Page 9 of Flake It Til You Make It

“I’ll figure it out,” Taylor said. Even though he had no idea how he would do that. Maybe he could come up with a positive spin onreally fucking single and even more fucking alone.

“Of course you will.” Mona gave him a quick hug. “You’re so smart, Taylor. And the best thing this town could have. I wouldn’t be recommending you to take Martin Granger’s place if I didn’t think you’d be more than capable of doing the job.”

“I won’t let you down,” Taylor promised.

She patted him on the cheek. “You wouldn’t. Now go off and have fun, alright?”

Taylor didn’t know ifquiet drink at Rudolph’scounted as fun, necessarily, but for him these days, that more than fulfilled the definition.

He walked over and had just settled down on a stool at the far end of the long wooden bar when a commotion behind him caught his attention.

Taylor turned and wished he hadn’t.

Rocco Moretti, the new owner of Jolly Java, and the only man to come close to heating him up in the last few years, was approaching, muttering and gesturing, clearly upset about something.

Don’t come sit next to me, don’t come sit next to me, don’t come sit next—

But Rocco looked up and down the bar, and even though there were several open barstools, took the one right next to Taylor.

Of course.

They’d met only once before, when in his official capacity, Taylor had dutifully gone to the coffee shop to welcome him to Christmas Falls as one of its new business owners.

It had been a completely routine sort of visit, one he’d done a dozen times before, except for the fact that Rocco’s good looks and charm had left him stammering and awkward.

“Hey,” Rocco said, leaning over right into Taylor’s personal space. With anyone else he’d have shifted his barstool over a fraction, making it clear just how much he wasn’t into having his bubble invaded by a stranger.

But Taylor didn’t move.

He let himself stay for a minute and just enjoy all that fucking warmth.

“Hey,” Taylor replied, adopting a very casual, very much,I’ll be nice, but I’d actually prefer to be left alonetone.

Even in the middle of winter, Rocco’s skin was a warm olive, like he’d just stepped off a plane from the sunny coast of Italy, his dark eyes bright and animated, full of fire. He tugged his hat off and dark curls spilled out, falling over his forehead.

Taylor forced himself to look away. It was annoying that Rocco Moretti was more interesting to him than Heath freaking Kelly, who was just here for a few weeks and would be a perfect way to break his long dry spell. Rocco Moretti, on the other hand, lived in town. Nothing with him would be simple, or cut-and-dried.

But apparently Rocco didn’t get his memo about being left alone, because he leaned in even farther, and Taylor swore he could smell coffee on his skin, he was that freaking close.

He didn’t like coffee, but he was afraid he liked Rocco.

“God, this town,” Rocco said. “I want to love it, I do, but it’s kind of driving me nuts.”

“I think that means youdolove it,” Taylor said dryly.

He didn’t need to ask what had Rocco so hot under his collar. He knew. Rocco’s changes to Jolly Java had not all been welcome, and the town was a little pissy about thatparticular fact.

“Ugh, I think you must be right. We don’t always like the people we love, right?”

Taylor wanted to ask what kind of experience he had with that, withlove, but he didn’t, because he wasn’t stupid enough to flirt with Rocco Moretti.

“Yeah,” Taylor agreed. He was predisposed to feel empathy for Rocco—they were both outsiders, and also undeniably because hewantedto—but Mona would probably caution him not to wade into this mess.

The town would eventually forgive Rocco, they always did, but right now they were giving him the cold shoulder. Punishing him for getting rid of their comfortable favorites and attempting to introduce them to goat cheese . . .or something.

Taylor had listened to several people complain one morning over his breakfast plate at The Snowflake Shack, and that seemed to be the conclusion they’d come to.

They didn’t appreciate being deprived of pumpkin spice and they didn’t want to like goat cheese.

---