Page 19 of Enemy Kisses

He studies the food carefully. “Any surprises I should know about?” He lifts his brows and studies my face intently. I feel the heat rise from my chest and make its way up to my cheeks.

The door opens and the atmosphere changes dramatically. It’s instant as it sweeps across the room. I’m not the only one to notice. As I glance around, I observe several customers stiffening as they watch the doorway. I turn around to see what all the fuss is about, and my heart drops straight to my toes and through the timber floorboards. My back straightens and I swallow thickly around nothing.

“There she is!” my dad exclaims as he leans against the open door. “The inheritance thief.” He points at me from across the room.

Oh my God!Finn stands from his chair, his body heat saturating my back and providing me with a modicum of comfort. I should step forward and lead my parents away from my customers before they cause more of a scene, but I’m locked in position. Finn’s hand takes residence on my hip and grounds me as my parents step fully inside my café.

My pride and joy.

My grand-mère’s legacy.

Their greedy eyes take in the space, and disdain overtakes their features. They were furious Grand-Mère left everything to me. They boycotted her funeral to make their point.

Finally, my feet decide to move into action, and I greet my parents. “Mom, Dad. This is a surprise.”To put it mildly.

“I’m sure it is. I bet you were hoping we’d never step foot in here. Is this the best you could do with the old girl’s money?” Dad waves his arm out and sways to the side along with the action. Everyone is watching our interaction, and I feel as though I’m one of the ants I used to study with a magnifying glass. My body heats with embarrassment and I feel a second person standing at my back. When I glance over my shoulder, I find Quentin standing with his arms crossed. His sheer size makes him a formidable-looking man. Add in the tattoos and he’s downright scary.

“Mom, Dad. How about I show you the rest of the place?” Hopefully I can get them away from my patrons so they can enjoy their meals.

Mom scoffs. “I’m not interested in a tour. If this is the best you can do where it matters, I dread to see the rest.”

“Get your old man a coffee.” Dad waves toward the coffee machine and then staggers to the open table next to Finn’s since half of my patrons have quietly crept out the door. I don’t blame them; nobody likes other people’s drama.

I step away from the comfort of Finn and Quentin’s support and tilt my head subtly to let them know I’m okay. I’ll have to think about the way Finn gave his silent support later. Finn takes his seat and Quentin reluctantly steps back into the kitchen, while I make two cups of coffee for my parents. Judy shuffles beside me.

“Are you okay?” she whispers.

I shrug. “I’m used to it. I just wish they hadn’t made a scene in front of our customers. I only hope they haven’t done too much damage to our reputation.” I steam the milk and pour it into each cup and select two almond croissants. With shaky hands, I place the items on a tray and make my way over to my parents, smiling awkwardly at the remaining customers who witnessed the earlier scene. They return my smile with looks of sympathy. Not something I need or want.

Finn is speaking with my dad across the gap between their tables. As I get closer, I become privy to their conversation. “This is the best café around. Harry’s only been open for a short time and already she has regular customers as well as customers who travel from the other side of the city especially for her crêpes and croissants. Her delicious treats and exceptional coffee are already renowned throughout the city.”

My heart expands at Finn’s praise, though I’m not sure how he knows any of it.

“Well, that’s something at least.” Dad’s voice is derisive.

“It’s more than something,” Finn fires back. “It’s everything. Places like this help to build community, and in a world like ours, where many people only think about themselves, it’s important. What Harry’s built here … it’s everything.”

I step between Finn and Dad. “Here’s your coffee, and I took the liberty of choosing each of you a croissant.” I turn around to face Finn and mouth, “Thank you.”

He tips his head to me with a smile that’s different from his usual smirk. Something passes between us and it feels …differentsomehow. Like we’re on the same side.

Mom clears her throat. “Aren’t you going to join us? We rarely get to see you.”And whose fault is that?

I glance around the café, noting everyone settled with drinks and food. It’s a rare moment of quiet. Damn it. Why couldn’t there be a queue of people waiting to order? “I can stop for a moment, but I’ll have to get up to serve.”

“We can’t even visit with our daughter.” Mom sighs dramatically. She’s good at that.

“I’m sorry. If I’d known you were going to be in town, we could have made plans for Sunday.”

Dad flicks his wrist as if to wave off my suggestion. “We won’t be here on the weekend. Perhaps you could take us out to dinner tonight. There’s that five-star Michelin restaurant in the city.”

Finn coughs behind me. “They’re booked out months in advance, Dad. And I don’t have the money for somewhere so extravagant. I live on a tight budget.”

“What the hell did you do with all of my mom’s money, Harriet?” My customers turn around to look at us since my father can’t keep his voice to a reasonable level.

I scrunch my eyebrows together and chew on my lip. Dropping my voice low, I lean forward. “I’m not sure how much money you think Grand-Mère had, but after I arranged her funeral and finalized the payments to the nursing home, there wasn’t all that much left. What she left in her will helped me start this café as per her instructions, but I still had to cover a lot of the expenses myself.”

He huffs and he and Mom exchange a look. It’s a look I’m more than familiar with. It says,Harriet’s let us down once again.I’ve never lived up to their standards when they were around, which, to be fair, wasn’t all that often. They left Grand-Mère to raise me for most of my childhood and teenage years. Then when it came time that Grand-Mère needed help and support, they left it up to me, which I didn’t mind. She was my favorite person in the world, and I wouldn’t have traded a single minute of the time I got to spend with her. As difficult as it was to watch her decline, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

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