Page 58 of Mile High Daddy

“Well, well, well,” she murmurs under her breath, nudging me as he approaches the counter. “Your boyfriend is here.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Notyet,” she whispers before winking and turning away.

I roll my eyes, but there’s no point in arguing with her. She’s been convinced for months that Alex has a thing for me. I don’t believe it.

Alex is just…Alex.

He stops in a few times a week, usually during my shift, and always orders the same thing—a black coffee, no sugar. He lingers sometimes, chatting about whatever book he’s reading or complaining about the terrible film adaptation of some classic novel.

It’s easy with him. Comfortable.

And in a life where everything else feels like a ticking time bomb, I don’t take that for granted.

“Hey, Leah,” he greets, resting his arms against the counter. His dark eyes flick over me, warm and steady. “How’s your day going?”

I wipe my hands on a dish towel and smile. “Same as usual. You?”

“Better now that I have coffee coming my way.” He grins, but there’s something softer in his gaze, something I don’t know what to do with.

I turn to the espresso machine, shaking off Maggie’s words.

“So,” he says after a pause. “Got any plans tonight?”

I glance back at him. “Why?”

He shrugs. “Just wondering if you finally plan to do something fun instead of working and hiding away in that tiny apartment of yours.”

I huff out a small laugh, shaking my head as I prepare his drink. “I do fun things.”

“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”

I hesitate. The truth is, I don’t do anything outside of work. I go home, I rest, I avoid attention. But before I can come up with a lie, Maggie swoops in.

“She’s not doing anything, but I am,” she says, smirking as she leans against the counter. “I got invited to a party by this super-hot finance guy.”

Alex’s expression shifts. It’s subtle, but I catch it—the slight narrowing of his eyes, the brief tension in his shoulders.

“A finance guy?” he repeats.

Maggie nods, grinning. “Yeah. Tall, good-looking, kind of mysterious. Leah thinks it’s a bad idea.”

Alex’s gaze flicks to me, his brows lifting slightly.

I shrug. “I just think it’s weird that some rich guy is throwing a party in a college town.”

“She’s paranoid,” Maggie teases, nudging my shoulder. “You’d think she’s in witness protection or something.”

I freeze for half a second before forcing a laugh.

Alex doesn’t laugh. He just keeps watching me.

The coffee machine beeps, breaking the silence, and I turn quickly to grab his drink, handing it to him. His fingers brush mine as he takes it. It’s barely a touch, but I feel it.

I clear my throat. “Enjoy your coffee.”

He nods, but something lingers in his expression, something unreadable.

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