Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
When the rush died down, Tamara joked, “Don’t tell me, you’re here to apply for a part-time job. Unless you came over to tell me something else?”
Nate grinned. “I wanted to tell you how much Zach and Yuriko loved the coffee you sent over.” He wanted to make sure that Tamara got the credit she deserved. “He said it was the best coffee he’d ever tasted. They were super impressed.”
Tamara looked a little embarrassed by the praise. “Oh, that’s cool. I was hoping they would like it.”
“I thought you should know,” Nate said. “It was a home run, for sure. But I also wanted to talk to you about something else.”
For a moment, Tamara looked a little worried.
“My brother sent me some more details about the wedding this weekend. Are you still okay to go with me?” He knew the whole thing could become a little weird, and he didn’t want to push her into anything. At the same time, he found himself hoping that Tamara hadn’t changed her mind.
“Of course,” Tamara said. “I’ve got the kids in, and they’ll run this place while I’m gone. Honestly, I think they are a little bit excited about taking on the responsibility. Although I hope they don’t have a rush like this one. Some of my customers know I’m going to be away, so they’ve been stocking up on coffee beans.”
“They just appreciate good coffee,” Nate said, although Tamara’s success was about more than that. It was about her. Her personality. Her ability to gauge what people wanted. She’d been the one to blend the beans that Zach had liked so much. He could buy the best beans in the world, but he couldn’t put them together the way Tamara could.
“So,” Tamara said, “what did you have in mind for the weekend?”
“Well, I thought we’d drive down Saturday morning, not too early, and return on Monday morning. We can let the traffic die down a little in both directions before heading out. We’ve got lots of time. We can hang out on Saturday and do whatever we want. They’re planning a big Sunday brunch for everyone, and the wedding will be on the beach after that, in the afternoon. Tim said it’s not formal wear for the wedding, but I get the feeling it’s not exactly board shorts either.”
“I’ll find something,” Tamara assured him.
Nate was sure that she would. In fact, he was certain that she would look amazing, whatever she wore. Tamara loved the ocean and the beach more than anyone else he knew.
“We’ll be staying at my brother’s beach house, like I mentioned,” he continued. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I guess it’s pretty big, so there will be lots of room for everyone.”
“Sounds really nice,” Tamara said. “It’ll be fun to get out of town for a couple of days.”
“So, how about I pick you up at about nine on Saturday?” Nate suggested.
“That sounds good,” she replied. “Are you okay to pick me up from here? That way, I can set up the kids in the morning and leave my car here.”
Nate nodded, though he was a little bit disappointed at missing out on seeing her apartment, but hopefully, that would happen sometime soon. What did sound good to Nate was spending the whole weekend with Tamara. He’d tried to stop thinking about her. He’d tried thinking about her simply as a friend. Yet the truth was that friendship wasn’t the only thing he wanted. Nate couldn’t stand by and let the opportunity to be with Tamara slip through his hands. He was going to borrow a leaf from Travis’s and Daniel’s books and just be patient.
The stupid part of it was that he was fairly sure Tamara felt the same way. Everything she’d said in the last few days, everything she’d done, had suggested that she would love to be with him. If only she would allow herself to consider the possibility. It wasn’t just that one kiss. They’d come close to another kiss again last night. They were both working hard to stay just friends, but it was getting harder every time they spent more time together.
Nate knew she was scared by the possibility, which meant that he needed to be careful, but he also needed to start being honest with himself. He’d seen Zach and Yuriko, and he knew how good things could be. He knew that a relationship with Tamara was what he wanted, all he wanted. He needed to start finding ways to show her that it was possible and that it could work despite what had happened to her in the past.
This weekend away was the best chance he had. The two of them, in a beach house together, at a wedding. Not to mention they were going to do their best to convince his family that they were a couple. Nate was determined to find a way to take that pretense and turn it into something real.