“He’s pathetic,” Brenna said, trying not to grin. She was long ago over Will. The only emotion she felt for him now was irritation that he seemed unable to let go of the notion she would someday take him back.
“Completely.” Avery rolled her eyes and giggled.
Letty and Avery discussed Brenna’s choices, offering their opinions while Brenna filled out her order forms.
“This really makes the bistro seem real,” Brenna said, scanning through the lengthy orders and tallying up the expenses.
“Placing the orders or spending all that money?” Amusement colored Avery’s voice when she spoke. She’d just placed orders to increase her stock and display areas when she moved her flower shop into the upstairs space of the store in a few weeks.
“Both!” Brenna made her mother and sister laugh. They were still laughing when Greg stuck his head inside the kitchen.
“Hey, hon, we better head for home. I’ve got a job in Portland tomorrow so I’ll have to be on the road bright and early.” Greg walked into the room and gave Avery his hand, helping her to her feet. He pressed a light kiss to her temple and she leaned into him.
The closeness Avery and Greg shared, made Brenna fight back a wave of jealousy. After several years of marriage, the two of them still seemed to be goofy in love. Brenna just hoped she would someday be part of a special relationship like theirs.
For some reason, Brock’s face came to mind and she blushed.
“Don’t know what you’re thinking, Rennie, but whatever it is, shame on you,” Greg teased, ruffling her hair, like any good brother would be prone to do.
“Just never mind,” Brenna said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “You’re already in enough trouble, buster.”
“I know and I’m sorry.” Greg backed toward the door, tugging Avery along with him. “I’ll find some way to make it up to you.”
“You can count on it.” Brenna gave Greg a backhanded wave that looked like she was shooing him away.
Letty followed them out to the family room where she and Brandon bid Avery, Greg and Will good night. Will seemed to be waiting for Brenna to come out of hiding, but instead, she ran up the back stairs to her room.
She finished entering her orders online and stared at her computer for a while, thinking about plans for the bistro, how happy she would be when she could quit her job in Portland, and how much she looked forward to seeing Brock tomorrow at the coffee shop. Maybe she’d arrive early and buy his coffee for a change.
Chapter Eight
With her Chai latte in one hand and Brock’s dark roast in the other, Brenna waited inside the coffee shop door for her construction guy to arrive.
Impatiently glancing at her watch, Brenna knew she could only wait another minute or two before she had to leave for the office. Ready to give up, she released a sigh of relief when Brock drove into the parking lot. Pushing the coffee shop door open with her hip, she hurried across the pavement to his pickup.
Brock jumped out of his truck and pecked her cheek, careful not to jostle the coffee she clutched in both hands.
“Morning, sunshine,” Brock teased, making her smile. He felt his heart slam against his chest as he realized her smile was like sunshine to him – bright, warm, and beautiful. “What are you doing?”
“Buying your coffee for a change. I had to set my alarm fifteen minutes early to make it out the door five minutes ahead of schedule, but for once I beat you here.” Brenna proudly handed him a cup of straight black coffee.
“You’re funny.” Brock chuckled before taking a sip of the hot coffee, trying to decipher what Brenna had said. Mindful how his mother operated, he assumed that she meant even though she got up earlier, she didn’t get ready much faster. Regardless, he was glad to see her. “Thanks for the coffee and for Friday night. I had a great time.”
“Me, too.” Brenna stared at Brock, waiting for him to ask her on another date. “I really enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad.” Brock drank his coffee and looked at her for a long moment. Finally, he leaned against his truck and pulled her against his side. Surprised, she inhaled his heady male scent and basked in the pure delight of being near him with his arm around her shoulders.
“I told you about the house I bought, right?” Brock took another swig of coffee.
“Yes, you did. You said you were hoping to be able to move in soon.” Brenna sipped her hot drink.
