Page 4 of Cups of You

Amber moved to take the box and additional drink hoping to get out before she was subjected to another one of Benjamin’s alarmingly wholesome smiles.

“Do you need me to carry it to your car for you?” His question was simple, but it still rankled Amber’s nerves. She wasn’t a helpless maiden who needed rescuing from some dude she didn’t know. She balanced the cups on top of the box and gave him a pointed look letting him know exactly how she felt about his suggestion.

“No. Clearly I can manage on my own.”

She had expected some smart-ass response, but all he did was nod, the small smile never dropping from his face. “Well, it was good to meet you, Amber. Hopefully, I get to see you around sometime.”

If those words had come from some guy back in Chicago, Amber might have thought he was hitting on her. But with his strangely youthful smile that had none of the obvious cockiness Amber had grown accustomed to, she was left off kilter and only nodded in response before exiting the café.

A biting breeze had her shivering unpleasantly after the comforting warmth of the café and Amber moved quickly. She slid into her car and placed the box on the seat and the cups in the middle holder. She rolled her window back up and continued on her way paying close attention to the street signs before muscle memory finally kicked in. Soon enough she was making her way down the road the smiley stranger safely far from her mind.

TWO

Strangers were not unheard of in Millensville, but they were still surprising particularly outside of the summer and fall crowds that came for the festivals and other events the town put on to attract more business.

Especially one as attractive as her.

Benjamin frowned. The thought wasn’t untrue even if it was unwelcome. Ms. Jay, as Benjamin fondly called her, had occasionally spoken about her niece when she came into the café. From the way she had mentioned Amber, he had assumed he would never meet the woman, and pictures had never been volunteered. He hadn’t expected Amber to be so quick tempered.

Or so beautiful.

As soon as Amber had walked through the door, Benjamin’s attention had been on her and nothing else. She was dressed in a simple long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans the same as most people this time of year, but there was something about her that had him perking up.

Maybe it had been the way she announced her entrance glaring up at the door like it had personally offended her. Maybe it had been the way her lips twisted as she bit the inside of her cheek while looking at the menu.

Regardless, it had given him a few moments of time to get his shit together and try not to stare quite so obviously though he wondered if perhaps he hadn’t been quite as careful as he thought.

Still, those few moments had been invaluable as he gazed at her from across the counter. Amber’s skin was like warm rich earth almost shimmering with its own inner fire. Her lips were full and inviting tilting naturally up at the corners in a way that reminded Benjamin of whispered secrets shared between soft sheets. She hadn’t been tall by anyone’s standards, but she had a presence that had him second guessing his thoughts and overthinking his words.

Benjamin didn’t believe in love at first sight, but he was man enough to admit he was hoping she came back in even if just to look at him like he was a fool for speaking. He shook his thoughts away and turned to the sink full of dirty plates and coffee mugs. He didn’t have time to think about some gorgeous, vertically challenged woman with anger issues, even if she was adorable in a prickly sort of way.

The bell above the door jingled and Benjamin called out a greeting as he glanced up. His lips turned down when he saw his daughter, Olivia, walking through the door of the café. He glanced at his watch and calmed slightly when he realized it was nearing five in the evening.

Olivia’s smile was wide, and it was like looking in a mirror. People in town insisted she was his clone given her freckles that deepened in color thanks to the sun just like Benjamin’s own. But her sky-blue eyes were all her mother’s.

“Hey daddy-o. What’s the sitch?”

“What’s the what?”

“Give me the four-one-one.”

He furrowed his brows. “The four what?”

“You know, give me the deets? Drop some tea?”

“Are you on drugs?” Benjamin crossed his arms over his chest and stared. “What are you talking about?”

“No, I’m not on drugs you boomer.”

“Wrong generation.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “You are so far removed, dad.” She waved at a few of the other patrons before walking around the counter. “Wasn’t that slang part of your generation anyway?”

“No,” he said before pausing. “Well…maybe. Still doesn’t explain why you were using it. And what are you doing?”

Olivia sighed before rolling her eyes again, a gesture he was becoming quite familiar with these days.

“I was asking you if anything interesting had happened today.”

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