Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Were he and Rhys actually fooling anyone? If they weren’t, Rhys wasn’t ready to hear that yet. Not unless Caleb wanted him to end this now.
CHAPTER 24
Caleb was surprised that he didn’t see Rhys anywhere when he arrived at the pizza place Jonah’s family had rented out for the party. He knew Rhys didn’t like to be late to anything. Was he wishing he had told Tessa earlier so he wouldn’t be under pressure for him to say something tonight? Was he afraid he couldn’t hide his attraction to Caleb if the two of them were at an event together? Caleb was certainly worried about that. But he wasn’t going to fail to show up for his friend because the way he looked at Rhys might expose them.
Caleb greeted Jonah, then got introduced to Jonah’s parents. He chatted with Abby for a few moments at the buffet, which was filled with a variety of pizzas. Once he had chosen a slice of barbecue chicken pizza and one of a meat lovers, he looked for a space to sit down.
Tessa and Finn were at the end of one of the long tables with a pitcher of beer sitting in front of them. He wove around a group of people he recognized from Cloud Nine and made his way over to them. When she saw him, Tessa pointed to a chair next to her. He nodded in acknowledgment.
“How’s it going?” Finn asked when he was seated.
“Fine. Busy. It’s good to see you both.”
Finn nodded. “Sorry I haven’t been by Cloud Nine recently. Things have been slammed at the bakery. Everybody is wanting all the fall treats. I always think it’s not going to get crazy until closer to Halloween, and I get surprised every year. People around here love fall celebrations.”
“Yeah, I’ve had people asking if I can do coffee-to-go for a crowd or help them set up a coffee bar for fall parties. I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
“It’s not in most places, but it’s a big tradition around here.”
“I shouldn’t question it since it’s good for business.”
Finn nodded. “It sure is, but it makes the whole last part of the year crazy. The fall rush leads right into Halloween. Then we’ve got Thanksgiving and all the winter holidays.”
Caleb smiled just thinking about it. “I’m so excited about making holiday drinks.”
“I’m excited to see what you come up with,” Tessa said as she glanced around at the crowd. “Have you seen Rhys?”
Caleb tensed at his name, then hoped she didn’t notice. “No, I haven’t seen him. I’m surprised he’s not here yet.”
“He’ll be here,” Finn said. “He probably had something come up at the store.”
“It’s not like him to be late,” Tessa said. “He better not be avoiding us. He hates crowds, but I know he wants to come for Jonah.”
“Have they known each other a long time?” Caleb asked.
“We were all in the same grade, so he’s known Jonah as long as he’s known Finn and me.”
“I guess there aren’t a lot of different school districts around here.”
“That’s right,” Finn said. “We all went to the same schools all the way through high school.”
Tessa focused back on Caleb. “How are things going with your fall drink? I know you were worried about it last time we talked.”
This was exactly why he’d wanted Rhys to tell everyone before the party. What could he say that wasn’t an outright lie? “It’s going better. I’ve got some more ideas.”
“Are you going to tell us about it?”
Caleb shook his head. He wished he could say more, but he wasn’t going to.
Tessa narrowed her eyes. “I’m eventually going to get details out of you.”
“You’ll see the drink at the festival.”
She huffed. “I haven’t gotten anything out of Rhys about what he’s doing either. Why are you both so secretive? He’s never been like this before.”
Caleb shrugged as his stomach flip-flopped. He really didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
“I saw Rhys heading down to Cloud Nine the other evening,” Finn said. “Were you comparing notes?”
How many other people had noticed? Rhys thought he had been discreet, but how discreet could you be walking up and down Front Street? “He just tried out some of my equipment.” That was true, though misleading.
Tessa giggled. “Did he now?”
Caleb realized how he’d phrased that, and heat rose in his face. If only she knew both meanings were true.
Finn lightly slapped her arm. “Behave. Is Rhys thinking about getting something new for the shop?”
“I’m not really sure.” He couldn’t say anything else without fully making something up. Tessa was studying him. He didn’t think she was buying it. It did sound lame, but he wasn’t any good at coming up with shit like this. He’d always been incredibly honest. Too bad that quality had been wasted on Adrian.
“I’m glad you’re getting to know each other at least a little bit,” Finn said.