Page 30 of The Snowball Effect

She reached out, easily sliding her arm around Emma’s waist, as the grin on her face wavered slightly in question. But Emma gamely accepted the embrace, even if she looked like she might be developing a jaw twitch.

Regan would count that as a win.

“Thanks,babe. You know how much I love it when you’re so peppy and joke-y so early in the morning.”

Emma’s resounding sarcasm made Regan laugh, as Kimberly watched them with such warmth.

“Right – and since I’m sure we’re both aware Emma isn’t much of a morning person, why don’t we go into the kitchen and grab a coffee?” Regan suggested, gesturing at the small round wooden table a few feet away.

“Best idea you’ve ever had,” Emma murmured, relief evident as she stepped out of Regan’s hold.

“I just brewed some before you knocked, Kimberly,” she informed the woman, ushering her into one of the three seatsclustered around the table. “I can grab some plates for the bagels?”

Kimberly pulled a chair out and perched in it as she carefully placed the bagels onto the table. Way too carefully for bagels, to be honest, but Regan got it – there was some emotionally charged shit happening here. She didn’t know exactly what kind of emotionally charged shit, but sometimes people needed their emotional support bagels.

Kimberly shook her head, giving Regan a small, appreciative smile. “Um, I’ll just take a coffee. The bagels are mostly for Emma – er, the two of you,” she rushed to amend, lightly patting the paper bag. “There are four bagels in here. Two everything, since they’re Emma’s favorites. Remember how we’d go and get everything bagels with scallion cream cheese at that deli down the street from gram’s apartment?”

There was so much hope in those words that Regan felt compelled to turn and look at Emma’s response.

Emma stood facing the counter with her back to them, but Regan could still see the tense set of her shoulders. She also noted that Emma wasn’t actually making a coffee but was merely… standing in front of it.

“Um, yeah,” Emma agreed after a beat of quiet.

Kimberly’s expression went from tentatively excited to downtrodden in seconds andoof.Regan stepped up next to Emma at the counter, nodding at the table, silently telling Emma to sit.

Emma frowned, shaking her head.

Regan nodded toward the tablemoreinsistently, jerking her thumb in Kimberly’s direction. Managing the emotions for this woman she didn’t know from a hole in the wall was not in her purview.

Emma’s jaw twitched again before she relented, maneuvering around Regan to pull out one of the other chairs.

She quickly poured them both a mug, fixing Emma’s with a dash of milk and a single pump of the syrup Regan kept on her antique metal serving tray. Not only did she love how it looked, but when it was no longer time for coffee, it was so easy to hide off the counter – Regan regarded it as one of her best decorative finds.

She turned around, placing Emma’s coffee in front of her. “The way you like it.” She put Kimberly’s in front of her as well. “Dairies and sugars are right behind you.”

“This is fine, thanks a bunch.” Kimberly shot Regan a grateful smile.

She returned it with one of her own as she retrieved her coffee that she’d been drinking earlier. Blessed be, she needed this caffeine.

Admittedly, getting roped into these kinds of shenanigans did jazz her up a bit. Especially because she was curious ashellto know the backstory here.

Never in her life would she have expected this fromEmma.

“Mm,” Kimberly hummed brightly as she placed her mug on the table, her eyebrows raised. “This coffee is delicious!” She laughed, a light, tinkling sound, as she put her hand against her chest. “Believe me, I drink a lot of it – most of it not so good. What brand is it?”

Regan perked up, pride pushing through her. “It’s my own blend, actually! It’s a medium blend with Brazilian and Ethiopian coffee beans.”

Kimberly sipped again, nodding effusively as she swallowed. “Well, you should be proud of this.”

“I’m a barista by trade,” Regan offered. “So, it’s kind of my thing.”

“She makes my favorite coffee. It’s perfect every time,” Emma supplied, sipping slowly on her own coffee. She spokeso casually and flippantly, but her words snagged all of Regan’s attention.

She shifted to look at Emma in surprise, studying her profile. “Really?”

Emma turned to meet her gaze, looking confused at Regan’s interest. “Yeah? I mean, I’ve gone to Topped Off for years; it’s not like that’s the only coffee shop near campus.”

A pleased warmth slid through her at the compliment and Regan settled back in her chair. Well, then.

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