by Harlow James
“Uh, no. Sorry. Most of the guys I work with are married or have serious girlfriends. There might be some guys at the fire station though,” he adds enthusiastically.
“Why don’t you two just date?” Piper waves her finger back and forth between us as Ethan and I stare each other down before bursting out in laughter.
“Ew. No. Sorry, Piper, and no offense, Ethan.”
“None taken.”
“Ethan and I already had this conversation when I thought he was flirting with me just after I was hired and he started bringing people into the ER on calls. I politely told him I wasn’t interested and we agreed to just remain friends,” I explain, recalling that night when I was trying to keep a man alive who came in from a car accident and I thought Ethan was checking me out while I was covered in blood.
“I believe you told me to stop ogling your breasts while you worked or you were gonna stab me with a scalpel.” Ethan grins as Piper starts laughing next to me.
“Well, you got the message didn’t you?” I fire back.
“Loud and clear. Besides, Jess isn’t my type. No offense to you, Jess.”
“None taken as well.” I smile and then take another sip of my coffee.
“But hey! I just remembered… there’s a speed dating event in a couple of weeks over at the new comedy club on Maple Drive. You should come, Jess. There will be plenty of single guys there. And ladies too, for me of course.” He winks.
“Yes!” Piper shouts in excitement, clapping her hands loudly and startling me in my seat. “This is perfect! You’ll get to interview a bunch of different guys in one night. You’re bound to hit it off with someone.”
“Too bad you can’t come with me,” I whine just as the corner of Piper’s lips tip up wistfully.
“No, I’m happily taken. But Rachel can. She’s single. You should convince her next week when we got to the park with her and Grayson.” Rachel is Piper’s best friend from back home in New York. She just recently moved out here to Emerson Falls to be closer to Piper and took up a nanny gig for one of Cash’s friends, Luke. Grayson is the little boy she’s watching and next week we’re meeting them at the park for a play date—also known as an excuse for us girls to talk while the kid can run around and deplete his abundance of energy.
The thought of not going alone does makes me perk up a bit. “What time is it at, Ethan?” I turn back to him, waiting for him to respond.
“I think six? I have the flyer in my car. I’ll text you a picture of it later.”
“Okay. Sounds good. I guess at this point, I have nothing to lose.” I shrug and pop the last bite of my granola bar in my mouth, depositing the wrapper in the trash can. “But hey, I’m going to get out of here now. You’ve still got another hour, right?” I ask Piper as I stand and reach for my lower back, wincing at the stiffness from being on my feet so long. I grab my last patient chart on the desk and then make my way around Piper’s seat.
“Yup. Wish me luck.”
“I’ve got to get going too, girls. But hey, I’ll send you that info soon, alright?” Ethan says as he starts to walk backwards away from us.
“Sounds good, Ethan. Thanks.”
“Sorry I suggested you date, Ethan,” Piper shrugs before logging into the computer.
“No worries. We’re just friends.” Ethan is a great guy, he’s just not my type at all. “Alright. I’m seriously leaving now. Hopefully, it will remain calm for you since the majority of the storm has passed.” I’m speaking literally and figuratively of course. The rain that pelted Emerson Falls last night only added to the cases we saw in the ER. “Wish me luck too, though. I have to go to the grocery store before I can drive home.”
“Why? Just go when you wake up this afternoon.”
I shake my head. “No can do. I’m almost out of coffee and I used the last of my creamer yesterday.”
Piper cringes. “Yup. You’ve got to go.”
“Told ya. See you when I see you, Piper.” I lean down and give her a hug before processing my last patient and running for my car.
Once I’m seated in the driver’s seat, I realize I’m going to need an energy boost if I’m going to keep my eyes open in the grocery store, lest I end up sleeping curled up in my shopping cart. There’s only one place I know that can give me the caffeine fix I so desperately seek, and that is Skye’s Creations, a local organic coffee house in the lovely town I call home.
I secure a parking space and lock my car before trudging through the puddles gathered on the asphalt from last night’s rainfall. My sneakers are wet and slippery when I make my way through the door, but the scent of coffee, chocolate, and sugar instantly hits my nose, wakes me up, and makes my feet move on their own accord.
Unfortunately though, there’s a line about six people deep and only two cashiers working, a rare occurrence for Skye’s at this time in the morning.
“God, I just need coffee, please!” I grumble to myself, throwing my head back in agony. If I weren’t so desperate to stay awake, I’d leave and just grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks or a gas station. But I thought about a caramel delight mocha all the way here from the hospital, and now my heart and stomach want nothing else.
