Page 56 of Loving You

“Was that called for?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure, because?—”

“Oh my gosh, look at you two,” Brooke says as she walks down the line of customers. Daisy is helping at the counter now. “Whispering all early in the morning. It’s so cute, I could vomit.”

“Morning, Brooke,” Miles says.

“Morning,” I add in a much cheerier tone than the grump next to me.

“You’re here awfully early today. Was it a late night?” Brooke asks with a wink.

My cheeks blush. I pinch my lips to keep from laughing at how absurd her comment is, but I catch Cherry looking at me, and perhaps my attempt at not laughing is coming off as me hiding a smile for different reasons.

Cherry turns, her hair whipping behind her and hitting Danny in the face.

He steps back. “Whoa there, Red.”

Cherry doesn’t even give him the time of day. She just ignores him.

I glance at Miles to see if he saw that, too, but he’s watching me.

His gaze is so intense that I instantly feel my stomach bottom out like I’m about to get in trouble.

Oh Jesus, what now?

This man is giving me whiplash. One minute we are all friendly on a leisure stroll for coffee, talking like besties, and now he won’t take his eyes off me and is making sure people only say nice things to me.

I cannot keep up.

I pull my phone from my purse to see if my grandma or brother texted me back, but there are no notifications.

The line moves but slowly.

Before I know it, Miles and I are on our way back to the shop.

“Well, that definitely went a lot easier than I thought it was going to go.”

I sip my coffee. “Did it?” I ask, letting my tone stand in as an eye roll.

“Are you sure you’re telling me everything with Danny? He seems like a tool, and I don’t like the backhanded comments he gives you.”

“I did, yes. He is a nice guy, despite the impression he’s given you.”

Danny never spoke to me that way before. My guess is that he’s doing it now because the sight of me with someone else stings. It’s not an excuse, nor does it justify his behavior the last couple of days, but I have no other idea as to why he would act this way.

Miles sighs.

When he doesn’t say anything for a moment, I steal a glance in his direction.

He’s watching me.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, it’s something if you’re looking at me like that.”

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