“Right. I’m hoping to move in this coming weekend. I’d love to take you on a date Friday night, but I’m pretty sure I’ll still be packing, since I haven’t even started yet. My Saturday will be shot by the time I get all my stuff moved.” Brock glanced down into Brenna’s blue eyes and fought the very strong desire to kiss her so thoroughly she’d forget about heading into the office and spend the day with him. “I don’t want you to be disappointed, but I won’t have time to get much packing finished before Friday and get everything finished I need to do at the house.”
“That’s okay, I understand.” Brenna knew Brock worked a lot of long hours between his business and his house. “Don’t worry about it.”
“This will also be my last week of meeting you for morning coffee.” Regret filled his voice. While he looked forward to not having the long commute twice a day to and from Portland, he was really going to miss seeing Brenna every morning. It had been three months since she first captured his interest at the coffee shop.
“Oh.” Brenna hadn’t thought about Brock’s move disrupting their weekday coffee routine. How was she going to force herself out of bed and to the office if she didn’t have the incentive of seeing Brock every morning. “I… um…I see.”
“Look, Brenna, I really want to spend more time with you, do something fun. Maybe we could hang out Sunday afternoon. I could meet you at church and we could go out for lunch.” Brock hoped he could dispel the look of disappointment on Brenna’s sweet face. He always wanted to ensure she’d go out with him again. He couldn’t wait to spend more time alone with her.
“I’d like that.” Brenna gazed up at him with a shy smile. Bolstering her courage, she decided to make a bold suggestion. “If you don’t mind my company, maybe I could help you pack Friday. I could swing by your apartment after work then come home later.”
Caught off guard by her offer, Brock grinned. “Are you sure, Brenna? I don’t want you to feel like you have to help, but I’d welcome your company if you really wouldn’t mind.”
“I’d love to help.” Brenna held a genuine interest in not only helping, but seeing where Brock lived and meeting his roommates. She’d do just about anything to spend more time with him. To say she was completely taken with the man would be an understatement. “If you want, I could pick up some dinner and bring it over.”
“My friend Mike is ordering pizza, but thanks for the offer. Just bring yourself and whatever packing skills you have. That will be more than enough,” Brock said, as he walked her to her car. It was past time for her to be on the road to the office if she didn’t want to be late. He held open the car door and gave her a quick hug before she climbed inside. Once she was settled, he kissed her cheek again.
“Drive safely, coffee girl, and have a great day.”
“I will, construction man. You be careful at work today. I heard those clients of yours are absolute slave drivers,” Brenna teased.
“That they are.” Brock’s hazel eyes twinkled with amusement. “But the thought of seeing the cute daughter who’s a killer baker makes me a glutton for their punishment.”
Brenna laughed and waved before shutting her door and heading out of the parking lot.
Brock spent the rest of the day in a Brenna-induced haze. It was only when he nearly nailed his thumb to a joist that he decided he better focus on the job at hand instead of the lovely curly-headed coffee girl.
At the end of the day Thursday, Brock was satisfied with the amount of work completed at Letty’s store. He was also pleased with all he accomplished that week at his home. The guest bath downstairs wa
s finished and the kitchen was usable. He wanted to paint and resurface the cabinets and install new counters, but for now, everything was at least functional. The plumber made a few adjustments in the kitchen, declared the rest of the plumbing in good working order and went over Brock’s plans for the new master suite.
Excited about moving into the house, Brock pulled into the coffee shop parking lot Friday morning, surprised to see Brenna leaning against her car waiting for him.
“Did you set your alarm for an hour early this morning?” he teased as he walked up to her and kissed her cheek. The look of adoration and admiration she sent him made Brock’s fingers tremble so much he almost dropped the cup of coffee she handed him.
“Nope. Only twenty minutes,” she said with an impish grin. “And if you sweet-talk me a little, I might have a treat for you.”
Brock placed his cup of coffee on the top of her car, wrapped his arms around her and placed his lips close to her ear. “How much talking will I have to do, coffee girl?” He felt a shiver run over her body as he held her against his chest.