“Line’s moving,” a husky voice rattles behind me, surprising me at how the sound makes my entire body wake up when I’m borderline sleeping with my eyes open. I can almost sense that the man attached to that voice has to be good-looking, because mother nature can’t be that cruel, right? Curious to see if she’s pulled a fast one on me, I turn slowly to face him, searching for the owner of that beautiful sound.
And what do you know? The man belonging to that throaty timber is even more attractive than my mind imagined. My neck gets a workout as I tip back my head to find one of the most lethal faces on a man I’ve ever seen. Smooth skin, the perfect amount of light brown stubble, full lips, and a jawline that belongs on a magazine. My heart starts to race as the reaction my body is having registers in my mind. But then the smug look on his face smothers the fire burning inside me quickly when he acts more irritated than necessary. “We haven’t got all day, yeah?”
“So sorry for holding you up. Forgive me for trying to alleviate some of the strain on my body from working an eighteen-hour shift and not moving the second the line did.” I roll my eyes at him before turning back around, taking the two steps forward that he was entirely too worried about closing. The pounding of my heart just moments ago from taking in his face has now shifted into higher blood pressure due to annoyance.
“I take it you work in the hospital then? It’s obvious you wouldn’t be coming off a shift that long and at this time if you worked at a private practice.” I’m taken aback by his assessment, curious as to how he might know that information, even though I am still in my scrubs. But I do not have the energy to deal with this incredibly attractive man right now. My heart might be beating like it’s awake, but my brain sure as hell isn’t.
“Bingo,” I reply, turning back around to see that two more people have left the line, granting me one step closer to my fix.
“Not much for conversation then, are we?”
My head moves on its own accord, slowly turning to face him and showcase my best pissed off glare. “Forgive me for not wanting to converse with rude men.”
He laughs. “You think I’m rude? Wow. Okay, I’m gonna let that slide since clearly you’re exhausted.”
“You think?” I say, before twisting to face the counter again. As I scour the case of baked goods for some sustenance to accompany my coffee, a large hand brushes past me, acquiring a package of cinnamon-flavored gum in the caddy beneath the display cases. And since I can only assume that the hand belongs to the hunk of a man waiting behind me in line, I feel the need to address his choice since he felt the need to give me shit about not keeping the line moving and how irritated I am.
Let’s just say, I get feisty when I’m tired, alright?
“Are you seriously going to buy that?” I gesture down to his hand with my eyes as he
opens up his palm, revealing the package of gum.
“Yup. Can’t go a day without it.”
“That’s… that’s like the most disgusting flavor of gum there is!” I curl my lips up and wrinkle my nose, definitely passing judgment on him now.
“That’s your opinion. But I happen to love it. It’s not like I’m buying orange flavored Tic-Tacs.”
“What’s wrong with orange flavored Tic Tacs?” I ask as he waves at me to move forward since two more people have left the line. The finish line is right there, I can see it. But now I’m enthralled with what this guy has against one of my favorite breath fresheners.
“They shouldn’t be classified as mints. They don’t make your breath fresh like gum. They’re basically a candy.”
Okay, I guess he has a point. “But they’re so delicious!”
He chuckles as I take a minute to peruse his dirty blonde hair and honey-colored eyes this time, the softest shade of brown I’ve ever seen in someone’s irises before. His smile spreads wide and gives a glimpse of his pearly white teeth beneath those full, pink lips, and then he leans in close to my ear. The proximity of him and his hot breath tickling my neck makes me close my eyes instinctually. “Exactly, practically like candy. But hey, guess what? I find cinnamon flavored gum to be delicious and it actually makes my breath fresh. So who’s the smarter one here now, huh?” He slowly backs away and then ruins my buzz on his smell when he speaks again. “Your turn.”
Sure enough I turn around and see one of the two cashiers waving at me to come forward. I shuffle over and turn my back to the arrogant prick that’s making me want to show him what I’m capable of with a syringe and a needle.
“Hey, Jess. You coming off of a shift or headed towards one?” Skye greets me, cheery as ever. I swear the woman must sleep in this shop since she always seems to be here. But if I slept around coffee and smelled it all day, I’d probably be as happy as a toddler eating ice cream too.
“Coming off. Last night was insane. I should have been home already, sound asleep in my own bed. But it was chaos, hence the need for coffee so I can make it through the grocery store without sleeping in an aisle.”
