Page 2 of Cups of You

The richness of that voice caught her attention and she glanced away from the board. She was expecting tall, dark, and handsome to be the face of such deeply vocalized words.

She got the tall and handsome parts right.

The dark not so much.

Behind the counter was six plus feet of lightly tanned skin dotted with cinnamon-hued freckles. Her gaze took in a crown of thick dark brown hair and a lush-looking beard sprinkled with bursts of red. Dark brown eyes the same color of the brew she was seeking gazed at her.

Amber blinked slowly as if the man in front of her would disappear and reappear as the one she had envisioned owning such a baritone voice. When he remained in front of her, his thin lips stretched in an open smile, Amber shook herself and forced her eyes back up to the menu.

“Let me get a latte with an extra shot. Soy milk if you have it.” When she looked back at him, the man’s smile hadn’t changed. It was a friendly smile, but right then she wasn’t in the mood for friendly. She was ready to suck down some caffeine so she could gather enough energy to continue her internal crisis.

Not missing a beat, the man nodded and wrote down her order. “What size would you like?”

His voice slid over her in a way that should have been illegal. It was the type of voice that should come with a warning, but she forced herself to stay focused.

“Medium. No, large.” He glanced up one thick brow arching as he observed her but wrote it down. Amber narrowed her eyes.

There was judgement in that glance, and she didn’t appreciate it at all when she was already having a crappy day. “Actually, add two extra shots as well.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “You planning on staying awake all night?”

Amber frowned. “Excuse me?” She was not in the mood to be questioned by some guy she didn’t even know.Who the hell does this guy think he is?

Her panic had seeped away but now it left her nerves raw and exposed. She knew she shouldn’t lash out at someone who was probably just trying to make friendly conversation in a town that thrived on that kind of interaction, but she was not in the mood.She did hope he wasn’t the type to spit in her coffee in revenge for her shortness though.

“What’s my total?” She tried to temper her tone to something more pleasant, but from the look he gave her, she clearly wasn’t successful. The man raised both eyebrows this time but gave her the total and she didn’t waste a second before pulling out her card and holding it out to him.

Their fingertips brushed lightly when the card changed hands and he glanced up at her as he rang up the order. This close, Amber could see his rich brown eyes were flecked with gold and she was hard pressed to look away while they rested on her. When he finally looked back down at the register, she tore her own gaze away to take in the rest of the café.

The walls were white painted over brick, and the area was decorated tastefully in dark browns and creams with a muted cerulean blue as a pop of color here and there. There were rounded tables near the windows with chairs littered around each of them and two dark brown couches that looked to be covered in the softest of leathers that Amber would love to sink down onto.

The space wasn’t large, but it was cozy and looked invitingly comfortable. Amber would have loved to find something similar back in Chicago to duck into with a good book. If the coffee was as good as it smelled, she would no doubt be back.

“I’ll have that ready for you in just a bit.”

Amber whipped her head around and glanced down dumbly. Her hands were still shaking slightly as she retrieved her card, something she was sure he probably noticed. There wasn’t much she could do about that now, so she nodded at him and forced her head high as she walked over to the pick-up area of the counter.

From there, she could observe the other patrons a couple of whom looked up and nodded in recognition when they noticed her. She nodded back to be polite but left it at that. Thankfully, no one came up to talk to her though she knew that would change soon enough.

She remembered when people would return home after a few years of living elsewhere when she was younger. Everyone in town seemed to collectively agree to give the returnee a few days to get re-acclimated before pouncing on them with warm welcomes and invitations for dinner.

Maybe they’ll be nice and give me six months instead of a few days.

It was unlikely. She was sure her aunt, Jackie, had already informed all her church friends that Amber was coming back to town.

In a town of only a few thousand people, news travelled fast. Amber wasn’t vain enough to think that most people cared about her return, but if they knew of her before she left, they no doubt would have heard she was coming back to visit. Aunt Jackie was the worst at keeping secrets and so were the gossipy women she hung out with. Amber doubted that would change no matter how much time went by.

“Large soy latte with an extra double kick.”

Amber nodded when the stranger called out her drink. The warmth of the cup was soothing against her chilled palms, and Amber’s eyes fluttered closed when she took in a deep breath letting the fragrant steam wash over her. She turned to leave when the man called out to her again.

“Hey. Sorry…um.”

She turned gracing him with a lifted brow. “Yeah?”

He scratched at his fuzz-covered chin before speaking. “What’s your name?”

“Why?”

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