Page 64 of Tides of Discovery
Jack
“A little higher on the left.” Cooper stood back to assess the banner I was hanging.
Earlier, the morning rush had nearly reached capacity. Business had rebounded, thanks to the coupon campaign Cooper’s friends had rallied behind and most of the bogus reviews getting removed from HelpReviews.
But the morning crowd had subsided and given us time to prepare for the Valentine’s Day event. Jessica was handling the few customers who trickled in while Cooper and I transformed the shop.
I stretched up on the stepladder and adjusted theA Latte Lovesign until it hung perfectly across the front windows of The Coffee Cove. The morning light caught on the metallic red hearts scattered throughout the design. It was beautiful—both the banner and Cooper’s proud smile as he gave me a thumbs-up.
“Perfect,” he said.
“Excellent.” I climbed down, and he held the door open as I carefully navigated the ladder through the entrance and into theshop. “Now we just need to finish the table displays and sleeves, and we’ll be all set for Valentine’s Day.”
Valentine’s Day. The culmination of our temporary run and, according to The Boyfriend Bargain, our reevaluation date.
Had I been successful these past weeks? Had I shown Cooper what we could be together? The signs were promising: the tender way he looked at me, the genuine warmth in his touches, the way our kisses had evolved from gentle hesitance to heated exchanges, the boundaries we’d obliterated.
But I still couldn’t be certain. Would Cooper want to extend what we had beyond our agreement, or would he be relieved to return to the safety of friendship?
The thought of going back to just friends made my stomach twist with nausea. I wouldn’t be able to do it—not after everything we’d shared, not after learning what it felt like to fall asleep in his arms and wake up to his sleepy smile. The intimacy we’d built would make friendship impossible. I’d be constantly confronted with what we could have been but chose not to pursue, and the pain of that would be unbearable.
A week had passed since that night after dinner at Ryan’s, when everything between us seemed to shift. Seven days of the best relationship I’d ever had.
One way or another, I’d know soon enough if my plan had worked.
“Jack?” Cooper pulled me from my thoughts. “You okay? You went somewhere else for a minute.”
I mentally shook my head and tuned back into my surroundings. “Just thinking about how many customers you’ll have tomorrow,” I lied. “This event is going to be huge.” I gave him a supportive smile.
Cooper’s face lit up. “I think so too. The social media response has been amazing. Isabelle said she’s featuringA Latte Loveas the top event of theOcean of Lovecelebration.”
Martin’s pathetic attempt at competition still made my jaw clench when I thought about it. The man had tried to undercutA Latte Lovewith his own hastily thrown-together event,Cupid’s Coffee, complete with garish promotional flyers promising steep discounts and coffee sleeves adorned with cheesy Valentine’s Day clip art that looked like they’d been designed by an elementary schooler. I’d seen the flyers scattered around town, most of them already soggy from the rain or crumpled in trash cans, and felt a mix of irritation and secondhand embarrassment. But for all of Martin’s scheming and underhanded tactics, his knock-off event hadn’t gained traction. There was something deeply satisfying about watching Martin’s jealousy and spite amount to nothing more than wasted paper and bruised pride.
I carried the ladder to the storage closet, my step light despite its weight. When I returned, Cooper had moved to the counter where dozens of stacks of coffee sleeves waited to be arranged.
“Let’s set these up.” He pushed a few stacks toward me. “Each tray needs to have a mix of all the designs.”
I pulled one from the top and admired the bold lettering that coordinated perfectly with The Coffee Cove’s logo. One read “You mocha me happy.” Another read “Love you a latte.” The designs were striking—Cooper’s creativity shined through.
“These turned out great,” I said, truly impressed with the results.
“Couldn’t have done it without you.” Cooper’s fingers brushed mine as he handed me another stack.
The casual touch sent electricity through me, just as it had every time over the past four weeks. The moments of contact had become more frequent. Cooper would rest his hand on my lower back while reaching past me, or brush his fingers against minewhen passing a mug, or press his leg against mine under the table when we had dinner.
Each touch fed the dangerous hope—the hope that maybe, possibly, Cooper’s feelings had evolved.
“Earth to Jack.” Cooper snapped his fingers playfully in front of my face. “You’re really spacey today.”
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Just…a lot on my mind.”
Cooper’s forehead knit together. “Work? Do you need to go?”
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that.” I busied myself with arranging sleeves, unable to meet his eyes. “Just preoccupied.”
If Cooper noticed my evasion, he didn’t call me on it. Instead, he moved to the table displays. He set out heart-shaped holders for LED tea lights and small vases for the red carnations that would arrive tomorrow.
I watched him work and memorized the way his brow furrowed in concentration, the sure movements of his hands, the slight smile that played at his lips when something looked just right. There was something utterly endearing about his focused intensity—the way he’d pause to consider an angle, then adjust a decoration with careful precision. He had no idea how beautiful he looked in these unguarded moments, completely absorbed in creating something perfect. Every gesture felt like a small revelation, another reason to fall deeper in love with him.
