Page 12 of Suddenly Desired
It might all end in nothing. She might not even be there. But it felt like the right thing to do.
Heaven knew he needed a coffee. And maybe, just maybe, he needed to see her too.
Smiling, he stepped into the lift.
Chapter 8
ELLIE
“Honestly, Ellie, take the hint and go home.”
Lissa was unloading cups from the dishwasher, drying them with quick, efficient movements before stacking them neatly on the shelf. The café was empty now, just the hum of the fridge and the occasional clatter of dishes breaking the silence. Even Josh had slunk off an hour ago, probably to mope somewhere else. Ellie had scrubbed the tables, mopped the floor — twice — and even deep-cleaned the small bathroom. She was out of tasks, but she still wasn’t ready to leave.
“Go,” Lissa said again, exasperated. “You’re twenty-seven, Ellie. Don’t waste your life hanging around here.”
Before Ellie could argue, the bell above the door jingled, and a couple strode in. The man was broad-shouldered, dressed in an expensive suit, his hair slicked back. The woman wore a silk blouse, her lipstick applied with surgical precision. They looked like they belonged in a high-end bar sipping martinis, not in a tiny indie café that smelled of old books and freshly baked scones.
Ellie straightened. “Good evening, what can I get you?”
The woman didn’t acknowledge her, instead wrinkling her nose as she surveyed the café. “Black coffee. No sugar. But make sure it’s hot. Not lukewarm, not scalding, just . . . hot. Can you remember that?”
Ellie’s hackles rose. She opened her mouth to respond, but the man kissed his wife and then leaned in to Ellie with an easy, almost condescending smirk. “Make that two.”
Ellie forced a polite smile. “Coming right up.”
She turned towards the counter, her fingers clenched around the dish towel with a death grip, her knuckles white.
Lissa noticed instantly. With a sharp tug, she prised the towel from Ellie’s fingers.
“Go,” she whispered, her tone gentle but firm. “You’re done. You’re just getting wound up, and I don’t need you snapping and throwing coffee at the customers.”
Ellie blinked at her. “I wasn’t—”
Lissa arched an eyebrow. “Weren’t you?”
Ellie opened her mouth to argue but closed it again. “Fine. I’m going.”
Lissa smirked. “Damn right you are. And I’d better not see you here before your shift tomorrow. Go do something reckless. Or, I don’t know,fun.”
Ellie rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight a small smile. “Define ‘fun’.”
“Literally anything but this.”
Shaking her head, Ellie grabbed her bag and coat, casting one last side-eye at the couple. It was early evening, and even though the temperature was mild it didn’t seem like dress weather anymore so she kept her uniform on. Slinging her bag on her shoulder, she marched out of the café, calling a goodbye to Lissa. She dug her phone out, trying not to notice the depressing lack of text messages — apart from another two from her mum demanding to know how the interview had gone.
Sorry, Mum, she thought, heading off in the direction of her flat. She was just hitting dial when she thumped into something — or someone — solid, the shock of it making her drop her phone.
“Ah, crap, sorry!” she said, flustered, as a low, pained “Oof”came from the person she’d run into. She crouched down quickly, snatching up her phone. “I wasn’t looking where I was—” She glanced up and froze mid-sentence.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Blake.
He looked different, dressed down in jeans and a hoodie, the shadows of his hood and his aviators obscuring part of his face, but there was no denying it was him. Her body recognised him before her brain did, a rush of heat creeping up her neck. He rubbed his stomach, wincing slightly, but his lips quirked into a lazy half-smile that sent her pulse into overdrive.
“We really should stop meeting like this,” he said, his voice soft and laced with humour.
Ellie blinked hard, her brain short-circuiting. “What are you . . . ?” she stammered. “I mean, why . . .How. . . ?”
