Page 98 of Until I Find You

Abigail sits on my other side, swigging her coffee. “How much caffeine in this one, Jackie?”

“This one is robusta beans so…” he says with a shrug.

I know what that means after being steeped in this world for so long at this point, no pun intended. Abigail, on the other hand, rolls her eyes. “That helps…not!”

Jack laughs. He’s so at ease compared to how jittery he was this morning. He’s got his ankle crossed at his knee, his sleeves rolled up, and his dark hair is the perfect balance of well-coiffed and messy.

I can picture the “About” section on the website now, him sporting this look. “More caffeine than the previous ones, yeah.”

“Oh, good,” she says and swigs the rest of it. “I’m running on two hours of sleep.”

“Abigail…” Nate admonishes from across the table.

She narrows her eyes. “Don’t be all Dad about it.”

Edwin is missing from the table as is his wife, Sonia. I haven’t met either of them yet, much to my chagrin.

Jack is keeping his distance, and I have to respect that, but it is strange to have met everyone else in his life.

What was once a sawdust laden floor is now beautiful, polished wood. The windows overhead are streak free, letting in so much sunlight you’d think it’s summer rather than the middle of winter. And it looks customer ready, all the tables set up and ready to go. It’s beautiful, finished ahead of schedule thanks to Jack’s pushiness and bank account.

The only thing left to get together is the roastery in the back which will need to be finished before opening.

We’re proud of it. It’s pieces of us.

Us.

My stomach quavers, interrupting my fingers as I type up my notes. I pause, duck my chin to my chest and swallow.

“Okay, this is for those who aren’t purists,” Jack announces and flags the baristas over.

They start setting down small cups of what is set out to be the café’s signature latte, the hibiscus latte, a coffee-based drink with a pinkish hue.

“I need you to be brave and take a risk with me,” he says. “We’ve all heard of the lavender lattes.”

“My favorite,” Laney whispers to Mason. He grins at her and kisses her forehead.

I clench my stomach muscles. Every muscle in my body after that. The nausea will pass. It has every time since this morning.

“But this is a hibiscus latte,” Jack says. “Floral. Not too sweet. I’ve been working on the syrup for a while, and I hope you like it.”

People sip. I place my hands on my thighs and hold on.

Jack is looking at me, a soft smile on his face.

I try to smile back.

The nausea rolls up through me.

I bite my tongue. Fuck, I’m sweating. This isn’t good.

“Bridget likes it,” Seth says with a grin as he watches his fiancée.

She smiles when she places the cup back down. “I do. Better than black.”

“Not too acquired of a taste?” Jack asks, then flicks his eyes to me to let me know I should keep my ears perked and start writing notes.

Bridget glances at Seth before she says, “I think it’s…”

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