His Complete Polar Opposite

by Theresa Paolo

  She would get the tire fixed, and Enzo would go back to only coming in for his occasional mid-morning coffee. Life would go on as it always did, so why did that make her sad?

  She shook her head. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to think about her schedule for the rest of the week and how she was going to help Krissy box and ship her soaps, go with Ella to look at coffee tables, squeeze in a few workouts, get her stupid tire fixed, and try to get Paulie to loosen up a bit more since his coffee making skills were on point, but the boy needed serious help with his personality.

  It wasn’t just the coffee, tea, and pastries Cami sold the customer, it was also the atmosphere of the store, which included the baristas and how they interact with the customer. She wanted her customer to have an overall great experience, and Paulie was a little too shy. She wasn’t sure she could teach him personality, but she was going to try.

  She pulled up to her parents’ house and immediately added hire a landscaper to her list. It’d been two weeks since her parents’ lawnmower broke and their lawn was looking like it was trying to reach the sky to hang out with the clouds. Her dad insisted the lawnmower wasn’t fixable, and he refused to pay for a new one when they’d all be going on sale in a few more weeks. It didn’t matter that it looked like a mini rainforest was growing in his front yard.

  Grabbing her bag, she headed into the house. “Hello?” Cami called out as she stepped into her childhood home, a place she visited at least once a week. She immediately smelled the delicious scent of Pouding Chomeur, a favorite of hers that was a specialty among the woman of her family. The recipe had been passed down from one generation to the next, with no written instructions, just a few sessions in the kitchen to be taught. Cami knew how to make it but never took the time to do it outside her mother’s kitchen.

  “In here,” Mom called from the kitchen. Cami followed the aroma, her mouth watering as she mentally added another twenty minutes to her workout tomorrow.

  Mom bent over the opened stove door, an oven mitt on one hand. Her blonde hair was cut short and styled in an off-centered part. She wore a pair of khaki capris and a baby blue t-shirt that said Willow Cove on the back.

  “That smells amazing,” Cami said. “What’s the occasion?”

  Mom straightened and came over to her, kissing her left cheek then her right. “Clemmy got a job!”

  “That’s great.” Cami’s cousin Clementine—or as they lovingly called her, Clemmy—had been trying and failing to find a job since she’d gotten laid off at the start of summer from a boutique that had shuttered its doors after two years.

  Clemmy and her twin brother Remy were more like siblings than cousins, since they had grown up together. Mom and Dad had taken them in after Mom’s sister was proven an unfit mother, and Mom didn’t want her niece and nephew to wind up in foster care.

  “Where is she?” Cami asked. “I want to congratulate her.”

  “She and Remy ran to the store to pick up some vanilla ice cream.”

  It would be a mortal sin to serve Pouding Chomeur without a side of vanilla ice cream. “You should have called me. I could have picked it up on my way.”

  “Let those two do something for once.”

  Cami smiled. Sometimes, she wasn’t sure if everything she did for her family was appreciated. Clemmy and Remy had been spoiled growing up, and Cami always assumed Mom was trying to make up for their own mother’s behavior.

  “Is Bastien coming over?” Cami’s older brother preferred the privacy of his own home and rarely ventured out unless it was a special event. His job as a freelance graphic designer kept him cooped up in his home, and unlike Cami who thrived on the energy of others, Bastien favored solitude.

  “I figured he wouldn’t come, so I didn’t even bother to call,” Mom admitted. “Maybe I should shoot him a text.”

  Cami waved her hand. “I wouldn’t bother. Like you said, he probably wouldn’t come anyway.”

  “I just feel bad.”

  “Don’t. You’re giving him an out for having to come up with an excuse.”

  “You’re right. I know.” Mom sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Have you called a landscaper?” Cami asked even though she already knew the answer.

  “Not yet.”

  “I’ll call tomorrow and see if I can get someone over here in the next day or two.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll take care of it.”

  They were just words. Mom said that, but she wouldn’t. And while there were three other people who lived in this house who were perfectly capable of picking up a phone, Cami knew better than to rely on them. If she wanted something done, she had to take care of it herself.

  She joined Mom at the kitchen table and rested her hand on hers. “I got it.”

  “If you insist.”

  “Mon petit oiseau,” Dad called out her nickname. With his long arms in the air, he walked into the kitchen and toward her. His graying hair was trimmed short and swept to the side above a pair of thin-wired eyeglasses.

  He kissed each cheek then gave her a big hug.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “I see you have a flat tire.”

  “Et tu, Brute?”

  Dad’s bushy eyebrow arched above his glasses.

  Cami shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just Ella’s brother, Enzo, helped change it, and he’s been on my case about getting the tire fixed ever since.”

  “He’s right. You can’t drive on a donut for too long.”

  “Trust me, I know all the do’s and don’ts. I’m sure Enzo hasn’t left anything out.”

  “I always liked that young man,” Dad said a little too proudly.

  Cami tried not to roll her eyes. Dad loved the fact that Enzo had tattled her out a few times when they were kids, and when she got older, Enzo would drive her home so Dad didn’t have to miss his shows to go pick her up.

