Page 26 of The Edge of Summer
All sense of shyness is gone as she looks up at him expectantly. Her hair is a mess from the tossing and turning she does in her sleep, and her blue eyes seem impossibly big. At the sight of her, Luke’s demeanour visibly softens. It’s fascinating to me how he can seem so impenetrable in my presence, but turn into a whole other person when Sophia is involved. Which is understandable—my little sister is adorable and hard to say no to.
Luke chuckles. “Sorry, not today, Soph.”
“That’s okay,” she assures him. Then she tugs on the hem of my shirt. “Sissy, I’m hungry.”
“I’ll get out of your hair,” Luke says, and then hedisappears out the front door.
I help Sophia put together some breakfast, and then I do the same for myself. It doesn’t feel the same without my regular cup of coffee, but I’ll just have to make do and pick one up later.
Just as I sit down to eat, someone knocks on the front door again. Luke said he would send his dad by, but I wasn’t expecting him so soon. Except it isn’t John Bowman standing on my front porch; it’s an employee from the café downtown.
“Delilah?” she asks.
I take note of the to-go cup in her hand. “Uh, hi?”
“This is for you.” She shoves the cup into my hand. “Have a good one!”
She then descends the porch and climbs into the car parked on the street in front of the house. I stand in the doorway, still dumbfounded. I was just hand-delivered a coffee from the café that, as far as I know, does not deliver.
Did you have coffee sent to me??
Clara
No?
Clara knows how much I value my caffeine in the morning. Her asking the café to bring me a drink after a rough morning is totally something she would do. But she didn’t. The only other person that knows I missed my cup of morning coffee is the very grumpy fire chief that showed up on my doorstep earlier. Which means…
Luke bought me coffee. But why?
CHAPTER
TEN
LUKE
When I makeit to the station after leaving Delilah’s house, I am in no mood for pleasantries. The building, once alive with chatter, goes eerily still as I stalk toward my office. I never set out to be the kind of guy whose employees are intimidated by him, but it has become increasingly obvious that I am.
I roll my shoulders, trying to shake some of the tension. But I can’t seem to get a certain brunette out of my head.
Seeing Delilah standing in the doorway, wearing the clothes she must have slept in… Those shorts—if you could even call them that, given how well they moulded to her body—showed off the expanse of her toned legs. That t-shirt, which slipped just enough to expose her shoulder and collarbone, begged me to trace that tattoo with my lips, then my tongue. Her pale cheeks were flushed the prettiest pink and her eyes still held a sleepy sheen, like she wasn’t fully awake yet.
Fuck, I need to get a grip.
I don’t want her. I don’t want anything to do with Delilah Delacroix and the way she says my name. What I do want is to steer clear of her. If I could manage it, I’d attempt to get Clara to keep her distance, too. But I know better than to try to force my sister into anything.
My mind runs in circles over my morning. Now the disappointed look that flashed across Delilah’s face when she realized she couldn’t have her coffee floats across my mind.
Damn it.
I tug my phone from my pocket and pull up Loretta’s contact, sending her a quick text. I’m a very loyal customer at the café, so I’m fairly certain she’ll grant me this favour.
When I finally make it to my office, I sigh in relief. I need some time to get my head on straight—to focus on work instead of my newest distraction. Just as the door is closing behind me, Jodi slides inside the room. She holds up a mug of coffee as a peace offering when she registers my foul mood.
“Rough morning?” she asks.
I take the coffee and then round my desk, sinking into my chair. “Something like that.”
Jodi eyes me over her own mug. She plops down in the seat across from me. “You going to tell me who pissed in your Cheerios, Chief?”
