Page 13 of Three Hearts Hideaway

Leaving her side, he went to the counter and ordered two drinks and sandwiches, both to go. She saw him smile at the dark-haired cashier and chat with her like they were old friends. The charm dripped off him effortlessly. If she was a betting woman, she’d bet that Roman was the town sweetheart. The guy everyone loved and could rely on. That was the kind of energy he exuded.

“Alright, I took a guess,” Roman announced, carrying over two to-go cups of what she figured was coffee. “Please tell me you like your coffee hot and sickly sweet?”

Her eyebrows shot up as she reached out to take the cup. “How did you know that?”

“Had a feeling.” He shrugged one shoulder and gave her an impish smile. “Maria is the owner. She and her family moved here from Argentina fifteen years ago. The batch of dulce de leche she makes each week is to die for. She uses it in her alfajores and as a filling for her cinnamon sugar muffins.”

Her mouth began to water, and she did her best not to drool on the café floor.

“But I asked her to add a scoop to your latte. Try it.”

Swirling her cup with a few circles of her wrist, the drink’s aroma wafted up and made her eyes roll back in her head. It smelled like a cup of heaven. Literal heaven. She took a sip, not caring that the coffee was piping hot, and let the flavours mingle on her tongue.

“Oh. My. God,” she moaned. This might very well be the best latte ever.

“I’m pretty sure that sound means you like it.” Roman winked, sending her butterflies into another tizzy. “And here are our sandwiches.” Roman grabbed two foil-wrapped packages and thanked the cashier, who she guessed was Maria.

She called out her own thank you, gave her a wave, and followed Roman out the door.

Taking the mystery item from him, she unwrapped the top half and stared at it. Nothing prepared her for what was between the two English muffins. “Is that…grape jelly?”

“Oh yeah.” Roman grinned, already tearing into his sandwich. “Peanut butter and jelly with smoked bacon and a sunny-side-up egg.”

“You like this?” she asked in disbelief.

“Nope. Ilovethis. I begged Maria to make it for me so often, she eventually added it to the menu. Now it’s one of the most popular breakfast sandwiches at the joint.”

Her skepticism must’ve shown on her face, because Roman lit up with a hearty chuckle and waggled the sandwich in his hand.

“Come on, have a bite. You liked the coffee, right?”

That was true. Time to live a little. Ava took a big mouthful and bit down. The hot yolk burst on her tongue and mixed with the salt of the bacon and peanut butter. The sweetness of the grape jelly rounded everything off. Roman was one hundred percent right.

“You win,” she admitted. “This is fantastic. I’m trying my hardest not to moan again.”

“Don’t let me stop you.” That wicked grin had returned. He took another bite and licked a smear of peanut butter off his thick forefinger.

If she was in danger of moaning before, she was on high alert now. That tongue on those tattooed fingers. Yup, it did things to her. And he knew it.

They strolled down Main Street, taking in the sights. Not that there was a lot to see, but there were many cute shops. Roman bought her a shaker of delicious smelling Cajun seasoning at Paprika and Co. as well as a fancy can of cream soda at a specialty candy store called The Sugar Buffet.

But her favourite, by far, was the corner drugstore that also doubled as a sweets shop. It didn’t have a fancy pun for a name and the façade was unassuming, yet Dean’s Drug Mart was the most interesting store in the little town.

It had the regular stock of a drugstore, but also sold beautifully arranged succulent planters, vinyl records, and an array of art prints. At the counter was a large glass case filled with twenty varieties of handmade chocolates that were all the same shape but with different colours and flavours.

She pursued the display. “I’d love to buy Gertie a gift for being so wonderful to me. Do you think she’d like chocolates?”

“She’s actually a lover of anything maple. Get her a jar of this.” He handed her a container of maple butter from a nearby shelf. “It’s made at Mapleside Sugar Bush, just a few hours east of here. Don’t tell her I said this, but she goes through a jar a week.” He tapped the top of the jar in her hands.

Ava grinned. “Thanks for the insider information.” She made her way to the till but stopped short. “Shit. I don’t have my purse. Do you mind? I’ll pay you back when we get to the B&B.”

“Not a problem, love. Pick out something for yourself, as well. On me.”

She lifted her hands in protest. “Oh, thank you, but I’m set. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“I’ll take one of each,” Roman said to the man behind the counter, pointing to the chocolates. “And the jar of maple butter.”

He paid for the treats and escorted her out the door.

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