Page 14 of Under the Mistle-Foe

“I mean…it’s cold outside. I’ll get us some hot drinks and be right back. Besides, didn’t you say your project needed to be finished by today? Dad, you should stop distracting him from his work too.”

“Espresso for me,” Dad said, completely ignoring my comment. Jett continued to watch me like he was trying to find the deception.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I said, then slipped out before he found something.

The cold wind blew some calm back into me on the quick walk across the street to Jolly Java. I hadn’t been here since I’d returned. We served regular coffee at the diner, and I didn’t have a need for any of the fancy stuff.

A lot had changed here.

Instead of the two women in my memories who’d run the store—Joelle and Holly—a handsome man greeted me with a brilliant smile. He looked a few years older than me, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a face I definitely hadn’t seen before.

“Welcome! What can I get you?” He beamed at me, maybe a littletooenthusiastically. Considering there wasn’t a single person in the shop, maybe he was excited to see someone.

“You new around here?” I asked as I browsed the menu, which had gone through a complete makeover, now listing drinks I’d never even heard of before.

“That obvious, huh? The name’s Rocco. I took over Jolly Java not too long ago.”

“Remy. My dad owns the diner over there,” I said, pointing diagonally across the street to where The Snowflake Shack was located. “I see you made some changes around here.”

Rocco chuckled, though it seemed a bit forced. “Yeah, but the folks around here don’t seem too keen about my ideas.”

“Not much changes around these parts. We’re big on tradition if you can’t tell.”

“Oh, I’m fully aware. I tried to remove the pumpkin spice latte, and I thought I was going to have a mob on my hands. The people aren’t too happy with me right now,” he said with a sigh as he glanced around the empty store.

My heart went out to him. Worrying about business was stressful, especially when you put your all into something. “Give it some time. They’ll come around,” I said, trying to reassure him. He returned an appreciative smile to me.

“Can I have an espresso and five lattes? Hot.” I said, my eyes glossed over the frou-frou drinks, but they stared back at me, taunting me.

One thing I’d learned about Jett these past days was that he had a sweet tooth addiction that couldn’t be any healthier than my smoking. But then I remembered how I snapped at him earlier. A peace offering probably wasn’t a bad idea right now.

“Actually, make one of those a marzipan latte instead.”

Rocco’s smile grew wider at the drink change. “Coming right up,” he said as he took my payment.

I glanced out the window and saw Jett sitting by the large windows inside the diner. If I left through the front to round the corner, he’d definitely catch me.

“Hey, can I ask for an odd favor?” I started when Rocco handed me back my card. “Any way you’d let me slip through the back to sneak in a quick smoke?”

He hesitated, but nodded in the end. “Thanks, man,” I said and quickly disappeared into the back. It wasn’t hard to find my way since I’d played here as a kid when Joelle and Holly were running the place.

When I was outside andfinallyalone to indulge as Iwished, I quickly pulled out my cigarette pack to light up a stick, but when I flipped the pack open, I found a lollipop hanging out with the cancer sticks.

I’d tried to cut back on smoking. I knew it wasn’t good for my health, but the stress of being back here had taken a harder toll on me than I thought it would.

My finger hovered over a cigarette, and then, with a sigh, I pulled the red lollipop out, twirling it in my fingers. It was Jett’s favorite cherry flavor. He must have sneaked it in there while I was busy with the lunch rush.

I sighed and unwrapped the candy. The back of my head rested against the wall as I stared up into the sky with the damn lollipop in my mouth. Even when I was alone, I couldn’t enjoy a smoke in peace.

When I reentered Jolly Java not too long later, Rocco eyed the candy I was sucking on and smiled. “Your drinks are almost done.” He paused, then added, “You know, if you have to hide it, that means they worry and care about you.”

The cherry flavor invaded my senses as I swirled the lollipop around with my tongue. “I know,” I replied with a genuine smile. “And thanks, I still owe you one.”

He grinned and returned to making the drinks. Seeing as I’d ordered more than I could carry, Rocco kindly offered to help me bring the drinks back to the diner.

“Thanks again, man. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be here at the diner,” I said and waved goodbye to him as he walked back to his store.

I passed out the drinks to everyone, and when I handed Jett his, he stared at the damn candy in my mouth. He gave me a lopsided smile, like he knew exactly what I’d tried to get away with.

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