  “Where are those kids with the ice cream?” Mom searched her bag for her cell phone then sent a text, though from the looks of it, it appeared she was trying to crack the national security system. “They should have been back by now.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” Dad said.

  Mom took her face into her hands and kissed her forehead. “You’re the only one I don’t need to worry about.”

  That was because Cami made sure of it. Ever since she was ten years old and her parents took in her cousins, Cami witnessed the stress her mother endured, and she made a promise to herself that she would always be good as a way to help her mom. Though she liked to rebel every now and again, that promise had followed her even still. Everything she did in life was to make sure her parents and her family didn’t have to worry about her.

  The problem was Cami never had anyone to talk to about her problems. She had to pretend everything was okay and she never had an off day. She would swallow down whatever was plaguing her and listen to everyone else’s issues. She held it in for so long, she no longer had to try. It was as natural as breathing.

  She smiled. “No, you don’t.” Though, for some reason, those words felt like a lie.

  “We’re back!” Clemmy’s voice echoed through the house. A few seconds later, she strolled into the kitchen, strawberry blonde hair hanging over her shoulders, holding up a carton of ice cream and Remy with his dark auburn hair was right behind her. Clemmy squealed when she spotted Cami. “Your hair!” she exclaimed, and for a second Cami was confused until she remembered she hadn’t seen Clemmy since she dyed it.

  “You two are always telling me redheads have more fun.” It wasn’t the reason she decided to go red. She really just wanted something different.

  “That’s right,” Remy said, sticking his tongue out and scrunching his eyebrows, a charismatic and entertaining air floating off of him. Remy was the life of the party in whatever room he walked into.

  “We can tell people we’re triplets.” Clemmy ran her hand through Cami’s hair, admiring it. Cami obviously didn’t think this through enough.
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  “I doubt that would be very convincing.”

  The oven timer went off, and Mom jumped up. “Made it just in the nick of time,” she said and shucked Remy’s chin as she passed on her way to the stove. Cami took down plates, passing them around to everyone.

  “Congratulations on the job,” Cami said to Clemmy when she handed her a plate.

  “Thanks. I start Monday, and I’m a little nervous about it.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve only ever worked in retail. Being a personal assistant, I have no idea what to expect. I haven’t even met the guy. I was hired by his secretary.”

  “I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Cami said, and Clemmy looked at her with big green eyes. “Fake it until you make it.”

  Clemmy laughed. “Is that what you did?”

  “It’s what I still do,” she admitted then wrapped her arm around Clemmy and followed Mom and the Pouding Chomeur to the table.

  Chapter 9

  Enzo hurried over to the Local Bean, hoping to get there before Cami closed for the day. He got to the door just as she was about to lock it. Her eyebrow arched as she caught him coming to a halt in front of her.

  She opened the door, her red hair pulled back, but a few pieces had managed to escape and hang over her eyes. He resisted the urge to brush them into place.

  “If you’ve come here to give me crap about my tire, I don’t want to hear it.”

  “You still haven’t gotten it fixed?” he asked, and her eyes turned to black stones of death. He held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, that’s not why I’m here. I was actually hoping to grab a cup of coffee, but I can see you’re closing.”

  She held the door open and stepped aside. “As much of a pain in the ass as you are, my doors are always open for you, but mainly I don’t want you to have to drink crappy coffee.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “It’s getting late though. Aren’t you going to be up all night?” It was amazing how well she knew him. He tried to avoid caffeine after four.

  “I promised Grandpa and the Friday night poker crew I’d stop by for a few hands.” Every Friday night his grandfather and four of his closest friends got together to play poker. Over the years, they roped him along with Marco into many games, probably because they knew they could swindle them.

  “Enough said. You need all the caffeine you can get if you’re going to listen to Stan accuse Dominick of cheating all night.”

  “Dominick does cheat.”

  She smiled, and he never realized how that single curve of her lips made his day instantly better. “I always figured he did.”

  She got to work making his coffee, and guilt hit him in the gut. “If I knew you’d have to take everything out again…”

  “Did you think I kept day old coffee in a container somewhere?” she joked.

  “I don’t know what I was thinking actually.” His brain had been fuzzy all day.

  Ever since she mentioned how some people like the idea of being tied to a bed it had turned into a fantasy that had him daydreaming too often. Though when he tried to sleep, he constantly tossed and turned, wishing he could make those fantasies a reality.

  She lifted her chin in his direction. “You look tired.”

  “Haven’t been sleeping,” he admitted.

  “Why not?”

  The question nearly smacked him to the floor. He kept his composure and cleared his throat. He couldn’t tell her the truth. Heat rushed through his body and he yanked at the collar of his shirt. “A lot on my mind,” he finally said when he realized Cami was waiting for him to answer.

  “I hear you,” she said.

  “What’s on your mind?” It was a distraction, but he genuinely wanted to know.

  She pointed to her head. “It’s like an all-day buffet in there. The minute one thought is gone, it’s filled by something else.” She laughed, but it sounded tired, and it was the first time he noticed her not being a hundred percent present.

  “Is it work?” he asked.

