Page 30 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“Of course.” The florist grabbed the vase. “Right this way, please. I’ll ring you up over here.” She walked toward the register, and we followed her. I was getting goosebumps with how chilly this place was. The air conditioning was set at a low temperature, probably to better preserve the plants and flowers in the shop, but I was ready to step out into the sun. It was warmer outside.
Liam gave the employee Belen’s address and paid for the flowers. “I’ll send these as soon as our delivery guy returns from lunch, okay?” she assured him, her cheeks somewhat pink. “I’m a big fan of Belén. She’s going to love them.”
“Sure hope so.” Liam mentioned earlier that he was worried. Belén hadn’t performed well at the China Open. She got eliminated early in the tournament and had to come back home, so he wanted to cheer her up with flowers. But he’d told me the day I met him how she tended to be mercurial, so I guess that’s why he was worried. Who knew in what mood she would arrive in from her trip?
We thanked the florist and stepped out of the shop.
“You want to grab some coffee for the ride back to New York?” I asked. Since Belén was staying at her parents’ house for a while, Liam had dragged my ass to Montclair to help him select a flower arrangement instead of placing an order over the phone. Plus, I hadn’t seen him since I came back from South Africa, and he wanted all the juicy details straight from the source. So this was the perfect excuse to hang out and catch up.
“Coffee sounds lovely.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and guided me toward the crosswalk. Aaron followed us on foot. He was always alone now, and I felt terrible. It was his job, but he was probably bored all the time.
“Belén’s flight arrives in a few hours, and I’m hoping to catch her later tonight. But I’m knackered from that live interview we did early this morning at that talk show to promote the series. So I need all the caffeine I can get.” The walk sign lit up, and we crossed the street. “Being a celebrity isn’t as glamorous as it seems. I’ve got dark circles under my eyes.” He lifted his sunglasses to show me. He looked perfectly fine. “I can’t live like this.” He laughed.
Liam had landed a lead role in a big TV show, and it hadrecently premiered. I was thrilled for him.
“Calm down, hotshot.” I laughed too. He was clearly joking around with his last statement, but he had a knack for being dramatic. It was no surprise that he had chosen to pursue a career in acting. “Order the biggest coffee on the menu. My treat.”
We stepped inside the coffee shop, and the smell of roasted beans, vanilla, and sugar swirled in the air. A fresh batch of cinnamon rolls was being pulled out of the oven, and I knew I needed to get one.
“Welcome to Deja Brew,” the young barista said to us. “What can I get for you?”
“I’ll have a small latte and a cinnamon roll, please.”
“Of course! And—for you?” The barista smiled shyly at Liam when she recognized him.
“I’ll have a large Americano and—” He turned to look at me. “Are you willing to share that cinnamon roll, or should I get my own?”
“Definitely not sharing.”
The barista laughed.
“In that case, toss in one of those as well since she’s paying.” Liam lifted his eyebrows playfully at me.
“That’ll be $19.50, please.”
I pulled out my credit card and handed it to the girl.
“Thanks, Red,” Liam said, giving me a quick side hug.
“My pleasure.”
“I’m—sorry, miss,” the barista said, holding my card. “Your credit card was declined. Would you like me to try again?”
“Uh-oh!” Liam chuckled.
“Shut up!” I whispered back, unable to withhold a laugh. “Uh, yeah, sure, go ahead.” That AMEX card always went through. I wondered …
The barista tried the card again, but a ticket was quicklyprinted out stating the transaction had been declined again. “I’m sorry, miss. Do you want to try another card?”
Shit. There were a couple of people behind us in line, and I was growing flustered as I rummaged through my wallet for money. But I rarely carried cash with me. I used my credit cards for everything. And I’d never had an issue with them before.
“Red.” Liam pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “I’ve got it.”
“Wait.” I wanted to try a credit card from another bank because I needed to verify if my dad had something to do with this or if it was an issue specific to the AMEX card. “Could you try this one?” I handed it over and waited in awkward silence while she tried processing the payment for a third time.
“It’s not going through.” The barista offered me a sympathetic look. And I wanted to explain it wasn’t possible, that this had never happened to me before, that it must’ve been a mistake. It’s funny how a declined card makes you feel like you owe an explanation about why it’s not going through to the person charging you or to everyone around you, for that matter.
“I’ll get this one,” Liam whispered when he noticed my genuine concern. “Don’t worry about it.” He gave her his credit card, and the charge went through with ease. For a second, I hoped there could be an issue with the reader, but no. My credit cards were the problem.