“That’s enough,” she whispered, trying to suppress another shiver of excitement Brock’s touch created. His breath on her neck made her tingle from her head to her toes and stirred the embers sparking to life in her midsection dangerously close to a full-blown flame.
If she wanted to drive to the office and arrive in one piece, she couldn’t let him distract her too much. When his unique scent flooded her senses, she thought spending all day wrapped up in his arms seemed like a perfectly wonderful plan.
Unfortunately, she had a job to get to and things that had to be accomplished that day. Regretfully stepping out of his embrace, Brenna opened her car door and retrieved a basket covered with a cloth napkin, handing it to Brock.
“What’s this?” He inhaled a berry scent as he lifted the napkin and spied muffins.
“Raspberry muffins with streusel topping. I hope you like them. If you feel so inclined, you can share them with your crew.” Brenna tipped her head and studied Brock. “If you guys wouldn’t mind giving me some feedback, I’d appreciate it. I might put these on the bistro menu.”
“We’ll be sure to let you know what we think. At least I will.” Brock forced himself to fold the napkin back over the still-warm muffins. His crew would be lucky if he left more than crumbs for them to pick over. “Thank you for making these.”
“You’re welcome.” Brenna glanced at her watch and opened her car door. “I better get going, but I’m looking forward to seeing you this evening. Does five-thirty still work for you?”
“Yep.” Brock lifted his coffee off the top of her car and tried to hold it along with the basket of muffins. He finally gave up his attempts to free a hand to hug Brenna and kissed her cheek instead. “I know I gave you directions, but if you get lost, just call my cell.”
“I will. Have a great day, construction man.”
“You, too, coffee girl.”
Brenna blew him a kiss and he nearly dumped his coffee down his side trying to catch it. She giggled as she pulled out of the parking lot, filled with an indescribable joy that came from time spent with Brock.
Successfully spending the day avoiding Wesley, Brenna’s luck ran out at four-thirty that afternoon. When she felt a set of eyes watching her, she looked up to find Wesley standing in her doorway, glaring at her.
“Ms. Smith. I asked you to have the Smytzer report on my desk by four this afternoon,” Wesley said curtly, walking to her desk. “Where is it?”
“I… it…” Perplexed by Wesley’s insane demands, Brenna hadn’t even been working on a Smytzer project. He never mentioned he wanted a report of any kind on his desk today. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her emotions in check as she looked at her loathsome boss. “I’m sorry, Wesley, but I’m not working on the Smytzer project. If you requested a report it wasn’t from me.”
“Don’t try to get out of doing your work, Smith. I asked you yesterday for that report and you’re not leaving until I get it.” Wesley slapped his hand down on her desk with such a loud clap, it made her jump in her seat. “Now get busy!”
“But Wesley…” Brenna started to explain, again, why she couldn’t produce a report about something of which she had no knowledge, but only managed to splutter at Wesley’s retreating back. Quickly dumping two antacid tablets out of the large bottle she kept in her desk, she swallowed them before picking up the phone and calling Kathleen.
“Hey, Kat, do you know anything about a Smytzer project?” Brenna asked when her friend answered her phone.
“I think Thiebolt and Jenks are working on it. Why?” Kathleen asked.
“Wesley just took me to task for not having it done and I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. He told me I can’t leave until it’s on his desk.” Despite her irritation at Wesley, she felt a measure of relief to know she was right that he’d mistakenly assumed she was working on the report.
“He’s losing it, Brenna. Completely losing it.” Kathleen sighed. “Meet me at the elevator and we’ll go track it down together. Don’t you have a hot date with the hottie construction guy tonight?”
“Not a date, exactly, but I am meeting him after work tonight.” Brenna refused to be late because of her crazy boss. “Thanks, Kat. I’ll see you in a few.”
It took Brenna and Kathleen until a quarter past five to track down the report. While Kathleen smoothed over ruffled feathers, Brenna took the report to Wesley’s office where he sat at his desk, pouring a glass of whiskey.
