Page 19 of Huckleberry Hill
“Wrangler, huh?” Gracie smiled.
“Just started,” Declan confided. “Still getting the lay of the land.”
“Well, your first order is on the house as a welcome gift.” Gracie looked at me. “Yours too.”
“But I’m from here,” I said with a smile.
“I insist,” Gracie said. “Coffee, Declan?”
“Can’t. I rode my motorcycle to town. So I’ll take a donut to go, please. Thanks, Gracie.”
“Motorcycle?” I asked.
He looked at me, blue eyes twinkling. “If you can ride a Harley, you can ride a horse.”
Ride? I wanna ride . . .
I gulped.
He extracted my bag and handed it to me. “Here’s your underwear.”
“Declan,” I hissed, causing him to laugh.
“I’ve got your donut,” the barista said to Declan. Her cheeks were pink and they turned a deeper shade of red when he shot her an easy grin and dropped some cash into the tip jar.
“See you later,” he said to me.
The three of us watched him saunter out of the bakery.
“Wow,” Gracie remarked.
“Yeah,” the barista sighed. “Major wow.”
“He’s not that wow,” I lied.
“Uh-huh,” Gracie said. “Sure. What do you want to drink?”
“A London Fog, please.”
“What the hell is a London Fog?” Gracie demanded.
“You know what? How about a chai tea?”
“Coming right up. Abby, will you take care of that?”
“Sure thing.”
“And bring an assorted plate of pastries, will ya?”
“Absolutely.”
Gracie waved me toward the farthest table tucked back into a corner. “Okay,” she said after we sat down. “First of all, did your fiancé come home for a visit with you?”
I rubbed my third eye. “I don’t have a fiancé anymore. Gianni and I broke up. That’s kind of why I’m home for a bit. To get my bearings, you know?”
“Oh.” She frowned. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
Nodding, I also shrugged.
