Page 50 of Reckless King

I’m impressed. All these ideas have the potential to rapidly gain traction if Violet can get her ideas in front of the right people. “Why haven’t you implemented any of this already?” She obviously has all the right ideas, she just hasn’t put them into practice.

Violet sits back in her seat and rubs her forehead. “Honestly, I haven’t had the time, energy or money to do anything other than keep my head above water for the last five months. The manager we hired after Dad died canceled our arrangement with Jose, our supplier. After I came back, it took me over a month just to convince him to put True Brew back on his books. It was a challenge. Not because he didn’t want to help, but because he’s a businessman, and he didn’t want to risk the arrangement falling through again.”

I can understand that, even if I don’t like the stress that negotiation must have added to her plate. “How did your dad get into this industry anyway?”

Her brows pull together, and she searches my face a little skeptically. As if she’s unsure that I’m really interested in the story. That doubt pricks at me. Iaminterested in her, and not just because of this arrangement. I want to know what’s made her into the woman she is today. I want to know what makes her smile and what makes her sad. For my entire adult life, I’ve made a habit of avoiding those things with women. But apparently that doesn’t apply when it comes to Violet.

After a moment, her gaze softens, and a little smile appears on her face. “Before my parents met, Dad traveled a lot,backpacking mostly. He loved discovering new places. On one trip, he spent some time working on a small, family-owned coffee plantation in Brazil. He used to say that’s when he fell in love with the process of brewing coffee. The sourcing of the beans, roasting them to bring out the flavors—every part of it. When he met Mom, and they settled down to start a family, Dad decided he wanted to open a coffee shop. And that’s how True Brew was born.”

I watch her face, intrigued by the different emotions that play over it as she talks—happiness, wistfulness, a touch of sadness—just as much as what she’s telling me.

“He researched and studied the coffee industry and discovered how the little farms, like the one he’d worked at, were getting beaten out by large commercial farms. Typically, the kind that treat their workers unfairly and trash the environment. He wanted to do business with the farmers who cared for their workers and the land, so he tracked down the suppliers that source specifically from those farms. That’s how he and Jose met. His dream was to educate customers about the importance of sustainability in coffee production while providing fantastic-tasting coffee. And that’s exactly what he did.”

“He sounds like an amazing man.” No wonder Mark and Violet are both so honest and hardworking.

“He was.” Her smile is warm, if not a little sad. “He put his heart into True Brew. After Mom died, it was just Dad, Mark and me. Dad had to juggle a lot, but he always made time for us.”

That knowledge is bittersweet. It’s hard not to compare her relationship with her parents to mine. I wouldn’t wish the pain of losing her mom and dad on her, but I’m glad she knows what it’s like to be loved. “You were lucky to have each other.”

“Yeah, we were.” She swallows, her voice turning husky. “Losing Dad… it hit us hard. I wish I’d come back sooner, lookedafter this place better, but…” She takes a shaky breath and looks down at her notepad.

“You were only, what? Twenty-three? Taking over a business when you’ve just lost your dad and when you’re still struggling to find your feet would have been incredibly difficult. Don’t beat yourself up, Violet. You’re here now, giving it everything you’ve got. That’s the only thing that matters.”

She’s watching me now, her eyes a little glossy, her expression so open and vulnerable that it almost makes me wish that what we’re doing could be real. That I could pull her onto my lap, kiss her, take away the pain. But that’s the last thing she’d want from me, so I take another sip of my coffee to wash the urge away.

“Thank you, Tate,” she says softly. Then, with a deep breath, she picks up her pen and smiles a little too brightly. “I guess we got a little off track. I know you’re busy, so, um, am I missing anything?”

She’s right, I’m getting distracted, and I do need to get back to the office. Clearing my throat, I sit a little straighter and force myself to focus on why I came here in the first place. For another few minutes, I rattle off a few ideas I think are worth trying. Things like leveraging social media for teaser campaigns and adding a Google Maps interior view of the shop to attract people who are searching for a new place to visit.

Violet notes my suggestions while I take my last sip of coffee. As I put my cup down, I catch sight of Jarrod. He’s at the counter, laughing with a customer as he takes their order. I do need to go, but I’m strangely reluctant to leave. When I do, Violet will be here all alone with her too-handsy barista. Not that it should matter. According to our agreement, neither of us can engage in other relationships while we’re together. And on top of that, I don’t see any interest in her eyes when she looks at him.Even so, I don’t like the idea that while she’s here, he’s the one helping her run the place. He’s her shoulder to lean on.

For the first time in my life, I consider what it would be like ifIwere someone’s shoulder to lean on.

What would it be like if I were Violet’s?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

VIOLET

“You kissed him again?” Anna gasps.

I’ve got my phone pressed to my ear, and I’m hustling down the street toward True Brew. I should be there already. Jarrod has probably started opening procedures, but I should be there as well. I don’t like being late under any circumstance, and now that we’re getting a little more traction during the morning rush, I hate the idea of losing customers because I couldn’t get my ass in gear this morning. I blame that damn kiss for all my tossing and turning. “We have to make it believable,” I repeat what I told her last time.

“And a full-on make-out session in the middle of your coffee shop is what’s going to sell it?”

An excited little shiver darts up my spine at the memory, but I ignore my body’s misguided reaction. “I didn’t know it would turn out that way.”

“But you didn’t stop him?”

I clear my throat. “I may have gotten a bit carried away.”

Anna giggles. “That good, huh?”

I give her a noncommittal hum, hoping she won’t call me on it. I shouldn’t be losing sleep over Tate. Then again, the Tate I imagined I’d be fake dating isn’t the Tate who keeps showing up.Yes, he can still be arrogant, and that smirk of his still gets under my skin. But then there are the other things, like his kindness and his sincere words, that make my heart flutter.

And that kiss yesterday. God, I shouldn’t have let him kiss me in the middle of True Brew like that. But the way he was looking at me, like he wanted me, like he wanted to claim me, made it impossible to keep my wits about me. And damn it, in that moment, I’d wanted him to claim me too.

I can’t get into that with Anna right now though. I have to focus on work. “I’m almost at the shop,” I say. There’s an unfamiliar delivery van parked in the loading zone in front of the shop. The sight stops me in my tracks. Jarrod’s there, like I knew he would be, and he’s talking to the delivery man, gesturing broadly. “I have to go,” I tell Anna. “I’ll call you later.”

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