Page 21 of The Keeper and I
“Are you gonna go?”
“Of course, I am. We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”
“What are you gonna say?”
He spoke as he typed. “Sure. When and where?”
“Oh, that’s good. Casual and to the point.”
“How long are you gonna keep analyzing this like we’re at a slumber party and some dickhead named Chad is texting you?”
Ava sucked her teeth. “First of all, his name was Eric. And second, you men are quite cryptic in your texts, so they need to be examined by the council.”
He rolled his eyes. When he looked at the screen again, the dots reappeared, and he just barely refrained from a second throwing incident. The bubble appeared with the text inside:How about this afternoon? Two at Coffeeify?
He checked his watch. That was in a couple hours. It gave him time to get the paint off his hands and change his clothes. Coffeeify was walkable as well. He sent a quick thumbs-up and relayed as much to Ava, who agreed with the simplicity of it. A little heart appeared under his thumbs-up, which Ava explained meant that Laci had liked it.
“Are you excited?” Ava asked.
“I…” he paused. “I dunno, it’s all a bit strange.”
His heart danced a jig at the prospect of meeting up with Laci, but his head reminded him it was under unfortunate circumstances, something he wouldn’t wish on anyone.
“Good afternoon!” a bright-eyed barista said, so sunnily that Jordan drew back from her. “How can I Coffeeify your day?”
He blinked. “Uh…just a medium black coffee, thank you.”
“Sorry, sir,” she replied, that plastered smile on her face making her look more and more like a deranged Barbie doll. “We don’t carry medium, only bean sprout or full bean.”
He scowled at her, regretting that he agreed to this. He’d seen Coffeeify when he walked to the shops to get his groceries, but he’d never been inside since he preferred to make his coffee at home. Now he remembered why.
“Whichever is bigger,” he said.
“Full bean it is!” she chirped. “Will you be enjoying it here or taking your Coffeeify goodness with you to—”
“Put it in a to-go cup,” he cut across her.
She didn’t even flinch. “Certainly, sir. Do you have a Coffeeify-Your-Day-Everyday-Rewards Card?”
He bit back a groan. “No.”
“Would you like to sign up? We offer—”
“No, thanks, can I just pay?”
“Of course, sir.” She beamed. “That’ll be four pound fifty.”
He dropped some cash, told her to keep the change because he thought surely she must be doing this against her will, and found an empty table. He checked his watch. It was only five minutes to two, but his heart skipped a beat anyway.
What if Laci didn’t show?
Unlikely, since she was the one who arranged it, but the thought made his stomach turn. He picked at the pink paint peeling off the table.
The door opened with that obnoxious twinkle of a bell over it and Laci walked in. God, she looked beautiful in her cream sweater dress and boots. She went right over to the counter where the cheerful barista was still smiling.
“Good afternoon, Laci!” she said. “How can I Coffeeify your day?”
“I’d love a full bean chai latte,” Laci answered with equal enthusiasm. She dug around inside her purse and found a plastic card, which she handed to the barista. When she flipped her hair out of her face, Jordan almost choked on the sip of coffee he was taking. “Here’s my rewards card. And I’d like it in a to-go cup, please.”