Page 24 of Fighter
“I brought you some breakfast. And I wasn't sure about your coffee, but I guessed you liked it with more cream and sugar than the average human.”
“Wise man.”
He passed me a to-go cup and I had a tentative sip. Warm, not too hot, and perfectly sweetened. He was one macaron away from being my favorite person. Two styrofoam containers came out of the bag next. The smell of eggs, bacon, and butter followed.
“Wow. Thanks.”
He handed me a fork. “Seemed like it was my turn to repay the favor.”
We settled at the table and started to eat. Unlike last night, this silence wasn't burdened. Chewing was fine if I took it slow, although my cheeks ached with the movement. Before I asked how he slept, he broke the quiet. “Can I take you somewhere after we eat breakfast?”
I'll follow you anywhere,I thought, but asked, “Where?”
Warm coffee flooded my tongue while he poked an over-medium fried egg piled onto a piece of wheat toast and met my gaze.
“My brother's coffee shop.”
“The Frolicking Moose?”
“Yeah.”
“Why there?”
He leaned back in his chair, like a panther. For all his relaxed state, he still looked ready to spring. “I want to show you something.”
“At the coffee shop?” I clarified again.
He nodded.
Nothing waited here but a quiet, rainy hotel room, and going anywhere with Benjamin sounded like my favorite day.
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds like an adventure.”
The Frolicking Moose was an adorable little coffee shop at the center of Pineville. I'd only been in a few times since they'd renovated from top to bottom. A tragic fire from faulty wiring nearly burned the whole place down. Most people now went through the drive-through, but they'd recently opened back up. Rumors that they might start hosting parties in their expanded back room had started to swirl through town.
A good party always had my attention.
A girl named Christabel stood behind the counter of the Frolicking Moose, right next to Ellie, Maverick's adopted daughter. Christabel's gentle auburn hair was cropped short in an adorable pixie cut. Her face lit up as we walked in.
“Heya!”
Ellie gave Benjamin a nod in greeting, then her eyes fell to mine. Her gaze wasn't unfriendly but was too intense to be welcoming. While I wouldn't characterize her as a sad person, she certainly had a sense of solemnity about her.
A binder lay open in front of them, and based on Christabel's glazed look and the assortment of thingsthat cluttered the counter, I'd guess Ellie was training her.
“Mav said we should expect you.” Ellie tossed a ring of keys his way. Her gaze lingered on my cheek before it darted back to my eyes. A strange curiosity lived there. I met her stare but ignored the question.
Ben caught the keys easily.
“Thanks, Elle.”
Christabel waved as Benjamin walked through a doorway to the right. It led down a short hall with what appeared to be a storage closet on the left and an office on the right—all newly paneled and fresh with the smell of stain. At the end of the hallway was a wrought-iron spiral staircase. Ben put a hand on the railing and started to climb.
My curiosity got the better of me as I followed him. Once we made it to the top of the stairs, he sidestepped and motioned me forward.
“This is the new Frolicking Moose loft.”
Carefully, I ventured into an open floor plan that took up the entirety of the upper floor, which had been turned into a studio apartment. With the expansion below, they had a perfectly-sized place here. It wasn't overly large, but not too small either.
