The Barista's Beloved (The River Hill Series Book 4)

by Rebecca Norinne

  But she’d done the same thing, hadn’t she? His jeans fit very nicely, after all. “Sure.” She tore off the blank end of her receipt and snagged a pen from the counter to write her name and phone number down, then handed it to him.

  “Thanks,” he said, then smiled at her again. “I’ll text you.”

  He dashed out the door, and she picked up her sandwich again and shrugged. Maybe he’d text her, maybe he wouldn’t. He seemed nice enough. And she still had lunch either way. Win-win.

  He texted her two hours later.

  Unknown Number: Hey, it’s Steve from the deli. It was really great to meet you. And that sandwich was delicious.

  Maeve: Mine was, too.

  She added him in to her contacts as ‘Deli Steve.’

  Deli Steve: Would you possibly like to get dinner or a drink sometime? I realize we just met and it’s a little pushy, but I like to close deals fast.

  He added a wink emoji, and she rolled her eyes. It wasn’t her favorite pickup line, but he was cute. And there were those cobwebs in her undercarriage to think about.

  Maeve: I don’t know about deals, but I’d love to get a drink. When are you free?

  Deli Steve: Thursday night?

  Maeve: Sounds good.

  Deli Steve: Where’s decent?

  Maeve: Frankie’s is the best. Meet you there at seven?

  Deli Steve: Can’t wait.

  She put her phone away with a grin. No need to mention all the eyeballs that would be on them there. She didn’t want to scare him off. But she did want friendly faces around for her first date in ages. Naomi and Angelica thought she needed to get laid? Well, she could find her own sexy stranger, thank you very much.

  She gave herself exactly two seconds to think wistfully how nice it would be if Ben was the one asking her out, and then shook her head firmly. Not going there. She’d need a friend like Ben if Deli Steve turned out to be a swing and a miss, since it seemed like he wouldn’t put her on the spot to find out what had gone wrong they way Angelica and Naomi maybe would.

  Now that her personal life was settled, it was time to put her head down and figure out how to save Youth Mentors. She pulled out her notepad again and got to work.

  8

  Ben was skating on thin ice with his manager. With a local wine festival taking place that weekend, The Hollow Bean was busier than usual and he was struggling to keep up. He’d been warned once already that the next time he fucked up an order, it was coming out of his pay.

  Unfortunately, all these tourists kept ordering drinks that sounded more like dessert than coffee. What the hell was a warm and toasty graham cracker latte anyhow? According to Corey, the harried barista toiling away next to him, it was an abomination. And now he had to make three of them for a group of blonde twenty-somethings dressed identically in skinny jeans, tight white t-shirts, and puffy black vests who were waiting impatiently for their orders.

  “Hey.” A tall guy with a loud, booming voice stepped up to the counter and waved his cup in front of Ben’s face. “This isn’t what I ordered.”

  Under the watchful eye of his manager, Ben took the to-go cup from the man’s hands and checked the cardboard sleeve to find out what it was supposed to have been. It turned out the problem wasn’t with the drink itself; rather, that the guy had grabbed the wrong order.

  “Unless your name is Nancy, I’d think not,” Ben replied, taking note of what it was so he could make another one for the actual Nancy before she complained too.

  “What did you say to me?”

  Ben gritted his teeth. He’d only worked at The Hollow Bean for a couple of months, but during that time he’d seen the worst of humanity. So many people treated service staff like complete garbage. He just hoped he hadn’t been one of them back in the day. “Just let me get these coffees to them—” he lifted his chin to indicate the three blondes “—and I’ll remake yours.”

  The guy harrumphed, but didn’t add anything else. Probably because his gaze was glued to the girls, his eyes raking over the tallest one with undisguised greed. It was a look Ben recognized well—it was the one he wore whenever he was in the same room as Maeve and he thought she wasn’t looking.

  Having successfully handed over three graham cracker whatevers, he set about remaking the guy’s drink, trying not to eavesdrop on the phone conversation he was having.

  “I should be able to wrap this up in a week or two,” he was saying. “The company that currently occupies the building is a nonprofit so they won’t be able to fight Hartwell for long. Mmm-hmm. Yeah, that’s right. Kids Matter, Teach Younger, Mentor Forever … something like that. I know it definitely has to do with kids. Exactly. We should expect some push back from the community because of that, but I figure once Hartwell ponies up a few grand for a new playground or something, that should shut the yokels up. You know how small towns are.”

  Ben abandoned the milk he’d been foaming and Corey slammed down the bottle of hazelnut syrup he’d just picked up. Ben looked around, noting that the entire coffee shop had come to a silent standstill—something Coffee Douche was completely oblivious to.

  “Look, that’s not my problem. My job is to get in, get the papers signed, and get the fuck out. Why should I care about some kids I’ll never meet? You know how these bleeding heart liberals are. They want to help everyone, and meanwhile, they’re not actually helping anyone. The condos will do a lot more for this ridiculous town than some old abandoned school, you know?”

