.”

He nodded, understanding the cost of their visibility in this tiny community. “I know. But right now, let’s just take care of this burn.” His hand reached out for her and, but she jerked back.

“I’ve got it,” she said, clearly worried about causing more whispers.

“You need help, so let me,” he coaxed, grateful when she accepted his assistance and allowed him to run cool water over her reddened skin.

“Thanks for the help.” She gave him an appreciative smile as he wrapped her burn with gauze.

“No problem,” he told her right before she gently pulled away and headed back into the main room.

Within minutes, Emily was back to work as if nothing happened.

He kept his distance, the hardest thing he’d done. The right thing, he told himself. For her. For him. For the shop and everything it could be. It wasn’t his job to rescue her. Not this time. Not unless she wanted him to.

Mark watched Emily from across the room, the space between them full of everything that wasn’t said. She was on her third cup of coffee. If it hurt, she wasn’t showing it. If the talk bothered her, she didn’t let it stop her.

He wanted to reach out, and tell her it didn’t matter what anyone thought. But that would mean admitting how much he cared. How much he didn’t want to lose what they might have. Instead, he kept to his corner, kept to himself, and let the rest of the world crowd in.

By noon, the gossip was thicker than the air. He caught pieces of it every time he turned around. She’s too pretty for him. He’s playing with fire. Maybe she’ll dump him and go back to Hero.

Mark gritted his teeth, focusing on the stack of papersin front of him, on anything but the knot growing in his chest.

He knew this bothered Emily. She had told him as much in the back room, but she worked like she was fine, like she didn’t notice the way they all looked at her. Mark saw the strain, though, the way her shoulders tightened and slumped forward. She was strong. Stronger than he’d given her credit for. But how long could she keep this up?

He stayed busy, busy enough to pretend nothing was wrong, that it was just another day in a small town full of bored people with big mouths. But the pretending wore thin; the pretending wore him out.

Emily barely glanced his way. That hurt more than it should. But he suspected she had a point to prove, maybe to him, maybe to herself. That she could do this. That she didn’t need him to step in and save her.

He wanted to cross the floor, wanted to tell her it didn’t matter, wanted to say the only thing he wasn’t sure of was what they were waiting for. But he didn’t. He kept to himself, let the minutes tick by, each one more awkward, more full of the distance he hated.

Finally, deciding he had enough, Mark threw his towel down on the counter. “I think we can call it quits for the day. Everything is ready for the inspection tomorrow.”

The baristas didn’t wait to be told a second time. All of them gathered their belongings and scurried out of the coffee shop.

“Long day,” Emily sighed, her words reaching him like a lifeline.

“Yeah,” he said as he faced her. “You good?”

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