Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I glance around the crowded café and spot the man I’m searching for right away. William Knight towers above many of the patrons of this establishment who are looking for their morning caffeine fixes. I’ve already quenched mine since I had two cups of coffee at home. That’s what waking up at five a.m. does to a person.
The noisy shower in my neighbor’s apartment initially jolted me awake. After that, a million thoughts about Turquoise Crown crowded my mind, so I got out of bed to jot down a few fabulous ideas. After that, the man I’m looking at now stole all of my brain space.
I have no idea if this meet-up is a date or not.
He somehow convinced me that having coffee together would repay my debt to him since I showered his arm with Dicey Dip yesterday.
“Opal!” he calls out to me. Virtually every woman in the café turns to look because his voice is like velvet with just a hint of raw need in it.
What? Where did that thought come from?
There’s no raw need in his voice. It’s called sleepy hoarseness. That must be what it is.
“Are you Opal?” A woman dressed in a navy blue pantsuit taps my forearm. “He’s staring right at you.”
“I’m her,” I whisper. “I’m Opal.”
“I’m jealous.” She adds a wink to that, so I suppose it’s a compliment.
I accept it with a smile. “Thanks, I guess.”
She tosses me a knowing nod, although it doesn’t hit the spot because I’m not in the know. I spilled smelly green dip on the man yesterday. There’s a good chance he went to the dry cleaner to price out the cost of cleaning the jacket and was told it wasn’t salvageable, so he’s expecting me to replace it.
I can swing it, but it means I’ll need to cut back on the party favors for the soft launch of my bar next week.
William summons me toward him with a curl of his finger, and I go straight to him like a fish on a hook. I’m snared. How could I not be? His smile and those soulful brown eyes are irresistible.
“Coffee or tea, Opal?” he asks when I’m close enough to touch him.
I do my racing heart a favor and order what I know is best for me. “Tea, please. The organic orange tea here is great.”
“I’ll have the same.” He looks toward the barista, who is staring right at him. “Did you get that?”
She doesn’t glance my way but instead nods enthusiastically. “Two organic orange teas. Anything else, William?”
He perks an eyebrow in silent query, but I shake my head because tea is all I need.
“Just the teas, Chelsie.” He pulls a credit card out of his wallet.
I move in quickly. I agreed to this early morning café meeting because I soiled his suit jacket, and the deal was I’d pay for our beverages. I slide a twenty dollar bill out of the front pocket of my jeans and shove it at her. “The drinks are on me.”
“They’re on me,” William insists.
I look up and into his face. “After what happened yesterday, I want to pay.”
He acquiesces, smiling softly as he puts his credit card back into his wallet.
I turn my attention back to Chelsie. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you,” she says, dropping the change in a jar marked for tips. “I love that jacket. It looks great on you.”
I take the compliment as it’s meant and smile at her. “Thank you.”
“I was just telling Chelsie about your plans for Turquoise Crown.” William looks at her before his gaze settles on my face.
I’ll take all the pre-launch publicity I can get, so I tell her more, “If you like playing board games, it’s the place to be… or will be the place to be once we open.”
“My sister and I love them, so we’ll be there.” She glances over her shoulder to where another barista is dropping tea bags into two ceramic mugs. “Your order is almost ready. Grab a table, and I’ll bring it out to you.”
I expect every table to be occupied, but to my surprise, I spot two vacant ones when we turn back around. William gestures to the one closest to us. He tugs on the back of one of the chairs in anticipation of me sitting down. “How much time can you spare this morning to talk board games with me?”
I let out a laugh. “I think around half an hour. The contractor took off to grab something from his shop as I was leaving to come here. I’ll need to head out once he’s back at my bar. As I told you yesterday, I don’t trust him with the keys.”
If he’s disappointed in our limited time together, he’s not giving anything away with his expression. The man is stoic and super nice to look at.