Page 17 of Getting Over You

“So just consider the coffee I bring you your one drink,” I say with a confused chuckle.

Rory shakes her head again, with enough vigor this time to whip her ponytail around. “I am a traditionalist, Gigi. You must know that about me.”

“Coffee after shift or bust,” I say as I turn to leave. “Got it.”

EJ’s brother Cade comes to mind as I pull open the door to Beach Brew. I’m hoping his brother isn’t here, because I don’t need any reminders of him, even distant.

He is the epitome of everything that I don’t want in a partner. He’s too self-assured, and even if the tattoos don’t scare me, they truly are intimidating. Not to mention the fact that he is not my type.

Or maybe he is, given that my type seems to be guys who don’t have any interest in me.

“What can I get started for you?” the woman at the counter asks.

“A large black coffee and a large macchiato.”

“Hot or iced on that macchiato?” she asks.

Shit. I didn’t ask my mother about the specifics. I know she’ll let me hear it if I order wrong.

“Hot?”

“That’ll be ten sixty two.”

As I wait for my coffee, the overhead bell chimes.

In walks Cade, and the first thing I see is that daisy tattoo, the flowers cradling his bicep. Then, I notice one more: a snake wrapping around his forearm. The snake makes me wince.

He doesn’t notice me right away, sauntering up to the counter and requesting a large black coffee. The girl at the counter turns as red as the braids in her hair when Cade slips a five-dollar bill into her tip jar.

So, he’s tall and his appearance screams dark and dreamy if you like a guy you can find on a social media aesthetic board. Not worth gushing over. Not even with a jaw that sharp.

“Would you like a loyalty card?” she asks.

“Oh.” Cade smiles. I can hear it. I can picture the divots of his dimples parting the plain of his face. “Yeah, I would.”

“I gave you a few extra punches,” the girl says as she hands over a tiny card. “That much closer to a free coffee.”

“I appreciate that,” Cade says. “Thanks.”

As the barista works on my coffee, she makes small talk with Cade.

“Any plans today?” she asks. “Aside from waking up with some coffee?”

Waking up? It’s almost two in the afternoon.

“Just exploring the town,” Cade tells her. “I’m not from here.”

“Oh? Where’s home?” Gah, this girl is smitten with him. And he’s just living life like he doesn’t realize he’s perceived as a god among men. Well, for some girls. Girls who like tattoos. And dimples. And golden retriever-esque grins.

“Houston,” Cade says.

“Texas. That’s a ways. What brings you here?”

“Running from something,” Cade tells her. My gaze flicks to him for a second so short I can nearly convince myself I didn’t do it on purpose.

“Aren’t we all?” the barista says, fitting a lid onto the coffee she just poured. I roll my eyes so hard that I hope she—and Cade—notices. “Here’s your coffee—”

I reach for it. Cade reaches for it. I never realized he was nearly two heads taller than me last night. I figure it out once I’m making eye contact with a gray cotton t-shirt and chest muscles. Stepping back, I meet his eyes.

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