Page 32 of Maid in Heaven

“Are you kidding me? These boots make my whole outfit,” she joked.

“Oh. Of course.Priorities.”

At thecounter,a young woman with plum-colored hairin a messy bun greetedthem. Her dermal piercingsglinted in the dimoverhead mood lights.Her eyes landed onWill and stayed there.

“Hello-welcome-to-the-Mount-Olypmus-Cafe,” the woman said so fast that it all came out as one jumbled word. She sounded like she’d recently chugged a Big Gulp full of espresso.

Will blinked hard, unable to process how fast she’d spoken.

“What-can-I-get-for-you?”Again, her words all bled together.

“As good as that hot cocoa sounds, I need somejava. I’llhave,uh, a Helen of Troy,” Ava said definitively, still staring up at the Greek-themed menu.

“The latte or frappe?” Finally, they were starting to turn into individual words. Still, the woman’s gaze stayed fixed on Will.

“Latte, please.”

The woman typed it onto the point-of-sale screen. “And you?”

Will smirked. “Surprise me. What’s your favorite?”

The barista giggled. “Can’t go wrong with theZeusLightningCappuccino.”

“I’ll have one of those then, please.”Will reached into his back pocket and whipped out his wallet.

“No,no.I’ve got this.” Ava protested, laying her hand over Will’s. “You got drinks at the bar. This ismytreat.”She unzipped the caramel-coloredpurse that perfectly matched her boots and dug through the contents, looking for her wallet. Before she could produce any money, Will’s debit card was eagerly takenby the barista.

“Will! I was going to get that. I believe in equality.”

Will shrugged. “Old habits die hard. It’s nice to spoil a good woman every once in a while.”

The barista handed his card and receipt back with a bashfulsmile. Will was clueless about the cashier’s dumbstruck display. “Thank you.”

“I-I-it’snoproblem,” she stammered, blending her words again.

Ava and Will wove their way through the tables, passing a few patrons. Some typed away on laptops or were enthralled in paperbacknovels.The clack of the keys, murmured phone calls, and scrape of ceramic mugs gave the cafe aquiet hum of life.

They took a seat beside a large front window with spidering frost that collected atthe corners. A loud gust of wind whirleda layer of fine, white snow.The breathtaking view of the inky night sky hovered overhead, millions of stars visible. Will brought his focus back to Ava.

“So, have you lived in Wyoming long?”

“My whole life. Born and raised right there in Riverton, actually. Came to Jackson Hole when I moved back because of the airport.”

“Came back? From where?”

“Jacksonville. Went there for a few years to get my Bachelor’s.”

“You had a taste of the beach life, and you cameback?”

“Oh yeah. Florida’s heat is absolutely brutal. And there wasn’t much to look at if you’re not dazzled by Spanish moss. Not like here.” She motioned to the moon-kissed mountains outside. “I missed Wyoming. To me, this is it. I’ve been all over the United States. Been totwelve other countries, too. I can honestly say I’ve never seen any placemore captivating than right here. I know I’m not the only one, either. I always see tourists flood in, and new shops pop up everyyear. Turns out this place is not exactly a well-kept secret.”

“Yeah, this state has grown a lot since I was a kid.”

Looking into his sapphire eyes, she could feel her defenses weaken, walls cracking. Walls she had put in place for a reason. His gaze made the temperature of the room feel like it was rising to a rolling boil.

One side of his lip raised in a sexy grin that cranked her body temperature up to inferno.

“So what about you? You from here?”

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