Page 11 of Beat around the Bush
A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Seeing someone?”
My eyes shot to her. “No.”
“Alright, alright. I won’t pry. A vanilla latte is always a safe choice.”
Vanilla sounded like something Oakley might like. “A vanilla latte, then. And two breakfast sandwiches, please.”
She turned and grabbed a few things from the mini fridge, setting them up on the counter. “I’ll have them up in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” I took a seat at one of the tables, watching the rain as it trickled down the windows. It might as well have already been snowing with how cold it was out there.
Between the frigid temperatures already setting in and having to navigate the feed store with Oakley there, this was going to be a long winter.
7
Oakley
Igrabbed the price sheet off the counter that Jacey had given me to work on in between customers. She was unloading bags off the pallets in the back, so for now, I was the only one up front.
Lennon had practically run out of the store after tossing the quarter back at Jeff. I wasn’t going to accept it anyway, even though a quarter could really help me right now. Any spare change would come as a blessing until I got my first paycheck.
I didn’t want to ask for it early and give off the impression that I was struggling. The last thing I wanted Lennon or Jacey thinking was that I’d steal from the register. The thought never even crossed my mind. I didn’t have the heart to steal, and I really needed to keep this job if I wanted to eat anything other than salty, overcooked noodles.
The bell on the door dinged and I looked up, ready to greet the customer, but stopped short when I saw it was Lennon. He had two coffees in his hands and a paper bag held in the crook of his arm.
Assuming the second coffee was for Jacey, I went back to peeling at the sticker on the shelf. My stomach growled at the thought of coffee and a sandwich. I couldn’t afford even granola bars right now, so I skipped on breakfast. I’d have to wait for my Cup of Noodles for lunch.
Lennon came up beside me, leaving a foot of space in between us. He held one of the coffees out to me, and I glanced at the cup before looking up at him.
“Here,” he said. Rain that clung to his hat dripped down the sides, landing on his shoulders, soaking into the material of his shirt like the rest of the raindrops had outside.
I eyed the coffee, then looked back at him in question.
“I got you a coffee,” he supplied, seeing the confusion written on my face.
I didn’t want to seem too eager, gathering all my strength not to grab the cup and chug the delicious, nutty liquid, so I asked, “What kind?”
“Vanilla latte.”
It was a common drink, but it was my favorite.
I slowly grabbed the hot cup from him, our fingertips brushing as he removed his hand. “Thank you,” I said as my cheeks heated.
I hated how easy it was to turn my cheeks a million shades of red.
“You’re welcome. I got you a breakfast sandwich, too. Just egg, sausage, and cheese.” He held the brown bag up in his hand.
He got me food?
“I can’t accept that, Lennon. The coffee is enough. I’m sure Jacey would love it, though.” My stomach protested, letting out another long growl.
He arched a brow, his gaze moving to my stomach. My breath caught in my lungs. The man was looking at my body like I was the breakfast sandwich and he was the starving, broke girl who ran from her family.
“I think your stomach says otherwise.”
I pursed my lips, my cheeks practically on fire at this point. “Can you put it in the fridge in the break room? I’ll eat it on my break.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
