Page 145 of Suck My Puck

There’s a counter in the middle, where I could take orders and prepare drinks. I walk to the back room. There’s enough room for an industrial coffee bean roaster.

A giddy feeling swoops through me. It’s a second before I realize how wide I’m grinning.

“What do you think?” Braden asks.

“I think it’s perfect.”

He grins. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“That coffee bean roaster I’m saving for will work great in here.” I grab my phone and show him the exact model I have in mind. “Hopefully it’ll still be in stock by the time I have enough money saved to buy it.”

I glance around the space again. I shake my head, in disbelief at how perfect it is. “I can’t believe I fell in love with the first space I looked at.”

“Sometimes it’s just that easy,” he says.

I walk over to Caroline and ask about the rental price and the lease agreement. When she tells me, I try not to squeal. It’s right in the middle of my budget. I can totally make this work.

“When is it available to rent and move into?”

“End of February.”

I look at Braden, who’s giving Maizie a treat. He walks over to me, that giddy smile playing across his lips.

“What do you think? Is this the one?” he asks.

Excitement bursts through me as I let another giddy smile break free. “Yes. This is it. This is my coffee shop.”

Chapter 51

Braden

Coach Porter blows the whistle, signaling the end of practice.

I take a second to catch my breath before pushing up my helmet and meeting him at center ice with the rest of my teammates.

He goes over areas of improvement and I nod along, trying to absorb everything he’s saying.

I glance past him and happen to look in the stands. There’s Bella sitting with Maizie in her lap. She waves. I grin, surprised and happy to see my girls.

“Solid effort today, gentlemen,” Porter says, wrapping things up. “Go ahead and hit the showers.”

We all skate off the ice toward the locker room. Bella and Maizie are standing along the edge. The guys say hi and give Maizie pets.

I’m the last off the ice. I have to lean down pretty far just to kiss her. I’m almost a foot taller than Bella normally, but in my hockey gear I look monstrous compared to her small frame.

I smile down at her and pull off my gloves. “What are you doing here?”

“I was picking out tables for the coffee shop and the furniture place was in this neighborhood. I thought we’d come and say hi.”

It’s been a week since Bella signed the lease for her coffee shop and she’s been busy planning for the opening in the spring. That’s been her main focus, but she’s still working a few shifts at Spanky’s and her friend’s coffee shop on top of doing her roasted coffee deliveries every week. I can’t believe how much she’s doing. She’s super woman.

“Let me take you out of lunch,” I say. “You’ve been working so hard.”

Dimples flank her gorgeous smile. “That sounds nice.”

“Let me get cleaned up first. I’m pretty gross right now.”

Just then, I see Sophie walking towards us from down the hall.

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