Page 8 of Coffee Shop Cupid
Part of me insisted that I’d only been divorced a few months. But how long had I really been checked-out of my relationship with Vince? I’d had my suspicions that he’d been cheating on me long before there was any proof, and I’d only been going through the motions for years.
I’d assumed that once we finally had a baby our relationship would improve again. But looking back, I knew that I’d been deluding myself.
He’d only been willing to stay with me as long as he thought there was a chance for a baby, and once the possibility was gone I was nothing more than a burden to be removed from his life.
I sniffled and pushed my glasses up to wipe away a tear.
This was a bad idea. It was why I rarely left my apartment. No matter what I did, the memories flooded back.
I stood and edged my way through the crowd to the door, keeping my gaze down so I didn’t have to see the pitying looks.
A glance both ways to get my bearings, then I started back towards my apartment.
I was only a few doors down when I heard shouting behind me.
“Wait,” called a voice.
I stopped and looked behind me, only to see the handsome alpha from the cafe running towards me, a bag in one hand and a to-go cup in the other.
My jaw dropped. What was he doing?
“You forgot these,” he said, giving me a kind smile as he stopped.
“I… um…”
“Nobody waits for pastries, then abandons them without a bite,” he explained. “And…” he paused. “I saw you crying. I didn’t want you to go home empty-handed.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, accepting my coffee and danishes.
“You’re welcome,” he replied softly.
There were several seconds of silence, then he spoke again. “Come back soon, ok?”
I nodded. It was a standard line, but also an opening. I hadn’t been so embarrassing that they never wanted to see me again. “Thank you.”
“Let me know what you think of those danishes next time I see you.”
I managed a small smile. “I will.”
“Great!” He paused again. “I should get back in there. See you soon.”
“Yeah…”
He turned and jogged back. For a moment I thought it was just a niceness, then he paused as he opened the door and our eyes met.
One step forward. Leaving in tears had been a step back, but he’d left the way open for me to try that step again.
Chapter 4 - Chase
“Did you catch him?” Natalie asked as I edged past her to start making a coffee.
“Yeah,” I replied, glancing at the order on the cup and putting a portafilter into the grinder to start an espresso shot.
“Did he say why he ran out in such a hurry?”
I shook my head, then remembered that she probably couldn’t see me. “No, but he seemed upset about something, so I didn’t ask.”
“At least he won’t miss out on his food.”
