Page 32 of The Pumpkin Spice Romance
“Hoping for what?” Asked Felix, looking genuinely interested.
“I want to open a second location. But most of this last year has just been me googling and reading random books. I know about coffee and plants. I know aboutmybusiness, but I don’t know how to expand. That seemed like something that ought to be transferable between business types, and I was hoping to find that kind of information. I kind of wing and a prayer’d my opening, and while I figured it out, I’d prefer not to do that again.”
“A plan is definitely preferable.”
“Pumpkin Spice Day usually goes better than this,” I said sadly, pulling on my jacket.
Felix laughed as he straightened my collar.
“I did not realize Pumpkin Spice Day was a national holiday.”
“It’s more of a local celebration,” I said primly.
“Got it. I’m new to the area, so I didn’t get the memo. I clearly should have come prepared for the pumpkin spice swimming pool. My bad.”
“I amsosorry,” I said with a groan, which made him laugh again. He had a lovely voice and laugh with a lot of bass and gravel to it. It gave him a very authoritative sound.
“Come on,” he said, with a head nod toward the door. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to do that!”
“Yes, I do. Otherwise, Tricia will ding her triangle at me again.”
It was the most gentlemanly thing anyone had done for me in months, and that included all six of the dates I’d been on. Felix was only doing it to avoid aggressive triangulation, and I didn’t care. I would take it.
We reached the door, and I looked in dismay at the steady downpour outside.
“I guess I’ll be ending up in the swimming pool, too,” I said. “You really don’t have to walk me. I’m only down the block. I can run.”
“Mm, I don’t think so,” he said firmly. “Wait here.”
FELIX
Having seen Maddie in action around the café, I realized that she wasn’t bluffing. She really was intending to walk her cute dress and good hair out into the deluge. I knew I was old-fashioned, but I didn’t understand how a woman like Maddie could think escorting her for one whole block was too muchtrouble. I found an umbrella at the valet stand and hurried back to Maddie. I was relieved to see she was waiting for me.
I popped the umbrella up, happy to see it was one of the big golfing umbrellas.
“OK,” I said, holding out my arm, “squish in.” She did as instructed, and I stepped out into the rain with my arm around a beautiful girl. I only wished that I could make it a more pointedly romantic gesture.
“I’m just down there,” she said, pointing to the next block. “Right at the corner.”
The rain was making a hard patter against the fabric of the umbrella and the cement of the sidewalk. The streetlights had come on, creating pools of yellow light along the streets.
“Then we go that way,” I said, heading out but trying to match my strides to her shorter steps.
We had only gone a short way when her steps hitched, and then she began to fiddle with her purse. When we reached the corner, she stopped and began to paw inside the bag in earnest.
“Lost your keys?” I asked. She looked up, puzzled.
“No, they’re right here.” She held up her right hand with a set of keys.
There was a splash and the rattle of metal wheels in a puddle. I looked around as I caught the whiff of tobacco and unwashed human.
“Hey,” said a homeless man, pushing his shopping cart. “Five more bucks, and I can split a room with some people. You got any change?”
“Yes,” said Maddie, producing a ten-dollar bill as if she had been waiting to give it to him. “Please look out for Mr. Matinale.”
The man stared at her, his hand already reaching for the bill. “I will do that,” he said as she handed it over.
