Page 68 of Suck My Puck

“He hates him.”

“That must be tough, having to see your sibling with someone you think is a loser.”

“Yeah, but at least he’s biting his tongue. He hasn’t said anything too bad to him.” Braden turns around to look over at the table, then turns back to me. He leans closer to me over the bartop. “I think Sam is into Dakota.”

I peer around him to look at the table. I notice Sam keeps glancing over at her. When he looks at Jake, the look in his eyes hardens.

I raise an eyebrow and turn back to Braden. “I think you might be right.” I let out a chuckle and shake my head. “There’s a lot of drama brewing in your friend group.”

Braden chuckles and tugs at the baseball cap he’s wearing backwards. “So you know a lot about coffee.”

“I work at a coffee shop too, remember?”

He shakes his head. “No, you talk about it like you really know your shit. It’s impressive. And hot.” He quirks an eyebrow.

I smile as I pop open the bottle of Prosecco and grabthree glass flutes. “I didn’t know coffee talk was a kink of yours.”

“I’m serious. The way you just pulled out that coffee knowledge blew me away.”

I look at him, soaking in the warmth of his soft blue stare. He really means it.

“I’m a coffee idiot,” he says. “I drink drip coffee with a splash of cream. When I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll get a nitro cold brew.”

I smile. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Those are yummy.”

He tilts his head at me. “After you left the table, I had to look up what affogato and seganto were,” he says.

I chuckle and he flashes a wide grin. I take in the brightness in his gaze. My heart flutters. I love it when he does that, when his smile is so happy that it reaches his eyes.

“Why do you know so much about coffee, pretty girl? Is it just an out-of-control caffeine addiction?”

I chuckle before my smile fades thinking about it.

“I was planning to open my own coffee shop, so I spent a lot of years researching coffee and what running a small business is like,” I say.

That bright look in Braden’s eyes remains. “That’s really cool.”

I’m quiet as I finish up the drinks. “Yeah. But it’s not gonna happen.”

He frowns. “Why not?”

I sigh and brush my hair out of my face. “Because I spent all my savings on a buying a house with my ex. So if anyone’s an idiot, it’s me.”

His expression falls. He opens his mouth to say something, but Ingrid runs up next to him.

“Hey, Bella, can I ask you a random favor?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“So my mom gets together with her girl friends at the beginning of every month and they usually go wine tasting, but half of them are on a health kick and want to cut back on alcohol. She’s been pestering me for suggestions on what they should do instead and when you started talking about coffee, it gave me an idea,” she says. “Would you be willing to host a coffee tasting for them? They’d pay you of course.”

I feel myself perk up with excitement at the idea.

“Next week is the beginning of November, so I know it’s last minute,” Ingrid says. “But my mom’s friends would be happy to make it worth your while. Seriously, name your price and they’ll pay you whatever you want.”

“Oh, wow.” I chuckle, in disbelief. “Sure. That sounds really fun.”

Ingrid beams and claps her hands together. “Great! Can we exchange numbers so we can talk more about it?”

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