Page 34 of Espresso Your Love

“No, it’s my car, and you’re already doing free labor.”

“Fine. How about coffee is on you next time?”

She pauses for a moment. “Okay, deal.”

Not that I’ll actually let her pay for my coffee, but I have a feeling if I didn’t, she would’ve fought me for it.

11

Cassie

He’s brought me breakfast and coffee, bought my lightbulb, and now he’s fixing my car.Who is this man?I’m starting to think I’ve made him up because I haven’t found one flaw about him. Okay, besides the black coffee, but it’s minor so I’ll let it slide. Other than that, he’s like a cinnamon roll. He’s sweet with a crunchy crust and gooey middle. He’s so kind, patient, and generous yet tough with his job.

“Can you hand me that screwdriver?”

“This one?” I hold up a wrench.

“That’s a wrench.”

“How about this one?” I ask, holding up pliers.

He raises his eyebrow. “Haven’t worked with tools much, huh?”

I chuckle and grab two screwdrivers from his toolbox. “Flathead or Phillips?” I hold them out to him.

He pauses and squints at me. “You’re a feisty one today. And after everything I’ve done for you.” He shakes his head with a smirk as he takes the Phillips screwdriver from me.

“Stick around, Hayes, and there’s a lot more where that came from.” I chuckle.

“You seemed so nice when we first met. Maybe Max and I were wrong.”

“Hey!” I punch his arm, which probably hurt me more than it did him. “I am nice. There’s just a little sass in here too.”

He laughs. It’s deep and resonates within me. “Good thing I can handle it. Guess I can thank Sadie for that.”

“It’s what younger sisters are for.” I shrug. “So, how did you become so skilled with cars?”

“It’s all thanks to my dad. He would let me help work on our car since I was a kid. Oil changes, brakes, you name it.”

“That’s incredible. I would’ve just taken it to the mechanic. What does he do?”

“Same as me.”

“A family of law enforcement. Is that something you always wanted?”

“Pretty much. Seeing my dad protect and serve our community was inspiring. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

“I bet he’s proud of you,” I say softly.

He pauses working for a moment then continues, “What inspired you to become an event planner?”

“I’ve always had a knack for it, and I had a great mentor who helped me.”

“That’s awesome. And you like running?”

“Yes, I do. I’m training for the Turkey Trot right now.”

“Woah, that’s impressive. Do you participate every year?”

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