  “Work, my family, my tire.” She glared at him, but her eyes almost immediately softened with humor.

  “I told you to let me call my guy.”

  “If you haven’t noticed, I prefer to do things myself.”

  “Oh trust me, I’ve noticed, but you have to remember that sometimes it’s okay to ask for help.”

  She shrugged as she poured his coffee into a cup. “I guess I just don’t want to bother anyone.”

  It was a sentiment he knew too well. After Mom died then Dad went to jail, Enzo took on everyone else’s burden and hid his own. He didn’t want to worry anyone or weigh them down with his problems when they’d already been drowning in their own.

  “Everyone has their own problems, it’s hard to add to that. In a way, it kind of makes you feel guilty,” he said.

  She blinked up, her brown eyes catching his with a kindred clarity. “Exactly.”

  He had always thought he and Cami were total opposites, but maybe the only thing different was the image they projected out into the world. The inside, the part of a person that counted most, didn’t seem to be so different after all.

  Cami dumped two sugars and a splash of milk into his cup before popping a lid on it. “And done.” She pushed it across the counter to him, and he reached for his wallet.

  She held her hand up. “It’s on me.”

  “No,” he said. “You took everything out again for me. The least I can do is pay.”

  “You also tossed money in my tip jar for the last coffee I tried to give you. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.” She tapped her head. “While the buffet table is quite busy, it’s also a steel trap.”

  He laughed. “Why don’t you come by the restaurant then. I’ll get you a lobster roll to go so you have one less thing to worry about tonight.”

  “A coffee for a lobster roll seems like a piss poor trade on your part. I’m getting two fifty for that cup. Lobster rolls are costing what these days? Twenty-two bucks?”

  He smiled. “Something like that, but we get a discount through Marco.”

  “I’ll take you up on it another day. Right now, I need to meet up with Ella to go look at coffee tables.”

  “For my place?” he asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Please don’t convince her to buy anything outlandish.”

  Cami came around the counter and poked him in the stomach. She froze for a moment and dropped her hand.

  “Problem?”

  “Your abs were a lot harder than I expected.” Pure satisfaction at her observation flooded through him. “Anyway, you gave her control, so let her do what she does.”

  “That was before I knew she’d have you in her ear.”

  “After all these years, do you honestly think I don’t know your taste?”

  “I’m sure you do. But I know you too, and you love pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

  “I think of it more as trying to broaden your horizons.”

  “My horizons are broadened enough.”

  “They extend from one end of Willow Cove to the other. I wouldn’t say that’s broadening any horizon.”

  “And drinking something other than this”—he held up the hand holding the cup—“will extend it? That seems like a reach.”

  “I just think trying new things could be good for you. That’s all. You might realize you like something different.” She gasped and grabbed her chest. “Shocking, I know. But I believe it’s possible.”

  Enzo knew what he liked and always stuck with it, but he guessed there wasn’t anything wrong with trying something different. What was the worst that could happen? He wouldn’t like it. Then he could tell Cami he told her so, and he could go back to drinking his boring coffee. “Maybe one day, but not today.”

  A glint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by the gleam of victory. “I’ll take it.”

  “Thanks for the coffee.”

  He leaned down to kiss her cheek but
managed to get the spot just outside the curve of her mouth. Her skin was soft—softer than he ever imagined. He could feel her heat mix with his, smell her scent of vanilla and exotic coffee beans.

  He pulled back, not even sure why he went in for a cheek kiss in the first place. Cami’s long lashes blinked up, her eyes locking with his. He expected to find repulse or shock in her gaze but he found exactly what he’d been feeling inside, confusion mixed with curiosity and maybe even a little yearning.

  He ran a hand through his hair, breaking their connection. “I should go.”

  “Yes! I mean of course. You have to get back to the restaurant.”

  “And you need to get to Ella.”

  She nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Yup. I do. Okay bye.” She walked out the door then came to an abrupt stop. She pointed to the door a bashful smile on her face. “I should probably lock up first.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll see you around.”

  “You bet.”

  Enzo made his way toward the restaurant, but when he got to the front door, he kept walking. He wasn’t ready to get back to work, he needed a little more time to cool down.

  Chapter 10

  What in the holy hell was that? Enzo didn’t kiss her, but he kind of kissed her. It was her cheek, close to her mouth—too close to her mouth but not close enough. In all the years she’d known him, she could count on one hand how many times he’d kissed her on the cheek. She wasn’t only surprised, but she was intrigued.

  She’d always found Enzo attractive; it was hard not to with his dark hair and light blue eyes, chiseled jaw line and that rare glimpse of a smile, but something shifted.

  He was no longer Ella’s hot older brother. He was Enzo, hot man who kissed her cheek and almost got her mouth, who smelled clean and crisp despite being surrounded by lobster rolls all day. How did this even happen? When did this happen?

  She locked the door to her shop and hurried to her car. She had no idea why she was in a hurry all of a sudden, but she felt like there was something in the air that was making her lose her mind. She needed to get away from the boardwalk and away from anywhere that Enzo was, so she could shake the disappointment wringing up her insides that his lips didn’t aim a few inches to the left.