Page 7 of Daily Grind
Been a long time since he’d been turned that inside out by anyone, let alone a man. Rob pushed all Brian’s buttons at once. Red hair. Freckles. British accent, coupled by a sly charm, intelligence, and common interests. If he’d been a woman, he’d have gotten his number.
Except hehadRob’s number. Holy shit.
Brian leaned against the back counter, ran a hand through his hair, and checked his phone. Yup. There it was, Chicago area code and all.
Onlyhehadn’t gotten Rob’s number. No, Rob had asked for Brian’s and given his own in return. A clever move—one Brian had used in the past.
He was being picked up.
A warmth spread out from his belly. Well, that was different. And strange. But it also felt entirely normal and natural.
Maybe that’s because it was.
Something fluttered in his chest, and if he didn’t know better, he might have labeled ithope.
Brian pushed off the counter, collected all the used dishes and utensils, and headed to the sinks. While cleaning up, he tried not to think too much about doors and bells and ginger anything.
* * *
Halfway through the following week,Brian stopped looking for Rob when the bell on the door sounded. He’d gotten no texts or calls, either. Was he supposed to make the first move? Had the encounter actually happened? Other than the number in his phone and some stunning daydreams of Rob’s lips moving on his—he didn’t have much to prove Rob existed.
He didn’t even know his last name. Rob might as well have been a dream.
Today, Miranda was working the shift with him, for which Brian was grateful. He’d ended up firing Ethan this past Sunday. Not a conversation he’d enjoyed.
Ethan had been mildly upset, but not regretful. He’d thought Brian unfair. “It’s just coffee, dude.”
“It’s mybusiness, Ethan.”
He’d rather be short another barista and work long shifts that he knew about in advance than stagger into his own shop without sleep. Of course that was happening anyway. Too many shifts, not enough downtime.
The morning rush thinned, so he turned to Miranda. “Mind running solo for a while? I need to catch up on the paperwork.”
She shook her head. “Hell, if you want to get out of here, you can. I’ll be fine.”
She would be, too. One of his best employees. If only she could work more regular hours, but taking care of her grandmother had become her full-time job. Family always came first—he’d told her that months ago. She came in when she could for the extra bit of money and Brian rejoiced each time she asked to be scheduled.
“Nah, I’ll stick around a bit.” He slipped in back and grabbed a stack of mail he’d been meaning to sort through and his laptop. “Duty calls.”
She chuckled and he settled in at one of the tables near the coffee grinder. It was a spot the fewest people took, due to the noise. He’d rather leave the prime real estate for paying customers, but if he sat behind the counter, he’d itch to serve people drinks.
Most of the mail was junk. He ripped the envelopes in half and tossed them in a pile to recycle. The rest were bills and catalogues. The latter he set aside for last—after he knew how much was left from paying his suppliers. Maybe he could afford something a little extra this month.
He opened up his laptop and got to work.
Deep into it, he completely missed the tinkle of the doorbell. It was familiar voices—one deep, the other smooth and sweet—that jolted him from his work.
Justin and Eli, come down from on high. Eli’s cane tapped against the hardwood floor and Brian glanced at his watch. The morning had flown by in the midst of seeing his profits shrink. Nearly eleven thirty. “Time for the office coffee run already?”
Justin smirked the way he used to when he’d been a brash barista behind the counter. “Someoneis like clockwork.” He gave Eli a pointed look.
Eli’s smile was not the thin thing it once had been. His grin was large and full of teeth. “Someoneneeds his caffeine fix.” He pulled out a slip of paper. “Several someones, actually.”
Pretty normal for Sam’s cohort. If one person came down to get a drink, chances were they came with an order for more. And judging by Eli’s presence—the whole office must have ordered. They’d need more than Justin’s hands to carry all the cups.
They headed to the counter and placed the orders with Miranda. Yup. Seven. Brian closed his laptop and rose.
She waved him away. “I can handle it.”
