Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“And then February hopped behind the counter of my shop and proceeded to take my order.”
I giggle as I picture February doing what he said. “No, why?”
February offers a sheepish grin, putting her hand out to stop Harrison from continuing the story. “Let me start out by saying that I wasn’t technically spying on his shop. Just getting a feel for it.”
“Yeah, right,” Anya says from beside me.
Paxton sits on the other side of me, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. Tripp and Brock are both here as well. Harrison and February are telling us the story of how they met. I’d never heard it before, and it’s an adorable meet-cute. Though I’m sure it wasn’t that great for February at the time.
“So, why did you jump behind the counter?” Tripp asks, his eyes connected with Feb’s.
“My ex and his new wife had just walked in. Not only that, but she was also pregnant. And doing the math means he got her pregnant while we were still together. I was mortified.”
Anya and I both say at the same time, “She gets a pass.”
Harrison nods, as he smiles at her. “She asked me for my name like she was going to write it on the takeout cup.”
“I would have. I was all in,” Feb says, lifting a shoulder.
“What did you say?” Brock asks, leaning in his chair.
“I told her my name, and that I was the owner, and that I would definitely remember hiring her.”
“What did she say?” Anya asks between fits of giggles.
“She bolted,” Harrison says, wrapping his arms around February’s waist.
“You would have too.” She turns toward him and kisses him on the mouth. Ah, true love.
I glance over at Paxton, and he smiles, leaning in to capture my lips with his.
“Oh my god. I’m gonna be sick with all the smooching going on here,” Tripp says, clearly annoyed.
We all laugh.
“One day you’re going to fall hard,” Paxton says, looking at Tripp.
He crosses his arms. “I seriously doubt that. I’m not cut out for love.”
“Everyone’s cut out for love. You just haven’t met her yet. Or maybe you have, you just don’t know it yet,” I say.
We all glance around the customers of the coffee shop, wondering if there’s a woman here who would be perfect for Tripp. I don’t see anyone that catches my attention, but I know she’s out there. I have to believe everyone has that perfect somebody for them. I was lucky enough to meet mine early.
I just wish we would have known we were meant for each other sooner. Well, I’ve always kind of known. Just wish we would have voiced it sooner.
Before anyone else can say another word, the bell at the door chimes, and in walks Griffin.
Everyone gives him a warm greeting. Everyone except Anya, whose body stiffens beside me at the sight of him.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, leaning over so only she can hear me.
Everyone’s so engulfed in a conversation with Griffin that they’re not paying attention to us.
Anya shrugs. “I’m fine,” she chirps out, but her tone is all off. I also notice her cheeks are tinged pink.
I think back to high school, to Anya always being quiet whenever Griffin would hang out with her older brothers. “Do you have a thing for him?” I ask, keeping my voice low so nobody can hear me.
That’s all we need is Paxton hearing that Anya’s got the hots for her older brother’s best friend.
“Keep your voice down,” Anya whisper-shouts.
“Oh my god. You do.” I think it’s cute, but Anya’s not feeling the same as me.
Everyone quiets down, and Griffin’s eyes crash into Anya’s. You can feel the intensity growing between them.
“Hi, Anya,” he says in a soft voice.
“Hi,” she says. Then she drags me off the couch, across the shop, and into the bathroom.
“What was that all about?” I ask once we’re safely inside.
February pushes through the door, her eyes trained on Anya. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Anya scrubs her face and looks in the mirror. “For some reason, I can’t act normal around him. It’s been like this since we were kids. I don’t know how to just be normal.” She turns to face us. “Something’s wrong with me.”
Feb and I exchange a look.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You just have a crush,” I say, stepping closer to push her long brown hair off her shoulders.
“She’s right,” February says with a smile. “You’ve got a crush. How does he feel? Have you ever told him?”
Anya looks mortified. “Are you kidding? I’d rather die than tell Griffin Cole I’ve got feelings for him. I thought when I left for college, the feelings would go away. And I have to say that while I was gone, I never thought about him that much. But since I’ve been home, he’s all I can think about. I don’t know what to do. And now Callum says he’s giving me one shot to turn the back room into a party room, which means I’ll be working with Griffin creating menus and running the parties. So I’m sort of freaking out.”