Skye chuckles while reaching for a cup, scribbling my name along the side in sharpie. I rattle off my order and while she rings me up, I spot another display of gum and mints to the side and low and behold, they have orange flavored Tic Tacs. Channeling every ounce of spite I can find, I snag a pack and add them to my pile before completing my purchase.
“Here’s your honey bran muffin. Coffee will be ready in a few minutes.” I grab the brown paper bag and my Tic Tacs, preparing to move to the other side of the counter where the finished drinks are deposited.
“Thanks, Skye. You’re a lifesaver.” I flash her a grateful smile even though the amount of irritation still coursing through my body makes my internal temperature rise as I scurry along the counter and wait for my coffee.
Who the hell did that guy think he is? Being rude when he asked me to move forward in the line and then judging my choice of breath freshener? I realize my strong reaction to him is probably a result of how annoyed I am due to my need to sleep. But still, what kind of person just eggs someone on when they’re clearly tired?
“Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” My annoying line-mate comes up beside me, waiting for his drink obviously now too.
“What are you talking about?”
His eyes peer down to the Tic Tacs in my hand. “Nice candy you have there.”
I huff at him, grinning at how my spite for this man is just fueling the fire between us. But I can’t tell if that fire is attraction or aggravation. “Your little comment from earlier just reminded me that I was out of these, so I grabbed them.”
“It’s not good to eat candy all day.”
“Some would say chewing gum is bad for you too.”
He stares down at me intensely, my neck still craning back to see his honey-colored eyes. “I think you and I can agree there are far worse things you can be addicted to.” The grit in his voice makes a throbbing develop between my legs, a feeling I haven’t had from a man in a long time.
I lift a brow at him. “Like what?”
He takes two steps forward and then leans down to my ear again, those pesky goosebumps following. “Like a feisty, attractive woman that I’m sure is actually a pleasure to be around when she’s not sleep deprived.”
My breath hitches as I soak in his thoughts, the blatant attraction for me that he just confessed. And I’d be lying if I didn’t feel the same way. The man is gorgeous—tall, muscular but not overly so, confident, sarcastic—he’s everything I would normally go for.
But right now, this encounter is just too much for me to process.
“Jess! Your order is ready!” The barista behind the counter shouts over the noise of chatter, steaming milk, coffee grinders, and clinking metal.
“Nice to meet you, Jess,” the man says again, standing tall and flashing me a million dollar smile that should come with a warning label.
“Uh… yeah… nice to meet you?” I say more as a question because I’m so flabbergasted how our interaction turned from frustration to flirtation. All I can manage to do at this point is grab my drink, turn to him, and smile slightly while still thoroughly confused. Then I race through the coffee shop, reeling at how awkward that fifteen minutes was before I drive to the grocery store, buy what I need, and then finally throw myself into bed, where my handsome coffee man flirts with me in my dreams, and our encounter ends much differently.
Pre-Order Brooks and Jess’s book, Devoted, Coming July 2020
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Acknowledgments
Luke’s story was probably the most emotional one I’ve written yet. When I started to type, his book just poured out of me. I remember when L and I plotted it, I told her that I would probably cry the entire time while writing it—and I did.
One of my worst fears is losing my husband early in life, only second to losing one of my children. To anyone that has experienced either loss, my heart goes out to you. But I think that fear helped me immerse myself in Luke’s emotions and allowed the story to flow out naturally. And I knew that Rachel had to be this incredibly patient woman who knew how fragile the situation was that she was walking into. I couldn’t have written a better heroine for Luke, and I was bawling when I typed THE END on their story. I hope you all cry throughout and love it as much as I do.
To L: I am so lucky to have your honesty and encouragement each time we plot a new story. You are one of the best friends I could have asked for. I love you.
To my hubby: I love when you walk in on me in my writing cave, staring at me like I’m a crazy person as tears are streaming down my cheeks as I type! But you always have my White Claw ready when I type The End, and I love you for it. Thank you for being my best friend.
To my beta readers, ARC team, and my readers, both old and new: Thank you for taking a chance on a self-published author. Thank you for sharing my books with others. Thank you for allowing me to share my creativity with people who love the romance genre as much as I do.
And thank you for supporting a wife and a mom who found a hobby that she loves.
More Books by Harlow James
The Hopetown Series (currently removed from Amazon for revision)
Chasing Hope
Destined to Be
A Simple Love
One Look, A Baseball Romance Standalone
The Emerson Falls Series
Tangled (Kane & Olivia)
Enticed (Cooper & Clara)
Captivated (Cash and Piper)
Revived (Luke and Rachel)
Devoted (Brooks and Jess)
