Page 22 of Whole Latte Love

“Thanks, I appreciate the afternoon pick me up.” The strong hazelnut scent hits my nose and calms my nerves.

We start to walk towards the beach. A lot of locals are out and about. I smile and wave to those we pass. Tourist season will be finished by the end of August.

Theo will be long gone by then.

I glance at Theo, his eyes on the horizon. His brow furrowed, deep in thought. I thought this walk together would lean more awkward, but instead I feel comfortable and at ease. The tension in my shoulders gone. I savor my coffee as we continue to stroll in silence. I’ve always loved people watching.

It’s pleasant. People are walking their dogs, kids are building sandcastles, and there a handful of people just soaking up the summer weather. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I grab his arm to stop him. “Theo, I just want to say something.”

His eyebrows arch upwards as he opens his mouth to talk. I put my empty hand on his chest. He sighs under my palm. I look up into his face, admiring his strong features.

In another lifetime maybe I wouldn’t be burdened with guilt.

I take a deep breath. “I am not ready for a commitment. I don’t know when I will be ready, but it isn’t fair to keep seeing each other if you’re expecting this to turn into something else.”

I close my eyes and I can feel Theo wrap my hand in his. “That’s okay. I understand.” He squeezes my hand but doesn’t let go. “I have some news that I wanted to share with you.”

“With your book?”

We continue walking together, my hand wrapped in his.

“Yes,” he clears his throat. Theo tends to do this a lot. I wonder if he does that when he’s nervous or if he just isn’t used to the salt-tinged air here. “I got an email from my publicist about some additional opportunities for my book tour. It’d be beneficial for both the book launch and the movie if we could get these dates booked.”

“That’s wonderful! Are they all in Toronto?” I take my hand back from him, toss my coffee, and attempt to put my hair up. The heat is starting to make me sweat.

“A little bit everywhere. I’ll still start in Toronto but we’re adding Montreal, Quebec before I fly to New York City. From there we’re adding Los Angeles and San Diego to coincide with some of the movie press. I’ll take some time to meet with the script editors and marketing team while I’m out there.”

“Wow that’s a lot of traveling.” I shake my head. I have refused to fly ever since Seth died. That’s one reason Victor handles the coffee farms in Brazil for the roastery.

Theo’s book tour sounds like the longest car trip in the world. I don’t envy him.

“Yes, it’ll be a few months of flying, living out of hotels, and meeting a lot of people.” He runs his hand through his hair. His hair looks like one of those effortless styles where he could play around with and style it different ways, but right now he has strands sticking out here and there. Very disheveled.

“Here, let me help.” I reach out and try to smooth his locks. He catches my hand, brings it to his lips, and gently kisses it.

The hummingbird has returned, beating its wings inside my chest.

“Unfortunately, to get these additional locations, I need to leave shortly after the fourth of July. The timeline is tight and it’s the only way to add them to my schedule.”

It takes a moment for his words to truly sink in. He’s leaving almost a whole month earlier than planned. That gives us just a couple of weeks together.

I don’t want anything serious, but I was hoping for more time.

“That is definitely different,” my tone flat.

“I want to respect your boundaries.” He cups my face, his touch gentle. “And I know you don’t want anything serious. But will you continue to see me while I’m here?”

My thoughts shuffle through my head, one after another.

Nothing has changed except our expiration date.

“I would like that.” I lean into his hand, kissing his palm. “Now let’s have fun while you’re still here. Have you gone to the Railway Tavern yet?”

“No, but I’ve had Kal’s at least four times.” He laughs.

We get back to our walk along the beach. Everything seemingly falls into place once more. He’s respecting my commitment wishes and I’m more than happy to just spend time with him. Theo mentions talking to Victor and Sally again and we decide to try to make a double date. We agree to dinner on Tuesday night at the Railway Tavern.

---