Page 6 of Matchmaking the Rival

I waved my hand. "I was talking in general."

"I doubt that."

"There's a reason best practices are called that."

She flashed me a sardonic smile, running a hand through her hair. It was light blonde, much lighter than in high school. It reached her waist, and I was kind of surprised by my reaction to her. Meredith looked great. "I don't really care about best practices. I make my own rules, Cade."

I seemed to have pissed her off. "That was different in high school." I took a step closer. Her eyes flashed. She set her mouth in a thin line and propped her hands on her hips like she was ready for a fight.

"I thought I might see you at the gala but not here," she said. “What are you doing down in the trenches?”

"I always double-check the important things. I don't mind getting my hands dirty."

She dropped her hands from her hips, rearranging the belt of her thick black coat. "That hasn't changed about you, at least."

"Since when do you work in the coffee industry?" I couldn’t believe our paths had never crossed.

"Since I started working for Sonya."

"So she's letting someone brand-new be in charge of her booth?" There had to be more to it.

"What do you know? She trusts my skills, and since I caught the eye of the famous Cade Whitley, I must be doing something right."

She'd caught my eye all right, but not in the way she thought. It was taking all my self-restraint not to check her out. I liked what I saw so far.

“And you’re completely off base," she continued. "I’ve worked for her for six years. She just recently promoted me to VP of marketing.”

"Meredith, come on. We've known each other since high school. Clearly we've started on the wrong foot."

"You can say that again. So far, you've insulted my work experience and my marketing decisions."

"I'm a hard-ass. I admit it."

"Cade, I’m busy. We can continue this fascinating conversation another time." She undid her belt, taking off her coat. "The customers will come in soon, and I don't want you to scare them away. So by all means, go check out the rest of the competition."

She was kicking me to the curb. Granted, I did come on strong.

"Unless, of course, you want to apologize, and then we can call a truce." She raised an eyebrow, and that pouty bottom lip of hers called to me.

"I still stand by what I said about the number of blends. I'm right, and you know it."

She put her coat on a small stool behind the case displaying a variety of their coffee blends. Fuck me, she looked delicious. She wore a sweaterdress that fit her like a glove.

The guy I first spoke with handed her a cup of coffee, and she brought it under her nose, closing her eyes briefly before inhaling the aroma. I had a flashback to school. She used to do exactly that before taking her first sip. I didn't know anyone else who did the same. We were two of the few kids in high school who enjoyed a good cup of coffee.

"In that case, Cade, I’ll see you around. I don't want you messing up my Zen when the customers come in."

Zen? What is she talking about?

"Have a great day, Meredith."

As the customers arrived, I made a quick trip around the perimeter. Monica was right. None of the booths stood out except Meredith’s.

"So what did you think?" Monica asked when I came back to our booth.

"Yes, they certainly have an interesting setup. You both have my phone number. Send me updates throughout the day, okay?" It made no sense for me to stay here; I’d just be in their way, and I'd only intended to come here before they kicked things off anyway.

On the other hand, I hadn’t planned to attend the gala, but now that I knew Meredith was going, I was rethinking that.

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