“About time you got that in here. What’s wrong with you?” Wesley snapped, snatching the report from her hand. “You are just the stupidest little twit. If it were up to me, you’d be standing in the unemployment line, blondie. I’ve never met such an incompetent idiot and yet you somehow managed to worm your way up to a management position. Get out of my sight!”
Brenna tried not to take his cruel words or tone personally, but it was hard not to when they were meant that way. Indignation spurred her back to her office where she gathered her things, turned off her computer, and locked the door. On her way out of the building, she managed to smile at her coworkers, wish Kathleen a pleasant weekend, and get to her car before a few tears trickled down her cheeks.
After giving herself a pep talk and brushing aside her tears, she took a deep breath and programmed Brock’s address into her GPS system. She was going to be late, but she hoped he understood.
Following his directions, as well as the orders barked at her from the GPS system, she finally arrived at his apartment building. Inside, she took the elevator up to his floor and found the correct apartment. Just as she was about to ring the bell, the door opened and she was nearly run over by two burly men carrying boxes.
“Whoa, babe, didn’t see you out here,” the taller of the two said, dropping his box and placing a steadying hand on Brenna’s arm before he knocked her over backward.
Dark-headed with an easy grin and deep green eyes, Brenna assumed he had probably broken more than a few hearts. When he shook her hand, she couldn’t help smiling back at his infectious grin.
“You must be Brock’s coffee girl. I’m Mike, his oldest, best and sometimes only friend.”
Brenna laughed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mike. I’m Brenna.”
Mike nodded toward the other man who also set down his box and shook Brenna’s hand. “This is Levi, my brother and sometimes accomplice in crime.”
Brenna noticed the brothers shared a striking resemblance to each other, although Levi was a little shorter than Mike and seemed to be the more reserved of the two.
“Nice to meet you both.” Brenna looked down at the boxes. “Are you already moving stuff out?”
“Nah.” Mike pushed open the apartment door and motioned Brenna inside. “Brock had some stuff he wanted to get rid of so Levi’s going to drop it by the youth center where he works. Go on in and make yourself at home. Brock ran to the store to get more bubble wrap, but he’ll be back in a minute.”
“Oh, I can wait here in the hall,” Brenna said, not wanting to intrude without Brock there.
“Go on in. We live here, too, so I say it’s fine. There’s pop and drinks in the fridge, just help yourself.” Mike stepped back into the hall and picked up the box. “We’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Brenna hung her coat and purse on a coat rack by the door then stepped into what appeared to be an all-male domain.
While she half-expected a mess and weird smells, the apartment had a faint aroma of something fresh and outdoorsy, like a candle or wall plug-in. The living room was neat and clean with a mix of hunting lodge decor, hand-me-downs, and garage sale finds for furnishings. Some, like her mother, might call it a decorating nightmare but Brenna thought it was unmistakably unique.
As she wandered around the room, Brenna noticed a few expensive antiques that didn’t quite fit in with the other eclectic pieces of furniture. She trailed her fingers over the smooth top of a cherry-wood end table when she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind, effectively stealing her breath.
“Hey, coffee girl, I thought you might be driving around this cold, dark city lost, alone, and frightened. I was about ready to send out a search party,” Brock teased, placing a moist, tender kiss on her neck. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you came. I needed more packing supplies and ran down to the office supply store.”
Brenna relaxed and turned around in his arms. “I had a little problem at work I had to take care of before I could leave and got off a little later than planned.” Thinking about work made her neck muscles bunch.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Brock sensed her tension as he leaned down and looked into her eyes. The blue orbs didn’t glisten with their usual spark of fun and enjoyment. Instead, he read annoyance and hurt.
Brenna forced herself to relax her shoulders. “Everything’s fine, but thanks.” She lifted her face and kissed his chin. “Shall we get busy with your packing?”
“Sure.” Brock squeezed her hand as he stepped away from her and motioned to several bags of bubble wrap he left just inside the door. “I’ve got enough padding to wrap everything in here at least twice and then cover Mike and Levi, too.”
The Coffee Girl Page 9