  With a fury he’d never felt before, Ben untied his apron strings and pulled the fabric over his head, dropping it into the bin of used linens. He had no idea what had come over him, but hearing this guy talk about this mentoring organization so dismissively made him want to do something proactive to stop it.

  He felt a hand on his elbow, slowing him down. “What are you doing?” Corey hissed. “You can’t knock the fucker out. You’ll definitely get fired then.”

  Ben lifted the wooden counter that separated employees from customers and stepped through. Dropping it back down, he turned to Corey. “Oh, I’m going to fight him, all right. Just not how you expect.”

  They thought this takeover was going to be a walk in the park? Well, the joke was on this Hartwell character because he was going to have to go through him first. River Hill was just a town full of yokels, huh? They didn’t think the nonprofit would be able to put up a fight because they couldn’t afford a fancy lawyer? He might not work for a high profile firm anymore, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t go toe to toe with the best of ‘em. Hell, a few short months ago he had been the best. It was time to brush off the rust and prove he still had what it took to win cases. This asshole and the developers he worked for were going down.

  He stood on the sidewalk and stared up at the building he’d decided to save. No pressure or anything, Worthington.

  With one final deep breath, he made his way slowly up the front steps, wondering the entire time if he was being stupid. You didn’t just decide to go back to practicing law because some asshole had been spouting off about how easily he was going to crush the little guy, did you? It was ridiculous that he thought he could help them. And yet, it had been so long since he’d felt so inspired. He knew he’d regret it if he didn’t at least try.

  Overhead, a bell chimed, and a familiar face looked up from the front desk to greet him.

  Immediately, Maeve’s expression morphed into a big grin. “Hey you,” she said, pushing her chair back to stand. “Did I forget we were meeting for lunch?”

  He shook his head in response, unable to form words. Why didn’t Youth Mentors have pictures of their volunteers up on their website or something? Didn’t they realize people needed to know who they were going to encounter when they walked through that front door? If he’d known this was Maeve’s latest volunteering venture, he would have prepared differently.

  He swallowed deeply. How did he tell her what he’d heard at the coffee shop? Suddenly, he was assailed with doubt. He’d wanted to do a go
od thing, but now he felt added pressure knowing that the woman he might be falling for would be personally affected too.

  “So,” he said, rocking back on his heels.

  “What’s up?” she asked, her smile dipping into a confused frown. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I mean yes. I mean … shit.” He pulled in a deep breath and readied himself to crush her spirits. “ This place is in trouble, Maeve.”

  “I know,” she sighed, her eyes shining bright.

  In that moment, he nearly rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. Instead, he used that emotion to push away his earlier doubt. He was going to fight this takeover because it was the right thing to do, but he was also going to do it for her.

  “I’m going to help, Maeve. I’m going to fight it.” He tried to ignore the hopeful look on her face, lest it turn out that he couldn’t deliver on his promise. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

  “You are?” she asked, stepping around the desk and coming to stand in front of him. “How?”

  “So, um. You know I used to be a lawyer…back when I was still a d-bag?” His lips quirked to the side, remembering that conversation. So much had changed since then.

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Well, um, my area of expertise is real estate law, and despite what the barista gig may indicate, I was good at it. But the thing is, I don’t have much experience saving buildings so much as acquiring them. And, uh, getting them torn down.” He winced.

  She crossed her arms over her chest in a protective gesture. “Sort of like the company that’s trying to shut us down, then?”

  He looked up at her sheepishly. “Exactly like the company that’s trying to shut you down.”

  “So how does that help us?”

  “Because I’m not just good at it, Maeve. I’m the best. Better than the guy who’s here in River Hill to see this deal go through. Trust me. I’ve met him, and he’s nothing but a pompous windbag. He’ll never see me coming.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, and he watched as so many different emotions flashed through her expressive green eyes, the final one a stab to the heart. It was defeat. “We can’t afford a lawyer, Ben. We literally have zero money to fight this.”

  “I’ll do it pro bono.”

  Her eyes went round. “You’ll take the case for free?”

  He nodded in the affirmative.

  “Oh my god, Ben! You’re the best.” All at once she launched herself into his arms and hugged him tight.

  Ben stiffened, and willed his body not to react. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her too. Friends hugged, he told himself as he patted her back the same way he did to his grandma when they hugged. This isn’t sexual. Don’t make it into something it’s not. And don’t you dare poke her with your penis when all she wants is a damned hug.

  He disentangled himself from her embrace. Before she leaned away, Maeve kissed him on the cheek and then bounced on her toes, her body vibrating with energy. “I can’t wait for you to tell Joan.”

  “I can’t make any promises, except that I promise to try.”

  Maeve’s smile transformed from one of excitement to fondness. “You really are a good guy, Ben Worthington.”

  Except maybe he wasn’t.

  In all the excitement over the takeover, he realized he’d never gotten around to apologizing for having propositioned her the night they’d been at the distillery. That definitely wasn’t good guy behavior. “That sounds great. But, uh...about the other night. I wanted to thank you.”

  “The other night?” Her head tilted to the side and she studied him intently.

