Page 32 of Sweet on You
11
Ronnie
Iarrived a few minutes late to Latte Da, Lex’s bakery, with Penny in tow. Surprisingly, he was a pretty fantastic dog—separation anxiety aside. But seriously, other than that… he was nearly perfect. It made my heart ache when Yvonne told me that he had been adopted and returned three times. It had to be because of what happened yesterday. And frankly, I didn’t blame those families. A dog who can’t be home alone? That’s almost an impossible situation to deal with.
But right now? With Penny trotting in a perfect heel at my side, you would never know he had issues. He was sweet. Affectionate. Loyal. He loved listening to and pleasing me. He knew all the commands from “leave it” to “stay.” Hell, he even knew “hush,” as I discovered late last night when he was barking at something out the window and I yelled out, “Hush, Penny!”
He immediately silenced and came back over, sitting at my feet with his ears back. It was the damned closest thing to an apology I’d ever seen from a dog.
Bottom line: he was a good boy.
I arrived at Latte Da and just as I was about to stroll through the door, I froze. Oh, shit. Were there health codes against bringing a dog into a bakery? I did not think this through. Now what was I supposed to do?
I stood frozen outside his door in the chilly morning air. A gust of wind blew by, nearly taking my baseball hat with it. I caught it just in time, clamping my palm down on top of my head.
I looked around. I could probably tie Penny up out here… but knowing his behavior, he would probably pull and bark and try to destroy whatever I tied him to in order to get back to me.
I sighed and walked Penny to the bike rack just outside the bakery. He sat, patiently waiting like the good boy he was. Well,usuallywas.
I looped the leash around the edge of the bike rack and pointed my finger in his face. “Penny… Copper. Listen. I am only going to be in there for the length of one cup of coffee. Got it? You sit here and be good. Be quiet. And maybe I’ll get you a croissant, okay?”
He panted, his chocolate brown eyes bright like he was clinging to every word I said, trying so hard to understand me.
As soon as I stood and took one step away, he barked. Loudly. A screeching, brain piercing bark that was painful at any time of day, but particularly so at 6:50 a.m. before most of Maple Grove was even awake. I spun on my heels and snapped, “Hush!”
He quieted down immediately and sat. I glanced again at the door, suddenly grateful for the fact that Lex had giant floor to ceiling windows. Maybe if Penny could see me, he wouldn’t freak out so much?
It was worth a try. I turned, taking a few slow steps toward the door. He didn’t bark, but I did hear a small whimper that I let slide.
Opening the door, I faced Penny once more and said, “Hush, wait.” Before I slipped inside and closed the door.
He continued staring at me through the glass, but at least he wasn’t barking. When I looked up, Lex was smiling at me from behind the counter. I smiled at Ford Kane, the only other person in the shop and he gave me a friendly nod as he left, the door closing behind him. Lex came out from behind the counter, greeting me with a smile.
“Hey,” Lex said, slipping the apron over his head. Wow.Wow. Instead of his usual jeans and Henley t-shirt, he was in a suit. A gorgeous three-piece suit with a vest and tie and everything. That, combined with his combed hair and British accent… well, he was downright debonair. Regal even.
“You look…” Words evaded me. My eyes swept his body from the top of his styled hair down to his black dress shoes. My mouth watered, my hungry gaze greedy for more. I wanted to wrap that tie around my fist and tug his mouth to mine. “Fancy.” I finished and I was certain he noticed the long pause in between.
“Yes, well. I have some… things… to take care of today.”
“Right. Things.” He was still being secretive. Which I hated. I hated that he didn’t feel like he could open up to me about whatever was happening. It launched me right back to my days with Brandon. How he would always check his phone discreetly, hiding the screen from me. How he’d tell me I was nagging and acting crazy if I happened to ask what he was grinning at when he looked at his phone. My gut wrenched in the way it always did when I thought of my ex and I closed my eyes, willing all thoughts of him away.
“Well, come on in… let me get you a cup of coffee.”
I took a step toward Lex and as I went out of view, I heard the barking from outside and cringed.
Lex’s eyes widened. “Penny?”
“Just a minute,” I said, holding up a finger. Then I rushed to the door, cracking it open and telling Penny again to hush and wait. It worked. He quieted down and once more I entered the café, closing the door behind me. “I think I better stay in his sight,” I said, gesturing to Penny tied up outside.
Lex nodded. “I’ll get your coffee.”
“Just with a little almond milk, please.”
“Have you ever had a bullet coffee?” Lex asked.
I narrowed my gaze at him and did my best to hide my smile. “Of course I have. What doyouknow about bullet coffee?”
“Well,” he said, pouring a bit of hot coffee into a small blender and opening a small fridge behind the counter. “I know that eating fats doesn’t cause fat production in the body and that first thing in the morning adding a little blended grass-fed butter to your coffee makes it creamy, frothy, delicious and is apparentlyhealthywhile also filling you up more than a regular cup of coffee. That said… would you like one?” He paused, then gave me a little shrug. “I’m thinking about offering it on the menu.”
