Page 1 of Tides of Discovery
CHAPTER ONE
Jack
The morning light spilled through the sparkling-clean front windows of The Coffee Cove, turning the exposed brick walls into shades of russet and copper. I’d claimed my usual spot: by the windows, at the corner table where decades of coffee mugs and water rings scarred the wood. From here, I could see the entire length of the narrow shop, all the way to the polished espresso machine that gleamed like a steampunk spaceship.
I tapped away on my phone, pretending to focus on the email I’d been “writing” for twenty minutes. In reality, my attention kept drifting to the man behind the counter.
My best friend, Cooper McKay.
I’d been in love with him since our college days. Since those late nights at Brewed Awakening when he’d slide experimental coffee concoctions across the counter and challenge me to guess the ingredients. Since those post-midnight study sessions where he’d quiz me on coding principles while I tried not to get lost in his green eyes. Since the day I realized no 4.0 would ever match the victory I felt when I made him laugh.
Cooper moved with precision, and his long fingers danced across the espresso machine with the confidence of a concertpianist. A strand of his dark hair fell onto his forehead as he leaned forward to steam milk, and he pushed it up with the back of his hand—a gesture so familiar to me I could have drawn it from memory. The muscles in his forearm flexed beneath the sleeve of his black Henley as he tamped down the coffee grounds.
When he smiled at a customer, my heart did that stupid little skip it always performed. His smile was open and friendly, like his face couldn’t quite contain the warmth behind it.
This was my daily quest: watch Cooper work while pretending I wasn’t watching Cooper work.
A customer stepped up to the counter—Mrs. Abernathy, eighty-something with a cloud of white hair. Before she opened her mouth, Cooper was already reaching for a mug.
“Large decaf vanilla latte?” he asked, genuine kindness in his voice.
“You’re a good man, always remembering my favorite.” Mrs. Abernathy paid for her coffee. “How’s that brother of yours doing?”
“Ryan’s great. His little girl just started kindergarten—already reading,” he said with pride. He adored his niece and spoiled her like he was her favorite uncle.
Okay, he was her only uncle. But still….
My fingers hovered over my phone, frozen in the act of feigning work. Cooper’s devotion to his family always warmed my chest. Despite his strained relationship with his parents, his love for his brother and niece remained his emotional anchor. As an only child whose parents had both died, I’d always envied the unbreakable bond Cooper shared with his brother.
The morning rush was in full swing when Cooper’s frustrated “No, no, no” reached me.
I looked up and caught him jabbing at the point-of-sale terminal with increasing agitation. A line of customers waited,expressions shifting from patience to concern. Cooper’s face flushed pink, his usually confident demeanor replaced by barely contained panic.
“Sorry, folks,” Cooper called, his voice steady despite the anxiety clear in the tight lines around his mouth. “We’re having some technical difficulties. Bear with us a moment.”
I was on my feet before I’d made the conscious decision to move. This was something I could fix, a tangible way to show I…cared.
“Let me take a look?” I slid behind the counter.
Cooper glanced at me with a mix of relief and embarrassment. “You don’t have to?—”
“It’s my wheelhouse, remember?” I kept my tone light as I nudged him aside. I pushed my glasses up my nose. “Take cash orders in the meantime. I’ll get this running again.” The screen showed an error message I’d seen too many times in my line of work.Oh, shit.
“When’s the last time you updated the security on this system?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t know. Ben set it up before we…you know. Maybe a year ago?”
The ex who’d broken his heart ten months ago. I pushed away the flare of jealousy and focused on the problem.
My fingers flew across the screen, and I accessed the system through a backdoor method. What I found made my stomach clench. This wasn’t a simple crash. There were clear signs of intrusion—sophisticated ones, at that. Someone had deliberately compromised the system, intending to cripple Cooper’s business.
“Can you fix it?” Cooper peered over my shoulder.
I nodded, not wanting to worry him with my suspicions. “Give me a few minutes.”
Cooper switched seamlessly to manual processing, writing orders in his bold handwriting and making change from the register drawer.
“Sorry about the wait, folks,” he said, raising his voice. “We appreciate your patience.”
