Page 40 of The Snowball Effect

“I wasn’t sure you really wanted an answer.”

Audrey turned to look at her, one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted. “Why would I ask a question and not expect an answer?”

“Because… you never ask me questions about my life?” Regan pointed out, her bafflement growing. What thehellwas going on here? When was Audrey going to pull out the rug and make a comment on Regan being Sutton’s leech? Granted, that was their mom’s preferred comment, but Audrey wouldn’t be her sister if she didn’t stand behind everything their parents preached.

“I’m your sister, Regan. I have some modicum of interest in your comings and goings.” Her voice was sharp again. Sharp enough that it gave Regan some semblance of normalcy, even if her actual words didn’t.

“Sincewhen?” The words slipped out incredulously. She couldn’t have stopped them if she tried. “You’ve never had any interest in my comings and goings! We don’t even text.”

“Because when I text you, I inevitably receive either a snarky response or that insipid thumbs-up emoji!”

Okay, here was the Audrey Regan knew. “Because you’re always being judgmental and rude!”

She had the text thread to prove it, and she was about to grab her phone from her pocket to do just that when they heard Anita approaching.

“Perfectly on time,” Anita announced as she walked into their fitting area. “All of your bridesmaids are here.”

Even though Regan wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of spending any time with Audrey’s social cohorts, she found herself intensely relieved.

“Regan! Those cupcakes you made have already sold out!” Beth called to her as she diligently cleaned the display case full of their baked goods. “I can’t believe you came in this morning tobake them, especially because you weren’t scheduled to come in until noon?”

Regan glanced over to confirm that the cupcakes she’d made were, indeed, all gone.

“Yeah, I decided to come in early and get it done since everyone seemed to like the recipe so much last night,” Regan answered, summoning as much enthusiasm as she could.

It wasn’t much after the combination of her fight with Emma and her morning at Opal’s.

But Beth accepted her words without a question. “I mean, it was a good call. I was just hoping there would be enough to grab another one before I head home later. My bad, though. I should have set one aside.”

Regan normally would have teased Beth –you’ve worked here for over a year now and haven’t learned the basics of setting aside desserts from the afternoon stoner crowd?

But she found she didn’t really have it in her at the moment.

“Yeah,” was all she said back before dropping her chin back into her hand with a sigh.

She half-heartedly wiped the counter space next to the cash register down with the cloth in her free hand, even though it was unnecessary, as she kept her workspace immaculate. Would she continue to garner as many tips as possible and enough positive comments from her regulars to maintain heremployee of the monthstatus for the twentieth time with a countertop full of crumbs and coffee stains?

Successful barista life meant never resting on her laurels.

She sighed again, mindlessly swiping the cloth over the counter, staring blankly down at the stainless steel as she did so.

“I’ll take a large iced coffee, dark roast,” a quiet yet commanding voice ordered. It was a voice that, though low in volume, cut through the general din of the café, demanding attention.

It was a voice Regan recognized.

She looked up from the countertop, where she’d apparently been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even registered the door to the café opening. And she looked right into Charlotte Thompson's honey brown eyes.

“Oh! Hey,” she greeted, her lips quirking into the slightest of smiles. She automatically punched in Charlotte’s order – same as she always ordered. Plain, no frills.

“Hey,” Charlotte echoed, her eyebrows lifting slightly as she paid with her credit card.

Regan turned away from facing Charlotte, scooping ice into the cup before moving to the brewer. “So… how are you doing? How’s life as a congresswoman?”

As she capped the coffee cup, she decided that she appreciated Charlotte getting a very simple order. Regan could tell a lot about someone from their coffee order, and Charlotte’s was very straightforward. Strong and direct. Really, it was the first clue that she could potentially trust this woman with her best friend’s heart.

Granted, it had been a long road with some bumps along the way before Regan hadfullytrusted that. But if Charlotte’s coffee order had required more than two pumps of anything, Regan would have had to question her character.

Still, Regan typically gave Charlotte a little shit for never trying anything else or spicing up her order. She viewed it as part of their banter.

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