Page 15 of Sweet Somethings

She wondered what it was all about. Doug was one of the most well-liked people in town. He was a lawyer and a city councilman, and now he was running for mayor. Roman might have been a troublemaker in high school, but he'd gone on to become a soldier, a Marine. They both seemed to have a lot going for them, but something from the past was still between them, and she was very curious as to what that was.

"Hello, ladies," Doug said, as he stepped up to the counter. "How is everyone today?"

"Great," Donavan replied. "The usual, Doug?"

"Give me two shots of espresso today, and I'll take a to-go cup."

"Must be a tough day," Donavan commented, a gleam in her eyes. "Or did it get tougher when you saw Roman?"

"Roman has always made my life more difficult," he said, then turned toward Juliette. "I have to tell you that the coconut lemon cake you made for my mother's birthday has won me a lot of points. She said it was the best present I ever gave her."

"I'm so glad. It's one of my favorites."

"The bakery looks like it's doing well."

"Very well," she said.

"That's great. It's nice to have you as part of the business community." He paused. "We should have dinner one night. I'd love to take you out."

"Oh—sure," she said, a little surprised by the invitation.

"Good. I'll give you a call or I'll stop by the bakery." He picked up his coffee, tipped his head to Donavan and then left the coffee shop.

"Sounds like Doug is interested in you," Donavan said, a gleam in her eyes. "Any interest back?"

"Uh, I don't know." She gave a helpless smile. "He's definitely attractive. He seems like a good guy." She paused. "Is there something between Doug and Roman? They certainly had a tense exchange when they saw each other."

"There's a lot of history there. They were friends in high school, but some stuff happened senior year that Roman took the heat for, and I've always wondered if Doug was as innocent as he claimed to be."

"What kind of stuff?"

Before Donavan could explain, a crowd of teenagers came into the coffee shop, overwhelming the counter.

"Sorry, I can't talk now, but later," Donavan promised.

"Of course."

She moved away from the counter to allow more space for the new customers.

Donavan's words had made her curious, which did not make her happy. She'd already thought about Roman way too much; now she had to wonder about Doug, too.

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