Page 17 of The Fixer

A few grumbles passed through the line, and heat blazed up Joy’s neck. “N-no, it’s okay. I’ll get my own.” Sheesh! Nothing like being put on display, especially in front of people who didn’t appear terribly fond of her interloping ass. Jumping the line hadn’t been her idea, she wanted to remind them. It belonged to the jocular celebrity among them.

Meanwhile, Charlie almost looked … hurt. Like a puppy with sad eyes. “No, really. Let me get this.”

The customers’ impatience was almost palpable, so she caved to speed things along. “Um, okay. Thanks. I’ll have a grande cappuccino.”

“What size is that?”

Oh. They spoke a different coffee language here. Of course they did.

The woman taking the order looked around Charlie at Joy. “Sixteen ounces?”

“Yes, please. With nonfat milk. And artificial sweetener.”

Charlie motioned Joy up to the front of the line.

She squirmed with embarrassment. “No, I’m fine back here.”

Charlie chuckled. “Then who’s going to help me carry all this stuff?”

Oh, right.She scurried to the counter, apologizing and excusing herself as she pressed past the grumpy customers.

Charlie looked down at her with that white-toothed smile. Joy was tall, but he was … way taller. And those eyes. Gray-green, like a spruce tree, with slashes of gold. Wow.

Suddenly, she recalled her own mascara-smudged eyes and took another swipe at them. She also remembered her smelly shoe. Had she put on deodorant before she ran from her room? Shambling several steps to the side, she put distance between them, just in case she was overripe. She didn’t even want to think about what her hair looked like right now. God, she was a mess!

And why, exactly, did she care?

“Hi, Joy!” Hailey’s greeting from behind the counter nearly rocketed Joy out of her stinky sneakers. She hadn’t noticed that the tavern’s bartender was one of the baristas working the machines—she’d been too distracted by one tall contractor.

“You work at the bar and here too?”

“Uh-huh. Amy and I are partners. She’s coffee, and I’m books.” She squeezed the other woman’s shoulder. “This is Amy. Amy, meet Joy, Helene’s daughter.”

Amy beamed her a smile, and Joy flashed one of her own, along with a quick, “Nice to meet you.”

Were these people on some kind of happy pills? Everyone was socheerful—except the people in line who’d given up their spots to accommodate her.

Hailey pointed at a glass case that housed a variety of plump, gooey pastries. “Fresh this morning. Which one can I tempt you with?”

“Oh, I, uh …” Joy’s stomach rumbled. After consuming the entire burger—and all the fries—last night, she didn’t expect to be hungry for at least a week, but those pastries were making her mouth water.

Hailey plucked out a chocolate brioche with a pair of tongs. “You look like a chocolate lover to me. Will this do? Or are you more the almond type?” She pointed the tongs at other scrumptious selections, some dusted with powdered sugar. Joy contemplated checking for drool. “We havesome melt-in-your-mouth fruit tarts if you’re looking for something healthier.” Hailey sent her a sly wink.

“We’ll take one of each,” Charlie declared.

“Wait. No, I—” Joy babbled.

“Whatever you don’t eat, my crew will. They won’t go to waste,” he soothed.

“But you’re already paying—”

“Can you hurry it up already? Some of us need to get to work,” someone groused. When Joy looked back, the grouser’s beady eyes were laser-focused onher, not the Fall River local who was the real culprit in the delay. No, him they treated like royalty.

His highness elbowed her playfully. “You’ll buy next time.”

There’s going to be a next time?Not if Joy could help it. She’d be back in Chicago shortly, enjoying her daily routine that didn’t include her standing in a long coffee line without the benefit of a shower.

Charlie handed Amy a credit card and pivoted toward the crowd. “Sorry for the wait, folks. Your coffees are on me.”

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