Page 21 of Midnight Whispers
“I’ll tell her you said so. Now please go.”
I round the corner and our eyes meet immediately. His are nothing but emptiness as they stare back at me.
“Heya, babe.”
My tone is ice cold. “Parker, I need you to leave Alcott’s. I don’t want to, but if you keep coming around, I’ll have to ask Cyrus for a protection order.” The shop falls silent.
He clenches his jaw. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“I would if you can’t respect my boundaries. I’m not coming back to you. We broke up, I gave you back your family ring, and I think it’s time you moved on, too.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“There’s noguy.It’s just time.”
His voice is venomous. “You’ll come crawling back, Lillia. You’ll see. Emolyn Cove doesn’t have much better.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” I cross my arms, channeling Flora in my stance. He scoffs, turns, and leaves the store. I let out the breath I was holding in, the fierceness I felt just seconds ago leaving with it.
“That was badass, Lil!” Sophi cheers. I nod, unable to talk.She helps me into the office, leaving and coming back a second later with a cup of iced water. “Drink this.”
My hands shake as I put the cup to my lips and take a small sip. “I’m okay, Sophi,” I insist. “Why don’t you go ahead and go home?”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be good.”
She grabs her bag out of the drawer and light pats my shoulder, whispers her goodbyes, and leaves the office. I take a deep breath and fight against the tears that are filling my eyes. The bell on the front door sounds off. I sigh and stand, shaking my hands before wiping them on my pants.
“Welcome to Alcott’s, what can I…” My voice trails off.
“Hey, you,” Cedar greets me with a smile, his perfectly white teeth captivating me all over again.
“Hi! Do you… Do you want coffee or something?” I stumble on my words.
“No, actually. I just came in to see you.”
Alarm bells sound off in my mind. How did he find me? I chuckle to myself when I remember Emolyn Cove is a very small town, and anyone could have easily told him where I spend most of my time.
“Oh.” Warmth rushes from my chest up to my face, which I know is extremely red. “Well, you see me.”God, I’m such an idiot.
He laughs. “Yes. I do. Can you sit?” He tilts his head back to the empty coffee shop.
“Sure,” my voice squeaks.
You’re really killing the flirting game, stupid.
I take off my apron and set it on the counter. When I lift my head, Cedar is already at a table across the room. I’m sure the look plastered on my face did nothing to hide my confusion forhow he got there so quickly. He’s smiling up at me as I approach the table, and my stomach is in knots. The chair scrapes against the floor as I pull it out.
“So, uhm. What's up?”Smooth.
“Our interaction in the book shop was so fast. I didn’t get to know anything about you.”
“What do you want to know?” Alarm bells are going off in my head, but this is where things get complicated. Fairly fresh out of a toxic relationship everything can seem like a red flag. You are constantly on high alert, reading into every interaction and second guessing anything that makes you think youcouldbe happy again.
Cedar’s smile is warm as he asks, “What inspired you to open a coffee shop in such a small town?”
“Well, Alcott’s was my dad’s,” I replied without hesitation.