  “Yeah, it was a dick move to say what I said. I’m really sorry, and I wanted to thank you for, um, sending me home. You know? Honestly, aside from Max, I don’t have a lot of people I’m close to. I’d hate it if I did something to jeopardize our friendship. It’s too valuable to me.”

  “Right,” she said, rubbing the toe of her shoe back and forth over the cracked linoleum. “Our friendship. Of course. Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’d forgotten all about it.”

  “You had?”

  She waved her hand in front of her face. “Totally water under the bridge, as you Americans say. Who hasn’t gotten drunk and said something inappropriate? I used to do it all the time.” She laughed easily and turned toward her desk. “Let’s get you in to see Joan, shall we?”

  Ben stood rooted to the floor, a strange sort of disappointment washing over him. He’d meant what he said: he valued her friendship and he never wanted to do anything to compromise it. Still, for one brief moment he’d let himself imagine a different response…one where she told him that she’d wanted him to make a move on her. One where she laughed and said that she would have climbed him like a tree if he hadn’t been falling down drunk. One where she confessed that she thought about him every waking moment too.

  Only, she hadn’t. So now he needed to do what Maeve had said and put it behind them. Water under the bridge, indeed.

  “All right.” He put one foot in front of the other and followed her out of the foyer and down a long, drab hall. “Let’s go talk to Joan and figure out how we save this place.” He might not get the girl, Ben reasoned, but something good could come from this. At least he hoped so.

  9

  Ben had thanked her for not sleeping with him. Maeve had thought the night they’d escaped Angelica and Naomi’s matchmaking had been embarrassing, but this went so far beyond that. It was like the difference between stubbing your toe and breaking every bone in your body. And to think she’d been on the verge of blurting out that she’d nearly called him that morning to tell him to come over and finish what he’d started.

  But when he’d made it clear that he was grateful she hadn’t taken him up on his drunken offer, she’d nearly died. He wanted to stay friends? Fine, there were worse things in the world. Especially considering they did have a good thing going.

  Besides, she didn’t need him. She had a date! A real one, too! And if the the looks Deli Steve had tossed her way during their brief exchange were anything to go by, he wasn’t the type of guy who’d rescind an offer of sex. Or apologize for it. Thank goodness she was meeting up with him sooner rather than later. She needed an ego boost, and he could be the perfect man to give it to her. She just hoped things didn’t go sideways there, too. She couldn’t take any more humiliation this week.

  Maeve sat back down at the front desk with an audible thump. Utterly uninspired, she rifled through the papers she’d been sorting and filing when Ben had first walked in. She should feel better, shouldn’t she? He seemed confident that he could do all the lawyerly things that needed to be done to stop the developers from taking over the building. But he’d also said he knew things from the other side of the equation, something that made her belly do a sick little flop when she thought about it. She imagined Ben in a sharp suit, arguing in a courtroom, and her mind threw that up against the memory of Joan weeping behind her desk. She didn’t want to believe that Ben had been just like the people who were trying to close down this place. She just had to hope that he was better than they were.

  She also needed to re-evaluate her priorities. What kind of woman was ready to rip off one man’s clothes while getting ready to go on a date with another? Poor Steve. They hadn’t even gone out yet and already she felt as if she was emotionally cheating on him. She really had to stop thinking about Ben.

  The door to the back office opened, and he and Joan came out. The older woman was smiling broadly, and Ben looked cheerful, too. “So you’ll gather the info and email it over to me?” he asked.

  “I’m going to get started on it right now,” Joan answered. “Maeve, can I use that computer? Most of our files are there.”

  “Sure.” She rose to let Joan sit. “After this is over, let’s talk about backing up your data, though.” She heard Ben chuckle. “Do you need anything else from me?”

  “Mm, not right now.” Joan’s tone was absent-minded as she
focused intensely on the computer and clicked her way through the file structure. “It’s probably faster for me to just gather everything, since I know where it is. Why don’t you go to lunch?”

  “Who can say no to lunch?” Maeve grinned at her boss, but the other woman wasn’t even looking at her.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Ben said.

  “Want to get lunch?” She waited until they were outside to ask. She didn’t need Joan to witness their new hotshot lawyer shooting her down.

  But he surprised her by agreeing. “Sure. If I’m going to be researching property records I definitely need to do it on a full stomach.”

  “What sort of food goes best with property records?” she asked.

  “Baked goods,” he replied with an absolutely straight face.

  She laughed. “The Breadery it is, then.”

  The building that Youth Mentors occupied was only a few blocks away from River Hill’s picturesque town square, so they walked to lunch, chatting about the work Maeve was doing and the building they were trying to save.

  “There are birds nesting in the eaves,” Maeve said. “It’s cute.”

  He looked thoughtful. “Do you know what kind of birds?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never been much for birdwatching. I have an uncle who likes it, though. Why?”

  “There was a case a few years ago that was referred to the Environmental Protection Agency because a rare bird was nesting in a tree in front of a building that was set to be torn down. They wound up leaving everything untouched to protect its nesting area.”

  “Hmm.” She thought about it, trying to remember what the birds looked like and coming up blank. “I’m not sure, to be honest. What if they turn out to be common sparrows?”